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At Grave's End (Night Huntress, Book 3) |  | Author: Jeaniene Frost
Publisher: Avon
Category: Book
List Price: $7.99
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Seller: thermite-media
Rating:  105 reviews
Sales Rank: 5740
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 352
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 6.5 x 4.1 x 1
ISBN: 0061583073
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780061583070
ASIN: 0061583073
Publication Date: January 1, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| • | ISBN13: 9780061583070 | | • | Condition: New | | • | Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed |
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Product Description
Some things won't stay buried . . . at grave's end It should be the best time of half-vampire Cat Crawfield's life. With her undead lover Bones at her side, she's successfully protected mortals from the rogue undead. But though Cat's worn disguise after disguise to keep her true identity a secret from the brazen bloodsuckers, her cover's finally been blown, placing her in terrible danger. As if that wasn't enough, a woman from Bones's past is determined to bury him once and for all. Caught in the crosshairs of a vengeful vamp, yet determined to help Bones stop a lethal magic from being unleashed, Cat's about to learn the true meaning of bad blood. And the tricks she's learned as a special agent won't help her. She will need to fully embrace her vampire instincts in order to save herself—and Bones—from a fate worse than the grave.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 105
 Not a laughing matter January 1, 2009
Oliva (Phoenix, AZ)
33 out of 36 found this review helpful
I re-read the last 2 books before I allowed myself to read the 3rd. I wish I hadn't. It made the disparity between them painful. Just about everything I loved from the first 2 books was missing in this one.
The Good - There is a lot of plot and a lot of action. Many parts reminded me of the earlier Anita Blake. All the fighting and gore and sinister plots. Excellent. This is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 3.5
The Depressing - I read the first 2 books with a huge poo-eating-grin on my face, laughing out loud constantly. Both times! It actually made my husband jealous. Not this time. This time I rarely laughed, occasionally grinned and in the middle of the book I actually cried. By the end I was stoic.
What I miss - The sex scenes. The chemistry. The bantering. The heart.
I expected, and anticipated, Cat's confrontation with her mother after what she discovered at the end of book 2. Don't. After I got over that disappointment I was hopeful for her mother later in the book only to have it crushed again at the end. Oh well.
Tate left me wanting. Something. So much potential plot yet just out of reach. He can be a great ally or a ruthless advisory. Time will tell.
 Awesome - My Favorite So Far December 31, 2008
Honeywell
28 out of 35 found this review helpful
I thought this book was a great addition to the series. It started off a little rough for me because the whole dress and act like a hooker bit was getting old, in my opinion, but Bones was tired of it as well so it seems to be resolved and full steam ahead from that point. Lots of fast paced, unpredictable action followed that kept the story moving and the reader guessing. Some parts could have used a bit more description and scenes ended and changed too abruptly at times but nothing that detracted too much from the story.
Bones was great as always and Cat lost some of her rough edges and was actually more likable this go around. What really made this story stand out and get my five stars, though, was the emotion. I had tears running down my face for at least two chapters it was so moving. Any book that can get me to cry real tears for fake characters means the author has done their job and brought me fully into the story.
Great addition to the series and I can't wait for the next installment!
 Disappointing January 3, 2009
bookcentric
15 out of 18 found this review helpful
I found the first two books exciting, amusing, romantic fun and eagerly awaited At Grave's End for months. Unfortunately, I was extremely disappointed and only finished the book because I kept hoping it would get better and that the tension and humor of the first two would return.
The previously strong romantic/sexual tension between Cat and Bones is gone, and several perfunctory sex scenes couldn't make up for the lack of connection and the development of their relationship. Cat and Bones are also oddly uncompelling protagonists. Bones will go to any length to protect Cat. Yes. We got that in the last book, so showing and stressing this again and again does nothing but diminish the emotional impact. As for Cat, she makes the occasional snarky remark, wears slutty clothes, and kills lots of things. And... that's it. The only characters who engaged and held my interest were secondary ones - Cat's relatives and a new vampire who gets introduced in the middle of the book.
The plot felt both disconnected and overly simplistic. There were no subplots, not really, merely a string of the same sort of thing. One scene early on is powerful, because it's there that one feels actual fear for the characters and their health. Later on, Frost goes back to killing off extras in order to show how dark and deadly everything is. And yes, the bodycount is higher than before, but it's not very meaningful when we don't really *know* the characters who are killed.
The summarizing in the first part of the book is jarring, particularly because the transition from action - narrative clean up - action occurs within a few sentences. And as for the end, between the battle set up and speech that had me cringing for the characters and the vaguely anticlimactic finish, I felt almost relieved when I reached the end.
I really enjoyed the first two and will happily reread and recommend them, but I won't be buying the fourth book or reading this one again. It's not a dreadful book by any means, but... it's not the series, at least not as I'd care to remember it.
Bones and Cat Missing Some Mojo (C Grade) December 30, 2008
K. Garrabrant (Bloomfield, NJ USA)
38 out of 53 found this review helpful
At Graves End brings us right in the middle of another mission, Cat Crawfield, also known as the Red Reaper, is involved in. She has a stable and loving relationship with the love of her life, Bones, who is a centuries old vampire. They are now married, at least in the eyes of the vampire culture they both live in. Bones is so dedicated to Cat and fights alongside her against those rogue vampires who don't stay in line. Along with her crew of both undead and human crime fighters, they are a team that is both feared and respected. Cat works for her uncle, who is in charge of a government based group that watches over the supernatural beings.
Not only does Cat and Bones have to keep on their toes against their multiple enemies who want them gone, but Cat also has to deal with a vampire father who wants her dead, along with the issue of Bones's past lovers who pop up out of the blue, which makes Cat jealous. She knows Bones wants to be with her and only her forever, but she still can't figure out why Bones has fallen in love with her, and wants to spend all of eternity with her and no one else. He sees his soul mate, where as Cat constantly wonders why Bones would want to be with her.
When Bones's two-thousand year old grandsire, Mencheres has a vision of a vampire war in the future, he warns both Bones and Cat. But things may be too late, for a very powerful vampire, Pantra, will do whatever she can to kill Bones, in order for her to rule all over all vampires. It is up to both Bones and Cat to stop her. Not only will Cat have to place her trust in those she has many issues with, but another vampire from myth and fiction comes to their aid. Cat knows they may not come out alive, but if she is going down, she will go down taking those evil souls with her.
Some who are fans of this series may be pleased by the outcome. But alas, for this reader, I was severely disappointed. Everything I had enjoyed in the first two books were missing here. The chemistry between Cat and Bones was lacking, as well as their passion and love for one another. One Foot in the Grave had one of the best love scenes I read this year. (Go to chapter 32 and you will see why) There is no such scene or scenes in At Graves End. The unbridled lust and almost reckless love that Bones and Cat have for one another never occurs within these pages. Not that I really minded an outpouring of sex between Cat and Bones, but their relationship was so dull. Their interactions felt hollow, as if they have done everything they could between each other and were confused to where they should go next in their relationship.
I also felt the writing was choppy and it seemed to me that some scenes were missing, as if they were edited out. The fade to black scenario was used here way too often and I wondered why. The story would have been so much more exciting if things between the characters did not just end abruptly. With the first 50 pages or so, there was too much action all at once as well, as the tying up of past storylines. More than a few times I shook my head in disbelief and I came very close to the point of placing this under my DNF pile (do not finish). We have these intense fighting scenes, which I really did enjoy, but in the long run they didn't really add up. It was the case of a great deal of lacking in description, as if Jeaniene is trying to show her reader, look what I can do, and what the future can hold, but with no real substance. There were some points that seemed so silly and I don't think that was intentional, especially when Vlad, also known as Dracula, that man of mystery and myth shows up. When he appeared, I had to hold back a groan.
An author will sometimes have a book that just doesn't work. That doesn't mean they are not a worthy storyteller or that their future books may end up the same way. Jeaniene has proven that she can write incredible characters, witty dialogue and great action. Cat is one awesome heroine, who is so very strong, and one I look up to. I am so happy that Jeaniene created such a woman like Cat. She is everything I wish in all of my heroines. But with At Graves End, I found myself stumped and kept scratching my head because this just did not click for me. Again, not every book can be a winner, and even though my reaction to At Graves End is one of disappointment, I will definitely be on board to read Jeaniene's next book, An Early Grave, that comes out in July 2009. Hopefully, Jeaniene will get her mojo back, and my next review for that future release will be the total opposite of this one.
Katiebabs
 great cover...but the content isn't in the same league January 5, 2009
Desert_Gal (Utah)
10 out of 13 found this review helpful
After becoming a Cat & Bones fan (well, a Bones fan--Cat drives me insane with her juvenile sniping and bull-headed stupidity most of the time. Honestly, she's a bit TSTL...) last year, I definitely got caught up in the hype for this third book. The author's website and blog were absolutely masterful in the pre-publicity for At Grave's End, which must have made the publisher about wet itself with the sales anticipation. So, kudos to that--you made me buy it. I almost didn't, after reading the very first amazon review. But I couldn't help myself when I found it on sale at Target (hope this review doesn't get excised because I revealed I bought a book somewhere else!). Obviously, the pre-release mania worked here too, as the book's current sales rank is 227, which is pretty freaking good.
But I am, ultimately, disappointed with what I'd anticipated. And perhaps that isn't all the writer's fault. Now, as an author--a saleswoman, someone savvy to the ways of the buying public, well-versed in how to use modern media to her books' advantage--Frost didn't let us down. I was practically salivating to get my hands on this book, entered every pre-release contest I could find to win a copy, etc. etc. Brilliant marketing. But the *author* let me down with her *writer's* end product. This book is just not what the hype indicated it would be.
And perhaps, as I mentioned, the *writer* isn't as much at fault for that. Because it's damn hard to carry a series forward in the third book when the first two books were so good because of their uniqueness, the quirky character names, their highly unusual and extremely sexy hero, and the blazing action, among other things. The reading public becomes very possessive of beloved characters and worlds, and woe to the author who missteps. Not to mention, I'm sure the deadlines were brutal, as both publisher and agent likely urged Frost to hurry, hurry, ride the wave while it lasts and get these books out so we can all make some moolah. So maybe the writer felt pushed due to the very success of her books. I don't know this for a fact, but the thought is there, because At Grave's End strikes me as rushed, scattered, and more of the same--which was okay for the first two books. Then, the rush was new, and it was great. But by the third title, we need the same, yet it also has to be *different*, and that can just be damn hard to capture.
I have the same quibbles as in some of the other less glowing reviews. Some examples: 1) Bones, sexy devil though he may be, was simply tiresome in his overused ultra-possessiveness of Cat. We get it already. Enough. He's alpha. Gotcha. 2) All those who died in this book were indeed mostly faceless and nameless, and even some of the named and faced ones I just could not care less about, because they were toss-off sketches, mere cardboard cutouts, and cut hastily with ragged edges at that. Not to mention there were so damn many of them I was genuinely confused. There were errors with these abundant secondary (tertiary, even) characters that added fuel to my idea that this novel was a bit rushed: for example, early on Cat meets three new vampires with interesting names. She mentions that, in her head, she calls them by three *other* cute little names. But then we never again hear those names in her head, which rendered that bit unnecessary, not to mention confusing me further with the extra names.
Following me so far? Yeah, that's my point.
3) As for the sexual tension between Cat and Bones, I also thought it was far less present than in the previous two books, and when mentioned, it was definitely told rather than shown. Sure, they still have sex. Sure, there's the added tension of Tate *still* trying to get between them. And...I kind of didn't care. Gosh, it might almost make Cat more interesting if she does finally fall for Tate's overtures, I found myself thinking as I read. But when I got to a certain scene in a limo between Cat and Tate, I was just really annoyed. That scene was written simply for effect, and did nothing to further the plot except to, you guessed it, make Cat appear even more immature and annoying and Bones ever more jealously protective of the evermore single-minded Tate--which just made Tate annoying too. He's somewhat boring to me now, because he seems to exist only to exacerbate tension between our heroine & hero...and they should be able to create that tension between themselves without him around.
Now, yes, I read the book quickly and was definitely hooked by the action and flow, which is part of why I gave it 3 stars instead of 2. (The other part is that even if he's becoming tiresomely possessive, I still think Bones is just flat-out sexy.) Frost can write enough tension to hold a reader. But--I was also reading to see where this story was going...would it get better...even tenser in a brilliant way...and would I end up loving At Grave's End as much as I do the two previous books?
Well. No.
Ultimately, I found At Grave's End to contain contrived plot points, somewhat mindless action (great. Cat can survive having her head bashed through a concrete wall. Twice. Yawn.), and sweeping scenes and themes that left me disinterested and dissatisfied. I sense that Frost was casting around for what to do with her really great characters, and she latched onto stuff that simply lacks heart. (Ha! Pun not intended in this vampire-laden series.) Another example: a character we met in the previous books does permanently die, and it seemed kind of--pointless. Yes, seemingly pointless deaths unfortunately happen all the time in real life, but this is not real life. It's a novel, and an urban fantasy/paranormal romance novel at that, and as such there are different rules. I think Frost may also be suffering from too-many-characters syndrome, and she's desperately trying to figure out what to do with them all, while propelling the plot forward and holding her readers' interest. This book definitely falls short of the mark.
So. Will I read the next book in the series, due out in July? Probably. Maybe it's way better than this one, with the sort of literary redemption authors (and readers) dream about. Will I re-read At Grave's End before the next book comes out, as I did Halfway to the Grave and One Foot in the Grave before this one released? No. It just did not hold my attention and fascination like the first two books, and that's really too bad, because I had high hopes. Here's wishing the rest of the series regains the wild momentum and savage beauty of the first two, without treading the same old ground in the same old way. Because really, that's why I like them so much.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 105
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