4.5 out of 5 stars
E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 175 pages. Published September 18th 2015 by BlueHeart Press
Blurb:
History isn’t always what it seems…
Twelve months after his change, Alec MacAidan is still getting used to his many vampire talents. While most vampires would give anything to have more than one supernatural power, Alec craves nothing more than peace and time alone with Cronin. But when Alec meets entities from outside this realm, he’s left powerless in their presence.
Zoan are half-lycan, half-dragon creatures that have slipped through time and reality, seemingly undetected by man and vampire. Or have they? They bear an uncanny resemblance to gargoyles, leaving Alec’s view on all things weird to get a whole lot weirder.
This new quest leads Alec, Cronin, and their band of friends to Paris, Rome, and Moscow, where they learn that gargoyles aren’t simply statues on walls. In the underground pits beneath churches all over the world, Alec discovers the Key’s true destiny. Facing the Zoan might take every talent he has. And he may need help from the dead to get them all out alive.
Likes:
- Alec’s new vampire powers are cool.
- Gargoyles.
- How involved Kole is.
- Alec’s feelings about his father’s mortality.
- The hook for Kennard’s story.
- A little more world building.
- Vampire afterlife.
Dislikes:
- How have humans remained unaware of the supernatural?
- Some moments that seem to contradict earlier cannon.
- Alec’s powers make him feel almost invincible.
- A little formulaic.
While the end of book two was satisfying, I’m glad this third book was written, because I wanted to see what Alec’s life as a vampire would be like. I was curious about what powers he’d have and how he’d use them. And this book definitely delivered when it came to Alec’s powers.
Without giving anything away, I think it’s fair to say that Alec is overpowered. It makes sense, given that he’s the first human Key ever. But like book two, I didn’t worry much about the main cast. I was confident that everyone was going to be fine, no matter who or what came after them. Still, I’m glad we got to see Alec struggle a little with the powers, both with how to use them and with the vampire community’s reaction to them. It was also funny how annoyed he got when Jodis wanted to document everything.
Alec and Cronin’s relationship is so stable at this point that I wasn’t expecting much in the way of romantic development. There’s less smut in this story, which was fine because it made the tender moments that much more impactful. If anything, I’d say this story put an emphasis on friendship, especially given how long vampires live.
Kole, Alec’s father, was a lot more present in this book. Having him along on some of the fact-finding missions added a new dynamic. But what I really loved was Alec’s struggle to come to terms with his father’s mortality. Kole didn’t want to become a vampire, and Alec had a hard time with the thought that he’d eventually lose his father.
This book definitely paid more attention to the ramifications of being a vampire. Alex actually thought about what it would mean to have friendships that lasted for centuries and to watch the normal humans in his life die. The idea that Cronin had been worried about what waited for vampires when they died was interesting, and not something I’ve seen addressed in other vampire stories. The fact that there was an actual answer was really cool. It leant a little more world building to the series.
It was nice that the villains in this book weren’t vampires who wanted to rule the earth. The gargoyles were an interesting concept, as was the search for information about them. I especially loved the group’s trip to the Vatican.
That said, I want to know how normal humans have remained unaware of the presence of the supernatural. I know there was a brief comment about how people thought the video of the statues coming to life was CGI, and the one eyewitness was a homeless man that no one was going to believe, but that isn’t enough. It’s probably the biggest plot hole in the entire series, to my mind, aside from the few instances that seemed to contradict earlier information. For example, Enji offered to feed Alec, but I thought vampires couldn’t feed from other vampires unless they were mated. It was a small moment, but it caught my attention.
As far as the plot goes, this story was definitely a little formulaic. It was still interesting, and I enjoyed it, but I’m hoping that Kennard’s story is new and fresh.
The hook for Kennard’s story was great, and I’m definitely looking forward to starting on it soon. Maybe we’ll get to see more of the English and Russian vampires and be introduced to new characters. As much as I’ve enjoyed Alec, Cronin, Enji, and Jodis, I feel like there isn’t much else to say about any of them.
Overall, this was a good ending to Alec and Cronin’s story.
Be sure to check out the review for the first books in the series, Cronin’s Key (Cronin’s Key #1) and Cronin’s Key II (Cronin’s Key #2).
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