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"When Evangeline Stone wakes up naked and bruised on a cold slab in the morgue--in a stranger's body, with no memory of who she is and how she got there--her troubles are only just beginning. Before that night she and the two other members of her Triad were star bounty hunters, mercilessly cleansing the city of the murderous creatures living in the shadows, from vampires to shape-shifters to trolls. Then something terrible happened that not only cost all three of them their lives but also convinced the city's other Hunters that Evy was a traitor--and she can't even remember what it was. Now she's a fugitive, piecing together her memory, trying to deal some serious justice--and discovering that she has only three days to solve her own murder before the reincarnation spell wears off. Because in three days Evy will die again--but this time there's no second chance...."--p. [4] of cover.… (more)
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I can't imagine waking up, not knowing where I was or how I got there, (at least not without a few drinks thrown back as an excuse) but that is what happened to Evangeline "Evy" Stone. Can you imagine waking up and having a completely different body, very limited memories and you have three days till you die again? Truth be told, I would FREAK! Right from the get go, Meding had me hooked with the gritty D.O.A and dark twist, Very Cool!
What I found really amazing, besides the intriguing plot, was the fantastic character growth. Kelly Meding brought the characters to life within the pages. Each character had amazing depth and I wasn't overwhelmed with heavily written adjectives. (Something alot of authors are unable to achieve.) The protagamist Evy, not only has to relive all that she endured before death and deal with the consequences of her previous life, she has to come to grips with the ones of the body she resides in, to include her relationship with the body's roommate.
From the beginning, I joined Evy in the quest to recover her memories. I found myself, wondering how I would feel in this situation. Part of me would want to recover them, and part of me figured some things are best left alone. But like Evy, I would want to know them. That is powerful writing, when a story pulls you in like that, don't you agree? Needless to say, Evy gradually started recovering her memories. What she eventually found out was startling and unexpected. I was like WHOA...didn't see that coming. There are actually several moments throughout the book that made me feel that way.
I have to say kudos to Meding for taking me on the journey and not giving the story a quick fix. Otherwise, I would have never known just how vulnerable Evy really was. Her relationship with Wyatt was wonderfully written. I appreciated how strong a survivor Evy was, but not so strong, that she doesn't struggle with certain intimacy issues when it comes to her handler, friend, and lover, Wyatt.
Things are not all as it seems in this book. Friends are enemies and enemies are friends. I got sucked into the story and started seeing conspiracies everywhere. Kelly Meding has done a remarkable job in this book. She has managed to do what many authors still struggle to accomplish, she made the characters and situations come alive on the pages and in my imagination. It's hard to believe that this is her debut. It was very edgy, compelling and an exciting read, everything an urban fantasy novel should be. I look forward to reading her future works. A definate recommend!
This book constantly moves forward with a lot happening. There is always some action going on or mystery detail being given, and the good guys
Evy wakes up on a morgue table not knowing; where she is, what happened, or even any phone numbers to make a call for help. Let alone realizing she is not in her own body anymore. You meet Evy right on page one and start the story right with her. The memory loss is handled wonderfully! The memory loss is only for a particular time frame and you learn what is lost with Evy. You feel the emotions right with Evy as she learns the wonderful and horrific things with her. As you meet other characters (human and paranormal) you learn what Evy knows as you come to them - either right before or as you meet them. You learn of how they live and what they believe right before she goes to visit them or right with the visit. I really liked how this is added in with what is going on.
I felt Evy's character was well built. She has a strong personality. (She is definitely someone I would not want to get on the bad side of.) You see Evy stay true to her self yet still confused thinking part of Chalice, the girls body she is borrowing, is what is adding to her confusion. Evy wonders off and on through the book as to why Chalice was dead and why she choose this body to come back in. Even though Evy is true to her attitude and comments, you watch as she slowly starts to grow.
Evy knows many things of the paranormal world being she is a hunter looking for rogue dregs (paranormal creatures). Yet she learns many great things of the different creatures as well. I liked the mixture of the paranormal with the "real" world in this book. I think the paranormal was just right here, there was no over-kill on the creatures, and the story stays focused on Evy. I do have a few curiousities of just a few small things in this world Kelly Meding has created, but I think these will come up in book two and be clearified a little more.
So, if you woke up in another body knowing all the crazy things that happen in the world regarding the paranormal creatures and thought there was something you knew and was afraid to say it on your death bed yet can't remember what happened and who did it.... Who or what would you trust?
Throughout the book you follow her and her handler/lover as they try to figure some important information that she wasn't able to relate to anybody
I'm not really sure how to write a review for this one. I liked it well enough. The premise of the story was definitely something that I'd never read before. And it's more like a three point five instead of just a three. I'm just torn between completely being in love with the idea of the book, and having that contrast to some of the parts not really pulling me in like it should have.
I could not for the life of me understand why Evy brought the friend(Alex) of Chalice(the former owner of her new body) into her problems. Why did she go to him for help? How was some rich med student going to be able to help her with her problems of elves, vampires, and dreg bounty hunters? And as proof of that incredibly stupid move she eventually gets him killed.
Put that aside though, there were some parts that had me guessing. There were enough twists and turns to keep me interested enough that I never really considered putting it down. And like I said, the idea behind it is fantastic
The romance is one that i am grateful to say does not hit of right away, but actually takes its time, we don't really appreciate this within books, because we are so used to normally within the first chapter or so, someone being with a certain someone already or crushing, well in this the relationship doesn't really begin to become clearer until further into the book, and that only makes everything more suspenseful, its to the point and accurate because someone in Evy' situation wouldn't really have the time to think right away about a love interest when they've just woken up in someone Else's body, the main focus would be, what in the world has just happened and how do i fix this?! so yes i was very pleased about this subject..also. i felt as though i was living this one big adventure alongside Evy, what i love is, every character seems to have a spark to them, something that you can connect with, The One for me was Alex, from the moment Evy met him i found a understanding with him,he seemed just like a genuine guy, I actually found it hard to read his story further into the plot, i wanted to protect him yet as readers we can only watch and wait. Vampires are not these smexy loving creatures , but evil, thirsty animals, there is nothing attractive about them, in fact they reminded me of the reasons why i used to be creeped out by Vampires when i was younger, There are goblins, who aren't as naive as they may seem, there is a more sinister evil at hand.. The only problem?? No one knows who to point the finger at, so now its Time for Evy to find the answers for herself, the old way, hunt them down and make them pay.
I enjoyed the atmosphere of Three Days to Dead which at times were very dark and others light hearted, this helped break up the dark edges coating the story. The plot is well thought out with plenty of twists in it to keep you guessing and reading. This is a book that isn't just for urban fantasy readers, readers of paranormal romance will also find this book a very satisfying read. I think this book is a prime example of an urban fantasy/paranormal romance hybrid.
I'm looking forward to next book in the Dreg City series, As Lie the Dead.
Or she was...until she died.
Newly resurrected in a body that
Evy must prove her innocence, but in order to do that she's going to have to enlist the help of some unlikely allies, regain her lost memories, and blow the lid off a brewing conspiracy that threatens humanity---all before time runs out and she dies. Permanently.
Personal Thoughts:
I admit that Kelly Meding had me hooked with the first paragraph of Three Days to Dead. The first chapter is a good, solid opener and is sure to pique the reader's interest. As the novel proceeds, Meding presents a well thought out and expansive mythology that provides a suitable backbone to the story. Evy's world is meticulously constructed and evocative of Kim Harrison's Hollows series crossed with the gritty darkness of Len Wiseman's Underworld.
As the protagonist, Evy is extremely like-able. Full of witty banter and ambition, she is definitely someone that you would want on your team. Other notable characters include the dreamy, self effacing Wyatt Truman (Evy's boss) and icy (but underdeveloped) vampire Isleen.
While Meding incorporates a lot of typical Urban Fantasy elements, she's able to put enough spin on it to keep it interesting. If you're a seasoned reader, the plot is going to be pretty clear cut and maybe even a little predictable at times. It didn't diminish my enjoyment of the story any, but there were a few things that did:
1) Pacing. Pacing was a big issue for me. A lot of the time, it felt as if Three Days to Dead moved too slow. Yes, there are plenty of action sequences, but no real substance begins to drive the story until about halfway through the novel. Meding keeps the reader hanging a bit too long. It's especially difficult to bear if you're already sure of the direction in which the story is headed.
2) The Villains. Many of Dreg City's bad guys come across as one dimensional. As a result, they aren't very interesting. While the majority of them are physically threatening, they lack sufficient substance to come across as truly menacing.
With that being said, there were many parts of Three Days to Dead that I did enjoy and I do think that it's worth taking a stab at. I think for many people, this will simply be a hit or miss. The expectation that the protagonist will have to solve her own murder is fascinating. The execution just doesn't quite live up to the promise of the first paragraph.
My Rating = 3 Stars.
Overall this was a fun retelling of a common story. The protagonist who has a limited time to solve the problem. In this case it involves vampires and goblins and humans and faeries..... A lot of fun. I look forward to reading the next one. Oh yeah, don't let the cover fool you.
This book rocked! It was a page turner for sure. Although the world is complicated it was easy to catch on to. Evy is a wonderful character that I could not help but love. Her "Handler" Wyatt is a hunk-a-hunka with a serious torch for Evy. And the supernaturals, they were explained so well they seemed real. Give it a try.
That's really all I remember about it at this point. Seeing that 98% at the bottom of my kindle screen, and still thinking I'd rather cut my losses. Better late than never.
The romance wasn't really much of a romance though - and there is no sex during the book (I think there is a flashback to it, but not much in the way of details). Actually, this is probably the weakest part of the book - I think Meding was going for "angst" (i.e. should Evy love the man she had forgotten she loved, or the man the body she was possessing loved, or neither of them?) but it felt like this whole thread was sorta dropped, and ended up with the easy solution.
I did find the concept of solving your own murder quite original and even suspenseful. There are the usual supernaturals in the book, and they aren't elaborated on much, but they aren't really that important to the story anyway. Well, the bad guy is important, but the fact that he was a supernatural was actually not important to the story since he could have been any "bad-boy character" and still been there to cause havoc.
The story is wrapped up in the end (no cliff-hanger) but I ended up buying the other books in the series... I'm curious as to what Evy does with her new life.
The only characters that are well fleshed out are the main character, Evy, and her handler. I like how the relationship changes for Evy because her new body reacts different, perhaps for the better. I think the side character will become more defined in future books, at least I hope so and will definitely continue to the next book.
This book is mainly the action of finding out why the things are happening and fixing them, and then Evy dealing with her new emotions and body.
Listening to audiobook.
This book just wasn't for me. I never got pulled into the characters. The narrator wasn't for me either. She just didn't put any emotion into the voices and the non-dialogue parts are not well read, in my opinion.
I listened to this on
This was an urban fantasy series about a Bounty hunter named Evangeline who hunts Dregs (the cities dark creatures like goblins, vamps, etc). Evangeline starts the book waking up in a new body that’s not her’s. For the whole book she is trying to remember and hunt down critical information that she knew when she died, information that could save the world. Evangeline (Evy) has been resurrected into the body of a young woman who committed suicide, Chalice. She was resurrected by her friend Wyatt, who is determined to help her hunt down her memories.
While I thought the idea behind the world was interesting, there wasn't a ton creative here and the world wasn't expanded much beyond the initial premise of fey-like creatures hiding out in the bad parts of the city.
Evangeline was your typical urban fantasy heroine, except for the fact that she was killed and brought back into a different body at the beginning of the book. She complains some about Chalice’s body not reacting like her own. Still she seems to do fairly well in fights despite the fact that Chalice’s body is untrained. The fact that she only has three days to solve the mystery of this unknown information does lend more urgency to this story.
Wyatt was okay but not all that inspiring as a male lead. He seemed a bit weak and easily led...I didn’t really feel great chemistry between him and Evy. In fact I didn't find any of the characters to be all that intriguing or engaging in this book.
The plot was also fairly predictable, there are some twists and turns but things end up pretty much how I thought they would in the end. This is a pretty dark story as well with torture, rape, and dank bleak settings. So those who dislike really dark urban fantasy should probably skip this and look elsewhere.
Overall this was an okay read, but nothing that really stood out in the urban fantasy genre for me. The world was kind of interesting but not all that well filled out, Evy is in an interesting situation with her resurrection and all, but I didn’t like her all that much as a character. Nothing really offensive here, but nothing great either. This is a dark setting with rape and torture as part of the story, so just a heads up to those who don’t like those subjects in their reading. There is so much excellent urban fantasy out there that I wouldn’t really recommend this series. I don’t plan on reading any more of this series.
For excellent urban fantasy check out Ilona Andrew’s Kate Daniel’s series, Richard Kadrey’s Sandman Slim series, Seanan McGuire’s InCryptid or October Daye series, Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, Jennifer Estep’s Elemental Assassin series, or Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress series.
This felt like a plot I should have liked. Plenty of action, some suspense, a little romance... for whatever reason it just left me cold. Did not proceed to book two.
The blame game grew tiresome. Evy
Untangling the conspiracy was confusing, the characters went round and round in circles until I didn't know what they were talking about but then I all ready knew who the bad guy was so it didn't matter so much to me.
There wasn't much depth to any of the characters except maybe Evy and if you asked me what Wyatt looked like I could only tell you that he has onyx coloured eyes.
A couple of times I believe the author was struck with writer's block and had to figure out how to move the story on and get her characters out of captivity. The ending was awkward but necessary in order to have the happy ending that was needed after all of the death and destruction.
Overall, this struck me as a draft which needed the kinks steam-ironed out and the gloss to be applied before publication.
It's a world populated
It starts with "When Evangeline Stone wakes up naked and bruised on a cold slab at the morgue—in a stranger’s body, with no memory of who she is and how she got