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| Graphic Art by Syd Gill http://www.sydgill.com/ |
1. The intro scene. Bones had already stated his disdain at Mencheres’ guest, scoffing at the impending arrival of the showhound. Jeaniene’s writing creates such a vivid picture. From the first time we see Mencheres under the campus of Virginia Tech, you realize that he doesn’t just walk into a room, he commands it. So, when Mencheres climbs out of the helicopter with his guest, I was immediately clued into how this new guy, the Showhound, would command a room in the same manner Mencheres does. AGE, chapter 15.
2. The cliff. By this point in At Graves End, those of us emotionally invested in the story were either in tears or close. It felt as if every single one of us had waited those four years of separation for Bones with the same amount of intensity as he had searched for Cat. Cat climbed the cliff with the knowledge that her love, the one she had willingly separated from for four years, was dead. So, why not join him? Other than her mother, who often treated her as the after product of a bad sexual experience that she regretted, Cat had no one and the man she loved more than life herself was gone. Enter Vlad. Cat stands on the cliff, interrupted only by a voice. Granted, in my giddy fan girl mental experience, that voice is deep, rumbling and drips with cultured, accented ease portraying a calm he probably did not feel. We learn later that Vlad and Cat are friends and Vlad, at that point, had probably already begun to look at her that way. AGE, chapter 21.
3. Destined for an Early Grave was such a pivotal book in the Cat and Bones universe. I have spoken with many fellow Frosties and this book gets a lot of emotional reaction. In my humble opinion, this book changed everything. There were many changes. Cat had to fully trust Bones instead of rushing head first into decisions. Bones had to fully embrace that he loved someone who acted before thinking sometimes. And Vlad Tepesh was solidified into the Night Huntress universe. Curiosity was raised in AGE but DFAEG sealed the deal. I could literally list every one of his scenes in this book as favorites, but I’m going to hold back on my Vlad giddiness and pick one.
Cat, in her years working on a Special Forces team, was understandably a light sleeper, but Vlad snuck into her room at his castle undetected. Cue the shrieks from dedicated Cat and Bones peeps as they were undoubtedly horrified at what could have happened. But nothing did. Cat and Vlad both were at a low point. Vlad, as much as I hold a literary love for the character, is arrogant as hell, fully earning the earlier mentioned nickname Showhound that Bones had given him. I think this is a pivotal point where the readers are seeing that Vlad is ready for a happily ever after (I’m right here Vlad, call me, we’ll talk *wink*). Cat was coming to accept that Bones was done and Vlad needed a friend. He even mentioned that a friend was difficult to come by for him, or more so than other forms of female companionship. “Sex isn’t what I’m after. It’s been a long time since I’ve slept next to a woman who meant something to me.” This was one of my favorite quotes, one which he told Cat before they both fell asleep at dawn. He became even more of a curiosity to Jeaniene’s fans as he solidified himself as a friend for Cat. AGE, chapter 20.
4. Mencheres in a toga. So, after 4000 years of life, one would assume that Mencheres had a couple of people he could trust. In Eternal Kiss of Darkness, we got a better understanding of who those people are and the lengths Mencheres goes for those in his inner circle. My favorite Vlad scene in EKOD is from the point where he utters “Mencheres…If anyone, other than you, had me fly halfway around the world just to keep me waiting while you were obviously lingering in bed, I’d have my driver run then over. Twice.” Then we get tidbits of the relationship between Mencheres and Vlad and we see how deep that relationship is. As much as Mencheres loves Bones as a son, there is a mutual respect between Vlad and him. The part that made me laugh was Vlad sitting in the room as Kira fed. Everything leading up to the “children of the night” remark was indicative of the sense of humor that lends his character such appeal on a more personable level, other than the sex appeal he exudes. EKOD, chapters 25-26.
5. “Premature inflamulation…Happens sometimes. Very embarrassing, I don’t like to talk about it.” This goes down as one of my favorite Night Huntress chapters ever. Cat gives Vlad a wave as Bones is making a mess of Vlad’s driveway with the ghoul’s head and Vlad could care less about the damage, focusing in on the information the ghoul was giving out between shrieks. And talk about an entrance, Vlad just walked out of his door with flames creeping up his arms, creating a mental picture of a man who was this close to busting hell wide open and sending his intruders in, only to stop short with his trademark sardonic smile when he realized who the intruders were. One of the things that I enjoyed the most was getting to see Vlad the Impaler at work. Jeaniene has done a masterful job of making us fall in literary love with one of history’s most questionable people. The actual Vlad’s tactics on the battlefield were legendary for their brutality and God help you if you happened to end up his prisoner. So seeing his methods of dealing with the ghoul was fascinating. Jeaniene, as usual, did not disappoint. The dialogue was masterful. After the questioning, Cat was making valid points, in her typical Cat reasoning as Bones was mercilessly beating the sod and Vlad was countering with arguments that made you realize exactly how terrifying he could be, should he put his mind to it. As Cat and Bones were arguing, Vlad took matters into his own hands and sent the ghoul up in flames, responding with the quote at the beginning of this paragraph. TSOTG, chapter 14.
I hope if you are reading this and you have not read the Night Huntress books by Jeaniene Frost, that you will go immediately and buy them all. Next spring, we get another glimpse into the Night Huntress world with the Night Prince series, detailing Vlad and the journey to his HEA. August 30, we get the next piece of Cat and Bones’ story with One Grave at a Time. Thanks for letting me share my thoughts on Vlad with you!
Be sure to check out the awesome trailer and first three chapters of One Grave at a Time on Jeaniene Frost's website.
