Review: Bring on the Night by Jeri Smith-Ready

WVMP Radio, Book 3
Reviewed: Wicked Game (Book 1), Bad to the Bone (Book 2)
Note: spoiler-free zone!

Tags: urban fantasy, vampires, zombies, necromancy

Summary

It’s been three years since ex-con artist Ciara Griffin’s last adventure with the undead. In that time she’s managed to almost complete college and stay with her vampire DJ boyfriend, the preternaturally hot Shane McAllister. But trouble never leaves Ciara alone for long. In fulfilling her obligation to the Control, Ciara stumbles across the existence of zombies, which point to malignant necromantic activity. But her biggest problems aren’t from beyond the graveyard, when something threatens to take all that she loves about her life away from her forever.

Review

BRING ON THE NIGHT is the third of five planned books in the stellar WVMP Radio series, and it is clearly a turning point. Needless to say, it is impossible to be specific about anything that happened in this book without there being spoilers. In the interest of NOT being that person that messes up your reading experience, then, I will instead focus on how BRING ON THE NIGHT is yet another example of Jeri Smith-Ready’s world-building and characterization talent.

You would think that two people as in love as Ciara and Shane are with each other would get boring after a while, but this standout couple proves us wrong again and again. What makes Ciara and Shane consistently interesting is their deeply rooted differences—specifically, their faith, or the lack thereof. Shane’s struggle with the morality of vampirism as a result of his Catholic upbringing brings to mind other vampires’ famous moral conflicts (Edward Cullen, anyone?). It results in us occasionally wanting to just swat him upside the head and tell him to lighten up, you’re killing the mood—but damn, this boy is just completely and utterly adorable, the perfect guy to counterbalance Ciara’s recklessness and skepticism. And did I mention that he’s a talented musician as well?

The central plot pertaining to the zombies feels a little far-fetched at times, but mostly because they all play second fiddle to The Thing That Happens that I can’t tell you about. Still, it doesn’t take too much for us to adjust our knowledge of Ciara’s world to accommodate zombies and whatever else Jeri might want to throw at us next. That’s the beauty of her books: from the beginning, she weaves a world so complete that it begins to take on a life of its own, allowing us readers to stretch it as needed for us to believe in it. The strongest structures aren’t necessarily the most rigid: they’re the ones with just enough give and flexibility to absorb any shocks and new material.

BRING ON THE NIGHT marks a big change for Ciara, Shane, and all the other characters whom we’ve come to love. I’ll definitely be waiting to see what happens to them next!

Writing: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 4/5

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5


Pocket Books / July 27, 2010 / Mass-Market Paperback / 416pp. / $7.99

ARC sent by author and publisher.

Review: Bad to the Bone by Jeri Smith-Ready

WVMP Radio, Book 2
Reviewed: Wicked Game (Book 1)

Tags: urban fantasy, vampires, music, radio

Summary

Con-artist-turned-radio-station-publicist Ciara Griffin broke the boundaries when she came up with the theme to disguise the station’s vampire DJs as vampire DJs—out in the public. The audience loves their vampire personas, but Ciara works hard to make sure no one knows that they’re really vampires.

With the holiday season looming, WVMP is attacked by a religious fanatic group illegally tapping into their frequency and broadcasting anti-vampire diatribes. With the aid of Shane, her beloved though definitely OCD vampire DJ boyfriend; David, her brooding but undeniably sexy coworker; and some old and new friends, including a lovable vampire dog, Ciara delves into the workings of a radical group determined to rid the world of vampires.

Review

Author extraordinaire Jeri Smith-Ready set the urban fantasy bar high with the first book in her WVMP Radio series, Wicked Game. BAD TO THE BONE, however, continues right where Wicked Game’s excellence left off, propelling me once more into a engrossing world of vampires, mystery, memorable characters and relationship troubles.

In my review of Wicked Game I talked about the appreciatively multidimensional protagonist and vampires. Now, I wish to talk about other characters and the plot. BAD TO THE BONE contains an enviably colorful cast of characters that stand out due to their eccentricities and wonderfully unique quirks. In this installment we also get to see a deeper and necessarily darker side to Shane and Ciara’s relationship. A relationship between two such fundamentally different people—one a vampire, one a human; one neurotically methodical though determinedly devoted, the other more of a “think now do later” girl—is bound to have its problems. What will become of Shane and Ciara? I like that BAD TO THE BONE strews some doubts and insecurities into their relationship: this makes it much more realistic and beloved to me than a perfect relationship.

Jeri Smith-Ready has a way of constructing a world that’s so expansive, yet so complete, that you can either miss it all from being completely absorbed in it, or be in awe of her writing talents. (Or you can be both. Just, you know, not at the same time.) It seems to me that the books in this series usually take a while before finally getting into the action and the meat; that is because the beginning of the book is usually setting up the unusual circumstances that will be the grounds of conflict. While the main plot arc may be oftentimes buried in other, more interesting, albeit side-plots, I never felt confused or frustrated. I always just wanted more, more, more!

WVMP Radio is, in my opinion, one of the best urban fantasy series out there. Endearingly complex characters, a fully realized world, and the potential for future stories make sure that I’ll be glued to this series for hopefully years to come. Don’t miss out if you think this might be your type of book!

Similar Authors
Charlaine Harris
Ilona Andrews

Writing: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 4/5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5


Pocket Books / Feb. 2010 (reprint) / Mass-Market Paperback / 432pp. / $7.99

Copy bought.