Mandy Reviews: Vicious Grace by M. L. N. Hanover

ISBN #: 978-1439176290

Page Count: 367

Copyright: 2010

Publisher: Pocket Books

Book Summary:

(Taken from back cover)

For the first time in forever, Jayne Heller's life is making sense. Even if she routinely risks her life to destroy demonic parasites that prey on mortals, she now has friends, colleagues, a trusted lover, and newfound confidence in the mission she inherited from her wealthy, mysterious uncle. Her next job might just rob her of all of them.

At Grace Memorial Hospital in Chicago, something is stirring. Patients are going AWOL and research subjects share the same sinister dreams. Half a century ago, something was buried under Grace in a terrible ritual, and it's straining to be free. Jayne is primed to take on whatever's about to be let loose. Yet the greatest danger now may  not be the huge, unseen force lurking below, but the evil that has been hiding in plain sight all along - taking her ever closer to losing her body, her mind, and her soul ...

Mandy's Review:

Vicious Grace is Book Three of The Black Sun's Daughter series. You can click here to read my review of the first book, Unclean Spirits, and here to read my review of the second book, Darker Angels.

Finally, Finally, FINALLY!!! This book did not have the same start up scenario as the first two. Yes, Jayne got into a brawl, but it was a completely different situation in that she did not need anybody to come help her. Instead, she actually helped someone else. Jayne is finally becoming a more confident character who is now starting to show her darker side. Don't judge; we all have a darker side that we show now and then.

The characters in this series have really grown and developed throughout these novels. They are very realistic and varying facets of their personalities have been shown. I am loving it. I feel like I could go outside one day and actually bump into one of them, that's how realistic they are.

I enjoyed the different twists the author provided in this novel as well:

• The venue for the spiritual encounter was a building instead of a city ... nice change.
• The love triangle finally came to a head and is now torn apart
• Jayne's maturity and emotional weaknesses are emerging, making her a stronger character overall

I also enjoy the cliffhanger at the end of each novel. It doesn't bother me with these first three books, because I knew I had the next one in my possession ready to be read. If there's a cliffhanger at the end of the fourth novel, though, that's going to be a different story. While I love that about these books, I'm going to become impatient for want of the fifth novel.

Never have I been so addicted to a series since the first time I read J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter phenomenon.