Blade Bound (Chicagoland Vampires, #13)

by Chloe Neill

The thrilling final installment of Chloe Neill’s New York Times bestselling urban fantasy series sees sinister sorcery advancing across Chicago, and it might usher in the fall of Cadogan House....

Since the night of her brutal attack and unwilling transformation into a vampire, Merit has stood as Sentinel and protector of Chicago’s Cadogan House. She’s saved the Windy City from the forces of darkness time and again with her liege and lover, Ethan Sullivan, by her side.

When the House is infiltrated and Merit is attacked by a vampire who seems to be under the sway of dark magic, Merit and Ethan realize the danger is closer than they could have imagined. As malign sorcery spreads throughout the city, Merit must go to war against supernatural powers beyond her comprehension. It is her last chance to save everything—and everyone—she loves.

• ISBN10: 0451472349
• ISBN13: 9780451472342
• Publish Date: 25 April 2017
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Berkley Publishing Corporation,U.S.
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 384
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780451472342

Reviews

[Berls]

Better late than never, right? I do wish I had read this back when I was reading the rest of the series, so that events and characters would have been more clear for me. But, for the most part, I was able to remember enough to really enjoy this conclusion to Chicagoland Vampires.

For me, it was the characters that I had grown to love that made this final installment great. Especially the Merit - Mallory friendship, which continues to be full of snark, loyalty, love, and chocolate. It didn't take long to remember the other characters and why I loved them, from the Omsbudies and especially grandpa Merit, to Jonah and of course Ethan and the Cadigan house vampires. I feel like everyone I remembered caring about had a bit of time in this book, which I enjoy in a series ending.

The action/plot, came back to me less readily. I didn't really remember the specifics of what happened in the most recent books and since this really built off of that, I definitely was missing some key information. Since I recalled the fuzzy outlines, I was able to follow along well enough, but yeah, if I had just finished the last book I probably would have been that much more into the action/plot of this book.

That being said, even without knowing all the nitty gritty details, you couldn't help but pulled along by first the bachelor(ette) parties and wedding, followed by the new-ish supernatural threat attacking Chicago. The action in this series has always been good and the plot follows a predictable pattern that works. I think the one thing that shocked me was the realization that this book is only a year after book 1! So much happened in just 1 year!

I think it's a satisfying conclusion to the series for sure and I look forward to reading the spin off (what got me to finally finish the series!). I listened to the entire series and I do enjoy Sophie Eastlake's narration (I also could swear she goes by another name, because she sounds just like another narrator I've listened to lately). I'm not sure if she narrates the spin off, but if she does, I won't be disappointed.

[Chelsea]

A little disappointing for the finale (though we technically get more books). I just expected that final fight to be a little more extra but instead it felt kinda boring and predictable. Also most of the book was taken up by wedding stuff which was great but not nearly as dramatic as I'd like my finales.

[wyvernfriend]

So this is the end... The final novel in the series, it's Merit and Ethan's wedding and the politics are complicated and things don't always go to plan. Evil doesn't wait for people to finish parties.
 
Interesting and fun characters and I'm sorry to see them go but can see where it was a logical end to the arc and the story.

[MurderByDeath]

3.5 stars might be a tiny bit unfair.  This is probably more of a 4 star read, but I'd have enjoyed this last book in the series more if Neill had opted to end on a bang, rather than full-scale mass destruction.   Merit and Ethan and the rest of the scooby gang are trying to enjoy peace and quiet and a wedding, but the after-party comes with snow.  In August.  After that all hell breaks loose as an old enemy isn't as vanquished as they'd hoped.  And boy is she pissed.   The thing is, I don't like sequels all that much when they involve 'the return of..'; I was disappointed at the end of the last book (#12) because the big bad was hauled off to jail.  Nobody with half a brain could think that would end well.  So having her evilness come back felt a bit 'here we go again'.  However, I loved what Neill did with Chicago, and I loved, loved, loved how Ms. Evil met her end.  It was fitting and it was hilarious.   But I love these characters; they're the sort I'd like to call friends.  Merit and Mallory have the best dialogs.  I think, given enough popcorn and iced tea, I could just sit back and listen to these two talk to each other for hours.   My entire immediate family is from Chicago, save myself, so I have an inherited affection for that gorgeous city (Go Cubs!), and it was painful to watch Neill tear it up.  And she didn't mess around; she immediately went straight to the landmarks any Chicagoan knows and loves; she didn't even spare the lions!  This made reading difficult; I kept thinking no, no, not Shed's... dammit...omg, NOT WATER TOWER PLACE!   Of course, the good guys win in the end - that's not a spoiler; it's the last book in the series, so of course they are going to triumph.  Normally, in this situation, I enjoy an epilogue; a little something to give me some view of how it all works out in the long run.  Honestly though?  Here, I'd have been happier without it.  It verged on twee.  I can't believe Neill went twee on me.  But... glancing at the book ads at the end, it seems she's creating a new series based on the two characters in that twee little scene, so I suppose there was a method to her madness.   I've love this series madly, and I think the author brought it to an end at a good time and place.  I'll try the new series, although I'm not sure Chicagoland will hold the same appeal to me without her landmarks and without Merit's and Mallory's witty repartee.

[littleread1]

perfect! 3

[Cocktails and Books]

This review was originally posted on Cocktails and Books

This is a review I've been dreading for a long time. Not because the book is bad or something horrible happens to a beloved character. Nope. I've dreaded this because one of my all-time favorite series is coming to an end.

I wondered how Merit and Ethan's story was going to come to an end. Would their wedding go off without a hitch? Was Gabriel's prediction, from many books ago, going to come true? If it was, how was that possible? And more importantly were the vampires of Cadogen House ever going to catch a break and not have to fend off bad guys.

Chloe Neill does a great job of tying up the series. Merit and Ethan get their happily ever after, but more than that they understand exactly how much they mean to each other. They are true partners. Both in leading and protecting the vampires of their house as well as in their relationship with each other. It was nice to see exactly how much this couple has grown since the first book in the series.

The only loose end, at least for me, was Merit's family. The tension between Merit, her brother, and her father was at an all time high. Yet that wasn't resolved by the time we got to the epilogue. Merit and her mother seemed to have a better relationship and her sister-in-law was supportive, yet it seemed weird that we didn't get a final bit of clarity when it came to the Merit family drama.

If you want to jump into a series vampire series that has a lot of action and a cast of characters you can really get behind, this is definitely one you'll want to pick up. It's a perfect time to get up to speed since the spin-off series will be coming next year.

[Linda]

Awesome! And I'm so happy there's a spin-off of this series.