thebookdisciple
Written on Dec 20, 2017
When to Fear the Living is book 3 in the Veil Diaries series and you must read them in order. If you followed my reviews of books 1 and 2, you know I have struggled a bit with Lexi as our heroine. This book starts off in much the same way. I find Lexi to be a PERFECT example of a teenage girl. She is whiny, impulsive, crass, and sometimes just tough to endure. Basically, she is a teenager. The author nailed teenage behavior to a T but as an adult who spends her days with teenagers, I wanted to throat punch Lexi multiple times.
However, the last part of the story took a turn I was NOT expecting and it was raw and emotional. Throughout the entire story, Lexi has been dealing with a secret admirer. Harmless as it seems, it becomes increasingly creepier and by the end, it is the focus of the story. The story starts much like the previous books in the series-Lexi dealing with the dead, trying to tame her feelings about the guys, having a social life, dealing with an ex boyfriend, and other teenage acts. I wish there was more focus on the paranormal aspect of the story. It seems that has been kind of a byline instead of a headline and it is has such potential! Its fascinating to read about the veil and its destruction. I also got really tired of hearing guy after guy after guy hit on Lexi. Seriously, it was like every chapter!! Also annoying? Her dealing with it like a typical teenage girl. But again, I spend all day with high schoolers so I am probably a bit more irritable than most people when it comes to this subject!
As usual, I love the guys! Miles is still my favorite, but all of the guys are likable characters. In an RH story, its rare that I like ALL the guys. Asher, Issac, Ethan, and Zeke are great (but not as great as Miles!).
The action at the end of the story is certainly a trigger for some readers (see my trigger spoiler if you want/need to know). Brunnemer doesn't pull punches and gloss over the events; its real and emotional. The aftermath is heartbreaking. I am really dying to dive into the next book to see where Lexi and the guys go from here because this really changed their dynamic!
95% of the story is narrated by the female narrator, Carla Mercer-Meyer and she does a fantastic job. She manages to give each guy his own unique voice while not overdoing the male parts. Kris Koscheski narrates the boys POV at the end and does a great job as well.
- POV: 1st (Lexi)
- Tears: no
- Trope: reverse harem, necromancy
- Triggers: Lexi's stalker kidnaps her, beats her, and sexually assaults her (he does not rape her but there is sexual assault)
- Series/Standalone:
- Cliffhanger: yes in the sense that everything is up in the air regarding where the characters will go from this point, but nothing MAJOR is left wide open
- HEA: she is still not with any of the guys, but she has kissed Zeke
Books by CL Stone, Mary Martel, LA Kirk...then you will probably like When to Fear the Living!
See full review on The Book Disciple