Wild Hunger (Heirs of Chicagoland, #1)

by Chloe Neill

[Leigha]

I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Elisa Sullivan finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery when she returns home in this spin-off to the popular Chicagoland Vampires series.

Wild Hunger is mediocre spin-off with too many details and little character development. The first third of the novel is an information dump on the previous series and general world-building. Elisa is a well-defined character, but she is not all that interesting. I can already tell this series will be about her learning to accept herself while understanding her place in the world. She has a romantic connection with Connor, but it’s really not explored in this novel. While I didn’t feel the chemistry between the two, others might pick up on it. I perhaps would have liked the two together if any time had been spent developing their relationship.

My biggest issue with the book truly comes down to the genre. I love fantasy, especially fantasy mixed with romance, but none of the urban fantasies I’ve read have ever really captured my attention. Sadly, Wild Hunger fails too. I think the genre lacks focus. It’s not quite a romance and it’s not quite a fantasy meaning both elements lack depth and substance. Those who love the genre, though, should still give this book a chance.

tl;dr A spin-off bogged down with too much backstory and too little character development for me. Urban fantasy fans, particular those of the Chicagoland Vampires series, should still give it a try.