Proceed With Caution:
This book contains violence, death, murder, blood, torture, and coercion.
The Basics:
Destined for an Early Grave picks up around where the last book left off, with Cat and Bones trying to have a relaxing vacation after the chaos of At Grave's End. Unfortunately, Cat is having some strange dreams, which are more than just dreams. Soon they find themselves in Paris where another vampire known as the Dreamsnatcher is hoping to get his hands on Cat.
My Thoughts:
I had originally put off reading Destined for an Early Grave for three years after being spoiled by a major event, but while reading, knowing that it was coming didn't bother me because everything else that was happening was so ridiculous. Six years later, I have to agree with that assessment, although I do think I enjoyed it a bit more this second time around. Reading it nearly back-to-back with the other books gives it a bit more context.
I'm disappointed in Destined for an Early Grave. It reads like random filler and doesn't fit the tone of the series thus far at all. Gregor is such a dull villain, and he comes out of nowhere! Suddenly there's this vampire with the very powerful talent to pull people out of their dreams, and he wants to have Cat as his bride. Um, okay? Of course there has to be a prophecy surrounding Cat which makes her that much more appealing, but it didn't work for me.
I still don't like Gregor as a villain. He's cliched and annoying. I don't doubt that there's some crazy stuff in Cat's past that we maybe wouldn't know about. Especially, since we do know that Mencheres tends to keep important information to himself until the last possible second. Perhaps he believes his foretelling ability means he has things under control and doesn't need to speak up. But we've seen how that turns out. So yes, I believe something like this could have happened given what we know about Cat and Mencheres. But Gregor just didn't fit. He felt like a forced puzzle piece for the sake of drama.
Which brings me to my favorite part of Destined for an Early Grave: how this all affects her relationship with Bones. I had a new appreciation this time around for the scene of Cat returning to Bones, and him just going off on her. He had some choice words and I agreed with everything he had to say. He let her have it! It's not like this was the first time she didn't trust his plan and took matters into her own hands. I totally get her wanting to help and not just sitting there, but come on! She didn't even give him a chance and it comes back to bite her. I believe Bones is irreparably hurt by her actions. Good on him. Although, I obviously still wanted them to kiss and makeup. This was a good lesson in trust and communication for those two, which continues to plague them for the rest of the book. It's about time they face it.
Destined for an Early Grave also really kick starts the series' overarching plot, which is everyone's fear of what Cat will become if she decides to be raised as a ghoul. Something she hasn't even considered. But it's a valid fear, because she'd be the first known human-vampire-ghoul hybrid, and what the heck kind of powers would she have then!? What it would it mean for the supernatural community at large?
In the end though, Destined for an Early Grave felt like some detour where one person wants to see some obscure landmark that no one cares about, and then you get lost on the way back to the main road, drive in a circle, and end up right where you started. There was no point to any of this at all. The only important event was that thing I was spoiled on which happens toward the end. That will actually have ramifications for the rest of the series. That whole mess with Gregor....will not. I'm going to pretend that it never happened.