First Drop of Crimson (Night Huntress World, Book 1) by Jeaniene Frost

I'd like to start out today saying that I love the Cat and Bones series - it's one of my top two or three favorite series. So of course, I had really (really, really) high hopes for the offshoot series.

And it pains me to say that I was just a tad bit disappointed. I'm not saying it's a bad book, because First Drop of Crimson was an enjoyable read. I'm just saying that it was not as good as the Cat and Bones books. The first book in the Night Huntress series was pure magic, and Ms. Frost has kept that level up throughout the series. But the magic just wasn't there for me with First Drop of Crimson.

Now, onto the story. It's been a year since the events that led to Denise's husband's death. She has pulled away from all things supernatural in that year, wanting to only be around humans. But then something supernatural happens to her, and suddenly she needs supernatural help.

The plot is a good one, and I enjoyed seeing a bit of Cat, Bones, and Mencheres towards the end of the book. I was also happy with the way it ended, and I hope we get to check in with this couple from time to time in the course of some of the other books.

One of my pet peeves in any romance is when we see communication problems between couples, where they both think the other is thinking something completely opposite to what is going on, and if they'd just talk to each other everything will be okay. This wasn't an overwhelming theme of the book, but it happened a bit too often for me, and it was frustrating.

I'm still looking forward to reading Mencheres' story, but perhaps I won't build it up in my mind as much as I had built this one up. If I hadn't expected First Drop of Crimson to be as good as the Cat and Bones books then I wouldn't have felt let down. It's a good book, but it's not an exceptionally good book, and that's what I had come to expect out of this author.

Book Rating: First Drop of Crimson: 8 of 10

I've given all four Night Huntress book a 10 of 10, so it really pains me to give the first Night Huntress World an 8 of 10.

The second Night Huntress World book will be out in July, a mere five months away. However, we do not have any information on when the next Night Huntress (Cat and Bones) book will be available.


Night Huntress Novels
1. Halfway to the Grave (2007)
2. One Foot in the Grave (April 2008)
3. At Grave's End (December 2008)
4. Destined for an Early Grave (July 2009)

Night Huntress Universe Series
1. First Drop of Crimson (Feb 2010)
2. Eternal Kiss of Darkness (July 27, 2010)