At long last, Armintrout's edgy and recalcitrant vampire heroine Carrie Ames faces off against the Soul Eater in the final novel of the series.

This time, Carrie has definitely got more than game going for her. Armed with powers culled from Dahlia's blood (and she'll need more), she might finally have what it takes to crush Jacob Seymour once and for all-and she might actually be able to walk away from it alive (read: undead) or somewhere in between (that's a teaser folks)

But embracing these powers have dire consequences and she will be faced with a decision. Will she become what she is fighting? The usually capricious protagonist ends up with more than her soul bared on the table. The gang tenses as an end is in sight: Ziggy is back alive (okay, undead) and newcomer, Bill the blood pimp, joins the troupe.

For three books, we've questioned her motives and her ambivilent desires between Cyrus and Nathan, and even her abhorrent lure to Jacob. Perhaps it took this long for Armintrout to figure out what direction Carrie was going in-but in "All Souls Night" there is an overwhelming sense of completion. Carrie has finally accepted her otherworldly nature and all the violence that surrounds it. Fans will breathe a sigh of relief.

This kick-booty vamp is finally in a position with all the power and knowledge at her fingertips, to wreak havoc. To become evil. To become as dangerous as the Soul Eater himself. Perhaps to even become a Soul Eater.

Armintrout keeps the fangs sharp for her characters and has the talent of making them exist in those amorphous gray areas. Her characters have never been black or white, faulty to the end, and readers can relate to this unpredictability. This is what makes it so appealing.

All I gotta say is that I chortled LOUDLY (MUAH-HA HA) reading Dahlia getting her comeuppance in a most grisly way. Ding-Dong the witch is dead. That in itself stands for 6 stars!Copyright(c)Nicola Mattos ( )

This is the conclusion of the Blood Ties series, and had me guessing up until the very end.

Nathan's sire, the Soul Eater, is building an army and wants to destroy everything Carrie loves. Her relationship with Nathan, and her previous sire, Cyrus, are at the breaking points as she battles with the survival of the love of her life, and her own.

I read the whole series in a week, you just cannot put the books down. They are riveting and if you like vampires, this is a must-read. ( )

I loved the way the author closes up the story in this series. I am still left with some lingering questions about a couple of the characters, but the closure is nice. ( )

“They didn’t have time to get out of the way, and I heard body parts hitting the undercarriage of the vehicle. It reminded me of the way dandelion heads sounded smacking against the bottom of my little red wagon as I’d pulled it through the backyard as a child.”

Anyone who has read books one thru three of the Blood Ties books by Jennifer Armintrout (I love her last name, so rememberable!!) knows that they are exceedingly well written. In a genre (paranormal romance/urban fantasy or whatever you want to call it) that is plagued by subpar examples of published writing, they are seriously above and beyond what many have come to expect. The plots are always well-paced, and the characters believable and never one-dimensional. So, when I began reading All Souls’ Night, the fourth and final book in the series, it was with high expectations.

I was not to be disappointed. The action in the book immediately picked up in an unexpected way, as the apartment Carrie and Nathan are borrowing is broken into. After a rough little tussle, they realize that their home invader is not what he seems and a new ally is found. As those who are up to date on the series know, book four is all about evading and stopping the Soul Eater, who is on his way to becoming a god and wrecking all sorts of havoc on man (and vampire) kind. Old friends reappear, including some ‘dead’ ones. This book is a shining example of how difficult it really is to kill a vampire for good…

There are surprises in almost every chapter of this book. Perhaps the biggest surprise comes at the very end (don’t worry, no spoilers). Armintrout found a very inventive and satisfying way to conclude her Blood Ties series; even the most die-hard fans should be pleased with the way everything wraps up. All in all, this was a really great book, easily four stars. However, do yourself a favor and start reading this series at the beginning. If you try to jump into it in the middle, you are going to be confused and will almost certainly get less out of it.

*****I do feel obligated, as a reviewer, to disclose that there is a very graphic sex scene involving two men towards the beginning of the book. It didn’t offend me (although I was pretty surprised at how graphic it was), but in reading other reviews, I have discovered that other readers WERE offended by it, and felt that they should have been somehow warned about it. As I am recommending this book, I thought it appropriate to include this disclaimer***** ( )

I have completed the series. The final book lost a little steam coming into this finale. Jennifer Armintrout is a good author, and I will look forward to reading more from this author. The Blood Ties saga seemed to have taken a leapt in way of imagination in the final books of this series. I feel that this last book was a little far fetched to read, but was still all in all a good read. ( )