Up from the Grave

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads

I approached the final Cat and Bones book with equal parts excitement and trepidation; I was thrilled at being reunited with one of my favourite Urban Fantasy couples of all time but also a little scared that Jeaniene Frost needed more than one installment in order to wrap-up this series to my liking. But, we can all rest easy now because UP FROM THE GRAVE ties up all loose ends, gives the characters the HEA that they deserve, and stays true to the NIGHT HUNTRESS roots. This finale is bloody satisfying and tear-jerkingly wonderful!

The lid is blown wide open on all of the secrets that Don, Cat’s uncle, has been keeping from his niece and her vampire family, and the depth and level of his treachery will astound show more you. The original government operation that Crawfield was a part of back in her Red Reaper days has been warped to the point of it being practically unrecognizable. The corruption is more widespread than I ever imagined and the real motivation behind it all is to cause an all-out war between vampires and ghouls. However, as heinous as the big bad’s evil scheme turns out to be, there’s a silver lining hidden beneath it that just might be the key to Cat and Bones’ happily-ever-after.

There’s no shortage of drama or shocking revelations in this installment, and all of this series’ phenomenal characters come out to play. Cat and Bones are as spectacular as ever―playing off of each other’s strengths and weaknesses, even when they aren’t necessarily on the same page. Frost also ensures that this duo gets at least one more memorable romp in by putting Crispin’s telekinetic skills to good use (*swoon*). There’s a brief break in the action to attend Vlad and Leila’s wedding which was a nice tie-in to the spin-off NIGHT PRINCE series, and Ian doesn’t disappoint with his man whorish ways and rather impressive ghoul killing skills. Then there’s of course Spade, Denise, Fabian, Marie, Tate, Mencheres, and last but definitely not least Katie. She’s an unexpected but brilliant surprise!

I read this book in one sitting while alternating between cheering, screaming, laughing, and crying. No NIGHT HUNTRESS novel would be complete without a few close calls, Cat getting peed on, and a couple of death threats between friends. I loved that Frost stayed true to this series’ roots, gave meaning to every character’s journey, and ended their adventure on the highest of high notes. Cat and Bones’ HEA was better than expected, better than anything I could ever have imagined. And, by the last page I felt like I was right there alongside everyone watching the happy family sail off into the sunset. Thank you Jeaniene for making me feel like I was a part of this journey, and thank you for doing the characters that I have grown to know and love justice. Your work here is done!

UP FROM THE GRAVE left me feeling satiated, complete, and fulfilled but also slightly optimistic that we haven’t seen the last of Cat and Bones. So, I refuse to say good-bye, and instead am opting to go with I’ll see you soon. I hope. Again, thank you Jeaniene, you killed it!!! show less

*Spoilers marked.



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Unfortunately, I cannot. I cannot even pretend to care anymore. I wanted to care about this last Cat & Bones installment, but I just don't have it in me.

Truth be told, I was never a diehard fan, just a "regular" fan. I've liked, but have never loved these books. I've liked, but have never loved Cat & Bones. Particularly, Bones has annoyed me repeatedly over the course of the series. I saw him go from kinda hot/interesting hero to completely whiny, insecure man-child. He's gotten a bit better in the last couple of books, but by then, the rest of the story had fallen apart. It's been stretched farther than necessary at this point, so a definitive ending is a blessing.

The series, as a whole, hit its stride, then show more plummeted down into disappointmentville, and eventually rose back up to just mere mediocrity. It pays to leave your fans wanting more, rather than exasperated and counting the pages until its finally over.

At least it's over now.

I ended up DNF'ing this at 20%. I had my friend Aly completely spoil me, because, though I was bored, I really wanted to know how it all ended. BOY, am I glad I went that route. From her detailed account, I gathered that this book heads into the realm of ridiculousness. It sounds like a lame Lifetime movie crossbred with a cheesy Syfy one. Talk about reaching and left field. Wtf, I say.



Why do authors go out of their way to force HEA's, replete with "childrens", onto their MC's? Why sacrifice a good story to finagle some weird kid into their lives? Why do kids have to even be in the picture? Mangling all that which we know and love about a series just so that the last image we have of the characters is that of them and their offspring walking off into a sunset. Or, in this case, a moonrise. Or whatever. Corny.

And don't get me started on Vlad's storyline. MAN, I loved me some Vlad once. Not so, after his corny-ass spinoff where he became some weird overly-sexual and possessive stranger. What will become of him now? Does anyone care? I'm not invested in his series anymore and even I'm pissed about this new development.


Just, whatever.

Anywho, I won't drag this out any further. I wouldn't want the quality of my review to suffer...

Farewell Cat & Bones. No love lost here, obviously.










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I'm very emotional about the end of Kat and Bone's story. I've really come to love them over the last 6 months or so and I'm really just not ready to let go yet I have no choice.

K & B have been through so much to get to where they are and man, have I enjoyed the ride. This last installment surprised me, made me laugh, made me cry and made me evaluate some life choices. Basically Jeaniene Frost has wrecked me in the best way possible and I supposed I'll have to keep reading her other stories (which are quite excellent) and hope for a glimpse of K & B & K in the future.

Thanks for all the great times Ms Frost. 4.5 Stars

Up From the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
Night Huntress series #7. Final full length novel of the series. Vampire paranormal. Best read in series order. The two newer books listed (2022 and 2023) are from Bones POV and could be considered 1.5 and 2.5 instead of 8 and 9.
Cat and Bones deal with a rogue CIA agent that threaten their existence. It’s finally time to deal with mad scientist Madigan and his experiments on vampires and ghouls. The vampire Queen gives permission and it’s on them to solve the problem.

Cat and her determination and Bones and his protective nature add angst and twists in this novel that are explosive. A fantastic conclusion to the series.
“We were never properly introduced” I said in a vicious purr. “I’m the show more Red Reaper. And you’re dead.” show less

I'm very emotional about the end of Kat and Bone's story. I've really come to love them over the last 6 months or so and I'm really just not ready to let go yet I have no choice.

K & B have been through so much to get to where they are and man, have I enjoyed the ride. This last installment surprised me, made me laugh, made me cry and made me evaluate some life choices. Basically Jeaniene Frost has wrecked me in the best way possible and I supposed I'll have to keep reading her other stories (which are quite excellent) and hope for a glimpse of K & B & K in the future.

Thanks for all the great times Ms Frost. 4.5 Stars

UP FROM THE GRAVE was a great conclusion to the story of Cat and Bones. The story starts simply enough. Cat is unable to contact the colleagues she worked with when she was with the government. This forces her to deal with her old nemesis Madigan who now controls the unit and who really wants to get Cat back under his control.

Dealing with him leads to shocking revelations regarding secret experiments the results of which could shatter the fragile peace between the ghouls and the vampires. Cat and Bones find themselves right in the middle of the problem. Both are in great danger as they try to outwit an extremely powerful enemy.

I love the relationship between Cat and Bones. They would literally die for each other if it became necessary show more and wouldn't hesitate to do anything to keep each other safe. Cat's fearless nature makes this slightly more difficult to accomplish for Bones.

I enjoyed seeing old friends from earlier books in the series as many of them had roles in this current story. Having reached the conclusion, I am so tempted to go back to the beginning and read the whole series in one serious readathon. This is excellent urban fantasy! show less

I was really loving this book til the end, so just 4 stars. Spoilers ahead...





So, as you probably guessed from Jason's intro in the last book (until Frost screws with the order and inserts another novella), bad things are/will go down with Don's old government group. And they do. Truly, awful horrific things. You kind of saw it coming, but I didn't think it would be quite that bad. I really like how Frost made the distinction between those people doing a job and not knowing what it contributed too versus cold, hard evil people who have no value for any life. The fight/escape scene was pretty epic. The tragedy before it was also. I cried. I admit it.

So why 4 instead of 5. Sigh. Katie. There's a new character we have to adjust our palate show more too. I get it. I even buy how she came about, but I also don't think you get to sail away with a conscienceless Katie and not have everyone wake up half a second before they are nothing more than a blood spatter. I didn't like it. I didn't buy it. I didn't like Denise's involvement. I didn't buy that Spade would have skewered someone for it. And I sure as hell didn't believe Tate, Cat's mom, Bones, Katie and Cat would get in confined quarters for an undetermined amount of time willingly. It was too "tidy". It, of course, left the door open for more, but it would be pretty forced I think. I think I'll just pretend that Katie doesn't exist and that it ended after the escape. It still gets the 4 stars because it was awesome, exciting and well thought out until Katie pops in and that's about 80% or more through the book. show less