Review: Friday Night Bites by Chloe Neill

Friday Night Bites (Chicagoland Vampires, 2) by Chloe Neill

Urban Fantasy

NAL Trade (October 6, 2009)

ISBN:978-0451227935

368 pages

Synopsis from Amazon:

The story of a young heiress's initiation into the dark society of the Chicagoland Vampires continues...

Ten months after vampires revealed their existence to the mortals of Chicago, they're enjoying a celebrity status usually reserved for the Hollywood elite. But should people learn about the Raves-mass feeding parties where vampires round up humans like cattle-the citizens will start sharpening their stakes.


So now it's up to the new vampire Merit to reconnect with her upper class family and act as liaison between humans and bloodsuckers, and keep the more unsavory aspects of the vampire lifestyle out of the media. But someone doesn't want peace between them-someone with an ancient grudge...

Before I say anything about Friday Night Bites, I'd be remiss if I didn't dispense some advice first: If you haven't read Some Girls Bite (see my review) yet, what are you waiting for? Seriously. Don't even think about picking this one up without having read book one. This isn't one of those series where the first book simply lays the groundwork and lacks action. You want to be able to completely appreciate the great story that Chloe Neill has put together in Friday Night Bites and, trust me, there's plenty to appreciate.

Sure this is an urban fantasy/paranormal romance novel - so there's all of the action, magic, and intrigue typical of the genre - but it's so much more than that. This series isn't just about a bad-ass vampiress and her beaus. It's a story about growth, change, betrayal, and loss. Merit's struggle to adapt to life as a vampire and all that entails continues realistically. While she's no longer railing against her Master, Ethan Sullivan, and the vampire world for her unjust turning, she's also still attempting to work through her feelings and find her place in the grand scheme.

As if that weren't enough, Merit finds pretty much every relationship of hers, no matter the nature, turned on it's head. The onslaught of changes left Merit unsure of almost everything that she held true, and me on the edge of my seat wondering when (or if) things would start looking up.

Despite her pile of issues, Merit remains a snarky, strong, and interesting character. All of the best friends and foes from the first book are back and even better this time around. The depth of character development and the complexity of the tale that Neill has woven in a mere two books is pretty amazing. I honestly didn't find any fault with this novel - I even loved the cliffhanger at the end and, for me, cliffhangers are usually more misses than hits. If I have to gripe about something, it's the fact that I'll have to wait until next July for the follow-up, Twice Bitten.

Grade: A

Check out my interview with the heroine, Merit!

Read the first chapter of Friday Night Bites

Visit Chloe Neill's site for more info on the Chicagoland Vampires series