Review – The Ravenous Dead

Title: The Ravenous Dead

Author: Natasha Hoar

Series: Lost Souls

Publisher: Carina Press

Publication Date: July 16, 2012

ASIN: B00814JT1I

Available at: Amazon – Barnes and Noble

From Goodreads: This time the dead are hungry…

Rachel Miller doesn’t just see dead people, she rescues them. As a member of The Order of Rescue Mediums, she spends most of her time helping stubborn spirits move on from the world. But after she learns the details of three brutal murders, she knows the culprit can only be a reaper, an undead monster that relentlessly stalks its victims to feed on their souls.

A reaper once consumed the soul of Rachel’s mentor as she watched frozen in fear. Now, Rachel is in the role of teacher to Kit Elkeles, a rodach just learning to control his wraithlike powers. After Kit and Rachel rescue a half-vampire, they work to protect him while searching for a way to stop the reaper. But when Rachel realizes who the monster is really after—and just what kind of dark magic she’ll need to stop it—will she be able to do what is necessary before it devours one of her friends…or even herself?

Review: (If you haven’t read Book #1 this review may contain some spoilers.)

The Ravenous Dead is a story with a kick. Kit, the Rodach and Rachel, the Rescue Medium make an unexpected team. Kit is something of a protege to Rachel and she feels very protective towards him. Yet at the same time he provides her with some much needed friendship and he could provide her with something more.

Luke of the Upper Coven adds new tension to the mix. Whether or not the author does more with the love triangle in the next book is something we’ll have to see. Whether or not she does a good job of it is also something we’ll have to see as well. I”m not normally a fan of love triangles. I didn’t particularly care for this one either although I’ve read worse.

Luke’s backstory was vaguely sinister. It provided you with enough mystery to make you wonder. At the same time it felt rather cliched with the cloak and dagger routine. I’d have liked to have seen a different execution. It was like a bit of Bourne Identity thrown in the middle of the book. In the end, I was intrigued by what they were saying so much that I wasn’t as annoyed by their delivery.

The reaper in this story is an exceptional multi-layered character. He’s both a sympathetic and a horrific figure. I truly felt for his plight but was revolted by his actions. I think it’s a rare villain in which so many emotions are evoked.

The adventures were kept up at a brisk pace. It kept going at a steady stream and didn’t let up. It was a fantastic ride with magic and paranormal action. It kept me reading on!

On the whole this was a strong book. It just had a couple of minor flaws. I’m intrigued enough to look forward to reading the next book in the series!

  *I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.