Maeve'ra 3: Bloodtraitor

Maeve'ra 3: Bloodtraitor by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I still struggle with this series. On the one hand, it's nice to finally get the full story about how the first Midnight fell. There are also a lot of names mentioned here that are referenced in the original Den of Shadows and Kiesh'ra series as well as the sakkari's foretelling linking to a lot of those events. As an actual book series, it falls short. There is very little actual development and nothing short of characters getting jostled to and fro resulting in a rather anticlimactic fall of Midnight. There is a lot of talk about slaves and how they often are inside and out of Midnight depending on their generation, which is seen more clearly in the very front and center actions of Malachi and most of the Obsidian clan.

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Maeve'ra 2.5: The Prophet

Maeve'ra 2.5: The Prophet by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Based on the numbering, I'm guessing this will be the equivalent of a flash back for the next full book, which is why I'm reading it first even though I have both on hand. Like The Rebel, this feels more like a teaser than a short story. It's enough to make you wonder what will happen without actually giving much of anything in the way of story progress. Somewhat enjoyable yet also slightly annoying at the same time.

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Maeve'ra 1.5: The Rebel

Maeve'ra 1.5: The Rebel by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I'm not really sure what purpose this short is supposed to serve. It really just gives more conversation and filler to Keeda'a backstory, which is already referenced in the main books. I guess it could act as a type of teaser, but still not sure it warrants it's own book.

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The Maeve'ra 2: Bloodkin

The Maeve’ra 2: Bloodkin by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I have to admit, I'm having a much harder time getting into this series than the original shifter series Amelia wrote. The old and familiar characters like Jaguar and Jeshika are barely mentioned in passing as they pretty much stay in Midnight and don't interact with the outside world other than lording their market and power over everyone. Keeda seems to be the main focus in this book instead of Vance, though he still has plenty of time in the spotlight too. The two of them appear to be on the fringes of everything happening, yet still tied up in the center at the same time. It seems as if Keeda is starting to put pieces of the various prophecies together, though it's yet to be determined how that will all play out to the downfall of Midnight. There also seems to be a lot less hostility between the avians and the serpiente, even though this is clearly after the initial betrayal that would have resulted in their war taking place. Rather, the focus seems to be on the serpents and Obsidian. While Obsidian appears to be a bit of a mash up of various species looking for their own peace on the outside of their various cultures, it would also seem from the clans description that this would be where the white vipers like Adelina and Ailbhe come from. Hopefully the next book will clear things up as it appears this is meant to be another trilogy.

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Maeve'ra 1: Bloodwitch

Maeve'ra 1: Bloodwitch by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


It's interesting going back to the beginning of Midnight with this series. I loved Jaguar in Midnight Predator, so it was nice to see him again. Jeshika played in interesting role as both part of the main crew yet often being off to the side until the end of the story. Vance is very slow to start analyzing his world, though I suppose that's somewhat understandable given it is what he was raised to consider "normal" until his surroundings started changing again. It will be interesting to see if we learn anything more of Alasdair in this new trilogy, and how that fits in to the Serpiente and Avian lore we learned in the Kiesha'ra series. Obsidian seems like an interesting idea given the current climate between all the clans. There is a lot of potential set up well despite the shorter style of books. Anything longer might not have held attention as well, especially considering the genre. Still, would have liked to have seen some more details and fleshing out of the story overall. A lot feels like it is missed due to the entire story being from Vance's point of view - it's obvious he misses a lot going on around him, especially in the beginning.

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