Format Read: digital ARC
Number of Pages: 464 pages
Release Date: June 1st, 2010
Publisher: Eos
Formats Available: Paperback, eBook
Purchasing Info: GoodReads, Author’s Website, Book Depository

Book Blurb:
Las Vegas socialite and otherworldly avenger Joanna Archer gave up everything when she embraced mortality—abandoning her powers and altering her destiny to save a child . . . and a city. Now her former allies are her enemies—and her enemies have nothing to fear.

Yet still she is bound to a prophecy that condemns her to roam a nightmare landscape that ordinary humans cannot see and dare not enter. And a beast is on her trail—an insane killer blinded by bloodlust, who’s determined to rip much more from Joanna than merely her now-fragile life. Survival is no longer an option in this dark realm where good and evil have blurred into confusing shades of gray—unless she can gather together an army of onetime foes and destroy everything she once believed in.

My Thoughts:
I was so thrilled to receive this book s an ARC and I HAD to start it ASAP. After reading the first few pages I started to remember all the things that happened in the last book. I think this is one of the saddest urban fantasies I ever read. I’m not such a Urban Fantasy addict so that probably doesn’t say much or it could be because I’m feeling Joanna’s pain like my own. Ms. Pettersson really knows how to make her heroine believable.

I loved that Jo is not perfect- she has flaws but I like her, most of the time. Sometimes she’s way to stubborn and a bit immature but her development since book one (The Scent of Shadows) is strongly visible in this book. She’s hurt- big time but she fights to keep going. She just doesn’t want to give up and I  I really felt  for Joanna and my heart broke every ten pages or so for the first part of the book. The beginning is so dark and I hoped for Joanna’s and my own sake that something good or at least something not bad happens to her.  She still is strong but you can feel that she would resign if all this stuff would happen to her any longer.

The plot in Cheat the Grave is a thrilling ride with many twists and turns. I was hooked after the first few pages and I couldn’t put this book down for more than the time I needed to dry my tears. I loved how new revelations were woven into the story and I had to gasp more than once. I wanted to scream at the characters often and sometimes I had the deep urge to slap them.

The bad guys are still shudder -worth and surprisingly the good guys aren’t any better. That’s probably a reason for the overall dark feel of this book, too. We discover a new fraction and they are the ones that seem to be the “sanest” in this world. I enjoyed to learn more about these characters and their stories were touching or bizarre, depending on the character but they always fit into the big picture. They gave the world more depth and answered some of the question I had from the start.

As you can see this book really grabbed me. I can’t wait to read the next book and I want a HEA for Joanne with all my heart. A great new addition to the Signs of the Zodiac series and one you shouldn’t miss. Thrilling from the start and full of emotion. Cheat the Grave answers many of your questions but it also brings new mysteries that need solving. I, for my part can’t wait to get my hands on the next book.

I give Cheat the Grave 4 out of 5 bookies.

***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

About Susi

Susi is a geeky vegetarian from Gemany. She just finished university and now works as a civil engineer in steel construction. Besides her reading addiction she also knits like a maniac while listening to audiobooks. Susi also blogs at the Secret HEA Society.

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