DRINK DEEP by Chloe Neill

Drink Deep
Chloe Neill

Grade: A+


Description from goodreads.com:
Clouds are brewing over Cadogan House, and recently turned vampire Merit can't tell if this is the darkness before the dawn or the calm before the storm. With the city itself in turmoil over paranormals and the state threatening to pass a paranormal registration act, times haven't been this precarious for vampires since they came out of the closet. If only they could lay low for a bit, and let the mortals calm down. 

That's when the waters of Lake Michigan suddenly turn pitch black-and things really start getting ugly. 

Chicago's mayor insists it's nothing to worry about, but Merit knows only the darkest magic could have woven a spell powerful enough to change the very fabric of nature. She'll have to turn to friends old and new to find out who's behind this, and stop them before it's too late for vampires and humans alike.


My thoughts on the book:

Having been in tears at the end of Hard Bitten, I was almost afraid to pick up this book. However, Neill said to trust her, and I am so glad I did. This book was full of surprises from start to finish! Merit is back, and she has to save Chicago, yet again, from vampires, sorcerers, and corrupt politicians. I love the corrupt politician angle that Neill adds to this series. It's just so Chicago, and yes, I can say that because I am a Chicagoan. GO CUBS! ahem...

Merit is a Cubs fan too, and that's just another reason that I love her. She started this book being a bit weak because she was still grieving over Ethan, but she gets her act together pretty quickly when she notices that things are going terribly wrong in Chicago. There's a scary looking cloud over the city, and the lake goes completely black and still. Being from Chicago, the the clouds are normal (especially in the winter), but the lake thing terrified me. I know, I know, it's fiction, but Neill has the ability to fully immerse the reader into her world, and I was curious and worried about the fate of Chicago and Lake Michigan. Not only that, but a new politician is in town, and she's wanting to get rid of all the supernatural/government alliances, which means Merit's grandfather is out of a job. Think things can't get any worse? You'd be wrong. 

Outside of the house, the entire city is a mess, but inside the house is even worse. Since Ethan's death, Malik has taken over the house. However, the GP thinks that Cadogan house is falling apart, so they sent someone to watch and run the house. Of course, this GP doesn't want Merit involved in what's going on in Chicago, but in typical Merit style, she doesn't listen. Since she can't work with anyone from Cadogan House, Merit has to team up with Jonah from Grey House in order to solve this mystery. 

I liked Jonah and everything, and his interactions with Merit were fun to read, but he's no Ethan. Therefore, I wasn't his biggest fan throughout the book because I kept missing Ethan, even though he was present in Merit's dreams. Mallory and Catcher also weren't present as much in this novel, and Mallory was distancing herself from Merit a lot. I missed their interactions a bit, but I missed Merit and Ethan the most. 

In an effort not to give anything away with the plot, Neill packs this book full of surprises. Some of the things I saw coming, and others came completely from left field. From the first page, I was hooked. Of course I peeked to the back because I'm a big cheater, and I had to make sure things ended the way I wanted. After being satisfied with that, I went back and read through the entire plot to see how things ended up the way they did. Somehow peeking at the end didn't kill my enthusiasm for this book in the slightest. I still had to see what Neill had up her sleeve, and the pacing is so fast that the pages flew by. 

The characters, of course, were well-developed, and everyone's favorites and least-favorites were present in this novel. Merit even talks to Tate about things. Tate's an enigma, and no one can figure out what he is. He doesn't exactly help Merit's cause of saving the city, but he's an entertaining villain nonetheless. 

For those of you who have read the other books in the Chicagoland Vampire Series, Drink Deep is a must. Neill does not disappoint with this novel. If you haven't read the series yet, then start with Some Girls Bite and work you way through the series from the very beginning. Neill has created an enthralling world in Chicago, and you do not want to miss out on it! 

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