Review: Three Days to Dead

Reviewed by Jen
 

If you read enough books in the paranormal genre, you start to sniff out a formula.  Sure, there are surprises here and there: maybe an unexpected obstacle or a twist on the villain reveal at the end. But I have to give credit where credit is due.  This book kept me guessing.  The biggest mystery of all: how can you get a happy ending when your heroine only has three days left to live?

Technically, Evy is already dead.  As the story begins, she finds herself resurrected in the morgue, alive in a body which isn't her own.  She has no recollection of the days leading to her death, but knows she was in big trouble with the organization of supernatural police she worked for.  Someone had framed Evy for the murder of her two partners, and now she must track down her handler, Wyatt, to figure out what to do next.

It turns out that Wyatt made a deal with a powerful elf to bring Evy back to life.  And now the agency considers him a traitor too. They must work together to hide from other agents while they unravel the conspiracy that led to Evy's death.  It's complicated and involves the political machinations of multiple supernatural species bent on conquering humanity.  But it seems that saving our species isn't the only reason Wyatt brought Evy back.  He's also in love with her.

For a long time, I questioned whether Wyatt was Evy's love interest or if it was Alex. He was roommate to Chalice, the woman whose body Evy now inhabits.  It's obvious Evy has some warm and fuzzy feelings for Alex; and early on, she is quite emphatic that her feelings for Wyatt are not romantic.  But then she starts talking about who Chalice's body wants versus what she (Evy) wants and it got to be a little confusing.  Clearly, Evy struggles a bit with her identity and whether it has been compromised by her new body.  It was in this area that I struggled a bit as well.

The book has a lot of action and a few dark moments that give it an edge.  The bigger picture is revealed like the layers of an onion.  One calamity follows another. There is betrayal, devastation and sacrifice. Some of the losses Evy suffers are downright heartbreaking... and just when you think she's shouldered the worst of it, the hits just keep on coming.

Amazingly, though, this isn't a downer book.  Evy is strong and she is determined to prevail, even in the face of her impending death.   Her new body may not kick ass, but she does, with her spirit and her unwillingness to go gently into the night.  I liked the book.  As I said, it had some good surprises --and once Evy got over her waffling-- it had a good romantic element as well.    

I'll definitely check out the next book in the series.

Rating: B-

Click to purchase: Amazon

Three Days to Dead

by Kelly Meding

Release Date: November 24, 2009

Publisher: Dell