Drink Deep Review

Drink Deep (Chicagoland Vampires #5)

-          Chloe Neill

Publisher: Gollancz

Clouds are brewing over Cadogan House, and Merit the vampire 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 have never been more precarious for the vampires. If only they could lay low for a bit...
Then magic rears its ugly head when Lake Michigan turns black. The mayor insists it's nothing to worry about, but Merit knows a panic is coming. 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 both the vampires and humans.

After a long wait between books three and four, I didn’t leave it very long before picking up book five in this series (See, I can learn from my mistakes!). After the shocking ending of book four, I thought this would be the start of a very different journey for Merit, the new vampire and Sentinel of Cadogan House and while there are some changes, this is essentially more of the same as we’ve had before. Something has turned the Great Lake black and while humans are blaming the vampires, Merit is tasked with trying to figure out what it is and how to resolve it. This means she gets to visit various supernatural groups around town and asks them if they had anything to do with it. It’s not the most original investigative route but for some reason it seems to work for Merit!

There are a lot characters in this book – I really liked getting to know Joshua and watching how he and Merit interact now  - it seemed like a step in the right direction. Mallory, Merit’s best friend is stressed about her sorcesser’s exam, while the vampires within Cadogan House continue to seem some of the most human vampires in Urban Fantasy complete with movie marathon and favourite bars. There is one character that is conspicuous by his absence but is never-the-less mentioned frequently and really casts a tall shadow over the whole plot. However, I really wanted Merit accept the current situation more – which made me a little disappointed that there was some balance returned by the end (Really difficult to talk about without spoilers!). The ending seemed a little simple and there are a few long running plot elements that are mentioned and still not resolved  - I hope they aren’t dragged on too long. However, it would be a big emotional punch for Merit and I hope this vibrates around the next book!

Despite these few reservations, Chloe Neill does have a knack for creating a world that feels real – there is colour behind the descriptions and personality behind the characters (even if you don’t always like them!). I always seem to get through these books far too quickly, leaving me wanting to know how the events of one book will impact Merit and her friends going forward. These books are like sushi – tasty and filling – something you get the occasional craving for but could use a little soya sauce to be extra delicious!

Recommended for fans of Jennifer Estep and Patricia Briggs. 7.5 out of 10