Review: The Other Side of the Grave – Jeaniene Frost

Review: The Other Side of the Grave – Jeaniene FrostThe Other Half of the Grave
by Jeaniene Frost
Publisher: Jeaniene Frost
Publication Date: April 26, 2022
Genres: Romance
Pages: 424
Source: NetGalley

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

My rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star


From the New York Times bestselling author of the Night Huntress series comes a thrilling new look at the iconic origin story of Cat and Bones, as experienced by Bones…from the other half of the grave.

There are two sides to every story–and the sizzling British alpha vampire, Bones, has a lot to say…

Ever wondered what Bones was thinking and feeling when he and half-vampire Cat Crawfield first met? Or how their story might differ if he were the one telling it? Now, relive the beginning of Cat and Bones' bestselling love story through Bones' point of view, which reveals a darker, sexier take on their early days, as well as a deeper dive into Bones' past, the vampire world, and other things that Cat didn't see when their story was told only through her eyes in Halfway to the Grave.

Cat had her say. Now, it's Bones' turn.

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I inhaled the Night Huntress series back in the summer of 2017, working my way through the seven books of the initial series as well as a bunch of spin-offs. I was absolutely entranced by the world Jeaniene Frost created and it quickly became one of my favorite paranormal romance stories. One of the things I really liked about the books was that (for the most part) the stories are told solely from the heroine’s first-person point of view. But of course I (and pretty much everyone else who’s read the book) have always wanted a peek at inside the hero’s head, especially for pivotal events. So I was greatly amused by the author posting the first bits of Bone’s POV on her blog, and pleasantly surprised when she announced that she’d be publishing a whole book. But would reading the book from Bones’ viewpoint be interesting enough to outweigh the fact that I’d quite literally read it before?

“She was a brash, brave, foul-mouthed, murdering drunk, and God help him, he hadn’t found anyone this enticing in centuries.”

The short answer? Yes, for the most part, it works out. The insta-love between Bones and Cat is, well, still insta-lovey, but it at least explains a little better what about Cat first caught his eye. It also sets the stage for some some epic pining (along with some very sweet – and confused – musings about what makes her so special). I always got the sense that Bones had a very good understanding of what Cat was going through, and this book makes it clear that frankly he had a much better understanding of Cat herself than she did for quite a while. Experiencing everything Cat went through from her perspective was heartbreaking, but in some ways experiencing it through Bones’ is equally jarring. He cares so much for her and treasures her uniqueness, but for her it’s only a source of shame. That’s not to say it’s all endless pining. Not surprisingly, he’s also quite funny, especially when he’s feeling exceedingly murderous about Cat’s mom.

The book isn’t a complete copy-and-paste retelling. There are extra scenes, from the expected “what the heck was Bones doing when he was off-page?” to a few new scenes between Bones and Cat. It was charming to see how Bones reacted to figuring out he was in insta-love with Cat (he calls Charles!) and the scenes between him and Ian were hilarious as well. It also fixes some of the, uh, late nought UF language that didn’t age particularly well.

“Weakness was fleeting. Vengeance was forever.”

Overall, finishing this book up did make me want to jump into a massive series reread. I wouldn’t recommend this as a good entry-point to the series, but rather the cherry on top to Cat’s finished (for now?) series. Highly recommended for any Cat & Bones fan!

Content notes: View Spoiler »

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