Vallista

This is also a 3.5 star book, but I am willingly giving it half a star more for the opening line and the chapter titles.

I enjoyed this book, despite it being annoying. Annoying only because the previous book ends on a cliffhanger of sorts, and I desperately want the continuation of the main series. This book, annoyingly, takes us to a time right before the previous book - Hawk. Explaining the manor at the end, and the very specific room they meet in.

I think this book blends a murder mystery with the haunted gothic home tropes really well. It brings back Devara, an absolutely delightful character introduced few books ago, and gives us more about her story. We also get more about vlad's past lives and about Verra.

This book does a fair job of adding few more puzzle pieces to the overall story. It only makes me want the next in the main series even more.

Yes, I know the next book takes place even further past in the timeline, and I'm annoyed at it already. But, I love Vlad Taltos so I will read it anyway.