Review: Live and Let Bite, by Declan Finn
It’s also fun to see Finn slowly expand his universe to include more and variations on vampyric powers and some additions of his own.
Marco and Amanda don’t get much of a chance to rest. In Live and Let Bite, we find that mere days after taking down Prince of Hell, Asmodeus, Amanda is tipped off to another threat on the horizon.
The story
For those who read (Warning! Spoilers ahead) the previous books in Declan Finn’s Love at First Bite series, you know there has been no small amount of romantic tension between Marco Catalano and Amanda Colt, a tension that Marco was finally able to admit to himself and others at the end of the last book. Going toe-to-toe with a demon and getting some good life coaching from your guardian angel will give anyone some perspective. At the end of the last book, he acted on it, sending Amanda a detailed email describing his feelings. He would have told her in person of course but after defeating Mr. Day, Amanda went back to New York while Marco remained in San Francisco.
Amanda didn’t open the email for months. Marco did not deal with that well.
Amanda wasn’t ignoring him though, she was busy tracking down the latest threat to Marco and everyone else, a threat that manifests itself in a big way by coming after everyone that has ever helped Marco in a massive and coordinated attack.
The characters
I’ve said it before and I’ll likely say it again, Marco is this world’s Batman, an impression that is only strengthened by the way he plans out the final fight. While he doesn’t have any powers, Marco is the last person you want to mess with.
Amanda Colt remains the perfect foil for Marco. She can outpace him in a fight, is happy to take on the bad guys on her own and has her own temper to contend with, a temper that occasionally is directed at Marco.
The threat in this novel, Nuala, a vampire assassin, of course is evil. Very evil. She makes Mikhail from the first book a walk in the park. She doesn’t at all hesitate to go after not just Marco and Amanda but everyone they care about as well.
The world
Live and Let Bite continues Finn’s method of expanding his lore slightly with each book. In this adventure, we are introduced to the concept of minions, people who have been given enough vampire blood that they can be controlled but not so much that they are turned. This naturally makes them stronger and faster than the average human, making life far harder for Marco’s crew.
We also learn that old and powerful vampires like Nuala, the villain of this book are capable of enduring sunlight for brief periods and have the potential to manifest soul fire, the peak of a vampire’s destructive abilities.
In the final battle, Amanda also demonstrates some new abilities, unlocked possibly by her connection to Marco.
The politics
Marco is nothing if not pragmatic. His politics as always are, “douse them with Holy Water first and ask questions later”. He and the politics of the books are what one might describe as “hawkish”.
Content warning
Lots and lots more vampire death. Lots.
Who is it for?
This series is for anyone who likes their vampires with all the classic weaknesses, but still updated to fit into the modern day. The modern twists will remind readers of Underworld and the Blade comics, while the presence of an aversion to crucifixes (for most of them) keeps them rooted in the Dracula tradition. If you have liked any of those works, you will enjoy this.
Why read it?
If you read the previous two books in this series (Honor at Stake and Demons are Forever) then you need to get this one just to see Marco and Amanda come clean with one another.
It’s also fun to see Finn slowly expand his universe to include more and variations on vampyric powers and some additions of his own.
If you’re new, don’t worry. While each book builds on the last there is enough recap to get you up to speed with the characters and the adventures themselves are sufficiently self-contained that you won’t be lost.