Undead and Undermined- ♥♥

When I started this book I was looking forward to how Betsy would handle her knowledge of the future. That isn’t even really what this book is about… It does impact the course of the book, but not the way it should have. Too many things got changed because of her adventure through time.

Nothing she changed should have impacted Garrett. He shouldn’t have still be alive. As much as I liked him and Antonia, and as sad as I was when they died, this was a disservice to them as characters. Not to mention the vast difference in Garrett’s personality. Again, nothing she did in the past should have affect the way Garrett developed. Before she went to hell, Garrett was barely capable of sentences. His whole being seemed to revolve around Antonia, which is why his suicide was so fitting. He wasn’t a normal person. He wasn’t mentally healthy or stable. He was still recovering from the abuse he sustained under Nostro. This part of the story line doesn’t work in any way, and I didn’t like anything about it.

Nick being understanding of Betsy, liking her even, was ok with me, but the name change? What would have prompted that? There was nothing at all to even begin to allude to that in the previous books. All it does is add a layer of confusion that wasn’t in any way necessary. I liked Nick and Jessica together before, and I like them being together now, but this was a cop out. If Davidson wanted them together she should have written some way for them to work out their differences, or made something happen for Nick to start to get over his hatred of Betsy, or literally anything besides jumping though time, tweaking the past, and writing a present you like better.

Tina and Sinclair don’t play a major part in this book, however I noticed the telepathy seems to have changed. Before it was only during sex, now it seems to be whenever it is convenient for them to have it. Again, I don’t like this. It just makes me sad that all the character flaws, developments, and time invested was wasted because now all the rules are different.

Laura is… I don’t even know what to say about Laura. I think I see where she is coming from. When they were in the future they split up to find out what they could and were keeping it from one another to ensure the other’s future self couldn’t interfere. I get that. I still don’t like how this is being handled. I’m also not thrilled that she is embracing hell like she has started too. That isn’t really a mark against the book itself, things happen all the time that make the book/writing good that we might not actually like. I just don’t know about Laura right now.

Marc… I saved Marc for last because I have so much in my head right now. Marc had always been one of my favorites. I can’t say why exactly, but he was. Having his crazy-self come from the future was bad. Him having to confront himself, also bad. I still can’t wrap my head around all of it. What exactly was he saving Betsy from. He is dead now. Wouldn’t it have been better to warn her of what is coming? Why was his suicide needed? I hated what Marc was going to become, and I wanted to see them do something to help him. This wasn’t what I had in mind. The note he left for Betsy wasn’t all that helpful. Maybe that was the point. I don’t know. It seems like it isn’t going to matter much because Betsy plans on bringing him back, which seems to defeat the purpose of the whole thing. I also think it is interesting that future Betsy sent Marc back like that. He didn’t seem stable enough to handle it. I guess he did what he was supposed to. I feel like he didn’t leave much information behind though.

Another thing, the Book of the Dead. In the beginning of the series it said that she and Sinclair would rule for 1000 years, now they are saying 5000 years. That bugs me. I am wondering if maybe that has something to do with the trip to the future, but how could it? Betsy still has her memories from before the meddling. She wouldn’t have said 5000 even if there was a change. It’s just a minor detail that is bothering me. Maybe if there weren’t so many other things being handled poorly I would be able to overlook this a little more easily, instead it is just another nail in the coffin (so to speak).

Davidson had said this was the second book of a trilogy within the series. I assume a lot of questions will be answered in Undead and Unstable, but I am still not happy. She took such an amazing, lighthearted, fun series and gave it a massively heavy overhaul complete with precariously hanging guillotine. I have never gone from loving a series so much to being so off put with it before. I have no idea what she was thinking, and it feels like such a slap in the face. I loved her series, I bought every book as fast as I could even if I couldn’t read it right away, and I can honestly say I feel betrayed by this book. I’m not sure if the series can make it right, but for now (and unless somehow things get better) I won’t be recommending this series to anyone anymore.