I was worried about this book before getting into it. First, I wasn't a fan of the idea of it being in third person. For some reason, I thought that it needed to be in first person POV because that was the whole point of being in Bone's head. However, that quickly went away and I was drawn into the story.

Second, I was concerned that it was a shortened version of the first book in the series which it wasn't really. I thought it was only going to be going over specific scenes when it really spanned the entire book (Halfway to the Grave) and a bit into the second book (One Foot in the Grave) - if you have read the series then you know which part of the second book you are hoping that is being shown here - it is (NOT Chapter 32 - lol!) The wedding scene at the beginning.

So, if you haven't read the Night Huntress Series and are wondering if you should read this book, I would suggest holding off. Read Halfway to the Grave first and see if you like the story, characters and premise. If you do, then I would suggest reading One Foot in the Grave and the following books. They are pretty much available at most libraries in Audio and Book/ eBook formats. I read them that way and loved the series enough to purchase them on eBook so I always have them. If you MUST know about Bone's POV right away and don't mind re-reading most of the first book again from his POV, then you can safely do so after One Foot. If it has been a while since you have read the series then start with this book and skip re-reading Halfway all together.

I loved this book and really hope that there are more in the series, not necessarily the ones from his POV, although, there are a lot of Bones away from Cat scenes that cover the series which I would LOVE to know what happened, but I miss the characters and am hoping for some more. There really isn’t anyone left in the Night Huntress Universe to do a book about, but you never know.

Also, if you plan on getting the audio version of the book and have been listening to the audio versions of the series in the past, it’s going to be a bit of a shock because the narrator isn’t the same. He is much slower paced and deeper in voice. But keep in mind, it’s what Bone’s hears in his head and not Cat. I got the audio and put the speed at 1.1 or 1.2 to keep up with the slower pace. Sample the audio first.

( )

The Other Half of the Grave
Night Huntress, Book 1.1

I Picked Up This Book Because: Continue the series/#Bookopoly

Media Type: Audiobook
Source: Owned/Audible
Dates Read: 4/12/23 - 4/15/23
Stars: 4.5
Narrator(s): Will M Watt

The Characters:

Bones:
Cat:


The Story:

We’ve always known Bones loves his Kitten however hearing his perspective as he falls for her has been quite the experience and it’s made me fall in love with this series all over again. I did read some of this online before it was published as a full-fledged book and I loved it then. Having Mr. Watt bring the words to life only emphasized my adoration for Ms. Frost’s writing, though I will admit I missed Tavia Gilbert.

The Random Thoughts: ( )

Reread in 2022 when it was developed into full-length novel—advance copy from NetGalley.

I thought I’d seen the last of Cat and Bones besides brief appearances in spin-off books, so it was a lovely surprise to find out that Frost wrote the entire first Night Huntress book from Bones’s POV. I loved him in the first book (and found Cat rather annoying). Frost did a great job developing Cat’s character throughout the series and showing a lot of growth, but Bones is the half of the couple who always had my heart. Seeing Cat through his eyes added a layer of understanding about the relationship that was missing when Cat was doing all the narration.
Bones is kind of the Gilbert Blythe of vampires—he never gives up on Cat no matter how mean she is to him or how she pushes him away. (Note to self: see if someone has written Anne of Green Gables from Gilbert’s POV). I wasn’t sure how this was going to end without killing me, given how Halfway to the Grave ended, but I was happy with how Frost handled it.
Reading this makes me want to reread my favorites from the series and get back to Vlad and Ian’s series. Night Huntress fans won’t be disappointed! ( )

I do love Bones, but... 1) Some of the modernizations felt forced. Updating a beeper/pager to a cell phone is one thing, but casually mentioning pop culture references like Ted Lasso wasn't really needed to move the story along. 2) That last chapter and epilogue felt super rushed and disjointed. It's been a long time since I read [b: Halfway to the Grave|1421990|Halfway to the Grave (Night Huntress, #1)|Jeaniene Frost|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1373855613l/1421990._SY75_.jpg|1412415] but I feel like this book could've ended sooner and had a better impact. ( )

Look. Listen. I'm always going to give the books in this series 5 stars. I love them so much. (You want a sure thing, Jeaniene? You need someone to 5 star the next Bones ARC? I'm your girl.) And Bones is my 1st Book Boyfriend (It was before I met Rysand and now we're in a triangle but that's alright. Who doesn't love a good triangle?)
This book wasn't as compelling to me as Halfway To The Grave but that's probably because I've read HTTG about 4 times, so I didn't need to know what was going to happen next since I already knew it. But Bones had a fresh perspective that I really enjoyed finally seeing. As in HTTG, I found Cat annoying, even through Bones' loving eyes. I thoroughly enjoyed it whenever Bones would have enough of her pity party and snap her back into reality. And I loooved being front row for Bones' internal struggle/pining for Cat (fans self).
Is Bones going to have a One Foot in the Grave perspective?? Do it, Jeaniene. I need it. ( )