• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• List Price: $7.99 US
• Publisher: Pocket (February 22, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439137307
• ISBN-13: 978-1439137307

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SON OF A FALLEN ANGEL. FORGED IN VAMPIRE’S BLOOD. SWORN TO A MORTAL WOMAN. IF DANTE FALLS, THE WORLD FALLS WITH HIM. . . .

THREE LEGACIES ETCHED IN BONE

More beautiful and powerful than any creature the world has ever seen, Dante Baptiste has become the supreme target of the three worlds that spawned him. The mortal agents of the Shadow Branch have tried to control his mind through psychological torture. The vampire elders who guide nightkind society have plotted to use him in their bloodthirsty bid for power. And the Fallen have waited for millennia for Dante to claim his birthright as their Maker. But Dante belongs to no one—except the woman he loves. . . .

ONE PASSION SWORN IN BLOOD

Determined to face the Fallen and the world on his own terms, Dante hopes to piece together his shattered past and claim his future, with FBI agent Heather Wallace at his side. But in Heather’s human family awaits an unexpected enemy. One who could rip Heather from Dante’s heart and fill the holes with bullets. One who could force Dante to choose his darkest destiny—as the Great Destroyer. . . .

Etched in Bone is the fourth book in Adrian Phoenix’s Makers Song series. Do not, I repeat, do not try to read it as a stand-alone novel and hope to wing it (pun intended)! You will undoubtedly still enjoy it, but you will sacrifice the full experience of this mind-blowing ride. Start with the first book of the Maker Song series, A Rush of Wings, and I promise you will be in for one heart-racing experience. Ms. Phoenix does not <f-bomb> around; you are dropped into the story right from the get-go where the third book, Beneath the Skin ended, and are expected to keep up.

The story starts with one dramatically despairing flashforward, and the rest of the book tells the tale of how the flashforward comes to play. I was gripping my chair knowing what would inevitably come, hoping it could possibly change, or maybe the flashforward was just dream? A possibility that won’t come to fruition? The anticipation is brutally torturous. At this point in the series, we know that Dante Baptiste is not only part Fallen and part True Blood, but also the first Maker since Jahweh. He is wanted by everyone and anyone living in this world globally, and by the world of the Elohim. There are copious amounts of secondary plotlines and secondary characters, all gunning to use, torture, and destroy Dante. It can be very overwhelming, particularly if it has been a while since you’ve read the last book. The feeling of desperation is at an all-time high as Heather Wallace, former FBI agent and girlfriend of Dante, tries to keep him safe not only from everyone that wants a piece of him, but also from himself.

As with all the previous books in the Makers Song series, Etched in Bone is haunting and bone-chilling, with no comedic relief to speak of. The ingenuity of the characters and the worlds created are illustrated in vivid detail and nothing short of superb. Ms. Phoenix networks all of the plentiful characters and storylines together masterfully. By the time I was done with this book, my head was reeling over what I felt I had just witnessed. The Makers Song series continues to be one of the most complex, gritty, and spooky Urban Fantasy series out there. It is deeply rooted in New Orleans with a lot of Cajun slang and names that makes the tone of each book feel all the more genuine. There is now a dictionary of terms at the beginning of the book to give the reader the meaning and proper pronunciation of the many sayings the characters use in French. But beware, the ending will leave you wanting more, more, more!

Here are the Maker’s Song books in the series, so far. Go forth and read:

1. A Rush of Wings
2. In The Blood
3. Beneath the Skin
4. Etched in Bone
5. TBA