My Library in the Making

(View this review on My Library in the Making.)Even though Transfusion didn't impress me much, I picked up this book with high hopes because the author herself told me that there'd be more vampire-hunting in here than in the first book—and more vampire-hunting I got, sure enough. Northern Bites was certainly more addictive than its predecessor, and I had a hard time putting it down.Along with the action, our main character has also gotten infinitely better. Aurora Sky was braver, more level-headed, and determined, with a clear goal of not letting her vamp hunter identity stop her from continuing with her education (a noble cause, if you ask me). She was also more badass than I could remember her being; even her heart's woes brought about by Fane didn't weaken her that much.Northern Bites was nothing if not a string of surprises, the first of which was how little I cared about Aurora's love life. I was in this for the action, for the vamp hunting shenanigans, not for the mixed signals that Fane kept sending Aurora's way. I didn't understand just what exactly his problem with her was, and I wanted to shake Aurora until she stopped clinging to the memories and moved the hell on... to Dante. Seriously. The fellow vampire hunter was obviously into her, but Aurora kept denying it until he made an indisputable first move that had me giggling like a madman. *waves Team Dante flag*The second surprise was how I ended up liking Valerie. She was mean and bitchy, no doubt about that, but at least she wasn't two-faced. I sympathized with how she wanted to make the most out of her un-life and admired her courage to do it. Her relationship with Aurora also felt very real, how it slowly morphed it something like friendship, and I actually held my breath hoping they'd be besties. Oh, well. Maybe next time.And the last surprise? The killer they were hunting, of course! I didn't see that one coming, and I'm usually good at this kind of guessing game, so props to Nikki Jefford for that one. Aside from the relationships between the characters, I'm not seeing a real arc in this series—think one of those long-running cartoons on TV—but somehow, I'm more than fine with that because these are characters I can't see myself tiring of.MY FAVORITE PART was the dinner with Aurora, her mom, her grandma, and Dante XD