Not a bad PNR. Edie (who names a PNR heroine 'Edie?') runs headlong into all sorts of danger and borders on TSTL. But she also borders on heroic. And she lets her brother treat her like a doormat. However, I generally liked her and found the world-building to be interesting.

A note on the cover: it makes it look a lot lighter than it is. This book is pretty dark.

This book was written by a nurse and you can tell. Technically accurate and compelling, nurse Edie works with the supernaturals on Y4, a hidden floor of County hospital. I wouldn’t call this book a romance. It’s a supernatural story with a few romantic elements mixed into it.

I’m giving it four stars because at times it’s difficult to follow. The story was good and I love Cassie Alexander’s writing. I don’t know if I’ll continue this series, but I remain a fan of hers.

Flawed, realistic (for zombies etc) characters, good story, entertaining and bittersweet.

I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did; I must've had lowered expectations (which this book did not deserve).

Edie Spence (at least in this first book by [a:Cassie Alexander|4517253|Cassie Alexander|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1315339948p2/4517253.jpg]) seems to be

Spoiler

an American version of Britain's Felix Castor and a nurse rather than an exorcist.

One of the things I liked most about this book is that I got a better idea of what nurses do and have to know. My respect for them has gone up a hundred fold especially for those nurses who have to deal with vampires, zombies,

Spoiler

shapeshifters,

and lycanthropes as patients.

Some of her characterizations of these creatures differ from whatever is "canon" today. When parts of vampires or zombies die, they turn to dust. The vampires have a well developed hierarchy of thrones and humans who provide them sustenance; this reminded me a bit of vampire society in the Lady Alexia Maccon books ([a:Gail Carriger|2891665|Gail Carriger|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1257289860p2/2891665.jpg]).

I'm looking forward to reading the 2nd book in the series.

An interesting twist on the urban fantasy with a nurse desperate for help in keeping her drug-addicted brother alive. So when she gets an offer that will result in a job for her and help for her brother, Edie Spence jumps at it.

Alexander keeps it jumping with twists and turns that'll ramp up your heart rate, and I'll be interested in finding the next book in the series.

Alright, so I won't lie, but I was pretty dissapointed in this book. I saw the cover and then read the synopsis and knew that I would probably love this book. Who wants to read something like Grey's Anatomy meets something like The Vampire Diaries mixed with any other paranormal creature you can think of. So why was I dissapointed?

Who the heck knows.

That's my problem, I have no freaking clue as to why I wasn't so excited about this book. Sad part? I was a good book. I guess at times things just seemed to go so quickly and I felt confused at times. The overall story line made sense, but once things started coming together, it just felt like so much information from so many different angles that I kinda got lost.

I liked Edie, a nurse who worked on Y4 in the basement of County Hospital that looked after paranormals. She was offered that position in order to help her drug addict brother who seemed to care more about the drugs, getting high, or wasted then caring about anyone but himself. So Edie took this job in which the trade off would be that her brother always stayed clean no matter how many drugs he took. The pay off for her? Oh you know, killing a vampire, dragons and trying to hunt for a vampire girl named Anna who might be the only one to save her life.

Meanwhile, she sleeps with shapeshifters and zombies. Pretty normal right? I will admit that the beginning had me hooked. Then it started to make me sleepy, and then luckily the last 25 percent kicked the book back up again. So I feel there was alot of filler stuff that I ended up kinda just skimming through.

In the end, I did like the book. I probably won't read it again, but I know I will continue with the series. My hopes? I would like to see Edie with Asher. Yeah, I know. I'm always picking the "other guy"

;)

I read this series years ago, and absolutely loved it. I just finished rereading the first book, and I loved it just as much. It's a different kind of Urban Fantasy because Edie isn't a super of any sort. She's a human who works on the supe floor of a hospital. I love that the story has a wide variety of creatures - vamps, zombies, shifters, and the Shadows, and they are just like regular people. Kind of. Edie is just out here trying to do her job to the best of her abilities, trying to keep her brother safe, trying to enjoy herself, and trying to stay alive. She's a strong character, without being over the top, and honestly cares about those around her. The story is adventurous and full of twists that keep you glued to the pages. Her co-workers are slightly mysterious and there's a lot more going on then we get a glimpse of in this one. I'm excited to see what crazy adventure Edie finds herself in next.