Blue-Blooded Vamp by Jaye Wells

Title: Blue-Blooded Vamp

Author: Jaye Wells
Publisher: Orbit
ISBN: 978-0-356-50075-1
Pages: 456
Series: Sabina Kane #5
Type: Adult Urban Fantasy
Source: Purchased
Goodreads


Sabina Kane is on the hunt. Her prey is Cain, the immortal father of the vampire race, but Cain is also hunting her. So Sabina travels to Italy with her partner Adam Lazurus and demonic familiar Giguhl to track down a mysterious mage known only as Abel. Only he has ever managed to best Cain before, but he may not be willing to help them. Soon it becomes clear that it all comes down to who has the biggest motivation - Sabina and her revenge, or Cain and his domination?

This is the fifth and final book in the Sabina Kane series (after Red-Headed Stepchild, The Mage in Black, Green-Eyed Demon and Silver-Tongued Devil) which is probably one of my favourite urban fantasy series of all time. As much as I've loved Sabina's adventures I have to give kudos to the author for having the confidence to end the series when she intended, rather than let it drag on. As I've mentioned in my previous reviews, this is a series that really should be read in order from the beginning.

The book picks up shortly after the dramatic heart-wrenching end to the previous book which not only left me reeling as a reader, but left all the characters in the same state. Sabina is now on the hunt for Cain and this leads her to Rome, with a brief stopover in New Orleans first. This means that the story manages to give page time to previously featured characters (like Zenobia, Georgia and Brooks) without getting weighed down. The pacing is brisk and the storyline is action-packed and full of twists and turns with tons of long buried secrets being revealed.

Sabina is desperate not only for revenge but also to find a place of peace within herself. Adam and Giguhl accompany her to Italy, but they too are grieving and so there is an almost desperate feel to their quest (as Giguhl calls it). I was happy to see despite the darkness Giguhl managed to keep his sense of humour and there are some genuinely funny scenes that lift the narrative. The search for Abel, and Abel as a character, are fascinating and kept me glued to the page as every twist was revealed.

The storyline works really well to conclude the series, and the epilogue set eight months later (a year after the series started) rounds things out nicely. Some may say it tied things up too well, but I like that it touched on every character I've grown to know and love and gives an idea how they ended up. These aren't perfect Hollywood endings, and I love the touch of reality here.

Sabina's "Things to do:" list makes its final appearance, and is a bit more abrupt than previously although no less teaser-y.
     1. Get to Rome
     2. Find Abel
     3. Kill Cain

All in all this was a fantastic end to an outstanding series.

Plot: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Cover: 8/10

Overall: 48/50