In which our shoe-loving vampire queen finally gets married

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	• Undead and Uneasy (Undead/Queen Betsy) MaryJanice Davidson Jove, 2008 - 304 pages average customer review:based on 64 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

In which our shoe-loving vampire queen finally gets married

If I'm reading the author's acknowledgements/preface/introduction rightly, then this is probably the last volume in the series about Betsy, Queen of the Vampires. And the somewhat crowded feeling, as if a few too many things were happening and being crammed all into one book, reinforces that suspicion.

That said, it's always better for a book to have too much happening rather than too little. And since we already know that the series is lightweight, if some of the action is improbable for the characters involved, or flat-out silly to think someone would ever do that, well, that's part of the series: several of the characters have always been purely stereotypes for the sake of laughs. Either you learn to live with that, or don't.

For those of you who haven't read other books in the series, you really should read them in order; the events of this book make no sense unless you already know who the players are. Don't try and read this one first just because it's easily available, thinking that if you like it, then you'll go back and read the rest of the series. Doesn't work that way. You've gotta already know about Betsy's dad and stepmother, about her half-sister Laura and who Laura's mother was, about why Jessica has a mansion full of weirdos. Some of what you need to know isn't even in the series directly; the whole thing about Antonia and Garrett is from a novella contained in an anthology of Davidson's werewolf series stories, Dead and Loving It (ISBN-13: 978-0425207956). (No, I don't really know why a book of werewolf stories has a title as though it were mainly about vampires.) That said, to give you an idea of whether the series is for you at all, you should know how it stacks up against other vampire series. Davidson writes humorous romance; she's not a fantasy writer first and then a romance writers. The vampires in this series are fairly traditional as to powers; they are not "out" in society nor considered legally human; mostly, they lead lives separate from humans, not holding down "day jobs" or trying to socialize outside their own kind. Several of the volumes have murder mystery plots; others are more frivolous. There are no deep, dark thoughts of immortal life and its meaning, nor any attempts at deep explaining why and how vampires exist at all. Even when there's eeeevillll, it's a rather superficial sort of evil. The vampires are a mixed bag between evil and neutral characters. There are numerous other supernatural beings: ghosts, werewolves, the Devil - but other than those beings, this is pretty much our world, our time, our Minnesota - it's not a separate fantasy universe.

As far as the plot itself in this volume, I think that between the publishers' reviews and all the rest, you don't need me to tell you more. Let me say that I'm a bit tired of the Booke of the Dead. Enough happens to enough of our regular characters to feel that Davidson has tied off a lot of loose ends, again hinting that it's the last book in the series. Perhaps one of the most unusual events in this volume is: Betsy actually realizes that she's whining. And makes an attempt to deal with it.

In short: if you've been reading the series, you've gotta read this one. If you haven't been reading the series, don't start with this one. And if you prefer your vampires dark, brooding, and discussing their immortality, lack of souls, and all the other philosophical implications of their condition, this is not where you're going to find it. But if you're looking for easy-reading humor with snappy dialog and just enough plot to hold the humor together, then this should be your cup of tea.

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Uneasy pleases and entertains

First, according to MJD herself, she's contracted through book 9, and this is only book 6, so I doubt it's the end of the series. I can understand why some of the reviews of this book are poor, but I have to say, this is one of the better Betsy novels.

Betsy is left on her own for much of this book, and we get a side of her that we don't usually see. Through her own narration - and less of everyone else's input - we see more of her personal thought process, and as a character I believe she develops and grows as we read along. There is little of the gratuitous and overly graphic sex that two of the most recent Betsy novels featured (and quite literally, it was a little much even for me, who fazes at nothing), and I think that's why some people might find it bland. If you're looking for steamier entertainment, read some of the earlier Betsys.

The only downfall of this novel is, while Betsy's maturation and coming into her own as vampire queen is clearly highlighted, we miss out on the interaction of a lot of the background characters that we love like Sinclair and Marc, who has been woefully underfeatured since the second or third book. Characters like Delk make a reappearance, and most of us could probably do without him.

So, in short: best Betsy book since maybe the first, but hopefully MJD - who I totally respect and admire - will continue to gravitate back toward the root of what makes these novels so great to read.

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Undead and Uneasy

Queen Betsy is the Absolute Best. Enjoyed this book as all the others. Can't wait for the next installment.

I love the undead series

I have read every book so far in this series and I think that these book's are great! Laugh out loud funny with romance and murder thrown in together.

reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, page 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

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