Wrong Side of Dead - Kelly Meding

I was looking forward to Kelly Meding's newest Dreg City release. I've enjoyed these books since the series began but I have to admit, this was my least favorite book. Everyone is back in this book and it begins a few weeks after Evy escapes from Walter Thackery. I liked some things about this book but I disliked others even more.

Synopsis from Amazon:

Monster hunter Evangeline Stone woke up on the wrong side of dead this morning—and now there’s hell to pay.

Barely recovered from her extended torture at the hands of mad scientist Walter Thackery, Evy can use a break. What she gets instead is a war, as the battered Triads that keep Dreg City safe find themselves under attack by half-Blood vampires who have somehow retained their reason, making them twice as lethal. Worse, the Halfies are joined by a breed of were-creature long believed extinct—back and more dangerous than ever. Meanwhile, Evy’s attempts at reconciliation with the man she loves take a hit after Wyatt is viciously assaulted—an attack traced to Thackery, who has not given up his quest to exterminate all vampires . . . even if he has to destroy Dreg City to do it. With Wyatt’s time running out, another threat emerges from the shadows and a staggering betrayal shatters the fragile alliance between the Triads, vampires, and shapeshifters, turning Evy’s world upside down forever.

What I liked:

Phin - Who knew an osprey could be so smoking hot?? Phin is back and badder than ever. Facing the kidnapping of the last of his race, Phin vows to do anything to ensure the safe return of his people. To me, he was the most solid character in this book. He lectures Evy when she needs it and keeps everything running cohesively. Too bad he only gets to live 10 more years...

Isleen and the rest of the vampires - I enjoy how the friendship between enemies has occurred. Although they get a raw deal in the newest book, they never turn their back on doing what's right.

Milo - Even though he's a smaller, supporting character, he really grew on me in this book.

What I didn't like:

The constant back and forth time-switching - The book skips back and forth between present time and right after Evy was rescued from captivity to fill in all of the back story. I didn't like it and it confused me a little bit.

Evy and Wyatt's relationship in the beginning - I still didn't really understand what the big deal was in the fight between Evy and Wyatt. It really didn't sem to be a major thing for me but apparently it was supposed to be a huge thing. For me...kinda meh.

Wyatt - Wyatt also gets a raw deal in this book but what happens to him seems to be a convenient incident to tie up the rest of the plot and solve the kidnappings. I didn't care for it.

All the freaking characters - Daaaaammmmn. There were so many characters and species in this book that I could not keep up. New ones were even introduced. By the middle, I didn't even care anymore. Owls and seals and bears and Akitas and komodo dragons, oh my!

Some of the analogies used - Okay...this particular line in the book almost caused me to stop reading. "My body felt like jello, my head like a zit about to pop." Wow. I'm convinced there may have been a better way to describe her head hurting. There were a few other instances but that one was the worst.

So...I am not sure whether or not I'll be picking up the next book. Normally, I can barely wait before the next book in a good series is released. This time, I'm leaning on passing, especially because one of my favorite characters appears to have exited stage left for awhile.

I am so disappointed that my last few reviews haven't been great. I am really looking forward to getting a book that I can't put down! I'm also looking forward to trying out some new recipes but don't really like to post food when the book I read wasn't very good.

For me, the overall rating was 3.5. Kelly Meding is a super talented author but I didn't feel hooked in with this latest Dreg City installment.