At first, while reading Karen Chance’s Zombie’s Bite novella, I was completely lost and feared I had forgotten everything about the franchise in the intervening years since having read the third book in this series. As it progressed however bits and pieces started coming back and I realized it’s actually a prequel that details Dorina and Marlowe’s first meeting. Once that was established it became decent enough.
Lover’s Knot is another Midnight’s Daughter novella, this one taking place between the series’ third and fourth books. It tells two stories, one in the present and one in the past centered on Mircea, both of which are connected by the same phenomenon. Despite also involving Marlowe, it ends up much better and easier to follow than the previous novella.
I was soon lost again after starting Shadow’s Bane, the fourth full novel in the series, as I had completely forgotten how fae-centric as opposed to vampire-centric the focus had become. This particular entry has three main plot lines: The central external threat which is broken up into past/present segments identical to Lover’s Knot, resolving the issue of Dorina’s split personality, and advancing her relationship with Louise-Cesare. And while I could do without the incredible character overload, amazingly enough it manages to both juggle and resolve all those plotlines while never feeling rushed or incoherent. That said… I’m not sure I’ll pick up a potential 5th installment, as it only seems the number of house-guests will continue to grow unchecked.