Review – Wild Hunger by Chloe Neill @chloeneill @BerkleyPub

Posted August 31, 2018 by Carole in Book Reviews / 22 Comments

Wild Hunger by Chloe Neill
Series: Heirs of Chicagoland #1
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Publication Date: August 14, 2018
Date Read:  August 22, 2018
Length: 352 pages
Source: NetGalley

In the first thrilling installment of Chloe Neill’s spinoff to the New York Times bestselling Chicagoland Vampires series, a new vampire will find out just how deep blood ties run.

As the only vampire child ever born, some believed Elisa Sullivan had all the luck. But the magic that helped bring her into the world left her with a dark secret. Shifter Connor Keene, the only son of North American Central Pack Apex Gabriel Keene, is the only one she trusts with it. But she’s a vampire and the daughter of a Master and a Sentinel, and he’s prince of the Pack and its future king.

When the assassination of an ambassador brings old feuds to the fore again, Elisa and Connor must choose between love and family, between honor and obligation, before Chicago disappears forever.

My Review
This was good.  I decided to read this book largely because I have been enjoying Chloe Neill’s Devil’s Isle series and I noticed that this book was the start of a new series.  I didn’t initially realize that this series is a spin off of the Chicagoland Vampires series so I was a little nervous after I made that discovery since I have only read the first book from that series.  I am happy to report that this book works perfectly fine as a starting point and there is no need to have read the Chicagoland Vampires series to enjoy this novel.

This book starts out very strong.  Elisa is in Paris with a friend when the area is attacked and she springs into action.  Tensions are high among the European vampires so representatives from the areas go to Chicago to discuss peace.  Elisa hasn’t been home to Chicago in years but she is determined to help make these peace talks successful.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book.  Elisa was very smart and resourceful.  She knew how to handle herself and was willing to take necessary risks.  She did have fears and worked hard to hide certain things from others.  Connor was absolutely wonderful.  He is the son of the local werewolf pack and has known Elisa since they were kids.  He was smart, tough, protective, and incredibly sexy.  Lulu, Elisa’s best friend, added some laughs to the story.  She was very competent and seemed to be exactly what Elisa needed at times.  Theo worked very well with Elisa and proved that even humans could hold their own with all of the supernaturals in the area.

There was a really well done mystery at the core of this story.  There is a murder that needs to be solved but nobody in charge seems to want to look beyond the surface.  Elisa knows that there is more to the story so she works to figure out what is really going on.  There is plenty of excitement and a few twists and turns that kept me guessing.  I thought that there was a really nice balance of creativity, action, character development, humor, and a touch of romance.

I would recommend this series to others.  Elisa and her friends were all really strong characters trying to solve a rather complex mystery.  I do look forward to future installments in this series.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley.

About the Author

Chloe Neill is the New York Times bestselling author of the Chicagoland Vampires Novels, the Devil’s Isle Novels, and a YA series, the Dark Elite. Chloe was born and raised in the South, but now makes her home in the Midwest. When she’s not writing, she bakes, works, and scours the Internet for good recipes and great graphic design. Chloe also maintains her sanity by spending time with her boys–her husband and their dogs, Baxter and Scout.

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22 responses to “Review – Wild Hunger by Chloe Neill @chloeneill @BerkleyPub

  1. I read the whole Chicagoland Vampire series, including all the novellas. I own almost all of it on audio. So the world wasn't new to me. I enjoyed Wild Hunger, but I'm curious as to where this story is going. It's a solid start. I'm glad you felt comfortable with it, not having read CV. Anne – Books of My Heart

  2. Good that picking up the spin-off worked out for you. I do like that a murder mystery is at the heart of things. I keep saying I'm going to get to both her older series someday.

  3. I love her Devil's Isle books too. I tried the Chicagoland books on audio and never got past the first 3. So my reasons for reading this were similar. I had fun, and while I am sure we missed some connections and references I plan to continue!

    • I think that readers of the original series might have caught some things that I didn't but this worked well without any knowledge of the world or its characters. I must say that I am hoping for more in the Devil's Isle series soon!