The Bookwyrm's Review of Vampiraz4Life (Straight Outta Fangton Book 3) by C.T. Phipps

 

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Rating: 9.25/10

Synopsis

It's been a rough year for Peter Stone.

Vampires are not meant to be quarantined and most of the nation is under lockdown. It has been extra hard in the city of New Detroit that depends on tourism not only for its economy but blood supply. With his creator kidnapped, mother dead, and once more exiled to the fringes of their society--he's ready to call it quits. That's when he receives a mysterious message from a long-dead friend who tells him that his problems are just beginning.

A mysterious new player in town wants to recruit Peter to help form a supernatural alliance against the oppressive new voivode and his human hunter allies. Unfortunately, Hell itself has sent an assassin against our antihero and even a new set of allies may not be enough to protect him.

Enjoy Peter's final exciting adventure!

Part of the United States of Monsters universe with the Bright Falls Mysteries, Psycho Killers in Love, Morgan Detective Agency, and The Red Room.

Review

There are just some series that hook you from word one. The Fangton series is one of those for me. When I heard that Vampiraz 4 Life was the conclusion of this series, I felt a momentary disappointment. Where else would I get my fix of the misfit vampire that is Peter Stone. Then I realized, though his arc in this series may be over, it's a big shared universe C.T. Phipps has created, and I guarantee it's not the last time we'll see Peter Stone undead and in person. So with that said, lets look at how the book went.

As I've said before, this is one of my favorite settings this author has created. The city of New Detroit, the vampire mecca of sin, vice and tourism, is such a great setting. It's the opposite in so many ways of the hidden power centers of the old world vampires. It's right in plain sight, flaunting the vampires and other supernaturals. The virus of unspecified origin affecting our world has apparently hit this monsterverse too, because New Detroit is in a state of quarantine and lockdowns, and that's bad for not only financial reasons, but more practical ones as well, since no humans coming in means no easy access to blood, and the last thing the vampire nation needs is starving vampires breaking down doors looking for their next meal on two legs. These considerations and more play a huge part in how the story concludes, as outside forces, some known and some new, conspire to bring down the Vampire Nation for good, and it's up to Peter and his associates to stop them once and for all.

The characters are the usual eclectic bunch you expect in a C.T. Phipps novel, starting with the protagonist, Peter. A vampire who has just never settled into the vampire life, he is such a fun character. He's really started to come into his own as far as power, but he still hates to use and exploit his abilities. He'll be a badass Blade clone one minute, then come crashing back to earth with some bungle or another. It's been great watching his character develop, and his constant struggle against what he is just makes the book so much better.

The secondary characters are a lot of fun as well, being a mix of characters from the previous books who have helped and hindered Peter at various points. They get some much attention themselves, always adding bits of their backstory in and developing in different ways themselves, They are never just cardboard cutouts inserted to move the plot along. We even get to reunite with a character we thought was dead from a previous book. Well, actually was dead, but has made their triumphant return. Well, triumphant may be stretching it, since a lot of Peter's friends are just as prone as he is to mess something up. Lets just say you didn't see this one coming.

The villains are an interesting bunch, tied into Peter and his maker's sins from the past, as well as the Vampire Nation as a whole. They get fully developed arcs, and are at times as likely to elicit laughs as much as gasps at their actions. Peter has really pissed off a lot of people over the years, and in this book, he has to face off with the results of those decisions. It all leads to a really epic conclusion, and some people really do get their just desserts.

While I'm sad to see this series end, I am extremely satisfied with how the various story arcs were tied off. Peter is just such a fun character, and I could have seen multiple ways for the series to end off. I am glad the author chose to end his arc this way, without loose ends and with real closure. I hardily recommend checking this series out, you won't be disappointed.