The Renfield Syndrome by J.A. Saare (Rhiannon’s Law #2)
Urban Fantasy
August 23, 2011
E-Book
Mundania Press

Reviewed by Mandi

I’ve been waiting a long time to get my hands on The Renfield Syndrome, book two in J.A. Saare’s Rhiannon’s Law series. Book one ends in a big cliffhanger. Making a deal with a demon, to save her lover Disco, Rhiannon ends up 101 years into the future. End of book one. Hello there book heart attack!

The Renfield Syndrome picks up right where book one leaves off. Rhiannon sees a newspaper and knows she has traveled 100 years into the future. She also knows to pay her debt to the demon, she must deliver a message to Disco for the debt to be served. Finding Disco is going to be the tricky part. Even worse – this is not the New York she remembers. No one is out walking around. There is no noise in the big city. What she doesn’t know is that over these past 100 years, there was a war with the vampires. During this war, the Renfield vaccine was created. If a vampire bit you, the vampire died. Seemed like a great solution, until the side effects started kicking in about 30 years later. All of a sudden those that had taken the vaccine started to age rapidly. They all die within hours of each other. The vampires won the war, and forced all living humans into blood slavery. A new race of shifters became the vampires main enemy, and that is who Rhiannon discovers first as she searches for Disco.

Unfortunately for Rhiannon, Carter one of the head shifters, has decided Rhiannon is his destined mate. He refuses to let her leave their compound, for her own safety. But Rhiannon could care less about her safety she wants to get out in the city to find Disco, deliver the message and be done with the demon.

It’s hard to go into much more of this book because we start drifting in big spoiler areas. I will say this book takes a very unexpected turn. I did the “Oh. Wait. What?” several times. By the end of the book, I’m kind of excited by how things turn out. Do I think everyone will be excited? I think there will be a few not happy. I think we need to remember this is an urban fantasy series with several more books to go. But I think J.A. Saare writes this book really well. She builds up to the twists and turns and by the end I really am on board with where this story is headed (or at least where I hope it is headed).

Rhiannon is still a very sarcastic heroine, but very amusing, she doesn’t cross the sarcastic annoying line. I did expect her to be a bit more sad and upset when she realizes she is 101 years into the future and Disco can’t be found. Her sadness didn’t come through to me. I also had a hard time remembering the details of the demon deal at the end of book one and I don’t think it is hashed out well in this one. I was confused by exactly what is going on with the demon. Otherwise she goes on quite an emotional journey that I really enjoyed. She finds herself doing things that she isn’t absolutely proud of, but she does them to survive. And to make her situation and circumstances for those she cares for better. She doesn’t always choose the right path, but that is why I like this story so much. As Rhiannon says, “now that is some fucked up shit,” and that pretty much covers a lot of what happens to her in this story.

We meet many new characters in the future – and for as much as I wanted Rhiannon to kick Carter’s butt for demanding that she be his mate, I think he is a really fun dude to read about. All alpha and stubborn. And he poses a new direction for Rhiannon to take. She could live with him and be safe, and start her life over again in this future world. But Rhiannon is anything but stubborn and I love her determination to find her love ones and figure out a solution.

We also revisit past characters, most notably Goose and Paine, and they both play a very big part in this story.

I can’t wait to hear everyone’s thoughts after they read this book. We have much to talk about!! The third book is called, The Ripple Effect due out next year. If you haven’t read book one, Dead, Undead or Somewhere In Between, I highly recommend it.

Rating: B

Recent Reviews:
Hanging With Bells – 5/5
The Spinecracker – 5/5
Wicked Little Pixie – 5/5
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