Customer Reviews

Three Days to Dead

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Evangeline `'Evy'' Stone worked as a Dreg Bounty Hunter cleaning up the city by killing rogue goblins, trolls, vampires, and other creatures. She was part of a bounty hunter squad called a Triad but something went terribly wrong and all three people ended up dead.

But somehow Evangeline has been resurrected and has three days more to live. She starts her first day by waking up naked on a morgue slab with out much recollection of what happened to her. Evy now inhabits a stranger's body and with her Triad all dead, there are not many people to go to for answers.

One phone number and name is still fresh in Evy's mind so she reaches out to her boss aka her Handler, Wyatt. Wyatt informs Evy that he is the one who resurrected her because she knows something very important that she needs to tell him that could save the world.

There was a rumor of the vampires uniting with goblins and if this happens it could cause horrible repercussions. Evy knows something and Wyatt needs to uncover this information to save everyone. But there's one problem. Evy's memories are very hazy and she can not remember what she needs to tell Wyatt.

With only three days until she dies again, the time ticks down as the two of them run for their lives as fugitives accused of crimes they didn't commit. Will Evy be able to put together the clues as to why she and her squad were murdered? What does Evy know and will she remember in time to tell Wyatt?

Three Days to Dead is the debut urban fantasy novel by new author Kelly Meding. The story starts off with Evy Stone waking up on a morgue slab, naked and in another person's body. I was immediately drawn into her world, curious, and anxious to find out how she ended up in this situation.

The suspense is so intense in this book with the hours left for Evy to live counted down on the top of every chapter. Every scene is extremely vivid and I felt like I was right along side Evy, hiding from the cops behind the bushes. I could feel the branches scratch my body, my heart raced along with her, I was worried and scared, I felt everything she felt.

Even though this is an urban fantasy novel and we all know that vampires and goblins aren't real and that people can't really be resurrected after dying, Kelly Meding made me believe it could happen. I felt like Evy Stone was telling me her story and I knew her, she was my friend. As she ran around the city, desperate for answers, not knowing who she could trust, I was right there by her side through it all, nervously turning the pages long into the night.

When an author can make her characters come alive for the reader in such a way, I believe she has accomplished her goal. Three Days to Dead does not read like a debut novel. If I did not know this was Kelly Meding's first book I wouldn't believe you if you told me. The story is intricately written with sharp details, strong characterization, plenty of paranormal creatures, mystery, non -stop suspense, and a touch of romance.

Three Days to Dead is hands down the best urban fantasy novel that I've read, ever, and I've read a lot. Kelly Meding's next book is due out in 2010 and has the working title As Lie the Dead. Overall, there is no way for me to properly express how breath taking and amazing Three Days to Dead truly is. I promise you this book will blow you away and make you wish she had a backlist for you to run out and buy. Three Days to Dead is an outstanding debut by a strong new voice in urban fantasy that demands to be heard.

A Triad is a three-person Bounty Hunter squad. Evangeline "Evy" Stone wakes up on a cold slab in the morgue - in a stranger's body, with no memory of who she is or how she got there. Bits of memory return. Before that night, Evy and the other two members of her Triad were doing their jobs of mercilessly cleansing the city of the murderous creatures that dwell in the shadows, such as vampires and goblins. Then something happened that cost all three of them their lives and convinced the city's other Hunters that Evy was a traitor.

Wyatt Truman was the Handler of Evy's Triad. At great personal cost he made a deal for a reincarnation spell to resurrect Evy. Evy is now a fugitive, attempting to piece together her memory in hopes of recalling vital information concerning dark rumors of an unholy alliance forming and solve her own murder. But Evy's time is running out. In three days the resurrection spell wears off and Evy will die again.

**** FOUR STARS! Today's market seems to be overflowing with Buffy wanna-be characters; however, this author adds more than one twist to spice up the action. Vampires, goblins, the Fey, trolls, and many more mythical creatures play major roles in Evy's city. Each faction has its own rules and hierarchy. Some are allies with the humans that know of their existence. Others would like nothing more than to see humanity wiped off the earth. There are even a few who walk the neutral line. If you are looking for some dark fantasy with unique and unexpected twists, this is it! Kelly Meding knows her craft well. ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

After reading many Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy novels, I sometimes wonder how a new author will manage to create a fantasy world with characters that will grab my attention and wow me with something different. Three Days To Dead had me at page one when Evangeline Stone, a bounty hunter of paranormals, wakes up in a morgue in the body of someone else with no memory of how she died or the circumstances that lead up to her death. Accused of killing the other members of her Triad--her bounty hunting team-- Evy has been branded a traitor and is being hunted by those she once trusted. She has three days to solve her own murder, regain her memory and reveal the secrets that could save the world.

Although this Urban Fantasy world offers some fresh and unique elements, I think it's the characterization that really stands out for me. Evy is a heroine that grabbed my attention immediately and I was pulling for her throughout the story. She's a kick-ass woman who keeps her eye on the target. Although she is a fighter in a violent world, she manages to keep her humanity intact, and she can love those close to her without allowing her relationships to cripple her ability to get the job done.

Wyatt, Evy's handler has paid a very dear and permanent price for her temporary resurrection. He does this not only out of duty in an effort to stop an alliance that could mean the end of the world as we know it, but also because he is love with her. This may ultimately be his undoing. There are many things to like about Wyatt, but his character is also quite flawed. He deals with his own selfishness, and poor choices, but his openness with Evy makes him a very likeable character in spite of his mistakes.

Urban Fantasy is fast becoming my favorite genre and books like this are the reason why. Kelly Meding has created a complex Urban Fantasy world of human bounty hunters, paranormal politics, and mythical creatures. This debut novel is fast paced, suspenseful and full of unexpected twists.

Review courtesy of [...]
Have you seen the movie D.O.A starring Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan or the 1950 original about a man who is poisoned and has only 24 hours to solve his own murder? It's a great premise that unfortunately didn't make for a great movie. Three Days to Dead operates on a similar idea with a much more successful execution.

I don't recall the first time I died, but I do remember the second time I was born. Vividly. Waking up on a cold morgue table surrounded by surgical instruments and autopsy paraphernalia, to the tune of the medical examiner's high-pitched shrieks of fright, is an unforgettable experience. - first line from Three Days to Dead

Evy Stone, paranormal bounty hunter, wakes up naked in a morgue inside a stranger's body with little memory of the past few. Now she has only 72 hours to figure out how she died, why she was brought back, and who is ultimately responsible. Easier said then done when she's been branded a traitor by those she used to work with. Not sure who to trust, Evy turns to the one man whom she has always depended on, her Handler Wyatt. Together they begin to unravel a plot that goes deeper then either of them feared and includes a possible alliance between the vampire Bloods and the Goblins that would result in the destruction of mankind.

A lot of first time authors, especially in the urban fantasy genre, struggle with trying to establish a unique and distinct world without reducing their characters to little more than props while trying to tell a captivating story. Kelly manages this task beautifully without resorting to huge passages of info dumping. I have a good sense of her world and the rules that govern it, and yet I feel truly connected and engaged with her characters. Evy especially.

Evy Stone is my kind of girl. She's tough, resourceful, and most importantly resilient. Her second life starts hard and gets harder. The more she remembers the worse it gets. Friends die, allies betray, and her new body turns traitor in desiring Wyatt in a very unprofessional way. And do you know how many pages of the book Evy spends feeling sorry for herself and complaining about her lot? None. Not a one. Zilch. This was such a refreshing outlook from a character that it made up for some convenient plot developments towards the end of the book (more about that later).

And of course Evy isn't alone in Dreg City. While including the standard fare paranormal beings like vampires and weres (although I've never before read about were owls aka owlkins), though with unique and interesting twists, Three Days to Dead also brings to light other less prominent beings such as gargoyles, gremlins, goblins, and trolls. I don't know about you, but when I hear the word gargoyle I think of fat little statues singing Disney songs. Kelly's gargoyles are a lot closer to their vampire cousins; stoic, wise, and often indifferent to other creatures. And forget short, they can reach 7ft in height.

But its not just additional creatures that set Three Days to Dead apart, Kelly uses an interesting narrative technique in the flashback scenes where Evy is remembering the days leading up to her death. They are all told in the present tense. This was a gamble that I think paid off big time. The connection between Evy and the reader is strengthened by this present tense and a sense of immediacy is created that would have been impossible if told in the past tense. If you've read any of Suzanne Collins The Hunger Games books you'll be appreciative and familiar with this tense. If not, it may take you a paragraph or two to acclimate, but after that I think you'll be so swept up in the scene that you won't even notice it.

There were only a few things that I didn't like about Three Days to Dead. As I mentioned before, there were a couple of convenient plot developments that weren't even hinted at prior to occurring, and I could have wished for a few less species to interact with only because they were each so interesting that I would have liked more time to focus on just one or two, even three. And sadly Evy's love interest Wyatt fell a bit flat for me. He was a bit too needy, too weak to credibly hold Evy's interest. She is a strong woman who needs a strong man, and I don't think he will ever be enough. Where's an alpha man when you need one?

Minor criticisms aside, Three Days to Dead is easily one of the best urban fantasy debuts I've read in a long time. And lucky for us, As Lie the Dead, Dreg City, book 2, is due out next summer, and Kelly has posted some short stories featuring Evy online at [...]

Sexual Content:
A rape is alluded to but not described. A brief sex scene without graphic descriptions.

Plot Summary: Evangeline Stone is a hunter who cleans up the `dregs' of society, which in this case refers to paranormal creatures who step out of line. When she wakes up in the morgue, in a stranger's body, Evy cannot remember the last days of her life. She can remember that her former organization thinks she's a traitor, and she remembers being set up, but she can't remember how or why she died. Evy tracks down her former Handler, Wyatt Truman, and together they try to piece together the clues to Evy's missing memory. Wyatt is convinced that she had vital information about a supernatural alliance that could enslave humans.

This is one of those times that I'd be happy to skip writing a review. It's not that I didn't like Three Days to Dead, but I don't really know what to say about it. The premise is great for an urban fantasy - having a paranormal bounty hunter wake up in a stranger's body after dying - but after that it became a bit too predictable. Either that, or I've read waaaayy too many UFs lately, despite my goal to mix things up on my reading lists. This one fell halfway between three and four stars, and for a debut it definitely rose above the field.

For me to rave about this book I'd need a few more things to happen. The world-building could use a shot of steroids for one thing, but I'm sure that future books will take care of that little gripe. There were a lot of supernatural creatures introduced, but no real time was spent talking about any one group. I only have a hazy understanding about the rules that govern this world, and I'd like to have a clearer picture.

I had a hard time getting into the romance between Evy and Wyatt, and I suppose it's because we hardly got to see them interact while Evy was alive and in her own body. A few more flash backs might have helped there. I wasn't totally comfortable with Wyatt's enormous sacrifice to bring Evy back, when she was pretty much clueless about his feelings. Evy was blunt, courageous, and determined, but I didn't a feel for her beyond that. I wasn't dragged into Evy's or Wyatt's troubles on an emotional level, so I remained a detached observer.

I thought Kelly Meding's writing was smooth and easy to read. If she can ratchet up the tension across the board, in times of danger and romance, then this series could become very hot. Book two in the Dreg City Series, As Lie the Dead, will come out this summer (2010).

Sometimes you stumble across a book that makes the your most recent purchases pale in comparison. A book that engages you from the first sentence and keeps the throttle on full tilt. "Three Days to Dead" is such a book.

Evangeline Stone was a part of an elite group, called the Triad. Specialized bounty hunter/ assassins, they are charged to protect humankind from the things that go bump in the night. Everything was going along well until Evangeline woke up in the morgue.

Upon awaking, Evy discovers she has two major problems. One, she died about a week ago; the other is that she has been resurrected into a strange new body and will die again in three days if she doesn't fulfill her mission.

One major stumbling block is her lack of memory. The other is "allies" either won't help her or are hunting her as a fugitive. Those who do listen have the unfortunate habit of dropping like flies. One ray of light in this drama is Wyatt, her Handler (i.e. boss). The other is Alex, the best friend of Chalice, the body Evy now inhabits.

I adored this complex world of Triads, Handlers, Bloods and Elves. Kelly Melding has built a multidimensional world of depth that is engaging to the most jaded urban fantasy connoisseur. While this world and the politics between the different factions were interesting, the characters make this book sing.

Evy is the stereotypical tough-talking, smart-ass assassin. But underneath all that bravado, lies a confused, lonely, vulnerable and caring woman with common sense, a strong moral compass and unbreakable sense of loyalty to those she loves. I liked and understood her choices. Wyatt, her Handler is strong, capable, smart and flawed. His flaws made him human and a dream to read about. Their complex relationship lifted this above the majority of the books I have read lately.

This book is filled with twists and turns that kept me guessing. Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, it went in a different direction. Once I got started on this book, it was hard to put it down.

I don't want to give away any spoilers. But the 400 pages were not enough for me. Evy's adventures will continue in another book next year. I can't wait to buy my copy. She joins the ranks of my favorite heroines- Mercy Thompson, Kate Daniels, and Anna Corrick.

So run, don't walk, to the nearest bookstore(or keyboard)and pick up a copy. This book is definitely worth the price of admission.

'Three Days to Dead' has a unique premise, interesting plot, and is technically proficient, however, it lacks the emotion and detail that would make it exceptional.

Evy Stone is a hunter, a member of an elite and secret branch of the police force that enforces order over the "dregs". When she is resurrected in someone else's body, the clock begins ticking to recover her memories, find her killer, and prevent a catastrophic alliance between vampires and goblins. Unlike several other reviewers, I don't think the knowledge that she will somehow survive the book, despite the stated three-day limit on her life, ruins the book in any way. Lets face it; basic common sense tells you that the protagonist of any series is going to survive, no matter how imminent and deadly the danger might seem. The interesting and more important part is exactly how she will survive, and building suspense over that is something Meding accomplishes.

The characters in 'Three Days' are unique. Wyat Truman, Evy's handler/supervisor when she was a hunter, is not the ultra-alpha hero, the genius who has it all under control, or the lover who's affections border on stalking. He seems a fairly normal person with special skills. Evy herself is not perfect; she doesn't find everything to be smooth sailing in her new body, she has serious emotional problems dealing with her returned memories, and she makes several bad decisions which result in harm to innocents that she does not just easily brush aside. The secondary characters are also not typical; the vampires are not all evil, some of the prettiest denizens of the non-human world are fairly useless, and some of the ugliest and most disgusting are the most entertaining. Although the characters were interesting, that is not enough to carry the book. More world development and background information would have been beneficial to make them really come to life.

Meding's writing is technically proficient, which is more than can be said for many new writers in the exploding urban fantasy market; there are no typos, spelling errors, poor grammar, or annoying and cutesy phrases replacing curses, such as "turn you" or "go bite something". Unfortunately her writing lacks the emotion and pacing that would make this an excellent book. One of the most mysterious skills of an excellent writer is their ability to select specific words to not just state an emotion, but make the reader feel it, to not just portray a fight scene, but make the reader believe they should be ducking and dodging along with the main character. Whether Meding will develop this skill in future works remains to be seen, but I have my fingers crossed.

Evangeline Stone is a Dreg hunter, charged with protecting mundane humanity from the things that go bump in the night, until the night she is betrayed. Her teammates are killed, Evy is framed for their deaths and forced to run, and then somehow -- she can't remember just what happened -- she ends up dead. She is resurrected, but in the body of a stranger, and with big holes in her memory. Now she must unravel the mystery of her own murder and how it ties into a larger conspiracy. And she only has three days to do it before she dies again, permanently.

The wrong-body theme seems to be popping up a lot lately. I've seen it in Vicki Pettersson's Signs of the Zodiac series, and in Julie Kenner's Blood Lily Chronicles, and now here, in the Evangeline Stone series. It's interesting to see different authors' takes on a plot element that's almost popular enough to be a nascent trend, but not popular enough to be a cliché. Urban fantasy heroines often find themselves fighting for their lives in situations where they're in over their heads. It only gets messier when you're wearing someone else's face and trying to live that person's life without blowing your cover! In Three Days to Dead, there's a little less of that than usual. Chalice Frost, the woman whose body Evy now inhabits, lived somewhat of a lonely life before committing suicide, and had few friends. Evy doesn't have a lot of Chalice's acquaintances to deal with. However, there's one friend of Chalice's who plays a major role in the story, and every scene involving him is poignant. He blames himself for Chalice's death, then is overjoyed that she's alive after all, except really, she's not...

If I have any gripes about the body-switching element, it's that it seems like Evy's colleagues and enemies accept a little too easily that she is Evy. I think that's because Evy spends most of the book among people who know about the magic that exists in the world and know that resurrection spells exist.

Moving on to the plot, we follow Evy and her friend Wyatt (the one who resurrected her) as they try to uncover a secret plot brewing among the city's Dregs. Alongside this investigation is Evy's quest to piece her memory back together. The solution to the mystery may be something that's been lurking in her mind all along.

I don't say this often about urban fantasy, but I think the romantic subplot may have been my favorite part of Three Days to Dead. Everything about it is handled really, really well. I like Wyatt, who's a far cry from the overly-possessive "I am alpha male, hear me roar!" love interests who are all too common in this subgenre. He's a three-dimensional, complicated, conflicted man whose love for Evy is obvious. I found myself rooting for this couple even though it seems impossible for both of them to survive the events of the book. I also found Kelly Meding's treatment of Evy's past trauma to be sensitive and realistic. She's suffered some horrible things, and they don't just magically go away when she and Wyatt get together.

Other things I loved: "First Break," a subterranean fairyland. The trolls. The revelation of Chalice Frost's backstory, and the ramifications of this backstory on Evy's new existence.

Three Days to Dead is a good addition to the urban fantasy shelves, with a convincing and moving love story, some great settings and imagery, and a plot that's complex but still makes sense.

It was a decent premise, somewhat stalled in execution. I am mostly just really tired of the traumatized female heroine. Really sick of the brittle to the point of callous concept that a tough woman has to be emotionally stunted and whiny with it. The supernatural genre does not do women well and it doesn't seem to matter whether they are male or female writers, women are more often portrayed as caricatures rather than characters. This book also suffered in review because I read another supernatural "woman brought back from the dead" book on the same day I read this one (beach vacation-lots of reading) and I actually forgot I had read this one. It just sort of slipped my mind which doesn't really bode well for me remembering to look for the sequel.

Ending SPOILERS BELOW!!



I also didn't like the ending. I think it would have been a better novel and at least somewhat more realistic if it hadn't had such a trite and pat resurrection of her honeybun. I mean come on. That's just... too soap opera-ish. There should have been some consequence for his meddling and if he'd actually died, maybe I could have forgiven her for being an emotionally stunted brittle shell in the next book. Which you know she's still going to be.

Triad supernatural bounty hunter Evangeline "Evy" Stone is confused when she wakes up naked on a slab in the morgue. Worse yet she does not know who she is or why she fails to recognize her bruised body; that of Chalice Frost. Her only memory is that of her handler Wyatt Truman; so she must find him in a city of a half of million.

Wyatt explains he brought her back to life; her Triad partners long dead. She had been tortured, but died before she could explain what she learned of an alliance between The Bloods vampire gang and the Goblin horde. If true, humanity is dead. She also learns she has 72 hours to live in this body before dying again. Three days to find out if the unholy alliance is true and who killed her and her partners at a time when her former bounty hunter peers believe she had her two teammates murdered.

This is a terrific urban fantasy starring a fascinating lead protagonist back from the dead to complete a mission before she returns to the dead while her former cronies want her dead (talk about finding a life). The story line is fast-paced and vividly descriptive so that the audience will believe in this paranormal realm, but setting the physics of the Meding mythos somewhat detracts from the investigation by Evy-Chalice. Still Three Days to dead is an exciting first tale with a solid premise that should contain strong sequels.

Harriet Klausner