Customer Reviews

Undead and Unfinished

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(30)
2 star:		(28)
1 star:		(118)

 

 

I was so excited to get this book in the mail yesterday. But now I'm sorry I wasted the money. The begginning of the book is nothing but recap on previous books and Betsy acting like a 5 year old. I was okay with Betsy being flighty and self absorbed but in this book in went WAAAAAYYYYY overboard. To the point where she just came off as dumb. And the ending oh lord the ending was a train wreck, I could have done with out the epilogue completely. A matter a fact without the epilogue I may have given the book 2 stars instead of one. I normally don't leave to many reviews, because well who has time, but I am so taken a back by this book I felt other's should be warned, just to borrow it or not buy it at all. I know that harsh and I loved this series.. but this book has really done it for me. If it's true that she has another book coming out next year that will kinda fix this one or explain more then for her fans that should be out way sooner than next year because this book was a series killer.

I almost NEVER write reviews, but this book made me so angry that I just had to do it. I must agree with several other reviewers who suggested loyal fans not buy this book at all. It ruined the entire series for me. Why spend your hard earned money on something that will just leave you feeling sad, angry, cheated, and disgusted? First of all, the skimpy length, not so cleverly disguised by big print and a new chaper every two pages in order to leave the last half of the chapter's last page blank, was a money making idea and a cheap shot to the fans. Add to the fact that so much of the book was just a re-hash of prior books, and there's precious little new writing left to go with the excessive padding. Plus, characters evolve over time; they don't suddenly become someone else. This is the equivalent of watching a good guy character over the years, on an iconic level such as Superman or Captain Kirk, only to discover at the end that they're not a good guy character at all, they're really an evil alien in disguise, out to destroy the galaxy and eat their family members. Yes, people, the "ending" is THAT BAD! It's grotesque beyond belief, equal to the Nazi's making lampshades out of tatooed human skin. I'm trying with the mere words of a non-talented, non-writer (me) to describe the emotional impact of this book. Imagine if after years and years, sweet, good hearted Snoopy goes berserk and kills Charlie Brown and all the other kids. The end. I'm telling you, it's THAT BAD! Run! Don't buy the book and reward this formerly beloved author's cheap behaviors.

Vampire Queen Betsy Taylor is fed up of trying to decipher the strange things prophesied in The Book of the Dead. At the end of her tether, she strikes a deal with Satan who promises to help - if she and her half-sister Laura pay a visit to Hell. Hell, it would seem, is more terrifying than Betsy could have ever imagined - a waiting room with bad carpeting, re-runs of 70s TV shows and ancient Good Housekeeping magazines. But when Betsy and Laura find themselves catapulted back and forth through time, they realize they could seriously screw everything up for good...

****Spoiler Alert!***** This book really is unfinished! The ending will shock you completely. After contacting the author, here is what she said: "UNDEAD AND UNDETERMINED will be out next July...and it starts about half an hour after UNFINISHED finished. Which I've also never done before, so this is new territory for MJ. To begin, Betsy's gotta explain to everyone about the new and weird timeline they're all in (Jessica pregnant, etc.). She needs to change the future...and she doesn't even know the worst of it yet. But she will..."

Why bother with the whole book if she was just going to end it that way? I have never been more disappointed in a book EVER!

I can understand Mary Janice Davidson losing her mind and writing this awful book and ruining her entire series in the process, but how did her editor, publisher, best friend, etc. not realize that this book was a colossal mistake. This is what gets to me. Is it really possible that no one in the entire publishing process came to the conclusion that this book would not only be hated, but would essentially undo whatever affection one had for the series in the first place? The ending is so bad that I am hard pressed to think of a worse ending in either book or film. I really liked the series up until this book but at this point I'm done with Mary Janice Davidson.

I have read all the undead books, I have enjoyed all of the books. An overall enjoyable series. I looked forward to this last book (silly me) I pre-ordered this book. I disliked this book, parts of it I even hated. If MaryJanice Davidson was tired of the series or had no idea what to do with Betsy, she should have done nothing. I realize she signed a contract for 3 books (which was exciting news at one time)and I realize it is her story and her characters. But we were the people she was taking with her into the world of Betsy, Sink Lair, Tina, jessica, Marc and Laura. She says "I write for myself-I always have. I think if you write for other people, the end result is something of a cheat, for you and for them". Well I feel cheated. I guess she really didn't have any idea for a story she got her money and was tired of it. If this was the first Betsy book you purchased, It was unclear and confusing, definitly not a stand alone book. The story would not have made you want to find the first one and start the series. Also In eight books Betsy and Eric were to rule together for a thousand years. Suddendly in this one it's five thousand years. Someone should have checked her work (a lot, and told her perhaps it stank)
Well if she wrote this for herself I wish she had kept it to herslf. She created characters that at least I cared about. I was sad when she killed off Antonia and Garrett but it turns out they were lucky compared to what happens to everyone else. To me this was a distastful shamble of a way to end a book series. Because if the book was bad (and it was) the epilouge killed it. By the end of this book we Know God no longer loves Betsy Taylor neither does MaryJanice Davidson nor myself at least not in this book. I have the other eight this one is for the trash

Time travel is fluid. It appears Laura has the ability to travel through time, a talent inherited from being the devil's daughter. The one catch, since she is half-human, Laura needs access to a family relative to travel through time (The life span of that person) or so the devil states.

One, the devil will lie to get the end result she wants. Two, any time a person travel's through time, especially if they alter that existence, it will impact the "known" reality of the traveler(s). Therefore, everything written is this book is suspect! We don't know how many times Laura and Betsy have traveled through time when reading this book in order to save the world and the fate of those they love.

Yes, mistakes could have occurred, 5,000 years of rule versus 1,000; Tina's style of dress, etc; or from the very start the story we're reading has already been altered based on previous travels through time. These are not the same characters lives (background) that we've read in the other books. Just look at the status of Nick and Jessica and the surprise waiting for Betsy when she returned from her travels.

If Betsy is able to save the world, then the binder of the book of the dead will change from the human flesh of someone we know and love to leather (Betsy would never allow plastic or paper). If they are mistakes then yes, it was sloppy of the writer, editor, and publisher.

I don't think the first part of the book was wasted and a straight re-telling of the story. The histories of these characters were incorporated into current events and I though the dialogue was relevant to the discussions taking place (I didn't feel like they were just thrown in to fill space). It was obvious based upon how the last book ended that this book was going to center around Laura. Though it was interesting to read about Tina and Eric's past, the reader can't assume its validity.

I have to say from a romance angle, I don't like the fact that Betsy had to tell Eric to go after her after their fist meeting at the cemetery. Also, showing Eric that she wore his sister Erin's cross. It makes Eric pursuit of Betsy and the monarchy even more calculated than it was already. I do not doubt his affection and even love for Betsy, but if MJD keeps this past, I think it deludes the romance of Betsy and Eric's relationship.

The problem with time travel books is you can never go back to the exact existence before ever taking this route. Assuming MJD wants a happily ever after, which of course won't be typical since it is a vampire series, than the past for these characters that we knew will now forever be altered to some extent.

This is hard for readers to accept and embrace because we've become invested in the existence of the characters we have read about it in the previous books. Another problem which arises with this type of plot is the reader will find it hard to buy into any future text because outcomes could be changed at any time (Unless Laura is killed off). Nothing can ever be taken at face value again.

I understand that MJD wants to challenge herself as an author, but I would suggest that she expand them by concentrating on the great characters she has in place. Go back to the heart of the series which is love, acceptance, friendship, humor, faith and family (one created if not born too other then her Mom who is great and should have a larger role). Wonderful stories can come from these individuals and the back stories from the previous books.

I am disappointed with the cost of the book; it should have been released directly in paperback. The author and publisher (especially in these economic times) should treat their loyal readers with more respect. Between the size of the paper being smaller than the average hardcover, the large print, and short chapters, the cost to the reader wasn't appropriate.

I will look to see what MJD does with the next book. I'm not ready to let go of the characters that existed before this book. I hope MJD is able to give them back to us so we don't feel cheated for having invested our money, time, and mostly our imagination for embracing these characters.

Too be honest, I have felt the series has been failing for a while now ... each book a little worse than the one before. And yet I had enjoyed the first three or four books so much I was unwilling to give up reading the series. That may have changed now.

First off, the first half of the book is really quite boring - nothing happens: they go to the mall and they go to hell, and both places seem the same. If that were meant to be a comedic comment about malls, I might have enjoyed it; but I think it was unintentional. (MJD has never been that good in describing places.) Also, I've not liked how the character of Laura has been changing. I always loved the humor in the idea of the antichrist as someone in rebellion to her devil mother by going to church, volunteering, having bake sales and generally being such a good girl. In the last few books, Laura has been losing her mind, literally going homicidal, which is a little too serious for these quippy style of books.

The second half of the book becomes more Betsy as we have known and loved her - yelling at Puritans as she travels through time, calling everyone an "asshat." And yet, at each stage of the time travel, she and Laura agree that their actions are changing the time stream and probably for the worse. The "Rock of Foreboding" is thrown at you every step of the way, but then when the epilogue is reached, it's as if you've been reading an entirely different book by a completely different author. Instead of a funny, clever, tongue-in-cheek book making fun of the horror genre by making the traditional purveyors of evil positive characters; suddenly you realize this is the standard horror novel, vile and grotesque.

So, I walk away from this book a little bored, fairly depressed over what was done to one of my favorite characters - make that two of my favorite characters, I hate what is done to Betsy also. And at this point not wanting to read any more.

Alert: This review contains spoilers.

This book is really about Betsy and Laura. The other characters, Jane, Marc, Baby Jon etc are cameo characters at best.

Laura has been having reoccurring dreams about hell. She feels compelled to visit, and wants Betsy to come with her for support. In a very funny scene Betsy sacrifices her best shoes to Satan in order to get her attention. Satan appears wearing Betsy's shoes...something Betsy will b tch and moan about for the rest of the book. Once in hell, both Laura and Betsy are tempted in different ways by the devil. Long story short, Satan wants Laura to be her heir-to rule in hell while Satan takes a long vacation. Let's just say in the end Laura hasn't exactly said no.

If you look at the book as a job interview, this book was the mandatory tour/job skills portion of Laura's interview. Laura learns how to travel in time and Betsy and Laura time travel into Sinclair and Tina's past. We see Sinclair as a small boy, a wounded teen and an arrogant vampire. During the course of time traveling Betsy changes Tina and Sinclair's destiny so that Sinclair is the vampire we know and she loves today and argues successfully that she's already living in an altered time.

The book ends on a rather shocking cliffhanger that I personally loved although apparently other people found disturbing. I should say that I'm a huge fan of time travel, parallel worlds and alternate histories and the ending offers us a chance at all three. For those who aren't happy with the ending; the author has promised that the next Unded book starts half an hour after this one ends.

I deducted half a star because for the first five or six chapters it feels like nothing happens except Betsy introducing us to the back story and the entire cast of characters. I understand the need to introduce new readers to a series, but since I've read the eight books prior to this one; it seemed like a lot of repetition.

I did not read any of the reviews before I purchased this book. Why would I? I enjoyed every Mary Janice Davidson story I ever read in the past and I have been collecting this particular series since the beginning. So someone please explain to me why the author thought it was necessary to destroy the characters. Betsy has always been lovable because no matter what, in the end she always did the right thing. And Sinclair, he has loved her from the beginning. So what could he have possibly done for Betsy to become evil in the elipogue and have her sister torture and destroy him? The story should have stood on its own merit. It does not. It was riddled through out with side bars and rehashing old material. Hard to follow due to the distractions.