Release-Day Review: Wicked All Night by Jeaniene Frost (Night Rebel #3)

Wicked All Night (Night Rebel #3)
Jeaniene Frost
Published: February 23, 2021 (Avon)
Purchase at: Amazon or Bookshop
Review Source: Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Reviewed by: Amy

Rating (out of 5): 4 stars

Note: While this review will be spoiler free, it will reference noteworthy previous events in the series. If you haven’t yet started, check out VBC’s review of Shades of Wicked.

Ian and Veritas finally defeated their arch nemesis, the demon Dagon, and both came out of it (mostly) unscathed. Now, they’re dealing with the fallout from Veritas tearing an opening in the netherworld and they’ve begrudgingly turned to golden-deity Phanes—who also happens to be betrothed to Veritas—for help.

When a double cross frees two gods into the world, both ready to stake their claim no matter the cost, Ian and Veritas will have to bring together vampires, ghouls, and ghosts alike to save the humanity that unites them.

Whenever a main villain is taken out before the end of a series, I’m always interested to see where the author plans the story to go next. Such is the case with Wicked All Night. The delicious twist at the end when we find out Phanes is Veritas’s betrothed was icing on the cake.

Suffice it to say, Wicked All Night starts off running and doesn’t really let up until the very end. There were honestly times I had to slow myself down while reading because I wasn’t quite ready to be done with Ian and Veritas.

Jeaniene Frost, and most especially her Night Huntress and various spinoffs, will always be an auto-read for me. Hands down, no question. While Wicked All Night kept me entertained, there’s really not so much more behind it, for me, beyond being a chance to catch up with beloved characters and see them kick a little ass. Jeaniene Frost masterly figures out how to give most everyone a cameo or a mention which is quite a feat with such an extensive list of characters. While some loose ends do get tied up, I have no doubt that we’ll see all these characters again as we have for nearing the last decade and a half so I didn’t feel much weight behind this ending as being the be-all-end-all.

Mind you, I’m writing this with the assumption that Wicked All Night ends Ian and Veritas’s trilogy. At this point that is true, but I think the phrase “Never Say Never” is always apt to add. Even if this is, in fact, the last book to feature Ian and Veritas I have no doubt that they would pop up again in any other spin off that might occur in the Night Huntress world as we’ve seen all other featured characters do. Honestly, I would love for their story to expand a few more books. They may be my favorite couple—outside of Cat and Bones of course. I feel like there are certainly more places they can go and things to explore together. Part of me wonders if Jeaniene Frost has that same feeling and that’s why Wicked All Night feels more like a bridge or breather book.

Regardless, it’s highly entertaining, fun, and fast-paced. I think there’s something to be said for getting lost in the familiar and Wicked All Night provides that. I’m extremely motivated to do a massive reread of the entire Night Huntress Universe to keep these characters with me a bit longer until we know where things are going next.

 Sexual Content: Sex