I actually finished this book before Heir to Chaos, but I had to really spend some time thinking about it before I could review it. Unlike The Thief, which I found to be formulaic and containing characters that didn’t peak my interest, The Savior was about a character I had forgotten but grew to love, Murhder.

Murhder, the only Brother ever expelled from the BDB, returns in this book after seeing an image of a woman that he feels compelled to help. This need leads him along familiar paths to places and relationships better forgotten from his past, and exposes cracks in the BDB that need attention. This book felt like a return to the old days – maybe just because Murhder is from that era of the BDB timeline – and I highly recommend it.

I’m trying to learn to avoid spoilers, but if you have read along with the BDB until this point, you know who Murhder is and why he is important. I think that this book really spoke to me, though, not because of the vampire character but because of Sarah, his love interest. She is brave, she is smart, and she breathes new life into the dark corners of the Mansion. She reminds us that the Brothers’ mates are forces of nature unto themselves, and she is a character that has stuck with me long after I finished the book. She is who we all need to be, putting the needs of the many ahead of her own. I was glad to see this return to strong characters and a brilliantly interwoven plot after being disappointed in The Thief.

If you have read my reviews for The Caged Kingdom or Ivloch, then you know what a fan I have become of M. A. Price’s Brodanna universe and the Unforgiven series. The second book in the series, The Heir to Chaos, is no exception. I tried so hard to read it slowly but that just wasn’t to be. Once the action kicks in you just have to hang on and go with it.

I’m so bad at spoilers, but I have to at least try to talk about some of my favorite moments – one of them even led me to tweet to the author to tell her that I FELT the gut punch that Mara takes when she works out… uh oh, I was about to do it again, but let’s just say she figures out something that is integral to getting her up and moving after the events of The Caged Kingdom.

The story is tight, there are no unnecessary twists or turns, every character you meet you will fall in love with – even the baddies! If you’ve read my Nature Walker Trilogy then you know that the idea of mind control is fascinating to me and so I found myself pouring over the description of the Unforgiven and Mara’s struggles with Xave, just to see how Price handles this. The answer? Beautifully. Seamlessly.

This is a story world that holds me, spellbound, and this installment has a twist that I did NOT see coming. If you haven’t yet read the prequel, Ivloch, then do yourself a favor and read it before this one. It adds another dimension to his character and to the story as a whole, and you will find yourself thinking, “Oh, that’s why….happened! I see the link to …. now!” And that, my friends, is a hallmark of truly gifted writing.

My ONLY complaint is that the next book isn’t out until January!