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Sister of the Dead by Barb and JC Hendee
01/07/2007 . Source: Joules Taylor 
Pub: Orbit. 438 page paperback. Price: £ 6.99 (UK). ISBN: 1-84149-366-X. Buy Sister of the Dead in the USA - or Buy Sister of the Dead in the UK  check out website: www.orbitbooks.co.uk
!!From now on, reviews of each volume of this series may make reference to previous volumes, so if you haven't read said previous volumes and don't want spoilers, DON'T read any further.!!
At the end of the second book, 'Thief Of Lives', Magiere and Leesil have defeated the vampires of Bela and killed Ratboy, although Chane escaped. They've also become a couple, rather than simply partners. 'Sister Of The Dead' sees them, with Wynn and Chap, heading back to Magiere's birthplace to find out what happened to her mother and why her father would want to produce a being capable of killing his own kind.
The book starts with a pronunciation guide and a map of the region in which the series has so far taken place. The former is useful, as most of the place names in this volume have a vaguely Russian or Romanian feel to them, while the latter gives an overview of the journey the protagonists undertake. While the place names do give a notable strangeness to the region, they're also vaguely familiar. After all, if we're reasonably well-read in the genre, we all have a mental image of what vampire-cursed Romania/Transylvania looks like and the names will evoke that image. It's a shame in a way, as it ties the action more closely to a recognisable Earth than would otherwise be the case.
We learn a little more about Chap and the Fay and the rather unpleasant process by which a vampire can sire a child. Magiere learns about her mother and father and between them the four travellers manage to put an end to a thoroughly nasty problem that has afflicted the area for a while.
But the bulk of the book is taken up by the group travelling from place to place, traipsing around dark, dank and gloomy hovels and keeps, meeting with only minimal success in their quest. They are followed at a distance by Welstiel, who has taken up with Chane, who is still intent on guarding Wynn.
For me, the novel lacked much of the freshness and vigour of the first two volumes. It dragged somewhat and I felt as though I were reading in circles. The overall atmosphere is bleak, with little to lift the mood. More annoyingly, in my opinion, making Magiere and Leesil's relationship an intimate one has removed the intriguing unresolved tension between them that I particularly liked in the first two books.
So, not as compelling or memorable a read as the previous two volumes, but still interesting. A necessary read if you're following the story.
Joules Taylor
http://www.wavewrights.com
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