Summoned to Thirteenth Grave. Darynda Jones
men's Fiction
Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre:Mystery and Thrillers.

I've joined the blog tour as part of the release of this final book and we were asked to review another book from the series too. I've chosen the first book, seems ages ago I read that – when I very first bought a kindle. Charley and the gang have come such a long way since then so I'm looking forward to rereading the beginning – and I'll probably work my way through the series once more! Good books are well worth that, I find I see things I missed first time round.
Anyway, this book. Well, after the ending of the last, where Charley was banished for 100 years what would happen why she returned, what happened to the humans she knew, what happened to Beep? So many things going on but as usual Darynda manages to give all the answers in a way that's believable.

The thing with Charley world is you have to forget everything learned about supernatural fiction from other reads, and go with what Darynda has created. Its unique, time isn't linear, isn't even anything I've read before, but exists in a way that makes ends easy to tie up. Its worlds within worlds, past, present and future all existing within the same frame. There's God, and his side, Lucifer and his side, and of course Charley, Reyes, and all their gang amassed over the series. If I think about it too hard its head-aching, so its easier to just accept it as is, and go with the flow.
I love Charley's “voice”, her snark, her outlook in life. At times she sounds a little childish, but its as if that's her way of coping with all that goes on in her life. She's had it tough, and there are still some huge shocks to come for her in this book. What I love is that as usual she's got the big question of Beep and Lucifer, and yet she takes time to deal with everyday issues that crop up, deal with friend's little issues, missing people, possible murders, letting a few folk pass through her as she's out and about. I loved that we see almost everyone I remember from the past books in this one, it really feels like a tying up of ends. I hate books where I'm left wondering “what about xxx, how did xx deal with it” and thankfully there's none of that here.
Reyes, ah Reyes. That guy is so incredible, adores Charley, you know he always has her best interests at heart (can I sever his spine now?) He is just so gorgeous, everyone has the hots for him, but Charley really is It for him, he never even looks elsewhere. Well, he did create her for him, so I guess that's to be expected. The fact that there are so many supernatural folk in this book, and none really fit the standard supernatural trope. Reyes isn't one of the good guys, and yet he's good, others are supposed to be God's folk yet they leave things t play out, and as when Charley saved amber in the last book a good deed still has consequences for them. They seem to be all about non interference even when it means unjust endings.

Stars:Five stars, a fabulous finale. Forget all other supernatural stories, Darynda's book are unique. Read them and lose yourself in an amazing world, full of incredible characters and a story that will stay with you for ages. I'm hoping we get more of Beep and her story, I'm not ready to leave all these characters yet

ARC supplied by Netgalley and Publishers

Summoned to Thirteenth Grave is the last book in the Charley Davidson series. After the events of the last book, Charley had been banished from the earthly plain for all eternity. But, she is unbanished after 100 years. The reason why? Reyes unwittingly started a zombie apocalypse. It is up to Charley to stop the apocalypse. Somehow, the death of her mother is tied to what is happening. If she can find out what happened to her mother, then she finds the cure. But there is a catch. Charley has only 3 days to make this happen. With the help of Reyes and her motley crew of living and dead friends, can Charley do it? Can Charley stop the apocalypse?

Charley rocked in this book. She was as funny and as snarky as she was in the previous books. I was dying laughing at her one-liners. I loved that she was willing to do anything to keep Beep safe. Her investigation into the cure for the zombie apocalypse was action-packed. But the thing I liked the most was that she cherished her friendships. And that is what I am going to miss the most from this series.

The main plotline is Charley trying to figure out who killed her mother. The author did a great job at throwing out hints throughout the book. When it came time to reveal what happened, I was shocked. Not only at what happened but at who was there. Also who or what that person turned out to be. Talk about a huge surprise. I was in shock because there was zero lead up to what was revealed. When the storyline was resolved, it brought a tear to my eye. Because of how it was resolved and also who gave Charley the final insight into what happened.

The plotline about the zombie apocalypse was interesting. I thought it was interesting that Reyes involuntarily started it.  The reason why he started it was interesting too. I did like where the author took this storyline. There were things revealed that made me go "Whaaat". Like what was causing the people to turn. Or who Thaniel was. That made me go "Whaaaaat" and brought a small tear to my eye. I liked how the storyline was resolved.

I will say that the secondary characters were awesome. Each character had their own personality and brought that extra "oomph" to the story. 

I also liked the secondary storylines. There was one that was ripped right from the headlines. My heart hurt for that woman and her daughter. It also hurt for Meiko. I will say that I was happy with what happened to them at the end of the book. Also, that man and his mother got what they deserved. Of course, the identity of the man was a surprise also. Was not expecting that twist.

I gotta say that Reyes and Charley burnt up the pages. They had unbelievable hot sex. I mean, they turned the sand to glass. Is that hot enough? I liked that while they were having hot monkey sex, it wasn't explicit. Enough was left unsaid so that I needed to use my imagination. Loved it!!

The end of the book was AMAZING!!! The author did a great job at wrapping up all of the plotlines. I will warn you guys that there are times where you are going to need tissues. I was bawling. I did have a feeling about a spin-off book. The very last line made me go "Hmmmm". Made me wonder.

I gave Summoned to Thirteenth Grave a 4-star rating. This was a fast read. The characters were well written. The plotlines were engaging and kept me focused on the book. I will admit, I wasn't expecting the twists that happened. I cried. But, overall, this was a great book and I am sad that the series is ending.

I would give Summoned to Thirteenth Grave an Adult rating. There is sex. There is language. There is violence. I would suggest the no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Summoned to Thirteenth Grave. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Summoned to Thirteenth Grave.

All opinions stated in this review of Summoned to Thirteenth Grave are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

I am absolutely stunned by this ending. STUNNED.

The first words I wrote on my Goodreads page after finishing was “I am a speechless, sobbing mess. Words will come, but it's gonna take some time.” and believe me, it has.

Okay, getting myself together. Firstly, let me just say that the Charley Davidson series has been one hell of a ride. From the moment Charley entered my bookish life, till the very end. She has been and will remain one of my all-time favorite heroines. Her snark, troubled escapades, her hidden emotions, and seriously criminal coffee addiction will be sorely missed.

As for Summoned to Thirteenth, well… my emotions were all over the place in this final book. From relief to grief, and a melancholy yet somber feeling when I reached the last page. I will miss them all. Cookie, Uncle Bob, Mr. Wong, Artemis, Osh… and so many more.

“I savored the scene as long as I could, memorizing each face. Each smile. Each laugh. This was a room filled with greatness. With gifts and talents that were unmatched the world over. A god, a warrior, a spiritualist, a healer, a scholar, a magician, a caregiver, a ruler, and a handful of guardians. This was my world. These were my people.”


The shining star in all this is the knowledge that more seems to be coming with Beep. The foreshadowing is all over Summoned to Thirteenth. I am truly sad that it's over yet… is there more?

“I want what you and Reyes have.” “The strong possibility of an STD?” “No, a love that spans the life of a million stars.”


5 Coffee infused sadly it’s over stars
~Tanja

Well this is it … the last book. A bitter sweet good bye to a great series that I loved so much.
Of course being the last book in the series it is hard to review without spoiling it but I will try and make it short and to the point.
We start off with Charley still being banished but shortly in, she gets freed and we get a steamy welcome home with Reyes.
He informs her shortly after what is happening and they have limited to save the world, but like all the previous book that is not enough so Charley gets a few more things to deal with, including a possible serial murder on the loose.
In order to solve one mystery she must find out what really happened the night she was born and we soon discover that there is a lot we didn’t know.
To be honest it did not feel like the last book until we get three quarters into the book. It just feels like most of the previous books and we get her and her gang together working on saving the world once again…
Likewise with humor, we get plenty of humor throughout the book even being one of the darker or scarier books in the series and let’s not forget the romance that plays a part of it.

About at the 75% into the book we start to get the, this is it, this is the final book vibe. It is do or die time, literally.
Also this is full of surprises, some of the BIGGEST twists are happening in this book. There were moments I was crying and then like …”wait … what?!?!” a minute later. Even after finishing the book I still was not over some of the surprises or shocks I should say we learned.
Everything gets tied up in its very own fitting way, depending on who or what….
I shed plenty of tears reading this book, some happy tears others not so much but overall I was happy and satisfied with how it ended …… even though the last line of the book about drove me …. Crazy.
I will miss Charley and crew so much and still am sad this is the final book, but I hope we will see them again sometime in maybe novella or maybe even a spin off.
Overall, I really loved this book and thought it was a great ending to an even better series. Farewell my friends, I will miss you….
I rate it full 5 ★

A satisfying conclusion—or semi-conclusion, anyway

I would like to thank Darynda Jones, St. Martin’s Press/Macmillan, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

*receives ARC*

*immediately downloads*

*reads feverishly*

*cries*

*blushes*

*snickers*

*blinks, stunned*

*shakes with adrenaline*

*wails with grief*

*sniffles, pulls self together*

*hyperventilates in anticipation of spin-off series*

*brain catches fire*

*drools and stares blankly into space*

No way in good conscience could I spoil this book for anyone this early. Shame on anyone who does! I’ll speak generally for now, then closer to the release date I’ll reread it, double-check my notes, and write a much more thorough spoiler review.

There are some spoilers here for the other books in the series, however, so if you’re not caught up through Twelve, be careful.

I’m satisfied. Mostly. The ending wasn’t 100% what I wanted, but then I didn’t expect to get 100% what I wanted. I think Jones found a happy medium that most fans should be okay with.

So we’ve got the main plot, which is dealing with the hell dimension Reyes broke open/brought forth when he burst out of the god glass. Ground zero is their apartment, and, as they feared it would, the dimension and its influence have spread. They have to figure out how to stop it before too much damage is done—but since Reyes made it specifically for Charley, her usual tricks, e.g. her light, have little to no effect.

Then, in typical Grave series formula, there are other intriguing sub-mysteries that tie into the main plot. What really happened on the day Charley was born? Did Pari identify a serial killer? Who is the departed little boy hanging around, and what happened to him?

Some of the answers and twists I predicted—I’ve got Reyes’s number—and some I wouldn’t have seen coming in a hundred and seven years. Some of them are a little too strange/convenient for me to buy, such as regarding a certain angelic being, but the mythology is so crazy at this point that I just roll with whatever Jones throws at me. The woman is brilliant, and her imagination fascinates me.

We say goodbye to some characters and hello to some very interesting ones I can’t wait to get to know. It was hard to lose the ones we did, but I understand that narratively Jones needed to trim some of the fat. She chose wisely, consolidating some, relieving others who’d never really been useful. Beep will still have plenty of supporting cast.

But I do think Jones dropped the ball on a few minor things. Nothing that diminished my enjoyment of the story—not even a little bit—but things I don’t want to ignore, either. The bit about what happened to Charley’s mother bemused me, and Jones introduced a conflict with Lucifer that I don’t think she made good on. I felt a little cheated by one character’s demise, and a couple things didn’t make sense or their explanations were glossed over. I’ll get into those in the spoiler review.

Overall, I love this installment of the series as much as I love all the others. It didn’t disappoint me despite its faults, and I can’t wait to read Beep’s saga—though I’m not sure we’ll get that anytime soon. Jones is currently working on an unrelated trilogy, but I’m completely confident she’ll write Beep’s story.

If she doesn’t and just leaves us with that cliffhanger… I may need medication.

One day.

That’s all it literally took. One single day for me to devour the end of my all-time favorite series. Hours if I were being truthful despite my attempts on trying to drag it out as much as possible because surely this isn’t the end to Reyes Alexander Farrow and Charley’s story. But as a I turned to the last page, it surely was. The end. No more coffee jokes or sexual innuendos. No more namely random objects or body parts. Sigh. I need coffee and a counselor. Stat.

Summoned to the Thirteenth Grave was the end all. The last, but so flipping good end to Charley and Reyes’ ill-fated romantic series. Because I received an early ARC, there’s not much that I can say at this point, but this story is amazing. Simply brilliant. Jones’ took everything about this series, the highs, the lows, the twists and turns, and created such a beautiful ending to such an intoxicating thrill ride of a romance. It’s not what you would expect, but at the same time it is. Jones’ leaves just the smallest crack open for the continuation of this series in relation to Beep, which gives me hope that this isn’t the last time we will see Reyes and Charley in action. Just like the ending, I am left speechless and wondering one simple question.

What’s next?