The great vampire Vincent is gone, but his descendants remain. Living side by side with the Hematopes, the two groups share a peace that goes on for many years.

That is, until a mysterious boy washes up on their shores.

The young Saba is immediately taken with the new stranger. Though they do not share a language, the two find a kindred spirit in the other. Saba sees the young man as her counterpart – a piece of her that she did not realize she was missing.

All seems well until the boy’s original captor returns to claim his prize. A vampire most believed long dead, his return brings a new reality to the small colony; one of fear and strife.

Saba can save them all for she is the chosen one. She just doesn’t know it yet.

Dearest reader, I’m sure you can imagine my surprise and delight when I received this e-book. In my review of Spite for Flesh, I lamented the fact that it was the third and final book of the series. I, like so many readers, had greatly enjoyed the series and wanted more. So when K.P. came back with book number four – and a soon to be book number FIVE! – I was elated.

Grief for Heart picks up some years after Spite for Flesh. Dagur, whom we met as a boy in the third book, is now a grown man. He has married and has a family of his own; one of his daughters being the fire-y Saba. In some ways she is content with the life she has, but she balks in others. She does not wish to marry and raise children like her sisters. She wishes to become like the vampires she has grown up beside but even they are hesitant.

Unlike previous volumes, Grief of Heart has a slower pace. While there are certainly moments of action, the prose often has a more sedentary feel. There are several scenes with character introspection – not just from Saba herself, but from her father Dagur, as well as the handful of remaining vampires.

Readers will definitely want to read the first three books in the series before trying to read Grief of Heart. Personally, I think it would be far too confusing for the person who wasn’t familiar with the universe. Readers who have read the first three books should enjoy this latest foray.

With characters both familiar and new, K.P. has given us another tale in a very interesting universe. While I am certainly glad to have more of the vampires and humans I have come to know through these books, I will once again lament their ending with the next book.