Undead and Unfinished: A Queen Betsy Novel

I just could not wait until this book was release, the book is slow at first then picks up, the ending is a true surprise, it does not explain why the king of vampires is now a book, because I do not buy the fact that he would have stop the queen because he loved her so much. I am hoping that the next book to this series explains in great detail why the king of vampire which is Sinclair is a book and reunites him as a person instead of a book.

I love this series and I love MaryJanice Davidson. Unlike other reviewers I do not get off the bus when I do not like where a story takes me. So I will buy and read with joy everything she writes. That said this was a hard story, a strange story and a sad story. In a sick way I liked that. [Spoiler Alert] What comes to mind is the new Star Trek franchise. How are Kirk and Spock and Bones going to be Kirk and Spock and Bones now that the time space thing-iey is all wacked-out. Same goes for Betsy. There are die hard Trekies out there who hate where the new story is taking them but there are a bunch of us who say "heck yeah". Again...same goes with Betsy. I think this is a very brave move from a talented writer. Risks are good.

I have always enjoyed and looked forward to the books in this series, however I have to say that I was disappointed in this book. After a few days of reflection I guess there are some places that this story had to go even though it wasn't enjoyable to read. The end of the book, while intriguing to a point is a little disappointing if you are really into the heart of what this series is about - at least to me. One of the things I love most about this series is some of the wackiness and fun that occur on the pages; this book doesn't seem to be up to the same caliber in that aspect. Again, it might be the only way it could go. I wish I had purchased it in paperback or from a used book store instead of the hardback.

janice mary has some of the best reading books ever but this one was awful!! She wrote with a horrible story line, she was finished with men.The story was ok except it rushed the story line. goodbye Betsy.

I have never reviewed a book on the store before, but I felt I had to for the sake of the other "Queen Betsy" fans. First, I have been a huge fan of MJD since I read "Undead and Unwed". I've always loved Betsy's snarky comments and MJD's style of writing--it usually makes for a fun, easy read. Not this time. As other said, the beginning of this book is mostly a recap of the previous 8, although I'm still trying to figure out how for 8 books Betsy whined about being the vampire queen for 1,000 years and now suddenly it's 5,000? Yeah, one of the many things in ths book that bugged me. Between too much Laura, a trip through time (hasn't the whole "don't mess with the past" line been played often enough everywhere else?), and that horrible ending, I am so frustrated. I don't know that I would even buy the next book that comes out in this series, this one was that awful. I certainly would not recommend buying this book--dust off that library card, folks.

I believe MJD's wit becomes stronger with each book in this series and was pleased to find myself laughing out loud while reading her latest installment. Yes, she's ripped open a dark side, but only MJD could make us laugh at it. I hope this is not the end of the series and that she's opened up more stories to be told. (and hopefully with more Sinclair!).

I was disappointed in this book. It jumped all over, seemed too choppy and the ending left me feeling yuck. I'm sure it was well thought out, but didn't read that way to me. I've truly enjoyed reading the previous Betsy books, but this one, not so much.

I, like others, was really excited about getting this book. I even pre-ordered it through my Kindle. The book was HORRIBLE. The epilogue was horrific. It was like the author was in a rush to get this book out and didn't care if she was going to lose fans of Betsy with this book. I don't know what else to say except, if you like M.J.D. and the Queen of Vampires, then don't read this book.

Ok, Betsy lovers, DO NOT despair. I can't believe what babies some of the bad reviewers are being. I have never written a book review, and I read on average of about 3 books a month, but absolutely had to because this book does not deserve the bad wrap it's been given by some. I go to Betsy when I want some fun, sassy reading as old Bets has my heart when it comes to her fabulously smart mouth and sarcastic ways. Read for yourself and you'll see that the writing is better than ever in this series, you go girl MaryJanice Davidson, and the story is fantastic. It will keep you on your toes the entire time just dying to find out what the heck is gonna happen next. Betsy is at her FINEST and the relationship with her sis, the antichrist, is funnier and more interesting than ever. NOW...with that being said...even after reading all the bad reviews (which I regret postponed my purchase)I was still unprepared for the ending which blew me out of the water! And that just goes to show what an incredible job the author did with this story.
To those past bad reviewers I say this: "COME ON PEOPLE! They are traveling through time for goodness sake! Can't you see the possibilities?!? The options?!?"
So yes, the ending freaked me out and no, I'm not happy about it in my own babyish way as well. But I believe that is exactly what Ms. Davidson wanted. For us to feel invested and worried about these fun and fabulous characters of hers that we love and to sit on the edge of our seats as we wait for Betsy's fate in book 10. I personally can't wait! Write Fast MJD!

It's official! MaryJanice Davidson has finally killed the Queen Betsy series. I was on the fence for the last few books, but her latest book was the straw that broke the vampires fang, so to speak. First of all, the first TWENTY chapters of this book read like a synopsis of the previous eight books. Then, when Davidson finally gets to the plot for this book (Laura, Betsy's half sister a.k.a.the Devil's daughter, needs to go to Hell to visit her mother because of an illness related to the demon half of her DNA) the story goes completely AWOL and introduces time travel. When did H.G. Wells start writing this series?

I will give Davidson her due and say that Betsy and Laura's time travel adventures are right in character, with Betsy challenging puritanical beliefs during the Salem witch trials and Laura standing back, wringing her hands, and whining about how Betsy shouldn't be interfering, but doing absolutlely nothing to stop her. But then they go to the future and *SPOILER ALERT* we find out that A) Betsy herself was the insane vampire who wrote the Book of the Dead, B)The skin the book is written on is all that is left of Sinclair in 1,000 years because Betsy has become "disenchanted" with him, and C)Laura has happily volunteered to take over Hell in order to let her mother, Satan, retire. I used to quite enjoy my time in MaryJanice Davidson's rude and riotous vampire world, but not anymore. This book was a big disappointment.

I love this series, but what the heck? The ending left me totally confused. Sinclair is the love of her life, but in the end she's writing on his skin? I found Betsy totally annoying, more so than usual. If there is another book, it better do some serious clearing up.

I almost NEVER write reviews, but this book made me so angry that I just had to do it. I must agree with several other reviewers who suggested loyal fans not buy this book at all. It ruined the entire series for me. Why spend your hard earned money on something that will just leave you feeling sad, angry, cheated, and disgusted? First of all, the skimpy length, not so cleverly disguised by big print and a new chaper every two pages in order to leave the last half of the chapter's last page blank, was a money making idea and a cheap shot to the fans. Add to the fact that so much of the book was just a re-hash of prior books, and there's precious little new writing left to go with the excessive padding. Plus, characters evolve over time; they don't suddenly become someone else. This is the equivalent of watching a good guy character over the years, on an iconic level such as Superman or Captain Kirk, only to discover at the end that they're not a good guy character at all, they're really an evil alien in disguise, out to destroy the galaxy and eat their family members. Yes, people, the "ending" is THAT BAD! It's grotesque beyond belief, equal to the Nazi's making lampshades out of tatooed human skin. I'm trying with the mere words of a non-talented, non-writer (me) to describe the emotional impact of this book. Imagine if after years and years, sweet, good hearted Snoopy goes berserk and kills Charlie Brown and all the other kids. The end. I'm telling you, it's THAT BAD! Run! Don't buy the book and reward this formerly beloved author's cheap behaviors.

Anytime Lena Olin - I mean Satan - shows up, you know things are going to be interesting...and probably bad. (I saw probably because I actually find the Satan character in this series to be quite fascinating and much more real than a lot of other story versions of the same.) Satan wants Laura to go to Hell, literally, and if she doesn't go, well, her head might explode, or something. That part was a little weak and confusing, but of course the end result is that Betsy and Laura go on a jaunt to the underworld...and through time and space. We learn a lot of back story here that if Betsy weren't a self-centered twit we could have learned sooner (just sayin'). We also see that Hell isn't what is popularly believed and that there is more going on than meets the eye.

I wondered as I read this one what the consequences were going to be. The series is starting to become more dark and more serious and that can be a good thing, but it can occasionally be a series killer. This book definitely made me nervous about the future and that anxiety was justified.

I loved the first book, which I have always thought was the strongest of the series. Sometimes I think MJD didn't expect her first book to be a hit, and when she was pressed to write a second, third and forth book, all she had were short story ideas that she tried to stretch into a novel and ended up with novellas. Her later books are really little more than fleshed out dialogue. Still, I stuck with it because I loved Betsy and Jessica and Sink Lair and they were light breezy reading. Betsy always ended up doing the right thing in spite of herself, and her slowly beating heart was always in the right place.

But this barely-a-book is a travesty! I am soooo glad that I got it from the library and did not waste my money on it. I would have been doubly POed. I was bored half way through it and unhappy at Sinclair's brief appearances. However, I stuck with it thinking it would HAVE to get better. Finally, I got to the Epilogue. Stunned and disgusted doesn't even come close to what I felt. I won't go into the particulars/spoilers since that's been done in other reviews. MJD declares that she writes for herself and not her fans. Good luck with that MJD; because you've just lost a fan and I have warned people that I turned ON to this series NOT to bother with this piece of drek. There's no going back from here.

Really, the store needs to add a little turkey-star to their rating system for books that are less than one star. Undead and Unfinished would definitely rate one of those.

And the series is indeed unfinished - don't assume that this is the end!

I am not surprised that this ninth instalment in the comedy series which combines chick lit romantic comedy and vampire thriller has been getting mixed reviews. It's one of a couple of books from long-running series that have come out in the past few months which delivers a huge kick in the teeth at the very end (the other is "Cryoburn" by Lois McMaster Bujold). "Undead and Unfinished" is very much a "marmite" book which some readers will like and others hate.

On the plus side, there's some new twists in the incongruous way the story mixes up "Sex in the City" with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" which had me laughing out loud several times. On the minus side it's a bit all over the place, particularly with a rather bizarre form of time travel which dominates the book, and you have to work hard to follow what's going on in places.

And in particular, the shock ending in the three-page epilogue will have made most readers who like the characters of Betsy and Laura feel they've been kicked in the stomach, especially if you assume, which it is easy to do, that this is the end.

I can see why so many readers who liked the series up to this point feel that this shock ending killed their pleasure, not just in this book but in the whole series. But remember, the title of the book is "Undead and UNFINISHED."

Ask yourself, could it be like the moment at the end of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" when you think that one of the characters has finally proved he was really a bad guy all along - but you have to read one last book to find out if you're right?

The following book, "Undead and Undermined" does not settle whether the heroine will actually become the horrible person who does the horrible things in this book, and I don't want to say too much to avoid spoiling either, but let's say that the jury is very definately still out.

For anyone on here who has yet to read any of the "Queen Betsy/Undead" books and is wondering what the series is about:

Elizabeth Taylor (who prefers to be called Betsy) is a fashionista and former model, who to her own astonishment has become Queen of the Vampires. She has some unusually difficult family and relationship problems including

* A sister who is the antichrist, and is rebelling against her parent the devil by trying to be good, but has some lethal ideas about how to do so

* A husband who is King of the vampires

* A baby half-brother, whose guardian she has been since her father and stepmother died, who may have some unusual characteristics of his own, and

* said stepmother occasionally comes back as a ghost to haunt Betsy, when she's not being the head receptionist to Satan in hell.

The plotlines of the first six books were more or less resolved in number six, "Undead and Uneasy." The seventh, "Undead and Unworthy," kicked off what Mary Janice Davidson calls a new "story arc." This book, "Undead and Unwelcome" is third in that new story arc. The full list of Queen Betsy stories to date is

1) "Undead and Unwed (Undead Series)"
2) "Undead and Unemployed (Undead Series)"
3) "Undead and Unappreciated (Undead Series)"
4) "Undead and Unreturnable (Undead Series)"
5) "Undead and Unpopular (Undead 5)"
6) "Undead and Uneasy"
7) "Undead and Unworthy (Undead 7)"
8) "Undead and Unwelcome (Queen Betsy, Book 8)"
9) This book, "Undead and Unfinished"
10) "Undead and Undermined (Undead/Queen Betsy)"

There is also a "Queen Betsy" novella, set at about the same time as book six, in Davidson's collection "Dead Over Heels," one of the three paranormal romance stories in that volume.

In my opinion you will get most out of these books if you read them in order. I would start with "Undead and Unwed" and work on from there.

Most of the "Queen Betsy" books are told in the first person by Betsy Taylor. However, one of the twists in this volume is that while most of it is narrated by a 21st century Betsy who was born a little over 30 years ago, dying and becoming queen of the vampires quite recently, a few sections of this one are narrated by a very different Betsy - I'd better not say more for fear of spoiling the story.

The first words of the series are "The day I died started out bad and got worse in a hurry."

Betsy is a former model and is still a fashion fanatic. At the start of the series, on the morning of her disastrous 30th birthday, she is working as a secretary. Her main interests are designer shoes, designer clothes, and her cat. In quick succession she gets fired, loses her cat, and is killed in a car accident. It is a great surprise to her when she rises again as a most unusual vampire. It is even more of a surprise when, through a sequence of bizarre events, she becomes queen of the vampires.

At the start of this ninth book, Betsy and her husband Sinclair have some serious rows: meanwhile Betsy and her sister Laura are invited to Hell by the devil. Betsy suspects that, of course, the devil is up to no good, but she has no idea how weird the events which follow will be ...

Mary Davidson has great fun by mixing up the vampire genre as in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" or Laurell Hamilton's "Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter" series and Chick-Lit romantic comedy as in "Sex and the City." This series is way over the top, fairly sexy, and often very funny.

An interesting comparison with other authors who have written entertaining comedies by combining incongruous genres would be with Marianne Mancusi and Robert Frezza.

In the same way that this book gets plenty of laughs by combining chick lit with Vampires, Frezza write two very funny books which combined Vampires and Science Fiction ("Mclendon's Syndrome" and "The VMR Theory") and Mancusi combined chick lit with time travel in "A Connecticut Fashionista at King Arthur's Court" and "A Hoboken Hipster in Sherwood Forest." Anyone who likes this book is likely to enjoy all four of those, and vice versa, if you have read and enjoyed any of those books you will probably like this one.

OK, this is never going to win the Booker Prize or any other great award for classic literature, and it is fairly raunchy, so not suitable for children. However, if you have the right sort of sense of humour, this book is good fun. But be warned about the sting in the tail!

I almost didn't read this installment of the Queen Betsy series because of all of the poor reviews. I'm glad I decided to give it a try. I found it very entertaining. It was funny & witty and I couldn't wait to see where MJD was going with all of the time travel. That being said, I have to agree with the reviewer who complained about the short chapters. Most were only 2 or 3 pages long, if that. I personally don't have a problem with short chapters, I find it easier to put a book down between chapters so I kind of like shorter chapters, but 2 pages? I mean, come on! I didn't agree with the reviewer who complained that it was nothing but a rehash of past books. A lot of the past was recapped but I felt it was done quickly and in a way that made it enjoyable,and it was somewhat necessary, especially for someone who hasn't read the other books recently or at all. Once the time travel element started I found it hard to put the book down. I couldn't wait to find out about Sink Lair and Tina's history. I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 only because I really, really hated the ending! I so did NOT see that one coming at all. I hope that in future books MJD will find a way to somehow fix the terrible, horrible, shocking "thing" that she left us with in the final two pages of Undead And Unfinished.

I know my reference (Bobby Ewing) is not going to be understood by younger readers, but trust me, this is just as bad (get an oldster to explain it to you).

WHY? Why, oh why, did the author take a fun, interesting character and then suddenly dump on her? Up to this book, I really had fun. It was light entertainment and you could root for the heroine, even though she was vain, constantly dropping designer designer names, and totally clueless about anyone else's feelings. Just when you wanted to beat her with one of her shoes, she'd do something so noble, that it drew you back in. Not this book.

SPOILER ALERT: I could buy the muddled, confusing timelines. I even enjoyed a few of them, but then it was like the author didn't know where she was going with the story. The ending (won't ruin it, even in a spoiler alert) was so bad, that it was like eating your Halloween candy and finding it full of worms. You'll never look at that Peanut Butter cup the same way again. NOTE TO AUTHOR: YOU CAN'T MIX FROTH WITH TRUE HORROR. IT DOESN'T WORK. It makes you feel like you're sitting in theater, watching "Fluffy the Bunny" with your kids when suddenly Fluffy comes off the screen and eats your kids. IT DOESN'T WORK.

What is it about authors that they suddenly get so overconfident in their particular series that they feel they can screw around with it and screw their readers' loyalties? Talk about killing the golden goose...

Do yourself a favor and go read the "Real Vampire" series.

Possible spoiler alert - All of Mary Janice Davidson's books are hilarious, fresh, witty, and creative. Kind of chick lit/paranormal/ comedy romance - this one is very unique - you'll never guess how this one turns out - the epilogue is quite a surprise and maybe not that great of a surprise - it's a bit shocking - in most romances the happy ever after are happier than in this one. Maybe it's meant to be funny and my sense of humor's not that good. I don't know for sure. I still enjoyed reading it and it was a page turner to me, it's just the end was weird. Creative though. The next one in the series - UNDEAD AND UNDETERMINED came out in July - I need to read that one to see how it ties into this.

Undead and Unstable (Undead/Queen Betsy)

I have to admit that when I saw the ratings that everyone gave this book, I was really nervous about reading it. I have enjoyed this series, it's not my favorite and sometimes Betsy's lack of social awareness makes me want to throw my kindle across the room. However, for the most part, I can take them for what they are - fun fluff that I enjoy. Moving on to the actual book to review, I enjoyed this book. I thought that it was high time to get Sinclair and Tina's history. The fact that we made it 9 books (!!!!) before getting that history is ridiculous to me. What author does that? I really loved the background that we got on them. Unlike other readers, I was more confused by the epilogue than I was upset by it. I really commend Davidson for taking a rather large risk in turning this trilogy (as she calls it) in different and darker direction. If you are a lover of the series, keep pushing forward and give her a chance to complete this out. I think that it could turn into something really great!

Betsy as usual has gotten herself in way over her head. Betsy's sister Laura, daughter of the devil literally, hasn't been feeling well and has been having nightmares. But when she wakes up naked in a sculpture is when she and Betsy believe that a heart to heart with mommy dearest is in order.
Satan tells them that Laura needs to embrace her side of her heritage and that her realm is calling out to her and if she doesn't come visit and learn about her powers she will continue to get more sick. At first Betsy is like heck no! But after a very large disturbing fight with her husband the vampire king she needs to run away from her problems for a moment and decides that she will accompany Laura in her tour of Hell. Once there you can only imagine the trouble and situations Betsy and Laura get themselves into. It may not be as easy to get out of Hell as it was to get it.

This was a good addition to the series. Not my favorite in the series, I still like the books that have the wolves in them best! But this book was very informative I learned a lot about Tina and Sinclair's past and learned a little about why something's happened how they did. But the ending had me stunned and a bit confused. There is not much I can tell without giving the whole book away if you have read all the other books in this series, this is a must read in the collection.

I have really enjoyed this series and was looking forward to the next instalment of watching Queen Betsy's adventures. I do agree with alot of what other readers are saying about this book rehashing things etc (which is why only 3 stars) but I did appreciate the insight into some of the key characters that I've come to know and love.

The ending is undeniably shocking. It stayed with me for days after I finished the book - and frankly, none of the other books have done that. For me - this series has just made a major shift from an amusing vampire comedy/romance to something entirely more serious and hopefully - still just as entertaining. We've been given a glimpse into where the story is going to go and I for one am absolutely intrigued to find out more about that. I admire Ms Davidson's nerve (seems to me this ending was a bit of a risk). I'm certainly interested enough to stick with this series and see what happens next.

Nook/Chick-Lit Vampire Fantasy: I'm in the minority because I really liked the surprise ending.
The beginning of the book was a bit of a dud. It's a Laura/Betsy buddy book. Then it get better. There are some things that didn't make sense. (How did Sink Lair and Tina know the exact date of Betsy's trip. The end was like an episode of Buffy: Remember Spike saying there was always a price with magic? I liked the ending. It was a bit shocking, but answered the question about the Book of the Dead. It made up for the bad writing.

I actually avoided purchasing this book because of other reviews, and I am so relieved I checked it out at the library instead. I was so disappointed. It was almost painful to read.

What happened to Betsey? Was she always so annoying? I couldn't decide if it was me or if the character really changed so much. I felt like I was reading a bunch of garbage just to fill space in the book. How much inner dialogue babble do readers really need? On top of that, the storyline was just terrible. None of the characters I've grown to love were present for the majority of the story. Maybe this should have been book #1 of a series for Laura's character instead of calling it an addition to the Undead series.

As if a bad storyline wasn't enough, the book itself was very short. The chapters were ridiculously small, my 3rd grader's books have longer chapters than this book.

And to top it all off, the ending was awful. Completely awful. I re-read the two page epilogue about five times because I was sure I missed something. But no. It was just that bad.

Vampire Queen Betsy Taylor is having a horrific time of things lately. She's feeling guilty about the death of her friend, Sinclair is giving her the cold shoulder, and getting through the Book of the Dead is impossible ... until she strikes a bargain with the Devil The Devil offers Betsy a chance to finish the cursed literature if Betsy and her half-sister Laura, the Devil's spawn, go to Hell long enough for Laura to check out her heritage. What the sisters don't realize is that this trip means interacting with Betsy's family's past. And by doing so, they will impact the future in ways they could never predict.

I grudgingly gave this 9th installment in the series 3 stars. As far as a story goes, it was fast-paced, funny, and had a terrific twist at the end. If I had nothing invested in these characters except this one book, I would have slapped down 4 stars. However, when you take the book in the context of the series, it should get a much lower rating than 3.

I couldn't help but feel extremely upset and cheated after reading the twist at the end. The happy-ever-after feeling was ruthlessly ripped right out of my contented heart. Not a nice after reading a series that has normally been fun and light-hearted. Plus, throughout the first half of the book, Betsy's self-centeredness is totally out of control.

My take is that MJD wanted to take her writing to another level, and she felt this big bang at the end was just the thing to make it happen for this series. Unfortunately, judging by other reviews, it's not a well received change. My very humble arm-chair writer's opinion is this: End the series true to how you started it and save the exploration into darker writing waters for a new series.

'Undead and Unfinished' started out with such a promising opening, progressing into what readers of the series have come to enjoy and look forward to in each of the 'Undead' series. However, once the time traveling began I began to have my doubts, though still was enchanted by the twists played into each key meeting Betsy and Laura fell into in the making of a vampire Queen. However, the bottom fell out of all reason in the future time line and what they discovered there as a result of Betsy reading The Book of the Dead. Still the plot would have salvageable if that epilogue had not been added. What a buzzkill! And so totally not what we've come to hope for and expect out of such a great series. With so many positive changes made in the past leading to a brighter present, dare we hope that the Author will also steer Betsy's course similarly from her present toward a brighter future with the love of her eternal life?

*I am NOT going to post spoilers about this book.* I was getting tired of this series however I usually never abandon a series that I have invested this much time in so I read it anyway. I read this book in the hopes that the series would return to the quality it was in the beginning. Undead and Unfinished was a breath of fresh air in this stagnant series until the epilogue. After reading it I felt betray by the author. I felt like the rest of the book were all based on an evil lie that ended up with Betsy's selfish shallowness turning truly evil by her own creation. I want to warn any readers who are hoping to walk away with the usual warm fuzzy feelings about Betsy that you will not feel that way after this book. I am not sure if MJD can redeem herself after this book and I am not sure if I am going to let her try.

"I should have realized that an innocent quest for fine leather footwear would have ended up with me in hell and the Antichrist freaking out..."

As usual, Betsy Taylor's life is a mishmash of disasters, especially since her sister happens to be the Antichrist. But unfortunately everything explodes in a big splattery boom in "Undead and Unfinished," which seems to be half "Christmas Carol" and half chick-lit version of Dante's "Inferno" -- and Davidson seems to have changed her mind halfway through the book about what she was writing.

Betsy has her usual array of problems -- Sinclair is being moody, Satan is dropping in uninvited, and Laura is having bizarre pains and blackouts (she ends up naked "on the spoon"). It turns out that Laura is sort of suffering from withdrawal from Hell, and the only remedy is to take a tour of Satan's domain and exercise some of her demonic powers.

Of course, Betsy comes along for the ride -- and soon she and Laura are going on a wild careening trip through time and space. Specifically, stuff that will shape the life of the Vampire Queen, her family and friends, taking her to 1600s Salem, the 1920s, and the start of the series... as well as a terrifying glimpse into what is to come.

Simply put, "Undead and Unfinished" has some truly awesome moments, and Davidson even fills in some backstory gaps that have never really been dealt with, such as Sinclair's history. And it has the usual pop culture references and deliciously fluffy humor (such as Betsy sacrificing something precious to her in order to summon the devil, instead of the usual virgin).

But "Undead and Unfinished" feels like Davidson was never entirely sure what kind of book she wanted to write, so she threw all her ideas in a blender and hit "liquiefy" -- so we end up with a book that makes instant jumps from cute to serious, and from serious to horrifying. And while the future scenario is both ghastly and fascinating, Davidson cuts away from it too quickly and Betsy doesn't seem half as upset by it as she should be.

Most of the book is Betsy and Laura romping through time, including an interlude in Puritan Salem that (while fun) feels like filler. What's more, the trip to Hell and Laura's problems are forgotten pretty quickly, and most of the plot from the first several chapters (Sinclair's anger, Betsy's Thanksgiving rants) is pretty much swept off the table in favor of very slow-moving jumps through time.

"Undead and Unfinished" is an unsteady mishmash of the slow, the dark and the light -- and while Davidson introduces some fascinating twists, the book itself is a scattered mess.

I never thought to read the reviews of this book. I've enjoyed the series and enjoyed other books by this writer. I wish I would have read them, I wish I'd never read this book. It ruined the whole series. I won't read another one, and I'm going to take a LONG hiatus before I read anything else by this author. The ending ruined my day, and I've got plenty of things that can ruin my day without spending money on a book and taking time to read it only to have it turn out like this. Not my taste, didn't pique my interest in the next book. I had Me Myself and Why in my queue and I'm not going to take a chance on it either.

I read this book right after it came out. Fortunately I got it from the library, so none of my money was wasted. Yuck. I know it's recommended that I "be detailed and specific" but that pretty much sums it up. Oh, yeah, I can elaborate, but I'd be repeating what others have said, since I agreed with the other reviewers.

My disappointment is that a very talented writer has taken a very wrong turn. What I have always loved about Davidson's work is that she is wildly inventive, hilariously funny, and a unique voice. In this work she demonstrates none of those things. It seems as if she's trying to be darker, ala Laurell K. Hamilton or Kim Harrison. Or she's tired of these characters and just wants to wrap up the series.

If she's going for darker--why? A copy of someone else's style is never as good as your own originality. I love Laurell K. Hamilton and Kim Harrison. They, too, each have a unique voice. Why copy anyone else?

Is she listening to bad editorial advice to jump on a bandwagon? I do notice lots of new entries into the darker paranorman genre. Is she being encouraged to "write what sells"? If so, stop listening. If she's tired of these characters she picked the wrong way to wrap things up. It's creepy, unsettling and certainly not funny.

I'm bummed. I'll probably read the one coming out this year--and I'll give her other stuff a try. But no money will change hands until she takes a different path. And the joy I took in recommending her to others is now completely gone--wiped out by one very bad book. How sad.

I just loved this series. The end saddened me and I will have to read reviews before I get the next book. It is horrible and goes against everything that she has written before about The Queen. I was DEPRESSED!!!!! I don't see how she can fix this. I do not like the future section at all!!!! The book seems like it was thrown together without thought for her readers. I know a few others who have read it and will not buy the next installment until it is rated!!!

The Queen Betsy series was off to a refreshing start, but by now, Betsy's constant bitching has become old and her bragging about her good looks and vampire powers unattractive.

In Book 1, Betsy felt she had wasted her life and vowed to make something of it, now that she was dead. Unfortunately, she seems to have completely forgotten those intentions. Her character has not developed one bit over the course of the last eight books and the ninth installment in the series finds her being her usual annoying self.

I disliked the whole time travel plot. It seems that every cheap fantasy series (TV or otherwise) sends their characters time traveling when the writers run out of other ideas.

Another thing that bothers me is that Betsy keeps stating that she has yet to meet an unattractive vampire - but what about Nostro? He certainly wasn't handsome!

Also, didn't Tina describe herself as a lesbian in the first book and even try to kiss Betsy? So why is Betsy still wondering why Tina and Eric never hooked up?

And while I'm at it: Wasn't the act of a vampire feeding described as a very sensual (to say the least) and addictive experience for humans? So what happened to Sinclair's harem from the first book? And what about the bad guys Betsy & Co. feed on on a regular basis? Do they all go crazy when they're not bled again?

Unlike others who were appalled by the ending, I found the last part of the book (including the - admittedly appalling - epilogue) the most entertaining, probably because it was less predictable than the rest of it.

Nevertheless, the series remains entertaining enough for me to keep following it - as long as the local library buys the books. I definitely wouldn't spend any money on them!

Just finished reading Undead and Unfinished, and I am in awe of MJ Davidson's courage. She dared to thump her nose at all the critics who called her books worthless romantic trash. Yes, turns out that MJ was writing an urban fantasy series all along. Take that, Harlequin Romance! Yes, this book is light on sex and heavy on magic and time travel. Maybe it's even an urban fantasy/sci-fi series. Not too many of those written by women who write romantic elevator rape scenes for women who like to hold their books with one hand while being too busy with the other. Heck, maybe men will start reading these books too once they realize that they are not just lady porn for horny middle-aged housewives. Ah, sweet literary equality. Finally, I feel vindicated for reading The Dresden Files.

In this latest installment of Davidson's Undead series, Queen Betsy takes a trip to hell, quite literally, with her half-sister the Antichrist. The sisters are trapped there (by Satan, no less) until Laura manages to master her inherited ability to time travel. Through the visits to the past we learn more about the mysterious Sinclair's life before Betsy. But dabbling in metaphysics is only one of the newest elements Davidson introduces to the series. Gone is the humorous and engaging- if flighty- writing we have come to love. Davidson ends the book on a deeply disturbing note that will upset many readers. Her choice, while guaranteed to get a reaction, severely limits the outcome of the series as a whole. The novel also lacks a sense of completion. Nearly a third of Undead and Unfinished is spent recapping previous books after already including a prologue that says everything that needs to be said. Davidson should have allotted more time to further investigating Betsy repression of the past or Laura's foreboding behavior, both of which are briefly mentioned then dropped. But what I'm really left wondering is why so much of the novel is devoted to hating November.

I love this series! The Queen of the vampires is hilarious and all of the references to Minnesota are the best! If you like a good laugh and some R-rated scenes, this series is for you.

The only complaint I have about this series is the consistency from one book to the next. Characters names change, details about them change, and the timeline is wonky.

Betsy Taylor, queen of the vampires, seems to have it all. She's married to a handsome male who loves her, she's got an adopted child whom she loves, and she's queen of the vampires. A spat with her husband and an offer from Satan convince her to go to Hell along with her half-sister, Laura the anti-Christ. Their journey to Hell quickly becomes a time travel exercise. In a series of pivotal moments in the past of her ancestors, or of the pre-vampire Sinclair, Betsy intervenes, either creating the present she and Laura enjoy (sending Sinclair back to rescue Betsy before she became vampire queen) or fixing that present by changing events that didn't go as well as intended. Ultimately, however, Betsy ends up confronting herself--a distant-future self that's gotten serious and business-like, and that seems to have lost her sense of style and love for shoes.

Author Mary Janice Davidson has been working the "Undead and..." franchise for a number of years. There's something endearing about Betsy's combination of cluelessness, willful indifference to the people around her, and her basic good-heartedness. In UNDEAD AND UNFINISHED, Davidson continues to deepen Betsy's character, making her regret some of her past indifference to others and attempt to change her personal history to correct some of the problems she created.

UNDEAD AND UNFINISHED also clears up some mysteries established in earlier books. Why, for example, is Sinclair not as dependent on his maker as are other vampires? Why did he have the patience to put up with a self-centered female like Betsy--once he'd consummated their relationship and become king?

For me, UNFINISHED was ultimately less than the sum of its parts. After nine books, I'm tired of Betsy going through the same character arc in each story. Likewise, Betsy going back in time to correct her mistakes smacks of the "I was only dreaming" sequence from Dallas--a chance to bring back characters fans liked but that were sacrificed to move earlier story lines forward. Davidson is a capable writer and UNFINISHED held my interest, but it didn't really grab it. I'd recommend this one only for serious fans of the series.

UGG, Ugg, ugg, ugg. I just finished this book, and hopped on here to see if I was the only one who had the feelings I currently have after finishing the read. Of all the book series I read, this is one of the primary ones I can always look forward to for a good laugh, and an easy, breezy, life-isn't-all-that-serious kind of feeling. I eagerly await each and every new edition for that very reason. This book totally caught me off guard, on a day where I was really needing the release I so look forward to with Queen Betsy and her antics. I'm not sure where the author is going with this story line, but if it continues in this way, I won't be continuing in my support of these books. I can only imagine there must be some turnaround in store, for I can't imagine MJD letting us ***********SPOILER ALERT*************** fall even more in love with Sinclair as a cherub of a young farm boy who years and years later still remembers his initial encounter with Betsy as magical and cements even further his love and devotion to her....... and just pages later gives us a "disenchanted" Betsy who proceeds to write out the Book of the Dead on his skin after having her sister (who obviously years later has accepted her evil fate) skin him alive in the depths of hell. I mean REALLY??? Why, why, why? Why give us those lovely human connections throughout Betsy's history, only to tear it away from us in an oh-so-grotesque (sob) manner? Gosh, I really, really hated the ending of this book. UGG.

I can understand Mary Janice Davidson losing her mind and writing this awful book and ruining her entire series in the process, but how did her editor, publisher, best friend, etc. not realize that this book was a colossal mistake. This is what gets to me. Is it really possible that no one in the entire publishing process came to the conclusion that this book would not only be hated, but would essentially undo whatever affection one had for the series in the first place? The ending is so bad that I am hard pressed to think of a worse ending in either book or film. I really liked the series up until this book but at this point I'm done with Mary Janice Davidson.

This book is a deep disappointment. I've thoroughly enjoyed the series, up until now. I am SO GLAD I got it from the library, rather than buying it, as I had bought all the others. It would have been such a waste of money. As it is, I'm really annoyed I've wasted my time reading this thing. Betsy is written here as a quite unlikable character. Previously, she always had charm and wit to compensate for the shallowness of her personality. The more I read this book, the more disagreeable and annoying she became. Not good character development here. Why would you want to read more about a heroine you don't like?

Quite a bit of the story was indeed rehashing old story lines, as another reviewer commented. Following this up with an abysmal epilogue that had no connection to any of the story so far was the final straw. There are too many other talented writers and fabulous stories available to waste your time with this tripe.

What a waste.

The ending definitely delivers a blow to the gut of all readers who are fond of Betsy in her original dithering-yet-honorable form. As the last couple of books have set it up, she is growing up and into her role in unlife as the Vampire Queen - and, let's face it, it's a tough gig, so SHE'S toughening up.

I'm personally hoping that this book's jaw-dropping (yes, my jaw actually dropped) ending will spring-board the stories into introducing plots and characters (new and old) that are edgier, more developed, and slightly (slightly!) less whiny than those the past few books have given us.

I have enjoyed this series because it has been light hearted and funny with enough action to keep you turning pages. Reading this book was like reading deleted scenes from all the previous books. Remove the fluff (and the ending!) and it would have made a great short story for Eric and Tina. The time travel idea was too weird for this series and the ending just didnt go with the characters I have learned to love. I can only hope, when the next book is released, Betsy will wake from a horrible nightmare. To sum up, I wish I could go back in time and change the fact that I wasted hours of my life reading this book.

After reading this book, I was so happy I checked it out at the library. To think that I wasted so much time of my life reading the other books to be left with this ending just continues to make me so mad. I loved all the characters she had created and to be left with this? It is a total betrayal of her Undead Series fans. She didn't need to add the epilogue at the end. That was just a big slap in the face to all the fans!! I was so mad after reading this book that I started venting to my roommates. I was literally yelling after I finished the book. Again, (yelling) SHE DID NOT HAVE TO ADD THE EPILOGUE. If she wanted to end the series, she could have done it with the last chapter of the book. She better have a really good resolution in the next book, Undead and Undertermined which I will also check out at the library and not waste my money. If I ever get a chance to see her at a book signing or a lecture, I would like to walk up to her and slap her silly while asking her "what were you thinking?"

Really wish I had read the reviews before opening the book.

Well, I didn't and now I can never think of some of my favorite characters the same way again. I loved MaryJanice Davidson, and now I loathe her. WHY?!?! I can't even describe the depth of despair I'm feeling right now. WHY?!?!?!?!

She better not be writing more of these. She should recall Undead and Unfinished and tell us it was a practical joke or a mistake or something. She better not have another book coming out that will conveniently undo all the horror of this one. It's so wrong of her to mess with the readers like this.

It's just too awful. So disappointed. Ruined one of my top 3 favorite series. I can't believe it. I HATE HER!!!