Tag: Vampires

Book Review – The Night Eternal (The Strain Trilogy #3) by Guillermo del Toro & Chuck Hogan

Posted October 31, 2011 by Bonnie in Adult, Book Reviews, Read in 2011 / 1 Comment

The Night Eternal by Chuck Hogan, Guillermo del Toro
Series: The Strain Trilogy #3
Published by HarperCollins on October 25, 2011
Pages: 560
Genres: Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic, Horror, Paranormal, Thriller
Format: eBook
Source: Library
Amazon
Goodreads

Also by this author: The Strain, The Hollow Ones, Trollhunters

It's been two years since the vampiric virus was unleashed in The Strain and the entire world now lies on the brink of annihilation. There has been a mass extermination of humans orchestrated by the Master—an ancient vampire possessed of unparalleled powers. The future of humankind lies in the hands of a ragtag band of freedom fighters—Dr. Eph Goodweather, Dr. Nora Martinez, Vasiliy Fet, and Mr. Quinlan, the half-breed offspring of the Master who is bent on revenge. It's their job to overturn this devastating new world order. But good and evil are malleable terms now, and the Master is most skilled at preying on the weaknesses of humans.

Now, at this critical hour, there is evidence of a traitor in their midst. . . And only one man holds the answer to the Master's demise, but is he one who can be trusted with the fate of the world? And who among them will pay the ultimate sacrifice—so that others may be saved?

Night Eternal: the final installation in the Strain Trilogy. As the title may tell you, you’re in for a very dark and desolate journey. I will keep this short and sweet as much of this novel needs to be experienced firsthand, instead of through a review.

The Storyline
As the story opens, Dr. Ephraim (Eph) Goodweather is still reeling from the loss of his son, Zachary. Due to the vampire nature, his mother Kelly came back for him after she had already been turned.
”The insidious epidemiology of the virus spread in a vampiric perversion of human love.”
Norah and Fet are slowly developing a relationship between each other as Eph has been continually absent from Norah’s life.

The world they live in now is an extremely bleak one. The vampires control everything and you don’t get fed unless you work for them or reside in a blood farm.

“The farms were the only entirely different thing in this new world. That and the fact that there was no more educational system. No more schooling, no more reading, no more thinking.”

The blood farms were exactly as they sound: humans were rounded up as they were in concentration camps and they are drained of blood. Only the young and healthy were kept; the older humans simply weren’t kept around.

‘The darkly quiet exterior of the camp spoke to an oppressive efficiency that was almost as shocking.’

The Vampires
I had been anxiously awaiting how the authors decided to handle the creation aspect. I’ll keep this as a spoiler as some readers may be pleasantly surprised and I would hate to ruin this for them. View Spoiler »

The Writing
I had complained early on in the trilogy that the books read like a screenplay and that they would do fabulous as a movie, but left a little to be desired as a novel. The writing in the third, despite the bleakness, was completely enthralling and was worth suffering through the darkness. And dark it was; there was not one single of iota of happiness until maybe the very end and even that can is up for debate.

Final Thoughts
I’m quite pleased at how the trilogy was wrapped up. Ending a series well always seems like such a struggle in trying to wrap up all the storylines and loose ends but I think the authors pulled it off sufficiently. I’m not sure that it’s exactly what I had anticipated, not sure what I would have changed if I could, but you’re still left with a feeling of completion. All in all this is one of the best vampire series I have read; definitely one of my favorites.

Tags: Vampires

Book Review – The Strain (The Strain Trilogy #1) by Guillermo del Toro & Chuck Hogan

Posted October 30, 2011 by Bonnie in Adult, Book Reviews, Read in 2011 / 1 Comment

The Strain by Chuck Hogan, Guillermo del Toro
Series: The Strain Trilogy #1
Published by HarperCollins on May 28, 2009
Pages: 612
Genres: Horror, Paranormal, Sci-fi, Thriller
Format: eBook
Source: Library
Amazon
Goodreads

Also by this author: The Night Eternal, The Hollow Ones, Trollhunters

An epic battle for survival begins between man and vampire in The Strain—the first book in a heart-stopping trilogy from one of Hollywood’s most inventive storytellers and a critically acclaimed thriller writer. Guillermo del Toro, the genius director of the Academy Award-winning Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy, and Hammett Award-winning author Chuck Hogan have joined forces to boldly reinvent the vampire novel. Brilliant, blood-chilling, and unputdownable, The Strain is a nightmare of the first order.

The Strain is a new series by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. This book had a really great concept and it was quite original. The summary itself spooked me…

‘A Boeing 777 arrives at JFK and is on its way across the tarmac, when it suddenly stops dead. All window shades are pulled down. All lights are out. All communication channels have gone quiet. Crews on the ground are lost for answers, but an alert goes out to the CDC. Dr. Eph Goodweather, head of their Canary project, a rapid-response team that investigates biological threats, gets the call and boards the plane. What he finds makes his blood run cold.’

…and it certainly didn’t stop there. This is not your average romanced vampire novel. This was a very exciting, fast paced, nail biter, edge of your seat kinda book. Not a recommendation before bedtime.

My one main issue that dropped this novel from 4/5 stars down to 3 was the writing style… it read to me more like a screenplay where nothing was really explained, like it would be better left to an actor acting out a script. I had a hard time connecting with the characters for this reason. This was overall a highly enjoyable novel regardless of my 3 star rating and I will definitely be continuing this series in the future.

Tags: Vampires

Book Review – City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments #4) by Cassandra Clare

Posted October 24, 2011 by Bonnie in Book Reviews, Read in 2011, YA / 0 Comments

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare
Series: The Mortal Instruments #4
Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books on April 5th 2011
Pages: 448
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal
Format: eBook
Source: Library
Amazon
Goodreads

Also by this author: Clockwork Princess

The Mortal War is over, and sixteen-year-old Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She's training to become a Shadowhunter and to use her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at last. And - most importantly of all - she can finally call Jace her boyfriend.

But nothing comes without a price.

Someone is murdering Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine's Circle, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second bloody war. Clary's best friend, Simon, can't help her. His mother just found out that he's a vampire and now he's homeless. Everywhere he turns, someone wants him on their side - along with the power of the curse that's wrecking his life. And they're willing to do anything to get what they want. At the same time he's dating two beautiful, dangerous girls - neither of whom knows about the other one.

When Jace begins to pull away from Clary without explaining why, she is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: She herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace.

Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. The stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels.

As happy as I was that the Mortal Instruments series was continuing… I would’ve preferred that it hadn’t. Because this book? Was painful. I am usually able to finish books quickly but this one drug on and on and on to the point where I just wanted to give up. Some spoilers ahead.

I had a hard time from the very beginning understanding exactly what was going on. There wasn’t a clear plot and even if the author was attempting to be vague and have it be a surprise or whatnot, she failed miserably. The basis of the book solely revolved around Jace and Clary’s relationship problems, but even those weren’t clear. And it was beyond irritating that Jace was clearly having issues and yet he refused to talk to Clary about it. And him continuing to say ‘I love you but I can’t be with you, but lets kiss and make out but… now I can’t look at you. Get away from me.’ That repeated about 5 times kinda made me want to rip his face off.

And then the ending?! Come on. Yeah, we’re going to leave Jace up on the roof alone with the kind of not so dead guy but everything’s going to be fine because obviously things went perfect the FIRST time they killed him. Stupid. It was like a bad horror movie where the dumb blonde decides to go down to see what the chainsaw-like noise is in the dark basement even though the light won’t turn on and she can’t be bothered to find a flashlight.

I loved the first three of the Mortal Instruments but was seriously disappointed in this one. The series would’ve been better off left as it was in the third book.

Tags: Angels, Vampires

Book Review – Tracking the Tempest (Jane True #2) by Nicole Peeler

Posted September 27, 2011 by Bonnie in Adult, Book Reviews, Read in 2011 / 1 Comment

Tracking the Tempest by Nicole Peeler
Series: Jane True #2
Published by Orbit on June 16, 2010
Pages: 368
Genres: Romance, Urban Fantasy
Format: eBook
Source: Library
Amazon
Goodreads

Also by this author: Tempest Rising, Eye of the Tempest, Tempest's Fury

Valentine's Day is fast approaching, and Ryu - Jane's bloodsucking boyfriend — can't let a major holiday go by without getting all gratuitous. An overwhelming dose of boyfriend interference and a last-minute ticket to Boston later, and Jane's life is thrown off course.

Ryu's well-intentioned plans create mayhem, and Jane winds up embroiled in an investigation involving a spree of gruesome killings. All the evidence points towards another Halfling, much to Jane's surprise...

Jane True series

Tempest Rising (Jane True #1)

I definitely didn’t like this one as much as the first and for one reason and one reason alone: the romance. Or whatever you want to call it. The drama between Jane and Ryu encompassed almost the entire novel and I thought it was a bit much.

Ryu second-guessing Jane and treating her like a child and just being an all-around prick was driving me NUTS. I haven’t cared for Ryu from the very beginning, he’s too cocky, he doesn’t seem to really care about Jane (although vice versa too.. Jane doesn’t appear to be in it for the long run either) he’s just always been a bit ‘off’ to me. And then telling her to stay home like a good girl? My eyes practically bulged out of my head and I proceeded to try and mentally manipulate the story so that I could kick his ass through Jane. Yes, I was that pissed (and delusional). Suffice it to say I was ecstatic when she kicked him to the curb. Although I still don’t understand what took her so long, she was obviously having a lot of internal conflict about their whole situation for a while.

‘I gotta admit, it felt really fucking good.
But I’d never felt so much like a goddamned granola bar in my entire life.’

If your boyfriend makes you feel like food… warning!

I loved how this book held the same sense of humor from the first and Jane’s internal dialogue, although not as prevalent, was still there to an extent. Still definitely a great series that I’ll be continuing shortly. 🙂

Tags: Magic, Shifters, Vampires

Book Review – Tempest Rising (Jane True #1) by Nicole Peeler

Posted September 22, 2011 by Bonnie in Adult, Book Reviews, Read in 2011 / 0 Comments

Tempest Rising by Nicole Peeler
Series: Jane True #1
Published by Orbit on October 14, 2009
Pages: 372
Genres: Romance, Urban Fantasy
Format: eBook
Source: Library
Amazon
Goodreads

Also by this author: Tracking the Tempest, Eye of the Tempest, Tempest's Fury

Living in small town Rockabill, Maine, Jane True always knew she didn't quite fit in with so-called normal society. During her nightly, clandestine swim in the freezing winter ocean, a grisly find leads Jane to startling revelations about her heritage: she is only half-human.

Now, Jane must enter a world filled with supernatural creatures alternatively terrifying, beautiful, and deadly- all of which perfectly describe her new "friend," Ryu, a gorgeous and powerful vampire.

It is a world where nothing can be taken for granted: a dog can heal with a lick; spirits bag your groceries; and whatever you do, never-ever-rub the genie's lamp.

You would think I’d learn my lesson by this point in my life… a lesson engraved in me since childhood: never judge a book by its cover. This is definitely a prime example of that, for sure. I mean taking a good look at this you may note that it’s a cartoon picture (warning automatically goes off in my head), there’s a strange dog with a giraffe like-neck in the background (seriously, that dog has one seriously long neck), and this strange looking girl that looks like she jumped out of my computer from one of those Yahoo! avatars. This may be one odd book cover (all of them in this series are, actually) but it certainly does nothing to justify the story within.

I really enjoyed this book and am glad to say I have found a new series to be keeping my eyes out for. It’s a refreshing take on the usual array of supernatural beasties… you’ve got your normal vampires and shape shifters but then some kelpies and selkies are thrown into the mix including some gnomes (with powers!) and even a rock spirit (still trying to work that one out in my head though). Jane True’s supernatural-ness isn’t automatically known (by her either), so I won’t ruin it for those who have yet to read this book. I thought it was an interesting take, learning about who she is and what she’s capable of right along with her. Jane’s continuous inner commentary was absolutely hysterical. I don’t typically care for characters that make fun of themselves time after time; however, this was done in such a light, funny manner that I couldn’t help but laugh right along with her. And the continuous internal monologue about her libido? Priceless.

The Love Interest
So we’re obviously talking about Ryu here… even though I didn’t particularly LOVE him personally. I’ve never been a big fan of leading men that know without a doubt that they’re hot shit; that just rubs me the wrong way. You can know you’re hot but not act like a total douche about it. Personally, I’m liking Anyan and I really hope to see more of him. I loved how the author wrote it though; not your typical love triangle. She kept Anyan in the mix without making the whole thing overly obnoxious, and on top of that he was respectful of her and Ryu’s relationship.

I’m jumping right into book 2! 😀

Tags: Magic, Vampires

Book Review – The Renfield Syndrome (Rhiannon’s Law #2) by J.A. Saare

Posted August 26, 2011 by Bonnie in Adult, Book Reviews, Read in 2011 / 0 Comments

The Renfield Syndrome by J.A. Saare
Series: Rhiannon's Law #2
Published by Mundania Press on August 21, 2011
Pages: 212
Genres: Romance, Urban Fantasy
Format: eBook
Source: Gifted
Amazon
Goodreads

Also by this author: Dead, Undead, or Somewhere in Between

Vampires, and werewolves, and demons, oh my.

Rhiannon thought facing off against a deranged child vampire was the most dangerous task she would ever have to undertake, but she’s about to discover making a deal with a demon is far, far worse. Sent forward into another reality, one in which vampires are now dominating nearly extinct humans, she realizes the sooner she returns to her vampire lover, Disco, the better.

Unfortunately, time changes a lot of things; including those most trusted around her. When she’s faced with a loss and betrayal unlike any she has ever known, her focus shifts from severing the debt between the demon that wants to kill her, to exacting a revenge that will bring forth consequences she never could have fathomed. By reaching out to the darkness lingering within her, she’ll find the strength to push forward despite the circumstances that would see her dead and buried.

After all, when it’s all said and done, all that she has left to lose is her soul.

Rhiannon’s Law series

Dead, Undead, or Somewhere in Between (Rhiannon’s Law #1)

“Vampires, and werewolves, and demons, oh my”

….. INDEED.

Highly recommended that you read book number one, ‘Dead, Undead, or Somewhere in Between’ prior to reading this book or my review. You have been warned! 🙂

The Renfield Syndrome picks right up from the cliffhanger that ‘Dead, Undead, and Somewhere in Between’ left us all with. But all is not right in Kansas, oh no. Rhiannon is now 101 years in the future after making a deal with the demon Zagan in order for him to forgive his deal with her vampire lover Disco. In a nutshell? The world 101 years in the future is one insane crazy ass place where all kinds of creepy crawlies have decided to come out and play… and they’re not limited to just the nighttime. Rhiannon has to find Disco in order to fulfill her debt to Zagan and she only has a limited amount of time in which to do this.

This book was one wild rollercoaster ride. It seemed like every other page Rhiannon was kicking someone else’s ass… and it was great! She’s evolved into one serious badass chick. I thought ‘Dead, Undead, and Somewhere in Between’ was awesome; ‘The Renfield Syndrome’ was the perfect continuation to a great story. Fortunately for my sanity, the ending to this book wasn’t as huge a cliffhanger as much as the first one was; however, it still managed to leave you wanting more.

As other readers have stated, it’s pretty damn near impossible to really talk about the book without revealing anything that’s vital to the story. Honestly, the majority of the book needs to be experienced first-hand so I don’t want to ruin it for everyone. So what are you waiting for, go pick this one up… you won’t be disappointed.

Tags: Demons, Magic, Vampires, Werewolves

Short and Sweet Review – Twice Bitten (Chicagoland Vampires #3) by Chloe Neill

Posted August 23, 2011 by Bonnie in Adult, Book Reviews, Read in 2011 / 0 Comments

Twice Bitten by Chloe Neill
Series: Chicagoland Vampires #3
Published by NAL on June 23, 2010
Pages: 372
Genres: Romance, Urban Fantasy
Format: eBook
Source: Library
Amazon
Goodreads

Also by this author: Some Girls Bite, Friday Night Bites, Drink Deep

Merit, Chicago’s newest vampire, is learning how to play well with others. Other supernaturals, that is. Shapeshifters from across the country are convening in the Windy City, and as a gesture of peace, Master Vampire Ethan Sullivan has offered their leader a very special bodyguard: Merit. Merit is supposed to protect the Alpha, Gabriel Keene—and to spy for the vamps while she’s at it. Oh, and luckily Ethan’s offering some steamy, one-on-one combat training sessions to help her prepare for the mission.

Merit must accept the assignment, even though she knows that she’ll probably regret it. And she’s not wrong. Someone is gunning for Gabriel Keene, and Merit soon finds herself in the line of fire. She’ll need all the help she can get to track down the would-be assassin, but everywhere she turns, there are rising tensions between supernaturals—not least between her and a certain green-eyed, centuries old master vampire.

Chicagoland Vampires series

Some Girls Bite (Chicagoland Vampires, #1)
Friday Night Bites (Chicagoland Vampires, #2)

Wow… just wow. This was by far the best book in the Chicagoland Vampires series (so far at least). Total 5 stars… LOVED IT. And okay, it’s official. This book has made me an official card carrying member of the Ethan Sullivan fan club. lol That’s all I’ll say.

Twice Bitten opens where the 2nd left off… Gabriel Keene is coming to town and he has requested that Ethan and Merit be in charge of his security detail. Gabriel is working to bring together all the shape shifters so that a vote can be conducted on whether they stay in Chicago or return to their home in Alaska.

This is going to be a super short review because so much happened that I would hate to ruin for readers of this series. Suffice it to say, this book was one major roller coaster ride that I never wanted to stop. The characters were all sorts of spectacular, except I did kind of want to beat Ethan on the head on several occasions, but my opinion did change by the end. Merit and Mallory have kissed and made up, which was phenomenal because their interactions are beyond hilarious. I mean how can you not laugh at a line like this:

“And leprachauns might poop rainbows on your pillow.”

All in all this book kept me enthralled and I can’t wait to dive into the next installation!

Tags: Vampires

Book Review – Friday Night Bites (Chicagoland Vampires #2) by Chloe Neill

Posted August 20, 2011 by Bonnie in Adult, Book Reviews, Read in 2011 / 0 Comments

Friday Night Bites Series: Chicagoland Vampires #2
on September 2, 2009
Pages: 368
Format: eBook
Amazon
Goodreads

Vamps in Chicago!

You’d think headlines like that would have provoked the fine citizens of the Windy City to take up arms against us bloodsucking fiends. Instead, ten months later, we’re enjoying a celebrity status reserved for the Hollywood elite—fending off paparazzi only slightly less dangerous than cross and stake-wielding slayers. Don’t get me wrong, Joe Public isn’t exactly thrilled to be living side-by-side with the undead, but at least they haven’t stormed the castle yet.

But all that will change once they learn about the Raves—mass feeding parties where vampires round up humans like cattle and drink themselves silly. Most civilized vampires frown on this behavior, putting mere mortals at ease with their policy of asking a person’s consent before taking a big gulp of the red stuff. However, that doesn’t make good copy for a first time reporter looking to impress his high society family.

So now my “master,” the centuries old, yet gorgeously well-preserved Ethan Sullivan, wants me to reconnect with my own upper class family and act as liaison between humans and vampires—and keep the more unsavory aspects of our existence out of the media. But someone doesn’t want people and vamps to play nicey-nice—someone with an ancient grudge.

Chicagoland Vampires series

Some Girls Bite (Chicagoland Vampires, #1)

The second addition to Chloe Neill’s Chicagoland Vampire Series picks up where the first left off (and it’s recommended you read the first before diving into this one.) Merit is still learning to adjust to her new status as a vampire but as Sentinel to Cadogan House. News that vampires are conducting raves where humans are practically slaughtered causes Merit to have to become reacquainted with her family members in order to act as a buffer between vampires and humans. Merit’s ‘separation’ between her and her vampire starts becoming more and more problematic.

The Relationship(s)
So slowly but surely we’re heading in the love triangle direction and I am not all for this… however it’s not the most painful one I’ve encountered. Merit and Ethan obviously have the hots for each other but neither seems willing to act on it… but the tension is still definitely present. Merit and Morgan were practically forced into a courtship at the end of the last book but the emotions aren’t exactly forced, I’m not talking arranged marriages here; however, Morgan certainly has far more feelings for Merit than she does for him.

So I was all for Ethan in this book (as most of you are)… especially after the scene where he (view spoiler) I mean way to touch the squishy parts of my heart. But there’s just something I really like about Morgan… maybe it’s the tall, dark and handsome thing he’s got going for him.

I went to Chloe Neill’s website and she has a picture posted of her interpretation of Morgan and … oooh. I like him even more. Hahaha Up until then I’d be imagining Morgan along the lines of this:

*Swoon*

I actually enjoyed this one even more than number one… it was funnier, far more interesting, and way more exciting. Believe it or not I’m actually moving straight on to book 3! 🙂

Tags: Vampires

Book Review – Some Girls Bite (Chicagoland Vampires, #1) by Chloe Neill

Posted August 12, 2011 by Bonnie in Adult, Book Reviews, Read in 2011 / 1 Comment

Some Girls Bite by Chloe Neill
Series: Chicagoland Vampires #1
Published by NAL on February 21, 2009
Pages: 356
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Format: eBook
Source: Library
Amazon
Goodreads

Also by this author: Friday Night Bites, Twice Bitten, Drink Deep

First in a brand new series about a Chicago graduate student's introduction into a society of vampires.

Sure, the life of a graduate student wasn't exactly glamorous, but it was Merit's. She was doing fine until a rogue vampire attacked her. But he only got a sip before he was scared away by another bloodsucker and this one decided the best way to save her life was to make her the walking undead.

Turns out her savior was the master vampire of Cadogan House. Now she?s traded sweating over her thesis for learning to fit in at a Hyde Park mansion full of vamps loyal to Ethan Lord o the Manor Sullivan. Of course, as a tall, green-eyed, four-hundred- year-old vampire, he has centuries? worth of charm, but unfortunately he expects her gratitude? and servitude. But an inconvenient sunlight allergy and Ethan?s attitude are the least of her concerns. Someone's still out to get her. Her initiation into Chicago's nightlife may be the first skirmish in a war and there will be blood.

This was a great start to a new series by Chloe Neill. I’d highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun read because fun it definitely is.

Vampires existence has been revelealed to humans and they’re still in the… adjusting phase. Some are skeptical, some are convinced, and some are just plain scared. The ‘Chicagoland Vampires’ series introduces Merit, a graduate student who didn’t exactly buy the whole vampire thing, is attacked on campus one night by a rogue vampire. The rogue vampire ends up running off when Ethan Sullivan, master vampire of Cadogan House shows up and saves her life… but ends up making her a new initiate of Cadogan House. When Merit comes to next, she’s already been turned and can’t remember anything since the attack that night. She has some difficulty adjusting to her new lifestyle but that ends up changing as the book progresses.

She’s also got support from her Grandfather who is an ex-cop but still involved in protecting the people. He works with a group of people, Jeff (shapeshifter) and Catcher (sorcerer), who is in charge of ‘patrolling’ the supernaturals in the city; including the ones that the humans still don’t have knowledge about. Catcher accepts the job of teaching Merit how to fight in order for her to be a useful member of Cadogan house, especially since there seem to be more human deaths occurring and quite possibly by the same vampire who attacked Merit.

Naturally, Merit and Ethan have chemistry, but it’s not the immediate hot and heavy for each other chemistry that you typically see. Their chemistry is a chemistry that can’t be helped even though it’s the last thing that either of them wants. Can they learn to fight it or do they eventually give in? Well, I’m going to keep this spoiler free, you’ll just have to read it. 🙂

Highly enjoyable, not lacking in originality, and will definitely be continuing this series!

Tags: Vampires

Book Review – Crave (Crave #1) by Melinda Metz and Laura J. Burns

Posted July 31, 2011 by Bonnie in Book Reviews, Read in 2011, YA / 0 Comments

Crave by Laura J. Burns, Melinda Metz
Series: Crave #1
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on September 21st 2010
Pages: 288
Genres: Paranormal, Romance
Format: eBook
Source: Library
Amazon
Goodreads

Shay has had a rare blood disorder since she was born. In fact, her mother married one of Shay's doctors, Martin, who left his world-renowned leukemia research to try and figure out exactly what the disorder is and how to cure it. When she turns seventeen, Martin begins to give her new blood transfusions that make her feel the strongest she has ever felt. But she also has odd visions where she sees through the eyes of a vampire. At first, she thinks she must be imagining the visions, but when she begins to see Martin's office in them, she knows she has to check it out. That's when she finds Gabriel, a sexy, teenaged vampire, imprisoned in Martin's office. The connection she has built with Gabriel compels her to set him free. But when he kidnaps her in an attempt at revenge on Martin, their lives become deeply intertwined. She doesn't know the half of it.

FYI, there are spoilers in this review. Wait, scratch that. There are spoilers in this rant. I don’t think this even constitutes as a review.

Holy crap! Where do I even begin? This book was the biggest load of crap I’ve read in a good long time and I don’t feel I’m being overly critical. I’ve read my fair share of YA; I went through a phase where that is all I read. But what shocks me the most about this one was the outrageously positive reviews it got.

Crave is about Shay, a 17 year old (she’s 17 right? Shit. I don’t even remember.) Anyways, she has a blood disorder that of course no doctor can figure out. Shay’s step-father, Martin, gives her blood transfusions at home and at this point they are the only thing that is keeping her alive, but they only succeed in making her feel ‘fine’. That is until the day Martin gives her a transfusion and it makes her feel better than she has ever in her life. So she decides to live.

“If you get there, you’ll be famous,” Lai-wan said reverently. “Everyone will know.”
“That’s worth it,” Shay said. Worth any danger. Worth drowning. Worth trying.

And that pretty much sums up the stupidity of Shay. Once she begins to feel better, stronger, after being sick for so long she decides to “live” as she likes to call it; otherwise known as being a complete and total idiot.

She decides to take up running when she’s never run in her life. She decides to make her first kiss be with her best friend’s boyfriend. She decides that it’d be an awesome idea to swim out to the middle of a river to go carve her name on a big rock. In other words, she takes her good health for granted and acts like a total brat to anyone and everyone and ended up causing me to pretty much hate everything about her.

Oh but it gets better! There’s the instalove.

There was of course nothing funny about this instalove, but I felt I deserved some comic relief.

So Shay finds out that the blood that she was receiving was coming from the vampire that was being held hostage in her step-fathers doctor’s office! So what does she do? Well she busts him out of course and runs away into the night with him. So they spend about two days together where she spends approximately half that time as his hostage… she slowly begins falling in love with him. Mm-hmm. Slowly. Over the course of two days.

This book was so ridiculous. It was predictable, it was total cliché with the instalove, the characters were IDIOTS and I hated every single one of them (which is rare…usually you find SOMEONE to like, even a little), and then there was the dramatic cliffhanger that at first made me think that I must not have the entire book because the authors couldn’t possibly have ended the book at that point. That wasn’t an ending. That was an end to a chapter, maybe even the end to a sub-section of a chapter. Stupid.

I have the 2nd book ready for me to start reading. But you know what? I’m not going to do it. I won’t do that to myself. Book number one caused enough pain I don’t expect miracles from book number two. Shay was one of the most imperfect, ridiculous, unlikable, and ludicrous book characters ever. I won’t be reading any book that she is in in the future.

Tags: Vampires

Tag: Vampires

Jane True series

Rhiannon’s Law series

Chicagoland Vampires series

Chicagoland Vampires series

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