Kindred (Book 1 of The Kindred Series) by Erica Stevens

  Seeing as to how I recently had an interview with Erica Stevens, I felt it would be good to do one more review of her books.  It's another vampire love story...but just as good as her other books!

   Cassie grew up not knowing much about her parents.  They had died when she was a baby, along with her best friend's dad.  Chris and she had known each other since they were born.  He lived with his mom and Cassie lived with her grandmother.  They knew almost nothing about their dead parents because no one liked to talk about.  That is, until Luther and Melissa came into their lives.  Melissa was their age, and Luther took care of her.  Her parents had died as well.  When he found them, Cassie and Chris were shown what the world was really like: crawling with dangerous vampires.  And they had been born to hunt these savage beasts.  In that moment, when their hands joined, her life was irrevocably changed.  The course of her destiny forever altered.  Over the years that followed, Cassie often wondered if she would have run screaming from him, and the changes that he would bring to her life if she had known.  So they began to train with Luther, to become what they were destined to be.  It took a lot out of them, hunting and killing things that were once human before they had died, turning into vampires.  Their innocence was lost and it wore heavily upon their hearts, souls, and bodies.  It required intense training to learn how to fight and kill a vampire.  They were superior in their strength, speed, and other abilities.  But the hunters were not without their skills.  Most hunters were born with some special gift.  Chris was able to read people.  He could tell immediately whether they were good or evil.  Melissa got predictions about the future.  However, she could not control it.  It just happened.  But Cassie had no special gift.
   At school, all three were popular with other teenagers always hanging around them.  And while rumors floated around that Chris and Cassie would probably get together sometime soon, there was only a platonic sibling love there.  And Cassie never really noticed any of the guys at school anyway.  That is until Devon came along.  Who couldn't resist such a hot guy?  Although all the girls at school were drawn to him, Cassie and Devon have a strange connection between them.  Intense feelings begin to form between them.  They never want to be away from each other, but it's necessary.  Unfortunately, Devon is a vampire.  A very old vampire.  And if he wants to be with Cassie, he is going to have to play by humans rules: dating and being patient, and going to high school.  For some reason they both stay completely ignorant of who the other is until the very end of the book.
   School gets more challenging for Cassie as she starts to acknowledge her feelings for Devon, and he is willingly returning them.  But all of the girls are jealous of her, and it is clear to Devon that the guys want her.  Things get even more strained when a fight breaks out between Mark (a guy who's been trying to get with Cassie forever) and Devon.  Although it was not much of a fight.  When Cassie sees the type of raw strength that Devon has, she begins to question just how much she knows about him and what exactly he is.

He could only hope that she didn't hate him for what he was.  He couldn't stop to think about that, if he did he would lose it.
 
   This brings a whole new meaning to love your enemy.  Cassie and Devon have a very intense connection with each other, even though he is a very old vampire who can walk in the day light and she is just a 17-year-old girl.  Because of what she does outside of school, Cassie feels much older than she is though.  Having to kill like that can make one age overnight.  Her friends, Chris and Melissa, seem to have a much easier time reconciling themselves to what they are and the fact that their lives will be much shorter than the average human.  It's just a fact that in this world people didn't live long once they started becoming a vampire hunter.
   Then there is Julian, another old vampire, who comes to town and starts wreaking havoc on the innocents.  The hunters know that they are dealing with something that will probably destroy them.  They have no idea just how much power he has.  The only one who can possibly keep them all safe is Devon.  And towards the end of the book, Cassie starts getting an idea of what he is and it's awful.  She questions whether his ulterior motives to hanging around her is to kill her.  The end leaves you in a cliff hanger as Devon speeds off through the forest with a very injured Cassie, and Julian is still alive and well.  My question: what exactly is Cassie?  By the end of the book, you get the feeling she is no ordinary hunter.

...she eventually came to realize that there was no outrunning destiny.  It was very much like the Reaper in that way, and like the Reaper, destiny could be cruel and indiscriminate. 



*images via Erica Stevens
*quotes viz Erica Stevens

City of Fallen Angels (Book Four of The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare)

  He could tell what they were thinking. "Vampire, Downworlder, enemy" was written all over their faces.

    It's the fourth book in this ever-lengthening series.  To be honest, the length of this series is already rivaling
The Twilight Saga.  But, amazingly, our attention is still held.  Instead of this book being all about Clary and Jace, it's more about Simon.  I like that fact that he is given the spotlight for a while.  After all, the guy deserves it.  He fell in love with his best friend, watched her fall into the most dangerous world imaginable, watched her heart break over Jace at various times throughout the series, then have his heart broken by her because she didn't and never would love him, became a vampire, became a Daylighter, and now has the Mark of Cain (which Clary put on him, to save his life).  The guy has been through hell and back and unfortunately in this book, he's back in hell, figuratively speaking.
   Simon is now dating Maia and Isabelle, but they don't know that.  He is trying to keep them from finding out about each other until he can figure out what to do.  At the same time he is dealing with being a vampire and the thirst for blood that it brings with it.  He is starting to feel very alone and the curse of the mark is hanging heavily on him.  The one time that he tries to explain to his mother what he is, she freaks out.  So he leaves his house and starts staying at Kyle's house, the newest band member.  Unbeknownst to Simon, Kyle is a werewolf, and Maia's ex.  In what seems like the worst night ever for Simon, he bites someone close to him, his two girlfriends find out about each other, and Maia meets Kyle again.
   The Mark of Cain was meant to be a curse to the original wearer, Cain.  Unfortunately, Simon is feeling the heavy burden of the curse as well.  No one can harm him without being killed.  And now that everything has gone crazy, his loneliness has no boundaries.  Everyone who knows of the mark he wears, wants Simon as an ally, but no one wants to be there for him.  They are all wrapped up in their own lives to notice the trouble he is having.

"You're a vampire.  It's in your nature to want to drink blood.  You've held out a long time without doing it.  I know you can walk in the sun, Simon, and so you pride yourself on being a normal human boy, but you're still what you are.  Just like I am.  The more you try to crush your true nature, the more it will control you.  Be what you are.  No one who really loves you will stop."


*image via Cassandra Clare
*quotes via Cassandra Clare

SPECIAL SNEAK PREVIEW: Salvation (Captive Series Book 4) by Erica Stevens

"She had strengthened him, and he'd let her down. He'd lost her."

   Aria was lost.  Braith's guilt riddles him.  He feels responsible for her capture but knows that she cannot be caged.  His anguish is terrifying to all that are around him.  Aria's family and even the vampires with them stay out of Braith's way.  "His entire body shuddered as he grasped hold of a small tree.  His muscles rippled as he ripped it from the ground and hurled it through the air.  Gideon and Ashby scrambled to get out of the way as it bounced in their  direction.  Braith stood, shaking as he tried to gather some semblance of control, but he was quickly spiraling toward something dark and dangerous."  
   Aria had been captured by Braith's malicious brother, Caleb.  He and the king were both very ruthless vampires that would do whatever they pleased with Aria while she was their captive.  Most of all, they wanted to break her.  Bite marks litter her body from them taking turns drinking her blood.  And to make matters worse, they force her to drink their blood as well.  Every time they force her to drink their blood she feels her body rejecting it....it's not Braith's blood.  Her body will never want another's blood.  She  may be physically drained and exhausted, but her spirit is not broken.  She will never be broken.

   The final book of the Captive Series begins with Aria captured and being tortured deep in the dungeon of the vampire king's palace.  She is a fighter who has the spirit to never give up.  And later on you find out a little secret about her heritage that you will never guess.
   Braith is going crazy because of Aria's capture.  It is driving him almost to insanity, to a very dark place where he may never come back once there.  The monster inside is begging to be unleashed.  He and the other vampires and humans willing to fight have gathered together to formulate a plan not only to save Aria, but to take down the king.  As long as he can keep it together that is.  It's time for some changes....

I've read this book and have to say it is a great ending to a great series!!  Be looking for it on Amazon!  It's release date is June 8th, 2013.


*quotes via Erica Stevens
*image via Erica Stevens

Darkness Falls (Darkness Falls Series Book 1) by Jessica Sorensen

Rule #1- Never go out after dark.
Rule #2- Always have a weapon in hand.
Rule #3- No matter what, never EVER get bit.

   The colony; a place where people were safe.  The outside was no longer a safe place.  A virus had gotten out of hand and now after dark the world belonged to the undead; the vampires.  They were awful looking creatures that were shedding their skin so much you could see bones.  They were fast and strong, and crazed for blood.  When they were hungry, their eyes would rain blood.  All the more reason that if you were a Bellator, a retriever of things, to stick to the rules (as shown above).  Kayla a.k.a. Juniper, was a Bellator.  She was the best.  She was strong and fast.  Her wounds healed inhumanly fast.  But she was also not very good at following the rules.  Her adopted father, Monarch (who is the colony's doctor), is always reminding her not to ask too many questions.  The Highers don't like it.  They run the colony.  But they run it with fear.  The mark of the Highers were their white hair, the language they speak, and their ghostly eyes.  It is forbidden in the colony to know how to read.  And breaking the rules could mean the end of your existence.  "...the Highers are always right, even when they're not." The strange thing is that when someone dies or they are chosen for The Gathering, it's like people just forget that they ever existed.  The Gathering is like a weeding out process that is done.  And Bellators are always chosen.
  Because of her defiance, Kayla is chosen for The Gathering and thrown out in a body bag into the desert
with two others, Maci and Bernard.  Maci is just seven and has the gift of fore sight.  And Bernard was a fellow Bellator.  The problem is that when you are in the colony you forget things.  People don't remember who they were before or much of their past period.  No one is to even hint that they remember the world before the vampires.  With the medicine that Monarch pumps into the Bellators, they heal so quickly that Kayla does not know what a bruise or a scar is, or even a broken bone.  When Kayla, Maci, and Bernard get out of the body bags, they have syringes for each one of them with vials of black liquid.  The black liquid is supposed to save them, keep them from dying.  Bernard uses the vial and starts acting strange, aggressive. That's when Aiden and his group catches up to them.  Aiden seems like a very nice guy looking out for Kayla.  He has some feelings for her and knew her when he was in the colony.  But she doesn't remember him until she regains a few of her memories later on.  Time and time again Aiden lies to Kayla saying it was to keep her safe.  Kayla doesn't like to be lied to.
   Aiden and Kayla make a treacherous journey to the city where fires always burn and there are more than just vampires hanging out at night.  There are also Day Takers.  The Day Takers are those that chose the vial after they came out of The Gathering.  They have fangs and drink blood but look human still and act somewhat human still.  Day Takers have more of an ability to control their thirst.  They cannot come out in the sun either but they, unlike the other vampires, can stay in the shadows and not be burned to death.  When in the city they run into several Day Takers, including Aiden's brother, Sylas, who was also a member of the colony.  While Aiden is less willing to help Kayla get her memories back, Sylas is more than willing to help her.  After all, if she gets her memories back, she just might be able to do what Monarch programmed her to do; save the world.

   The colony, no matter how safe it seemed to those blissfully unaware, seemed more like a cult where the Highers were influencing the mind of the regular people there, the Adeptis.  Why live life like that?  I guess given the alternative of living outside where every minute and hour is a fight for survival, it makes the choice easier for most.  But Kayla is not most people.  She craves her freedom from that influence.  But the choice of whether she stays in the colony or not is made for her and Kayla ends up in the desert with other people.  The only thing is that besides seven-year-old Maci, pretty much everyone is afraid of her.  Not even the vampires outside will touch her.  They are afraid of what she is and what she could be.  According to Maci, people were afraid of her because she was different and people didn't understand her.  It would stink to think that there might not be a place in the world for you.  That you were probably the only one that could save it and yet at the same time no one was accepting of who you truly were.  That was where Sylas came in.  He was more accepting of her than anyone else.  Aiden wanted her to be who he thought she was.  He fancied himself in love with someone who probably in reality did not even exist.  Kayla was tired of pretending so once she is free of the colony and the group she met with Aiden, she becomes more like herself.  Well, as like herself as she could be considering the circumstances and her lack of memory.  Aiden doesn't like what he sees so he decides to lie to her a lot to save her from herself.  He decided to stay human instead of becoming a Day Taker.  But Kayla is still on the fence and he fears that she will choose the life Sylas did.  Aiden fears he will lose her forever.

Such a great book!  The second in the series is Darkness Breaks and the third is due to come out soon!  Be looking for Darkness Fades on Amazon!  Right now you can get Darkness Falls for the Kindle for free on Amazon.

*quotes via Jessica Sorensen (Darkness Falls Series Book 1)
*image via Jessica Sorensen (Amazon)

Refugee (The Captive Series Book 3) by Erica Stevens

   At this point in The Captive Series, Braith has decided that the only way to keep Aria safe is to take down his own father, the vampire king.  In order to do so, they must travel to a place called The Barrens.  It is a desolate and rather inhospitable place where there are rumors of vampires living there that had fought against the king in the war that tore the human world apart.  On the way there they encounter vampires that are starved and crazed, the most dangerous kind.  Aria is mortally wounded and if not for Braith giving her some of his blood, she would not have made it and there would be no need for a fourth book.  (If you would rather read the book than find out now what happens, please STOP reading.)  When they get to the barrens they find these rumored vampires.  And to Aria's surprise, vampires and humans live side by side, together in peace.  It gives Aria some hope until they decide they want Braith to rule when the war they are about to start is over and done with.  He will not rule without her.  And she would not be accepted as a queen since she is human, a mere mortal.  That is when she realizes she must distance herself from him if possible.  After the war is done she must leave and go far away.  Braith's brother, Jack, has agreed to help her.  They feel like this is best.  If she cannot keep him away so he can do his duty to their world, she has a much darker thought in mind to make sure he can never find her again.  It tears her heart out thinking of it all.  But he would be the natural choice as king, not to mention the best choice.  Under his reign things would change for everyone.  There would be no more blood slaves and auctioning humans off.  Life might start being close to what it was a hundred years before, a time she doesn't even understand or know much about. 
   There are a few questions when you're reading this book that come to mind.  Like, how far would Aria go to make sure Braith is crowned the king?  You do find out towards the end of the book, but it turns out an unexpected turn of events happens at the end.  And it's and ugly one.  Also, will Braith really give up doing what everyone else thinks is the right thing to do all for Aria?  He loves her and will go to any length to protect her.  But perhaps what he doesn't realize yet is that the best way for him to protect her is to make things change.  Make a world she can live in safely.  But do you sacrifice love for duty and safety?  And will they be able to stay together through the final book? So many questions!  Can't wait until the fourth book comes out in June!  To see teasers for Salvation, book four, see the link below!

                                           http://ericasteven.blogspot.com/

                                     Kindle Edition: $2.99  (price for Refugee)



*image via Erica Stevens

Renegade (The Captive Series Book Two) by Erica Stevens

   Book two of The Captive Series begins with Aria now outside of the city and re-united with Max, her
friend who was captured, as well as the rest of her rebel family.  Although she is happy to be with her family again, she realizes how much she misses Braith.  After Max coming back so different from what he used to be, Aria's family has a hard time believing that Braith did not ever do anything to hurt her.  They don't understand anything about her being in love with him.  Meanwhile Braith goes nuts for a little while after Aria leaves, gorging himself on blood.  But it never satiates him.  He wants her back....
   This book goes in depth about the relationship between Braith and Aria.  Their relationship is not a normal one.  It would not have been normal if they were two humans or two immortal vampires.  Braith has lived for several hundred years without encountering what he has with Aria.  It's called a bloodlink.  They are so connected they feel like they must be together, must be near each other.  And it's driving Braith crazy because all he wants to do is protect her and keep her safe.  However, at first he wants her to pay for leaving him and causing him to feel this way.  But whenever Braith finds Aria again his mind is instantly changed.  It is only through his sister and another vampire that has a bloodlink with her that he even finds out what it is.  At the present time their bond has not been "completed", but the link is already so strong that if something happened to Aria it could drive Braith way over the edge of insanity.  And many people could get hurt or killed.  This bloodlink is a rare thing and never been heard of between a vampire and a human.  Until now.  And now Braith  must choose between Aria or the life he already had.  It will be difficult to get humans to trust a vampire.
   Although this book goes more into the developing relationship between Braith and Aria, Erica Stevens still continues to keep it interesting.  And though this is a new turn of the series for the reader and for the characters, it also has real life applications to it as well.  So many people wish to find that special someone to share their life with and to feel such a deep connection with as these two characters.  That is a part of the draw to this story.  People like to be wanted and needed.  However, the bloodlink is a rather unrealistic thing for the world we live in.  After all, we aren't vampires.  Braith does have to make a choice though.  The moment he decided to leave his lavish home to go find Aria he had subconsciously chosen her.  Instead of the cold hearted, uncaring vampire he could have decided to be, he chose love. It sounds a little chic flick like, but this level of love is much deeper and keeps your interest tied to the book.
   We get to choose who we are in life.  And the path is not always easy. 

                                                            Kindle Edition: $2.99


*image via Erica Stevens

Captured (The Captive Series Book 1) by Erica Stevens

 
I have seen so many vampire books since Twilight became a big hit, that sometimes it seems like you're reading the same thing over and over again.  Captured happens to be a breath of fresh air in the midst of all of these novels and stories.  This is not your standard human meets vampire, they fall in love, no one can know what they are, but they live happily ever after.  Same old Twilight story!  No this is much more in depth and not so hung up on pining away for a non human being.  The story is about vampires ruling the world.  In this world humans are caught and used as toys for blood and other purposes, then discarded or sold to someone else as a regular or one time (if they choose) meal.  Those that are not sold on the auction block are drained completely of their blood at one time to save for later.  The humans that are part of the resistance would rather die than be a blood slave to a vampire.  But once they're caught the decision is not their own.  The torture that the vampires can inflict is gruesome and horrific.
   Aria is a member of the resistance.  In fact, her father leads the resistance.  Braith is the vampire crown prince.  His father is a very harsh and horrible king.  He is the king who destroyed the humans.  Unfortunately Aria and her friend Max get caught by the vampires and are sold on the auction block.  Max is sold to a horrible female vampire who uses and abuses him.  Aria is bought by the crown prince.  This is his first blood slave.  And there is a surprise reason he buys her too!  But who wants to spoil that little tid bit? Aria and Braith do start having very deep feelings for each other and he treats her well.  He never does any harm to her, but Aria still feels trapped inside the huge city run by vampires.  Inside the city people and vampires alike have everything they need, while everyone outside of it are starving and constantly on the run.
   As I said before, this is a very different vampire tale where humans are the endangered.  There is no hiding for the vampires.  The world as we know it now no longer exists in this book.  Most everything has reverted to more of a stone age for most of the characters.  I could not wait to see what happens next in this book!  The end is what you expect (because it's hinted throughout the book), and yet, when you get there you still feel the full force of that loss and sadness.  But then again it's not the end!  There are three more books, one of which is still in the making!

                                                          Kindle Edition: Free



*image via Erica Stevens

Blood and Snow by Rashelle Workman

   Blood and Snow is actually a collection of 12 novelettes by Rashelle Workman.  You can buy them
separately or all together as an anthology.  The best buy would be all together.  I could not wait to read each new novelette when they came out so I paid much more.  Imagine my displeasure at realizing they costed so much less together.
   If you are interested in vampires, fairy tales, and the whole supernatural genre then this is a series you should look into.  I very much enjoyed reading about a vampire who's name, funny enough, was Snow White.  But she doesn't start out as a vampire.  It is a story about her journey to becoming one and the friends she has by her side throughout her trials.  And these friends, yeah there are seven of them.  Then there is a dragon full of powerful magic.  Snow must overcome many trials and face an evil queen who wants to take over her body.  It's funny, dangerous, and even slightly ironic.  Ok it may be more than a little ironic at times.  I mean, even in the movie Snow White is "sleeping like the dead", if you know what I mean.  And in this book she sleeps for two years.  During those two years she goes on a great journey of discovery into the beginnings of vampires and how the evil queen came about.  And of course, as always there is that romance portion to the story.  There are several surprises along the way.  Like this surprise:  (SPOILER ALERT:  That crazy yet smart dragon is someone she knows!!!)  All in all it was an enjoyable read with the only downfall that the novelettes seemed to get shorter the closer you get to the very end of the story.  This is one set I could definitely see being longer....

All 12 novelettes:

Book Price:  Kindle Edition- $4.99
                    Paperback (Amazon)- $13.99




*image via Rashelle Workman