On the evening of Sofia Claremont's seventeenth birthday, she is sucked into a nightmare from which she cannot wake.
A quiet evening walk along a beach brings her face to face with a dangerous pale creature that craves much more than her blood.
She is kidnapped to an island where the sun is eternally forbidden to shine.An island uncharted by any map and ruled by the most powerful vampire coven on the planet. She wakes here as a slave, a captive in chains.
Sofia's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn when she is the one selected out of hundreds of girls to join the harem of Derek Novak, the dark royal Prince.
Despite his addiction to power and obsessive thirst for her blood, Sofia soon realizes that the safest place on the island is within his quarters, and she must do all within her power to win him over if she is to survive even one more night.
Will she succeed? ...or is she destined to the same fate that all other girls have met at the hands of the Novaks?
I really wasn't sure if I would like this one or not. Then I heard that it was in 1st person POV....that really had me worried. It is VERY rare that I find a book in 1st person that is written well enough for me to enjoy it. So I fussed and fretted and finally just forced myself to tap on the cover and begin reading it.
I then kicked myself 'cause I should have started reading it sooner!
It was really good. My biggest issue, the POV thing, yea it turns out that not only is it written in 1st person from Sofias POV, but also from Derek's as well. It was very well written and I found myself not minding at all. There's even a last part that is told from a completely different characters POV and that worked out as well.
As for my second biggest issue. I really wasn't sure if I would like the story based on the book blurb. This is what I got from the blurb:
Basically some girl who is JUST turning 17, literally is 16 the night she is kidnapped, is forced into a HAREM and she must find a way to keep on the vampire lords good side so that she can stay in his HAREM and not die.
I guess it was the harem word and that she was just turning 17 that really got to me. I'm not going to delude myself. I was 16 once. I know that teenagers are not pure and virginal until they are married, but I don't know, it just bothered me that there was this all powerful vampire lord putting a girl that is just turning 17 into his harem....*shrug*
So I basically went into this one expecting to have issues, however I was pleasantly surprised. If Sofia was treated as an object on the island it was because of her being the next meal, not as a sex toy. Yes it is ok with me if she is treated as food. Sorry it's a vampire novel. My review, my opinion. There relationship between Sofia and Derek was very PG/PG13. In fact the whole book was kinda that way. Even the references to sex weren't that explicit. Yes people die, and people have horrible things done to them, but there isn't gore or terror or explicit sex.
I truly expected this to be a romance novel. Don't get me wrong there is romance. But there is so much more to the story than that. I think that is the main reason I enjoyed it so much. If it had been strictly romance or even clean sex I wouldn't have enjoyed it simply because of my above mentioned issues. But because the author took the time to develop the characters and you got to see inside both Sofia's and Derek's heads, because the author made it about more than just them, this book really got my attention and held it.
Would I read the next book? Definitely. Would I let my teenage daughters read this one? Yes.
I definitely recommend it whether you are a teen or an adult. Don't let the blurb turn you off or the anything you've heard about the POV, etc. Give this one a chance to win you over before passing it by. I am definitely glad I did.
I then kicked myself 'cause I should have started reading it sooner!
It was really good. My biggest issue, the POV thing, yea it turns out that not only is it written in 1st person from Sofias POV, but also from Derek's as well. It was very well written and I found myself not minding at all. There's even a last part that is told from a completely different characters POV and that worked out as well.
As for my second biggest issue. I really wasn't sure if I would like the story based on the book blurb. This is what I got from the blurb:
Basically some girl who is JUST turning 17, literally is 16 the night she is kidnapped, is forced into a HAREM and she must find a way to keep on the vampire lords good side so that she can stay in his HAREM and not die.
I guess it was the harem word and that she was just turning 17 that really got to me. I'm not going to delude myself. I was 16 once. I know that teenagers are not pure and virginal until they are married, but I don't know, it just bothered me that there was this all powerful vampire lord putting a girl that is just turning 17 into his harem....*shrug*
So I basically went into this one expecting to have issues, however I was pleasantly surprised. If Sofia was treated as an object on the island it was because of her being the next meal, not as a sex toy. Yes it is ok with me if she is treated as food. Sorry it's a vampire novel. My review, my opinion. There relationship between Sofia and Derek was very PG/PG13. In fact the whole book was kinda that way. Even the references to sex weren't that explicit. Yes people die, and people have horrible things done to them, but there isn't gore or terror or explicit sex.
I truly expected this to be a romance novel. Don't get me wrong there is romance. But there is so much more to the story than that. I think that is the main reason I enjoyed it so much. If it had been strictly romance or even clean sex I wouldn't have enjoyed it simply because of my above mentioned issues. But because the author took the time to develop the characters and you got to see inside both Sofia's and Derek's heads, because the author made it about more than just them, this book really got my attention and held it.
Would I read the next book? Definitely. Would I let my teenage daughters read this one? Yes.
I definitely recommend it whether you are a teen or an adult. Don't let the blurb turn you off or the anything you've heard about the POV, etc. Give this one a chance to win you over before passing it by. I am definitely glad I did.
Buy A Shade of Vampire from Amazon:
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http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17255435-a-shade-of-vampire
Bloggy Note:
Come back on the 17th for an excerpt of this book!
Bloggy Note:
Come back on the 17th for an excerpt of this book!
It's funny we really have the same feeling about this book. So I even asked for book 2.
ReplyDeleteYeah, not sure about the whole newly-17-year-old being forced into a harem. That just has creepster written all over it. But the her being food thing, I'm okay with that. It's the vamp way.
ReplyDeleteLovely review. I'm glad that there is romance. I need that in a book. And if your planning on reading the next book then it must be good. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteGlad there was more to it than romance and it pleasantly surprised you despite the pov issues.
ReplyDeleteI can totally see what you are saying about being nervous about 16/17 yr. old being in a harem... but it wouldn't bother me when she is used as food. *shugs* Go figure! LOL I'm glad you enjoyed it and thanks for reviewing!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this review. I took issue with the harem thing. I don't like the idea of young girls being kept for a man's pleasure, vampire of not. But if you didn't have a problem with it, if it was something other than a sex harem, I can read that.
ReplyDeleteSounds like it might be something I can handle.
Heather
This definitely sounds much different than I expected after reading that synopsis. I'm glad the POV's worked for you and that there was more to the book than romance (and btw, I have no problem with her being used as food, because I expect it in a vampire novel, and I'm sure it's meant to be scary). Wonderful review!
ReplyDeleteI do like 1st person POV, so that's not an issue. I also like multiple POV's in a book (not TOO many, but a few). I'm glad you clarified the description and that it's clean and that it's not a romance novel though. I'm more interested in it now, that's for sure!
ReplyDeleteI did see another review that was positive too :)
ReplyDeleteWow. I would NEVER read this book based on the blurb. It sounds too disturbing to me. Your review is making me reconsider a bit though.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what it say about me but I don't care about being used for food either lol
Thanks for all the comment love!
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad I agreed to read this one. I wasn't sure at first...I mean REALLY wasn't sure. But I'm glad I did give it a chance and I'm glad that my review has helped maybe give this book a chance for others who like me might have been turned off by the blurb and stuff.
Thanks again for reading my reviews!
Well I wasn't worked about the pov, but the whole harem thing turned me off, so i never grabbed this, now you have me wanted to click the buy button! I love when a book surprises you and then you kick yourself for letting it sit so long, wonderful review Melissa!
ReplyDeleteI'm actually relieved that this wasn't just regular, underdeveloped romance. It's good that both Sofia and Derek were fleshed out.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm a big fan of 1st person POV so that part should work too.
Thanks for the lovely review.