Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
I have probably admitted this before, but I’m a sucker sap for romance. No pun intended, so I changed my mind. 🙂
One of the most important details that made me like this story is that the main character, Felicity, wasn’t a pushover. A young girl, just starting college, She knew her infatuation for her vampire friend was extraordinary and difficult to resist, but she prevailed. She chose to help her other friends in need rather than pursue her love interest. Bravo, Melanie! (The author, of course!)
So, to begin the story…
Felicity is a small-town girl (living in a lonely world. Sorry, I couldn’t resist!) who’s moved away for college. She seems to have lived a sheltered life so far, and like any young adult fresh out of high school, ready to start over. She keeps her head as the story introduces two other main characters, who both later become love-interests. I appreciate the author’s resistance to make her fall hopelessly and helplessly in love, because there are too many stories, vampire stories in particular, that check of that box. One of the young men she befriends, Ben, is a coworker at the local bookstore and cafe; and the other, Cain, happens to save her and Ben’s life during an ambush by some local punk “kids.” But these troublemakers are strange: red/orange slits for eyes, fangs…a vampire? Oddly enough, Ben isn’t surprised; and while Ben wants nothing do to with any vampires, friendly or not, Felicity is drawn to Cain, and wants to give him a chance.
She develops a close friendship with both Cain and Ben throughout the story, but is definitely confused. She can’t quite figure Ben out, and she can’t quite figure out what’s going on between her and Cain. Oh, teenage love! 🙂 On a more serious note, the story isn’t angsty though, which I do appreciate. Two boys seemingly interested would have made me giddy. 😅 But I digress…Essentially, the three of them (and a few other friends) take on the other vampires that are endangering their small town. Cain has taken it upon himself to teach other young vampires how to co-exist in a world full of humans, and remove the ones who threaten the balance. He sees it as his penance to balance out the wrong he has done and whatever sins have caused him this undead state. This was a new idea I hadn’t come across in other stories of the same genre: a religious vampire. Kind of a refreshing take! I do like that the author seemed to do her “research”. She created her vampires similarly to other stories’, but she took some liberties of her own.
All in all, this YA story about vampires and romance was goos. This book is part of a series, but can be read on its own without feeling like you’ve missed out; and I do plan on checking out the rest of her works.
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