#BookReview Once Upon a Vampire by Mari Mancusi

To say I was a huge fan of the Blood Coven novels when I was younger would be an understatement. I remember going to high school sporting events and having to sit on a bus for hours to get to our location so we could compete – so of course I would brings books by authors such as Mari Mancusi, Zac Brewer, Ellen Schreiber, and other fantastic YA novelists. I was heartbroken when the series ended and I was hoping one day Mari might come back to it.

AND GUESS WHAT?! SHE DID!!

Once Upon a Vampire is more of an adult novel than YA (although, I’m sure YA fans could pick it up and not be totally disgusted with it. This book is a great continuation).

While it might not be a direct continuation with our former leads, this book environment wise is similar. Hannah and Logan follow a similar path to our former leading ladies and their respective fellows. Rayne is a big part of this story and Jareth also appears, but they aren’t our main leads – even if Rayne takes a bigger role than expected. Magnus is also referenced, but does not make an appearance.

I was definitely hooked to this book – my book cravings had been something easy to read, sexy with a dash of fantasy, and nothing mind blowing (like Game of Thrones), so this book fit the bill. It’s super easy to read, it’s easy to fall in love with these characters and the nostalgia is perfect for any previous YA reader who was as obsessed with Mari’s work as I was.

<spoiler>My “problems” with the novel – the conversation of blood mates was brought up twice, with two different reactions. One that the mate killed herself, the other that he didn’t have one…I’m slightly confused. Maybe I read it wrong, but it really threw the story off for me.</spoiler>

The romance was a beautiful line of this story, and I loved how Mari slowly introduced it. It wasn’t just sudden, and our character’s own pasts helped make the story a little more believable. It might not be a crazy realistic scenario (a 200 page story over a few days with vampires trying to kill someone. Please let me know if you’ve experienced this before so I can edit the review…) but it fit beautifully into the story. I really loved it.

I finished this book in about half an hour, I was that obsessed and couldn’t stop reading. I didn’t want to put it down, and I can’t wait for more books by Mari!! If there are more books in this series, I would be the happiest little reviewer in the world!! I would love to see more Sunny appear, since Rayne was visible in this story…But I’m not picky. Even just another book will fill my desires for more Blood Coven novels!

And we won’t have to wait to long…Dark and Stormy Vampire is next! And of course, as per usual, Mari leaves us off with a horrible cliff hanger! I swear Mari loves to torture us readers by leaving us with cliffhangers AND making us wait for more books…

Side Notes: Mari’s description of Logan is beautiful, but my recent obsession with Gilmore Girls can only see Logan Huntzberger. It oddly fits though…

Five out of five stars.

Thank you to Mari Mancusi and our epic Read and Review team for providing me a copy of this novel!! I can’t wait for the next one!!!

 

Check out Mari on Goodreads! Mari Mancusi on Goodreads

Or her website! Mari Mancusi’s Website

She can also be found on Twitter! @MariMancusi

Blood Covens also has it’s own website for your viewing pleasure!! Blood Covens Series by Mari Mancusi

Check me out on Goodreads where I post up to date reviews as soon as they happen! Be the first in the know!! Briar’s Reviews on Goodreads

Or follow me on Twitter! Briar’s Reviews on Twitter

 

Young Adult July Reads Book Review: Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer (Zac Brewer)

Photo via Goodreads.

Book Review

Book Title: Eighth Grade Bites (Vladimir Todd #1)
Book Author: Heather Brewer (now Zac Brewer)

This is a throwback review, since I read this book way back when I was in grade eight (which feels like a lifetime ago). At the time this was one of my favourite books, and it goes me into many more YA novels and into my current reading obsession. I even called one of my cats Meredith (many years later). This book was a great way to get me into reading, and I applaud Zac Brewer for all of his wonderful writing and work, because I wouldn’t be here in my reading and writing career without him.

Now onto my review:

Eighth Grade Bites is a great spin on the typical fish out of water story. Vladimir Todd is a vampire, and his life is quite the mystery. Not only does he have to try to survive being a teenager as a vampire, but he has to try to find out where his past comes from. Where are his parents? What happened to them? Why is he a vampire? Why must he hide this secret?

The book is incredibly light hearted and written for the correct audience. It doesn’t exactly translate into the adult scene unless you are interested in these types of books (in my opinion). Rereading it, I loved it but my friends who have moved on from the vampire scene did not enjoy it as much. The book is super fun and delightful and I hope more people get into this series.

Every minute of Vlad’s story is enjoyable to read. It will keep you on your toes and make you want to continue the story. The plot is well thought out over the series, and the characters are absolutely lovable. Alongside the steady pace, the random twists that occur make this book stand out among the many other vampire books I have read throughout the years. The fact that I can still pick this book up and get a good chuckle out of it proves to me that Zac is a truly incredible author.

Overall, I give this book four out of five stars. Wonderful story!!

Manga March Book Review: Vampire Knight Volume 16 by Matsuri Hino

Photo via Goodreads.

Book Review
Book Title: Vampire Knight Volume 16
Author: Matsuri Hino

Introduction: I read this series a long time ago, but I completely forgot to pick up this volume in the series. It’s been sitting on my book shelf, so I decided to pick it up and get back into this wonderful series.

Review:
Vampire Knight 16 brings yet another great spin to the ever continuing, fantastical story!

This story is for sure one of my favourite manga series. This ongoing soap opera has kept me hooked at every turn, and I cannot wait to pick up the next book in this series.

Yuki getting back into being a strong, female lead. For a while she wasn’t the strongest character in the series, but she is slowly getting back to her initial ways. While it may take a few issues for her to get back to her truly, incredibly, strong self, I’m glad she’s getting back to the character i initially fell in love with.

Kaname was the main focus of this Volume. He wants to kill purebloods, and Yuki and the Headmaster do not want him to do so. This novel also gives some insight into Sara and her ulterior motives within her position.

This volume in the series is a little more confusing than the others, but I still enjoyed it. The plot of this story seems to more be focusing on what the characters are up to, instead of plot development. That being said, when a series goes this long sometimes the authors need to drag the story out a little bit to keep readers interested – maybe the confusion in this volume will be answered in the next.

Overall, I enjoyed this volume. While it isn’t the best volume in the series, it is still a great addition. The artwork is fantastic, it kept me interested, and now I want to read the next Volume to know what’s going on.

Five out of five stars!!

Book Release and Review: Silver Flame by Karpov Kinrade

Happy Belated Release Day! October 31st (Halloween) was the release day for Silver Flame. I’m a little late to the game, but here is my spoiler-free review of this amazing third novel in the Vampire Girl Trilogy!
Enjoy!

Pick it up on Amazon if you are interested: Silver Flame on Amazon

I also have this review posted to Goodreads, feel free to check out the page for this book on Goodreads as well! Silver Flame on Goodreads

Photo via Goodreads.

Karpov Kinrade has done a great job, yet again, at making readers enticed and thrilled by their third novel in the Vampire Girl series – Silver Flame.

This novel keeps up an amazing pace, much like their past two books. Readers will not be disappointed with the fast moving, excellent character driven plot set up by these two incredible authors.

The wait between the novels was worth it – Karpov Kinrade brought their A game to this new release and it should not be missed by readers interested in a story that’s not your typical YA/Adult fantasy novel. Ari’s back and she’s sassy, feisty and a strong female lead. Alliances are made, relationships will be tested, and emotions will be high!

Reading this novel is definitely a must for fantasy lovers. It’ll keep you interested while making you yearn for the next novel in the series. This epic continuation of the series is by far my favorite so far, and with my high expectations that I had for it, they definitely hit them and went above and beyond!

So pick up this must read of the season! Give yourself an early Christmas gift and enjoy the beautiful realm Karpov Kinrade have created for their readers! They do not fail when they deliver!

Five out of five stars!