vampires

Review: The Witch and the Vampire by Francesca Flores

~ megs14malloy

The Witch and the VampireThe Witch and the Vampire by Francesca Flores
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I feel like I should start this review with a little disclaimer.

This review is based solely upon my personal reading experience with this story. It is 100% my opinion, please take it with a grain of salt.

I am by no means an expert on anything. Further, I would recommend that anyone who finds the publisher’s synopsis intriguing, gives this book a shot.

The Witch and the Vampire follows two girls, Ava and Kaye. Ava is a witch and Kaye is a vampire. They’re enemies, but it hasn’t always been that way.

They used to be best friends, but two years ago everything changed. Kaye was turned into a vampire and Ava’s mother was killed by a vampire. Kaye, coincidentally, disappeared the very night Ava’s mother was killed.

Ava, of course, suspects Kaye, or more closely, she blames her for her mother’s death. Ava is now a vampire hunter of sorts, how perfect. On the night of a vampire attack on their town, Kaye flees her mother’s home and Ava runs into her.

Ava convinces Kaye to travel with her into the forest. She pretends she is helping her, when really her plan is to backstab Kaye and get her revenge.

Obviously, I am simplifying this a bit, but honestly, that’s really all I can tell you about the plot.

Let’s start with a few positives. The cover is gorgeous. Also, the audiobook is very well narrated. If it weren’t for the audiobook, I most likely wouldn’t have finished this one.

While this book didn’t necessarily do anything wrong, it just wasn’t for me. I felt I didn’t understand the world at all and it lacked the atmosphere I was hoping for based upon the synopsis and cover.

I also felt it had one note throughout, angst. Everything was angst. There was angst every moment of every page, even though I felt like the stakes were never high enough to justify that. Because of this it lacked the highs and lows and nuance I would normally like to see.

There were no moments of levity and it seemed like the more seriously the book took itself, the less seriously I did. Additionally, all the characters felt one dimensional. I struggled to distinguish between the two girls throughout the entire story.

This is the second book I have read from this author. The first, Diamond City, I felt to be in the good-to-really-good range. I enjoyed the world Flores developed in that one. I found it creative and intriguing.

So, while this one fell flat for me, I would be willing to give this author another shot. I definitely wouldn’t pick up another story based in this world though.

With all of this being said, as touched upon in my earlier disclaimer, just because I didn’t connect with this story doesn’t mean that you won’t. There’s a book for every Reader and a Reader for every book.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Wednesday Books and Dreamscape Media, for providing me with copies to read and review. I truly appreciate it!

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Review: One Girl In All the World (In Every Generation #2) by Kendare Blake

~ megs14malloy

One Girl In All The World (In Every Generation #2)One Girl In All The World by Kendare Blake
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

One Girl in All the World is the second novel in Kendare Blake’s In Every Generation series, a revamp of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer universe; the Buffyverse.

The first installment, In Every Generation, released in January of 2022. I had so much fun with it and have been anxiously awaiting this sequel ever since.

The premise behind this is that we get to follow a new generation of Scoobies, but we still get a lot of nostalgic connections to the original series. In fact, the new Slayer of this generation is Frankie Rosenberg, Willow’s daughter, a student at New Sunnydale High.

In this installment, Frankie and the gang, continue their training with Willow and Frankie’s Watcher, Spike. Due to Sunnydale’s high concentration of demonic energy, you never know when these skills will be put to the test.

When demons begin popping up all over town, attacks and mayhem ensue. The gang fears perhaps the Hellmouth has been reopened. An eerie visit with an Oracle, however, brings to light a new threat as well, known only as The Darkness. Demons and The Darkness?

Continued from the first book, we also have the mystery surrounding the attack on the last Slayer Convention. Buffy’s status is still unknown and the gang carries on searching for answers. Is she alive, dead, or something in between.

I continue to be hyped for this series. It’s pure entertainment, and as a Buffy fan, hella nostalgic for me. It’s clear that Blake is a true fan as well. She’s nailed the original humor and tone of the series, which I love.

To me, these books have the perfect blend of old with new. It gives such great tribute to the original series, while not veering into copycat territory. This feels like its own thing. It’s fresh and modern, successfully delivering solid Buffy-content to a new generation.

Again, I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook and definitely recommend that format. The narrator does a great job of bringing these action-packed, humor-filled stories to life. Their voice and delivery is a perfect match for what’s happening here. I really enjoyed it.

I haven’t heard it announced yet, but there has to be another book. This one leaves us on the precipice of many things. I cannot wait. I’m definitely hoping for a January 2024 release. I can’t wait more than a year…

Thank you so much to the publisher, Disney-Hyperion and Disney Audio, for providing me with copies and to read and review. I adore this series and will continue to pick them up as long as they are published!

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Review: City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments #2) by Cassandra Clare

~ megs14malloy

City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments, #2)City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

City of Ashes, the second installment in Cassandra Clare’s beloved Mortal Instruments series has sealed the deal for me.

I am, in fact, a Shadowhunter fan.

In this second book, someone is murdering Downworlder children in New York City.

Clary and the crew fear that the evil Valentine, the Darth Vader of the Shadowhunter realm, may be behind the killings.

But how can they prove it, find him and most importantly, stop him?

I love how the world is continuing to be built out in this sequel. The stakes are higher and the action never stops.

There is so much drama, so much angst, wildly inappropriate relationships, or one in particular, witty banter, dark humor, Magnus Bane…what is there not to love about all that!?

I am so looking forward to continuing on with this series and the world overall!

My plan was to read the first three books of TMI, then all three TID, followed by the last three of TMI. Let me know below if you disagree with that reading order and why.

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Review: A Violet Fire (Vampires in Avignon #1) by Kelsey Quick

~ megs14malloy ~ 2 Comments

A Violet Fire (Vampires in Avignon, #1)A Violet Fire by Kelsey Quick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When Wavorly Sterling was a child, a vampire attack decimated the population of the town in which she lived. In fact, she is known as the only survivor, rescued, or captured, depending on your perspective, and brought to live within the Vampire Stratocracy of Cain.

Set in a dystopian world, where the blood supply is low, the Stratocracy has developed a vast and interesting system for raising ‘human supply units’. These supply units are eventually chosen and bound to a master who they vow to serve, and feed, for the duration of their lives.

Wavorly is brought to a sort of private school where the girls are raised together and taught how to please their future masters.

The majority of these girls were born within the Stratocracy so have never tasted the freedom of the world outside as Wavorly has. This sets her apart from them and she struggles trying to understand their seemingly docile personalities in the face of what lies ahead of them.

In fact, when we first meet her, she is in the midst of executing an escape attempt. Although it may not go as planned, you have to give the girl props for her strength and determination.

No matter how hard she fights back against the powers that be however, Wavorly is ultimately selected to go live in the castle of Lord Anton Zein and act as one of his supply units. They have a complicated history and you just know something’s going to go down at that castle!

I really enjoyed this, you guys! I do not read a lot of vampire-related content, really my only experiences being Salem’s Lot, NOS4A2 and Doctor Sleep, so I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy this or not. Apparently, it’s my new thing!

I loved the dystopian feel of this story. The world-building was excellent in my opinion and I cannot wait to learn more in Book 2.

I also really enjoyed quite a few of the side characters, they added depth, humor and challenging personalities to the story. There were people you really wanted to get behind and people that were a joy to hate. Yes, that is a thing.

Although the plot got a little jumbled for me towards the end, I was still on board for all that was happening. There were revelations and betrayals, a lot of excitement.

I think this left off in a great spot for the continuation of series and I definitely will be continuing. This was one of those books that when I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it and wishing I was!

Overall, this was an impressive debut. I feel confident this author has a bright future ahead of her. If you are looking for an inventive and captivating, fast-paced read, you should definitely pick this one up!

Thank you so much to the author, Kelsey Quick, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. I have since preordered the paperback because I love the cover and also, have no self-control.

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