I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Blood Born
in Paperback edition on April 27, 2010 and has 466 pages.
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First in the Vampire paranormal romance series.
Warrior Rising, the second in the series, was to be published in the spring of 2011 and the publishers have chosen not to go ahead, so I’m guessing that this first installment didn’t do well.
My Take
A bit cold, detached…I really can’t put my finger on what is so different about this story. Possibly, the lack of heat between the major protagonists as well as the agonizing process involved in the Warriors contacting their conduits. It seems like one heckuva lotta work for a human to go through and fraught with failure.
There’s a foreword that explains the Warriors followed by a prologue which sets the scene about the conduits and introduces Sorin. The rebellion certainly proves that vampires are still human in their emotions. Envy, jealousy, and a desire for power is not constrained to only non-vampires. It certainly does confirm that life is cyclical as Luca and the Council both agree that similar rebellions in the past have not succeeded and that, as irritating as contemporary life is with all the ways in which living beings are tracked, it is better than exposure with the proportionately smaller population of vampires to humans.
The Lindas also make a good point about the inventiveness of humanity. That vampires don’t care and don’t create whereas humans are boiling over with ideas and creations. If humanity were to be subjugated, what would happen to their creativity?
I don’t see where Sorin has a leg to stand on when he’s cursing the Warrior who would be so callous as to use a child as a conduit, considering how many people he’s destroyed.
Oh, yes! I love Luca’s reaction to the Council when they get all demanding, especially after they indicate how they intend to fight this war.
The Lindas missed some opportunities for emotional drama between Luca and Chloe, although Chloe’s “sacrificial” act in the bonding was rather unique. Her switch in perspective was certainly speedy. At one point, Luca is rather nastily dismissive and it goes nowhere. It’s more as though this story is a massive set-up for whatever might come next in this series with the battle at the end of the major casting set-up.
The Story
It’s the meeting of five points and basic humanity that will change everything:
- An escalation of vampire attacks brings Luca out of the woodwork: too many deaths among the humans, terrified vampires, and whoever is heading up this push is, well, pushing too hard
- Luca has been called in by Hector, who is disturbed by a foretelling. His vengeance will not be dictated by the Council; Luca will follow his own path.
- Chloe is a conduit located in Washington D.C. — too close to the Council to be ignored for long.
- Nevada has been captive for too many years and has hidden her progress.
- The Warriors themselves are contacting more conduits and changing their geographical strategies
The Characters
Luca Ambrus is over 2,000 years old and a blood born vampire — born of two vampire parents. This dual genetic inheritance has resulted in a very powerful vampire who is content to follow a loner’s path, although, these days, he does enjoy working for the Council. It’s about the only chance he has to practice his fighting skills.
Chloe Fallon loves managing a restaurant. She refuses to let her aortic aneurysm hold her back, even when she learns the role she is to play in the coming battles. Valerie Spencer is Chloe’s best friend in D.C. A weakness.
Nevada Sheldon is a descendant of Briallen, the witch, who created the spell that hampers a vampiric conquest of humanity. And it’s why she has been kidnapped, her family — her parents, Emily, and Justin — held hostage against her learning to undo it.
Sorin is another powerful vampire. One who was made and is tired of having to hide himself from the humans. Melody is one of his children and has psychopathic tendencies. Jonas is a vampire tortured by Regina into locating conduits whose Warriors are attempting to contact them. Regina is the self-styled “queen” who has gathered the rebels together. The only style of rule she uses is force, torture, and savagery. I think she’s amazingly stupid.
Hector is the head of the Council and the only council member whom Luca trusts. He has a slight gift of foretelling and requests Luca’s presence. Enoch is in charge of the Council building and its members’ security. And old enough to be able to move around in the day. Theodore is another Council member and the vampire who generally gave Luca his assignments as the Council’s assassin. The women Council members include Alma, ancient and bloodthirsty; Marie is the oldest and the only other Blood Born; Nadia; Eleanor is tiny and ruthless; and, Darnell is from what we now know as Ethiopia. Pablo and Benedict, a Roman patrician who thinks he’s is better than anyone of them, are the rest of the men. Ahron is a vampire much older than Luca. And a whacko nutjob!
There are three vampires in the U.S. Senate and Valerik is one of them. I have no idea who Grandma Annie is. Jim Elliott is the catalyst for his son Jimmy with his girlfriend’s, Kate‘s, help. She believes in the supernatural and has opened his mind to the possibilities. Phillip Stargel provides a pivotal moment. Indikaiya and Rurik are two Warriors who come through while Isaac and
The Cover and Title
The cover is red and white with the upper two-fifths a white background to display the authors’ names and the lower three-fifths a range of reds from the blood at the base up through Luca’s muscled chest and the lower half of his face with a deep, black-red as the background and a bright red surrounding the white full moon in the upper right.
The title is all about Luca, for he is Blood Born. Although…it could refer to Luca’s future as well.
