Bloodspell (Bloodspell #1)Synopsis from Goodreads
by Amalie Howard
Published June 1st 2011 by Langdon Street Press
The spell was simple...
Cruentus Protectum (Defend the Blood)
But what do you do if your blood is your enemy?
Victoria Warrick has always known she was different. An outcast at school, she is no stranger to adversity. But when she receives an old journal for her seventeenth birthday, nothing prepares her for the dark secrets it holds -- much less one that reveals she's a witch with unimaginable power.
What's more, when she meets the dazzling but enigmatic Christian Devereux, she has no idea how much her life is about to change. Enemies will hunt her. Friends will turn on her. The terrible curse that makes her blood run black will stop at nothing to control her. And Christian has a sinister secret of his own...
Without knowing whom to trust, can Victoria survive her blood's deadly desires? Or will she lose everything, including herself?
The hardest part with writing any vampire book these days is making it original. There have been so many on the market, post-twilight, that it's hard for a reader to find the right one. I'm not sure that this is the right one. There are a lot of twilight parallels in the beginning of the book, which has become an instant turn-off for me. For once, I would love to read a book where a vampire doesn't have to fight his nature because he loves a mortal woman. Maybe one where it's a rite of passage to bed a vamp, instead of a girl risking her neck to be with the man she loves. They spend the whole book, swinging back and forth between should and shouldn't. I just felt like I'd read it all before.
The magic. This is the part of the book that I loved. I hate when magic (or various other "powers") comes too easily to a character. This book brought the perfect balance of control and ability to the plot. There were times when I felt like Victoria, Tori, wasn't sure who she was though. Her character is a little all over the place, but I suppose a point to the plot is her finding herself. I'm just not sure that the journey there was entirely believable.
The writing style itself is fairly solid. Nothing stood out as being too corny, but likewise, nothing stood out as being phenomenal. It left me content, but not burning for more. The formatting on my ebook wasn't very good either, so I struggled to figure out who was talking at times. It was a little distracting but I am pleased to report that the dialogue was realistic. No teens talking like adults, or even worse, when the teens talk like adults who are trying to talk like teens.
The ending definitely redeemed any of the book's downfalls. It's a great ending, though maybe a little predictable. I ended up staying up late to finish it, which is always a good sign. I would love to say that I'll read the next book, but the problem is that I may forget to. I'm not sure how memorable the book will be by the time the sequel comes out next year.
A copy of this book was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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