Bleeding Hearts Review

Author: Alyxandra Harvey
Release Date: December 20, 2011
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers
Most appropriate for ages: 12+
How I got it: For review through NetgalleyOther titles in series: Hearts of Stake, Blood Feud, Out for Blood

The Drakes and friends will be tested when an infestation of deadly vampires threatens Violet Hill. 

Lucy's cousin Christabel has come to live in Violet Hill, and adjusting to the difference between life in a small mountain town and her home in the city is difficult enough. The strict curfew that Lucy's parents enforce is the worst part. Something really dangerous couldn't possibly happen in this tiny town.  

But Christabel has noticed some mysterious happenings, and it seems like Lucy, her boyfriend Nicholas and his brother Connor are all in on a secret that Christabel doesn't understand—one that seems deadly serious. Although she won't admit it, Christabel would love to be in on any secret with Connor Drake. But when she is kidnapped by the ruthless Hel-Blar vampires, Christabel must cause more and more trouble in Violet Hill, Lucy and Connor finally fill Christabel in on all the undead drama. Together, they must find a way to stamp out the Hel-Blar for good.

I have really enjoyed all of the books in this series, so imagine my shock and disappointment when I found that Bleeding Hearts was my least favorite in the Drake Chronicles so far.

Immediately I disliked Christabel. She was--there's no other way to put it--pretentious. "Oh, I'm from the city, nothing scares me. And look, I wear combat boots AND I read Pride And Prejudice a lot. So obviusly I'm tough but also have a good heart and overall I'm just cooler than you."* It got really old really quick. And Connor was pretty cool (he gets bonus points for being a Firefly nerd) but I did not love him like I probably should've.

So as you can imagine, I was not a fan of that aspect of Bleeding Hearts. I would've much rather heard more about Solange and Lucy's story-line, because I found that one a lot more interesting and fresh.

It does not help that Harvey is kinda recycling the same story-line for each installment. Vampire boy meets human/vampire/hunter girl, they immediately hate each other but get the tingles for each other, make out, lovelovelove. I don't know why its repetition now starting to bother me after I've already read 3 books of it, but it did. Though I will say that Harvey broke the mold a little towards the end, and for that I was grateful.

But what was with the short story at the end? I was finally getting into this book, when it abruptly ended and switched to a short story about the parents. WTF? I'm not sure if that'll be in the finished copy of not, but for the record, I would've much rather had more about Solange than her parents.

There were things I loved about this book (Lucy's POV! Solange going through weird stuff! Vampire politics! Nicholas and Lucy sexytimes!) but there were also things that really irked me (see above) so I guess overall it was kinda so-so for me. I'll probably be checking the next book out in the library.

*She did not actually say this but SHE MIGHT AS WELL HAVE.

(Also, has their town always been Violet Hill? Like the song? How did I miss this?)

Plot: Fast paced, as always.

Characters: Christabel was probably my least favorite character in the series so far, and Connor was eh, but the rest were as fun as ever.

Writing: Decent enough.

Ending: DUDE SERIOUSLY.

Kid friendly? There was some swearing and mentions of heavy drinking (adult).

Overall:

Striking up conversations with people instead of reading...mostly.

I'm very wishy-washy about this book. It had its fun and exciting moments, but also moments that made me groan and roll my eyes and talk to the person next to me instead of reading.

Haunting Violet Review

Author: Alyxandra Harvey
Release Date: June 21, 2011
Pages: 352 (HC)
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Most Appropriate For Ages: 12+
Where I Got It: From publisher for review

Violet Willoughby doesn't believe in ghosts. But they believe in her. After spending years participating in her mother's elaborate ruse as a fraudulent medium, Violet is about as skeptical as they come in all matters supernatural. Now that she is being visited by a very persistent ghost, one who suffered a violent death, Violet can no longer ignore her unique ability. She must figure out what this ghost is trying to communicate, and quickly because the killer is still on the loose.
Afraid of ruining her chance to escape her mother's scheming through an advantageous marriage, Violet must keep her ability secret. The only person who can help her is Colin, a friend she's known since childhood, and whom she has grown to love. He understands the true Violet, but helping her on this path means they might never be together. Can Violet find a way to help this ghost without ruining her own chance at a future free of lies?

I always have fun when reading Harvey's Drake Chronicles, so I was really excited to read a new novel by her. Sadly, it fell a bit short of my expectations.

Haunting Violet starts off strong. Usually historical fictions start slow for me, but this novel starts with a bang. But about halfway through, it gets slow and begins to read like a drawn-out game of Clue.

Though Haunting Violet did have it's strong points despite it's awkward pacing, like Violet. I can't put my finger on why, but I just really liked her character. She was realistic, with a believable amount of wit and the standard "eff-society" 'tude that most historical main characters have. Also, I didn't see the villain coming, so it was pretty unpredictable.

It had both it's ups and downs, but really I just didn't connect to this story like I'd wanted to in the end. Not the novel for me, I'm afraid.

Plot: A bit too unoriginal and oddly paced.

Characters: I liked Violet, but the side characters were all kind of bland.

Writing: Very good.

Ending: Well done.

Kind Friendly? There was mild swearing, drinking, gambling, and murder.
Should I read it? A lot of people seem to love this one, so if it seems like something you'd like, go for it.

Overall:

And be sure to check out the new bind-up of the Harvey's Drake Chronicles--Ruling Passion--coming soon.

Blog Tour: Out For Blood Review+Giveaway

Author: Alyxandra Harvey
Release Date: Dec. 21, 2010
Pages: 292 (ARC)
Publisher: Walker Books
Most Appropriate For Ages: 12+
Where I Got It: For review from publicist
Other titles in series: Hearts At Stake, Blood Feud

Hunter Wild is the youngest in a long line of elite vampire hunters, a legacy that is both a blessing and a curse at the secret Helios-Ra Academy, where she excels at just about everything. Thanks to her friendship with Kieran Black, Hunter receives a special invitation to attend the coronation of Helena Drake, and for the first time, she sees the difference between vampires that must be hunted and vampires that can become friends—or even more. When students at the academy fall victim to a mysterious illness, Hunter suspects they are under attack from within. She will need someone she can trust to help her save the future of Helios-Ra . . . help that shockingly comes in the form of Quinn Drake, a drop-dead gorgeous vampire. Who said senior year would be easy?

Out For Blood is told in two points of view, Quinn Drake's and Hunter Wild's. Both of their narrations were equally grabbing, entertaining, and full of clever humor, and the plot refused to slow down.

So. Quinn. I started out not liking him. He fit the hot player type perfectly, which is not a personality that I find appealing at all. Luckily, he grew on me so much that I couldn't see not loving Quinn Drake. (Though, in all honestly, the guy on the cover freaks me out and doesn't look anything like how I imagined Quinn.) Hunter was a level headed, logical, with incredible fighting skills that I think it'd be impossible to not relate to.

And when you put Quinn and Hunter together?

Sparks fly.

I was fascinated with the world of the vampire hunters, the Helios-Ra. Thought obviously it lacks the mythology the vampires have, it's still a really cool world to read about, and I hope we get more looks into it through the series.

I do have a few very minor complaints. Mostly with Hunter's friends. Though they each had some original traits, I never really got much personality from any of them. They were just kinda...blah, I guess. Also, the big mystery of the novel never really got going until the last 80 pages or so.

Luckily, those two things I noticed didn't take away from my reading experience with Out For Blood, and this is still a book--and series--that I'd highly recommend.

Book Report:

Plot: Exciting and original.

Characters: Awesome.

Writing: Witty and just plain good.

Ending: Very nice. No cliffhanger.

Kid friendly? Yeah. There was some swearing and gore, but nothing too bad.

Should I read it? Yes. I don't think you'd even need to read the first two in the series to enjoy this one.

Overall:

 

Thanks to the awesome people at Walker Books For Young Readers, I have one copy of Out For Blood and a bookmark to give away to one lucky winner! This contest will end on Jan. 10, 2011 and is open to only residents of the US. FILL OUT THIS FORM to enter. (While comments are greatly appreciated, they don't count as entries.) Good luck!

Hearts At Stake Review

Author: Alyxandra Harvey

Release Date: December 22, 2009

Pages: 248 (ARC)

Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers

Most Appropriate For Ages: 12+

On Solange’s sixteenth birthday, she is going to wake up dead. As if that’s not bad enough, she also has to outwit her seven overprotective older brothers, avoid the politics involved with being the only daughter born to an ancient vampire dynasty, and elude Kieran Black—agent of an anti-vampire league who is searching for his father’s killer and is intent on staking Solange and her entire family.

Luckily she has her own secret weapon—her human best friend Lucy—who is willing to defend Solange’s right to a normal life, whether she’s being smothered by her well-intentioned brothers or abducted by a power-hungry queen. Two unlikely alliances are formed in a race to save Solange’s eternal life—Lucy and Solange’s brother Nicholas, and Solange and Kieran Black—in a dual romance that is guaranteed to jump start any romance-lover’s heart.

Even fans of the genre who’ve seen it all will find a fresh read with kick-butt characters and family dynamics that ring true for all brothers and sisters—vampire or otherwise.

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Hearts At Stake was a fun, fast-paced read that I didn't want to end.

The plot was always moving. Stake here, holy water there, something was always happening. I loved that aspect of Hearts At Stake. It's a page-turner that quickly becomes addictive and hard to put down.

In the midst of all of the action, I somehow managed to fall in love with a few characters. I can't just pick one favorite character from Hearts At Stake, but it's a three-way tie between Lucy (Solange's best friend who's can kick some major butt), Helena (the Drake family's mother who was also a very strong, kick butt character), and Nicolas (he's one of those super-sweet guys/vampires...usually). I had a lot of trouble distinguishing which brother was which, except for maybe one or two. (And obviously not the brother that Hearts At Stake mainly focused on, Nicolas.) There were seven of them, so it was a little hard to remember every single one.

The writing flowed nicely, and Alyxandra Harvey seems to write action and romance scenes with ease. She'll be a much welcome addition to the genre.

The ending was climactic and exciting, just as I'd expected. My only complaint with Hearts At Stake would be that I didn't get to know some of the characters as much as I'd like in the midst of all of the action. But overall I really enjoyed this novel to the very happy ending. Definitely one for paranormal fans to pick up when they're looking for a fast, fun read! I'm very excited to read the sequel, Blood Feud.

(Thanks again to Walker Books for Young Readers/Bloomsbury for providing me with a review copy!)

Hearts At Stake is one of seven books being offered in my 200 Follower Shin Dig. Go enter!