Here it is my first official review for young author Amanda Hocking’s debut novel 'My Blood Approves'.
Synopsis:
Seventeen year old Alice Bonham's life feels out of control after she meets Jack. With his fondness for pink Chuck Taylor's and New Wave hits aside, Jacks unlike anyone she's ever met.
Then she meets his brother, Peter. His eyes pierce through her, and she can barely breathe when he's around. Even though he can't stand the sight of her, she's drawn to him.
But falling for two very different guys isn't even the worst of her problems. Jack and Peter are vampires, and Alice finds herself caught between love and her own blood...
Taken from : http://amandahocking.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html
Review:
'My Blood Approves' is the first book in a series of five novels by Amanda. I stumbled across her blog http://amandahocking.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html while searching for some interesting book blogs to follow and the first thing I noticed was YAY another vampire chick ;) I couldn't wait to jump feet first (or possibly throat first) into this series....and after 4 late night reading sessions (disguised secretly as uni reviewing) I am now eager to get started on 'Fate' book 2 ....BUT first, you need to hear my thoughts and feelings about My Blood Approves so i better get to it.
Amanda's writing style took a little getting used to but nothing that caused too much of a hindrance while reading. I guess because I am so used to women in their 30's writing as the voice of a teenager it was my issue with expecting the same feel....this I know is my problem and NOT due to Amanda's abilities. After noticing some similarities with a rather famous vampire novel in the beginning chapters the story seemed to build its own more individual foundations and that’s about when the "OMG I can’t put it down” stage kicked in, from then on I was hooked and looked forward to following through with the rest in this series.
Amanda does a good job of introducing us to each of her characters giving me an almost visual representation of Alice the typical 'regular' teenager filled with angst and dark wit that no one seems to notice. That is until she meets the kind and playful Jack (have I mentioned he’s lush?) who she seems to have an instant connection with. In comes the broody yet delectable brother Peter who plays the bad boy character just like it was written for him ;). Mae the sweet, loving, nurturing 'mother' figure is adorable (slightly resembling Esme from Twilight) and her husband Ezra playing the calm, balanced older brother nearly as well as Peter and his bad boy role. Then there’s Alice's brother Milo....oops no spoilers ;) you’ll have to read it yourself and see what inner discoveries he embarks on.
One thing I would like to see is a more self-assured main character. Alice seems quite insecure when faced with her 'dilemmas' with an eagerness and often annoying need to please, it would’ve been nice to see some inner strength here but I'm crossing my fingers (and toes) hoping Amanda has addressed this in the following books as she begins to further develop Alice's character. (I say this all while remembering myself as a people pleasing teen *cringe*)
With this being Amanda's first published novel there is bound to be some shaky moments but overall WOW I'm impressed and look forward to her growth as an author. I really can’t wait to see what happens to Alice, Jack and Peter tonight as I start 'Fate' book 2 in the series so I’m off for now. I hope you’ve enjoyed this review and that I’ve done justice to a great book and author.
Recommendation:
The strengths in this novel ultimately outweigh its weaknesses and I would recommend this to anyone interested in YA urban fantasy/paranormal romance novels.
Extras:
I'm not forgetting Amanda's other novels which you can read up on in her blog http://amandahocking.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html but I’ll have to get to them later, after I’ve completed the 'My Blood Approves' series and have checked out another awesome author....
If you've read this book let me know what you think or even what you thought of my post....until my next read goodnight XXXX
Synopsis:
Seventeen year old Alice Bonham's life feels out of control after she meets Jack. With his fondness for pink Chuck Taylor's and New Wave hits aside, Jacks unlike anyone she's ever met.
Then she meets his brother, Peter. His eyes pierce through her, and she can barely breathe when he's around. Even though he can't stand the sight of her, she's drawn to him.
But falling for two very different guys isn't even the worst of her problems. Jack and Peter are vampires, and Alice finds herself caught between love and her own blood...
Taken from : http://amandahocking.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html
Review:
'My Blood Approves' is the first book in a series of five novels by Amanda. I stumbled across her blog http://amandahocking.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html while searching for some interesting book blogs to follow and the first thing I noticed was YAY another vampire chick ;) I couldn't wait to jump feet first (or possibly throat first) into this series....and after 4 late night reading sessions (disguised secretly as uni reviewing) I am now eager to get started on 'Fate' book 2 ....BUT first, you need to hear my thoughts and feelings about My Blood Approves so i better get to it.
Amanda's writing style took a little getting used to but nothing that caused too much of a hindrance while reading. I guess because I am so used to women in their 30's writing as the voice of a teenager it was my issue with expecting the same feel....this I know is my problem and NOT due to Amanda's abilities. After noticing some similarities with a rather famous vampire novel in the beginning chapters the story seemed to build its own more individual foundations and that’s about when the "OMG I can’t put it down” stage kicked in, from then on I was hooked and looked forward to following through with the rest in this series.
Amanda does a good job of introducing us to each of her characters giving me an almost visual representation of Alice the typical 'regular' teenager filled with angst and dark wit that no one seems to notice. That is until she meets the kind and playful Jack (have I mentioned he’s lush?) who she seems to have an instant connection with. In comes the broody yet delectable brother Peter who plays the bad boy character just like it was written for him ;). Mae the sweet, loving, nurturing 'mother' figure is adorable (slightly resembling Esme from Twilight) and her husband Ezra playing the calm, balanced older brother nearly as well as Peter and his bad boy role. Then there’s Alice's brother Milo....oops no spoilers ;) you’ll have to read it yourself and see what inner discoveries he embarks on.
One thing I would like to see is a more self-assured main character. Alice seems quite insecure when faced with her 'dilemmas' with an eagerness and often annoying need to please, it would’ve been nice to see some inner strength here but I'm crossing my fingers (and toes) hoping Amanda has addressed this in the following books as she begins to further develop Alice's character. (I say this all while remembering myself as a people pleasing teen *cringe*)
With this being Amanda's first published novel there is bound to be some shaky moments but overall WOW I'm impressed and look forward to her growth as an author. I really can’t wait to see what happens to Alice, Jack and Peter tonight as I start 'Fate' book 2 in the series so I’m off for now. I hope you’ve enjoyed this review and that I’ve done justice to a great book and author.
Recommendation:
The strengths in this novel ultimately outweigh its weaknesses and I would recommend this to anyone interested in YA urban fantasy/paranormal romance novels.
Extras:
I'm not forgetting Amanda's other novels which you can read up on in her blog http://amandahocking.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html but I’ll have to get to them later, after I’ve completed the 'My Blood Approves' series and have checked out another awesome author....
Image taken from: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8046350-my-blood-approves
