3.5*
I’m going to be honest. The Vampire Diaries and The Originals have set such a high bar for YA vampire stories for me, nothing else will ever compare. I’ll constantly be comparing whatever vampire-esque story I’m reading to TVD.
That aside. I did enjoy this story! The pacing felt off at points, sometimes it was slowwwwww and then FASTFASTFAST! Mostly it was slow until the end.
I liked Celine and Sebastian (Sebastian is either Damon Salvadore or Klaus Mikaelson I can’t decide which) well enough. I wasn’t in love with either of them, but they didn’t bother me either. I thought they were both ok.
I listened to this as an audiobook and I’m personally not a huge fan of the narrator, but I thought she did a well enough job. While most of it is told in third person POV, I liked those first person POV sections too, it was read in such a creepy way, I had no idea who it was!
And to everyone saying this book doesn’t have vampires until the ending? Um, did we READ the same book?! There are vampires from the very start! Just because they aren’t called out by name doesn’t mean you can’t figure out what it is. Suspicious deaths with “animal bite marks” in the victims necks? Celine may be naive but you, reader, are not. You know a vampire killed those people. I love the mystery surrounding that!
BUT it is a little TOO much mystery. It’s clear these people are not all mortal, but what are they? Spoiler: We don’t really even fully find out everything by the end. We’re kinda left hanging on a lot of it. I knew it’d be a cliffhanger ending but, THIS IS REALLY CLIFFHANGER-Y!!!!!!
I think I’ll continue on, I might re-read this before the next book. I think listening to the audio made me miss some points - so I would NOT recommend this one as audio.
Would I recommend this?
If you’re curious, sure check it out!
If you’re on the fence? Then don’t bother.
I’m going to be honest. The Vampire Diaries and The Originals have set such a high bar for YA vampire stories for me, nothing else will ever compare. I’ll constantly be comparing whatever vampire-esque story I’m reading to TVD.
That aside. I did enjoy this story! The pacing felt off at points, sometimes it was slowwwwww and then FASTFASTFAST! Mostly it was slow until the end.
I liked Celine and Sebastian (Sebastian is either Damon Salvadore or Klaus Mikaelson I can’t decide which) well enough. I wasn’t in love with either of them, but they didn’t bother me either. I thought they were both ok.
I listened to this as an audiobook and I’m personally not a huge fan of the narrator, but I thought she did a well enough job. While most of it is told in third person POV, I liked those first person POV sections too, it was read in such a creepy way, I had no idea who it was!
And to everyone saying this book doesn’t have vampires until the ending? Um, did we READ the same book?! There are vampires from the very start! Just because they aren’t called out by name doesn’t mean you can’t figure out what it is. Suspicious deaths with “animal bite marks” in the victims necks? Celine may be naive but you, reader, are not. You know a vampire killed those people. I love the mystery surrounding that!
BUT it is a little TOO much mystery. It’s clear these people are not all mortal, but what are they? Spoiler: We don’t really even fully find out everything by the end. We’re kinda left hanging on a lot of it. I knew it’d be a cliffhanger ending but, THIS IS REALLY CLIFFHANGER-Y!!!!!!
I think I’ll continue on, I might re-read this before the next book. I think listening to the audio made me miss some points - so I would NOT recommend this one as audio.
Would I recommend this?
If you’re curious, sure check it out!
If you’re on the fence? Then don’t bother.