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?
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?
Title: Bloodspell (The Cruentus Curse #1)
Author: Amalie Howard
Publisher: Langdon Street Press
Publication Date: 6/1/2011
Review:
I want to thank NetGalley and Langdon Street Press for providing me with an egalley of this book to read and give an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
First I have to start with I'll pretty much read anything Amalie Howard writes. She's a talent with 1) any genre and 2) any age group. I've read her YA, I've read her adult. Doesn't matter what she writes, she's just a good writer so her stories always pull me in.
What I loved most about this book was it's atypical plot. Is it paranormal, sure. It's vampire and witch, yup. But the idea of blood being cursed in any way is not something you see in YA writing. And it makes the plot more unique because of it. But it touches on all those things I truly like in paranormal YA, Plus you get that forbidden love thing going between the witches and vampires. Howard also does a great job with the world building.
I enjoyed the dual POV in this book. I love that form of writing because you get to see the story from both the main characters. Of course they never see things the same and this is what creates such a great tension. Victoria is a strong character. I liked that about her. She didn't take any BS. She could hold her own. I always adore a strong female lead in a book. Christian, well, you can see his torture. I also loved that he wasn't stalkerish. So many vampire books make the male out to be this way (eh hem, Meyers). It's actually something that turns me off from reading about vampires.
The pacing, well, it's great. Amalie just knows how to move a story. She knows when you need action. She knows when you need romance. She knows when you need down time. And the ending! BOOM! For a debut story, she really did hit it out of the park. It was interesting to read this after having read her later writing to see how her craft has developed but you can also see how she always had that base and a fabulous grasp of how to tell a good story.
Fans of Kagawa's The Eternity Cure and Amanda Sun's Ink will enjoy this tale of blood lust!
AMALIE HOWARD is a USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling author, most notably of The Beast of Beswick, “a smart, sexy, deliciously feminist romance,” and one of O-The Oprah Magazine’s Top 24 Best Historicals to Read. She is the co-author of the #1 bestsellers in regency romance and Scottish historical romance, My Rogue, My Ruin and What A Scot Wants, and has also penned several young adult novels, critically acclaimed by Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, VOYA, School Library Journal, and Booklist, including Waterfell, The Almost Girl, and Alpha Goddess, a Kid’s INDIE NEXT selection. Of Indo-Caribbean descent, she has written articles on multicultural fiction for The Portland Book Review and Ravishly magazine. She currently resides in Colorado with her husband and three children. Visit her at amaliehoward.com.
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