The Vampire Hunter's Daughter Book Tour: Review & GIVEAWAY

Welcome to our stop of Jennifer Malon Wright's The Vampire Hunter's Daughter book tour! This tour is hosted by Bewitching Book Tours and today I get to share my thoughts on the novellas and share a piece of the collection to get you interested. By the way, you can read the first one for free on Amazon!

My Review

After watching her mother brutally killed before her by creatures she never believed existed, Chloe Kallistrate is sent to live with her grandfather in a community of people who live to destroy those like the monsters who murdered her mother: vampires. Sent by her father to capture her for unknown purposes, they continue to bombard the community with vicious attacks while Chloe trains and learns to accept her heritage as a vampire hunter. But being half hunter and half the creature she lives to destroy comes with some odd talents. As more people are hurt trying to save her from the attacks, she has to make a choice: stay with the only family she has left, or hand herself over to the monster who created her.


I thought that this book was very interesting, especially in the way it was arranged. Six "parts" that are shaped like extremely long chapters make up the collection, each one having a slightly different focus. The entire novel is based in Chloe's perspective, showing how she grows from a clueless girl to an almost trained hunter still coming into her abilities.

I really enjoyed discovering Chloe's heritage and gifts along with her, as well as the way Jennifer Malone Wright was able to integrate some bits of classical mythology while putting her own twist on it. It was wonderful to get to know all of the characters, especially Drew, her grandfather, Luke, and eventually Oscar as well. I felt so bad for a certain green-eyed somebody when we learned about the pain he had to deal with throughout his childhood and was ready to tear the head off of the woman that caused it right along with Chloe.

Most of all, I really appreciated that Chloe's father, Trevor, wasn't painted as a completely soulless monster. Yes, everything he was planning was horrible, but every character should have the chance to tell their story, even if we believe them to be evil.

Rating: 4 stars

   Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnddddddddd.............now its my turn. After spending several long, tiring, hours in the middle of the night cramming to finish this book, I have grown attached to the book. There is nothing like spending time with a book in the long hours of the night to get you attached to it. Am I right or am I right? Of course, I am right.

  

   Now, for my review about the book.

    Thanks to Taylor, you all now know what this book is about. THANK YOU! It  keeps me from having to repeat what you all already know. So by now you all know about Chloe Kallistrate, the girl who was raised for fourteen years who wakes up one day by her mother at 2:47 a.m. You all know that learns about her heritage as a vampire hunter. Funny thing that....She is a vampire hunter and she just happens to be half vampire. Talk about a plot twist. Now, you all know that she ends up witnessing her mother, the Great Felicia Kallistrate , being murdered by the very same creatures that she used to hunt.

     Now, don't get me wrong, I liked the book. As a vampire fan, I truly loved the original twist that went with this book. There really aren't that many half-vampire vampire hunter's that come into this world. Now allow me to state what I loved about the book.

     I loved the characters  No book is complete without a hot male figure who can kick some serious.....butt. Obviously I am talking about Drew. Then there is the loving grandfather figure in Luke. I seriously love that man. Who wouldn't?

    And finally we have, Chloe. The half-vampire girl who wants to kill her father, the vampire who wants to drink her blood on the day of her 16th birthday so as to be able to walk in out into the daylight. Now, can we have a round of applause for daughter-father bonding? I have to admit though, the fact that she was able to live for a year with her father and keep from murdering him altogether, is quite an accomplishment. I admire the way she has the courage to manage that. Kudos to Ms.Wright.
      

Rating: 3 Stars

And here's that excerpt I promised....

The Excerpt

"I took the first book off the stack and examined the cover. It was titled Vampires throughout History. The cover was leather and so old it was stiff and cracked in spots. The pages showed signs of age too, yellowing and stiff to the touch. There was no table of contents, so it looked like I was going to have to scan the entire book for what I was wanting. I flipped the pages carefully, so as not to tear any of them. 

After an hour of scanning and about half way through the book, I found something referring to vampire children. 

 ~~~ 

Although extremely rare, the natural-born offspring of vampires exist throughout the world. These rare beings are called the dhampir. Dhampir are usually the product of a vampire and mortal. The most common of these unions is a male vampire impregnating a mortal woman. Vampires, both male and female, are seductive in nature and some mortals came willingly to these unions. However, the majority of dhampir born were produced through an act of rape. 

Solitary by nature, it is uncommon for a vampire to settle with any one mate for long. The children of vampires, the dhampir, more often than not exhibit all the characteristics of their vampire parent. The strength, speed and agility are the usual hereditary traits that the children develop. They are not always born with these traits but develop them as they grow into adulthood. 

The dhampir are day walkers. Some of these children are sensitive to the sunlight but will not perish in the direct rays. Most have no sensitivity at all. Drinking the fresh blood of mortals is also not usually required of the dhampir; however, some have a liking for it. Very few actually need it to survive. 

Most dhampir are rejected by the vampire species because of their mortality and weaknesses. Mortals often reject the dhampir, as well, due to their vampirism, so they frequently remain outcast. 

Dhampir are known for becoming vampire killers. Their closeness to the vampires and their vampire characteristics make them powerful vampire hunters. The unique ability to track and kill vampires is specific to only the dhampir and the mythological race of vampire hunters. 

Historically, dhampir became vampire hunters as a trade. Towns and villages became plagued by vampires who were terrorizing their homes and killing their people. The dhampir accepted contracts in exchange for monetary payment and used their likeness to their vampire counterparts to exterminate the vampires. 

~~~ 

Holy crap, that was a lot to process. The more I read the passages, the more I understood that my being a hunter was more than my heritage; it was my history and my future. Everything about my bloodlines had hunters involved."

About the Book

This special edition of The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter contains parts I-VI, the complete collection. 

Fourteen-year-old Chloe witnesses her mother’s murder at the hands of a vampire. Before the vampire can kidnap her, there is an unexpected rescue by a group of vampire hunters. 

Overwhelmed by the feeling of safety, Chloe passes out and they whisk her away to their small community. When Chloe wakes, she comes face to face with the only other living relative, besides her mother, whom she has ever met: her grandfather. Chloe’s mother kept her hidden from the family; now, Chloe tries to unveil the family secrets. 

Through her grandfather, she learns her mother was a vampire hunter. In fact, her entire family is descended from the powerful bloodlines of vampire hunters. Chloe agrees to join the family she has never known for one reason only: Chloe vows to kill the vampire responsible for her mother’s murder. With vengeance in her soul, Chloe is even more determined to follow through on her vow when she discovers the true identity of her enemy and how he is connected to her. 

Experience the world of vampires hunter’s, vampires and mythology with Chloe in this exciting series.

Amazon                    Goodreads                    B&N

About the Author

Jennifer Malone Wright resides in the beautiful mountains of northern Idaho with her husband and five children. Between the craziness of taking care of her children, whose ages range from fourteen all the way down to six months, and being a homemaker, Jennifer has little time left for herself. The time she does have left, usually leading far into the night, is spent working on freelance work or her beloved fiction. 

When she grew up, Jennifer always had her nose in a book. She has been writing stories and poems since grade school. This love of the written word and her strong interest in the paranormal is what has led to her first novel “The Birth of Jaiden.” In addition to being a mother and homemaker, Jennifer is also a very proud military wife. Moving around the country for the last ten years has made her a bit of a nomad and she finds it difficult to be in one place for too long. Jennifer is also the author of The Birth of Jaiden, a paranormal novel filled with action, suspense, and even a love story.

Website            Facebook            Twitter            Goodreads            Amazon

 

The Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

The Blitz

Review at Dear, Restless Reader

Promo at Reginamayross's Blog

Promo at Book Addict

Interview at Andi's Young Adult Books

Promo at Jessabella Reads

Promo at Juliana Haygert

Promo at Monique Morgan

Promo at Books, Books, The Magical Fruit

Interview & Promo at Bookworms Avenue

Promo at The Solitary Bookworm 

Promo at Victoria Danann

Promo at Blooding Book Reviews

Interview at Keeping Up With The Rheinlander's

Interview and Review at Book Dream Land

Promo at From Corsets to Bustiers

Review at Marked By Books

Promo at Phenomenal Reviews

Interview and Promo at Mom With A Kindle

Promo at Krystal's Enchanting Reads

Character Interview at Happy Tails and Tales 

A copy of the novel was provided for us in exchange for an honest review.

Review of Bohemia by Veronika Carnaby

I just have to say that for about half of this book, I couldn't get the song "Pure Imagination" from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory out of my head. This book resembled the song in so many ways: the characters were looking for a place where there was nothing to changing the world into the creative wonderland they thought it should be, a place where "you'll be free if you truly wish to be."

I know that this is not the usual type of book that we read, but when Marked By Books was contacted by the author, Veronika Carnaby, we figured that we'd give the book a shot anyways. The idea seemed interesting, and the book looked like it had a lot of promise, fresh from the mind of a young author. The largest issue was probably the need for a more colorful cover, but luckily the rest of the book doesn't follow suit so monotonously.

In her debut novel, Veronika Carnaby picks up where the Beat Generation left off. Set in 1960, Bohemia chronicles a group of twenty-somethings who defy the "ideals" of a mid-twentieth century society to seek creative fulfillment. In the process, they spotlight the creative path that artists of all mediums tread, all the while depicting the challenges faced by youth in the decade that changed the world.

I have mixed feelings about this book. There were some very interesting high points dispersed throughout, and some constant pieces that I enjoyed, but I couldn't really seems to get into the story. I don't know if this is just not my kind of book, or what, but it just seemed like it jumped around too much for my taste. Nobody ever seemed to stay in the same place for long, giving me literary whiplash, but it was really interesting to see how Veronika Carnaby was able to individually describe each location not just by what it looked like at the time, but also by the type of people that would be found there.

All of the characters were extremely unpredictable so it was hard to keep a hold of them at times, but I think they were each very defined in their personalities, which I liked a lot. It's a sign of a very talented writer when they know and describe their characters so well that they seem to be real human beings. I personally think that the characters presented in Bohemia were the most interesting part of the novel as a whole. They were all so different in their own little ways, yet everyone seemed to be connected by a similar eccentricity that comes with being a true artist.

It's fairly obviously that she spent quite a bit of time researching for her debut novel, and I can appreciate that. While the most obvious part of the novel was to trace the journeys of the main character and of those she met along the way, the book seemed to be chock-full of information. She did an absolutely brilliant job of portraying how life was at the time.

I think that some of my favorite parts in the book were when she would go off and describe the passerby that were not apart of the strange and artistic world presented. It was nice to kind of get a break from the quick-paced world that the characters lived in, and to look at how these people would be viewed by those unlike them. It gave me an interesting perspective as to how the magnificent nature of life is viewed by different people in different circles, still while exhibiting an exquisite writing style.

"It was there that I discovered both the beauty and the tragedy of life. Those folks too rushed with a sense of urgency, but for all the wrong reasons. They sped past us and enveloped us until we could no longer see in front, behind, or beside ourselves. We found each other in the eye of a whirling hurricane, swimming against the current of the populous with no escape."

Rating: 2 stars

Now, its my turn. Hello to all! It's Gabby now. Just like Taylor here, I read the book, Bohemia, by Veronika Carnaby but unlike my beloved friend and partner, I enjoyed the book much more. I agree in some respects about the way the book was written, such as how keeping up with the individual characters was hard because of how scattered they were. They always seemed to be jumping about from one area to another and almost never seemed to be able to sit still. Kind of like a form of ADHD without having any of the medications. This itself describes the two men, Jimmy and Lester. They both seem to get these random ideas of adventure and what I enjoyed so much about them is that they act on what they believe in. They don't just say, "Hey, here's an idea to travel and deny the regular ideals of this era, so let's do it!"

No. It doesn't work that way.

They don't say that but through their actions, you can see that that is what is implied. Most people nowadays are less so. They do more barking than biting and that takes away from any appeal it might have had. So, when I read Bohemia, I felt so.... refreshed because through this, I gained a better sense of what dreams can achieve if one just follows them. People sell dreams too much, and by that, how can you gain a sense of true life?

Maybe I am ranting a little. Or a lotta. But, everything I say is true. This is why I like Valerie, the main protagonist, because through her writing, she portrays a sense of freedom and her true self. Like Emm, who paints, she finds freedom in her work. Again, I say that not a lot of people can manage to experience something like this because they are too caught up in all these new gadgets and so called, "self-improvements." So, as I continuously repeat, reading a book such as this one, especially from a new and budding author, gives me hope for the future. Well, for future writers who want to become authors who don't only write about supernatural things. Not that  there is anything wrong with that, because personally, I enjoy reading that genre of book, but it takes a lot to be able to write a book such as this one and accomplish something good and enjoyable.

So, I say cheers to Ms. Carnaby for accomplishing this book and actually making readers be more aware of their surroundings and to never give up on what they wish to accomplish. A hearty thank-you goes out to you from us here at Marked by Books.

Rating: 4 Stars

Amazon              Barnes & Noble                Goodreads              The Book Depository

This book was sent to Marked by Books from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Sweet Evil Read-Along: Road Trips

So I just started Sweet Evil today. And finished it.... today. Do you think I have a problem? Wait a minute, don't answer that.

This book is REALLY good. I fell in love right off the bat with just about all of the characters (hi Patti!), and almost beheaded somebody when I got to the end. Why must sequels take so long?!

I will be posting a review of this at some point in time, but I'd better get back to road trips before I create too big of a book rant for me to pull myself out of.

I personally love road trips. They're the one time when my family is either sleeping (hopefully not the driver, but I wouldn't really be surprised) or in a junk food induced coma and are actually quiet enough for me to read. And I mean the kind of reading that lets you tear through books one after another without care for things like bathroom breaks or breathing. I'm drooling just thinking about it.

But everyone has had their fair share of road trips gone horribly wrong, and I am no exception. So every Christmas, my family drives ten hours to Cleveland, Ohio (which just so happens to be the Rock 'n' Roll Capital of the World, thank you very much). For those of you who are unaware, Cleveland is located in the Snow Belt, that area right around the Great Lakes up north. Which means we get a hundred or so inches of snow every year. And it's not nice and fluffy winter wonderland snow all of the time. Oh no, it's more like a sacrifice-your-first-born-to-the-snow-plows-and-rock-salt-or-fear-the-wrath-of-Jack-Frost kind of snow.

Well, at around nine o'clock, we ran into one of those blizzards. The entire interstate was backed up for miles. You couldn't see a single thing, and all of the roads were covered in black ice. It was pretty obvious that we weren't going anywhere. We were stuck in that exact spot for nine hours! And not only does most of my family snore, but I had the pleasure of being the pillow for my dog while sleeping on the floor of the car.

But it's not like I was going to be getting much sleep anyway. Unless we wanted to be trapped there for the rest of our lives, we had to start the car up every half hour so the engine wouldn't freeze over, and then roll the tires back and forth so that they wouldn't be encased in ice by the time we were able to leave. And people say Ohio is boring.



But what is this I see? Slithering through the uninhabited corners of the blogosphere.... It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's a GABBY!

Welcome to our very first Double Trouble post, where you have the misfortune of dealing with both of us at the same time. I wish you all the very best of luck. Hopefully we won't scare you so much that you never come back.

Have you ever seen the movie "College Road Trip" with Raven Simone? It about a girl who goes on a road trip (obviously) with her father to the college of her dreams: Georgetown. They have obstacles that try and hinder them from reaching their objective. In the long run, the daughter and father get closer and share a bond which nothing can break. Quite original, huh? Sadly, real life road trips aren't as interesting as Hollywood makes them out to be, but that doesn't make them boring either.

Me? I have had my share of road trips. Every summer, my family and I used to Go somewhere that involved driving.  One year we went to New York, another year we went to Orlando, Florida and yet another year we went to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  The 8 to 14 hour drives were never the most comfortable things ever, but they were always worth it. 

For one,  the trips gave us time together as a family that we otherwise probably wouldn't have had. We were in a four-by-four car stuck with one another, so it was inevitable that we'd talk.  We laughed and joked and had our family time. Granted, we shared dinner every night as a family, but there is just something "binding" about being stuck in a car with three other people for hours on end. 

So my point is that road trips are and can be beneficial. Sure they might be claustrophobic... agonizingly cramped.... and even tiring (it might seem a bit odd to be tired after sitting for 8 hours or more, but trust me, IT IS!!) but all in all, it's worth it. You get to bond with people and you gain a sense of accomplishment in the end.