Riot Reviews

Of course, if the book wasn’t as kickass as it is, it probably would not have gotten the kind of press it did. And then there were the quotes from fellow writers; that had to be gratifying to someone like Kristen Painter to get accolades from the likes of everyone from Larrisa Ione and L.A. Banks to Patricia Briggs and P.C. Cast. These are all writers that live and breathe the paranormal world, and loved the series. When Larris Ione says that the book’s writing “blew me away” it is kinda hard to ignore the implications that the gal knows her stuff.

Personally, I love the concept of a race of beings that are bred specifically to feed vampires. Especially when that race has a secret agenda of their own, one that their vampire masters are completely unaware of. The character Chrysabelle, a slave to her master vampire whose murder throws her into the arms of a royal outcast vampire, is strong without being hard and sensual without being bawdy. She is the perfect foil for Mal, the outcast royalty and the relationship makes great scaffolding upon which the story can unfold. And the continuing thread of mystery from the House of Commare makes the three books a great read as a whole, while still leaving each book its own self-contained story.

The House of Commare

Romance, danger, mystery this series has it all. In Chrysabelle we have beauty, strength and smarts all rolled up together in one great package. Author Kristen Painter has said in an interview that the character came to her in a dream. In fact, she says that the whole vision of the world of the House of Commare came to her in dreams so vivid she needed to write them down. It explains why the language in the books is both archaic and modern at the same time, because the language of dreams can so often have two stories. But that is part of what makes them work so well. In Blood Rights we get to meet the main characters and are introduced to the machinations of the vampire masters. Immortal, darkly devious and dangerous, they continue to rule with a heavy hand, leaving the ordinary humans unaware of their existence. Only the Commare, those humans bred to serve the vampire lords know of them, and they cannot leave. Pampered, like a favored pet, they are still little more than slaves kept for the blood they can provide.

In Flesh and Blood we see the talisman that was the center of the first book continues to thwart the ambitions of many around Chrysabelle. Here the veil between human and Comarre is torn and war seems imminent. Into this chaos strides Creek, to bring division between Chrysabelle and Mal and perhaps even end the journey they began together. Lust, love loyalty and revenge all play a part in the quest for justice. I won’t give away secrets but the ending is not what you are expecting.

Of course, everything comes to a head in Bad Blood, with Samhain coming up and hell ready to break loose. Chrysabelle continues her search for her unknown brother, and once again that elusive talisman is creating havoc. It seems fitting that much of the book centers on New Orleans, as Creek fights for his life and the whole world of the Comarre is brought into question.

Obviously, this is not a book for the faint of heart. If you love your vampire tales to be dark and adventurous tales, then this is the series for you. Delicate beauty twinned with dark determination, it is a great combination in any kind of story, but with a vampire tale it is just the right balance.

Amanda Hocking and Company

While it is true that there are the genuine gems in the indie vampire world, like Amanda Hocking who has managed to put out a bunch of great little books on her own before she signed that giant book deal with St. Martin’s Press, there are some dogs out there too. In fact, without naming any names (because you will never see them reviewed here, I don’t believe in doing negative reviews) there are quite a few really atrocious books out there in crying need of decent editing.

I agree with Mellissa and Amy, sometimes it is just a matter of money and the author intends to find an editor just as soon as they make some money to pay them. But heck – basic grammar and spelling can at least get caught with a good spell-check program. Some of this stuff is cringe-worthy simply because there is a good story in there somewhere, but for some of us getting past the bad writing makes it impossible to enjoy.

The good news is still out there. The fact that nothing less than the prestigious New York Times Bestseller list has said they will start listing indie titles says a lot for the changes in the world about the legitimate status of indie titles. Of course, it might be a bit surprising to see an indie vampire book making it to the list anytime soon, but you never know!

Too Many Vampires?

The other side of this bursting of the indie publishing scene is that we are also getting so much smart and intelligent paranormal writing. Even if it isn’t always coming from the smaller presses, I really believe that the existence of the indie market makes the big houses take heed. However, we need to decide that having hundreds of new titles every month is not as important as good writing with decent editing. It used to be that you waiting in tortured silence for your favorite author to come out with a new book, usually every couple of years. Now it seems as though doing several books a year is a requirement. Perhaps we will find that slowing down also creates those better quality books we all love so much. A girl can dream, can’t she?

In the meantime, go out there and enjoy the swell of great indie writers we have. The Huffington Post may not believe that 2012 is heading to be the Year of the Indie Writer, but for all the problems we talk about I still think it is a rising tide. And you know what they say about a rising tide, it carries all the boats along with it- so get ready for the next big wave!

From the start King’s Blood is one of the New Vampire Books in 2012 with a story like very few you have ever read. It has a hip feel to it, one that draws you in and keeps you there. The story of Jack King is the tale of a vampire who is living in today’s world of lack of privacy, social networks and romance where the first thing you do after a date is “google” your date to be sure he isn’t a mass murderer. It is not the world Jack King was born into, but it is the one he lives in now.

Jack is just a vampire with needs like anyone else, he would like to have friends he can trust and a mate he can be in love with without having to look over his shoulder. There was a time, he tells us, when people were basically ignorant and being a vampire was an easier thing to maintain. But today, with the proliferation of vampires in books and magazines, he finds it is getting harder to maintain his cover.

In this, the first part of a series, Jack introduces himself and chats with us about how someone who has been around as long as he has (and he doesn’t really tell you just how long that is) deals with the modern world. Along the way we get to know those handful of people he has come to trust, and meet the gal he hopes will be more than a friend.

A fun departure from the usual vampire tale, with King’s Blood author P.J. Day has introduced a whole new kind of vampire. He may not be the suave vampire of Anne Rice’s world, nor does he sparkle like the latest movie vampires. But Day’s vampire holds his own; and out of all the New Vampire Books in 2012 he brings us a new way to appreciate our dark brethren.