Source: Review Copy from Author in exchange for an honest review
A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forest
Series: A Shade of Vampire #1
Genre: Vampires, YA, Paranormal
Pages: 149 (ebook)
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Description:
On the evening of Sofia Claremont's seventeenth birthday, she is sucked into a nightmare from which she cannot wake. A quiet evening walk along a beach brings her face to face with a dangerous pale creature that craves much more than her blood. She is kidnapped to an island where the sun is eternally forbidden to shine. An island uncharted by any map and ruled by the most powerful vampire coven on the planet. She wakes here as a slave, a captive in chains. Sofia's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn when she is the one selected out of hundreds of girls to join the harem of Derek Novak, the dark royal Prince. Despite his addiction to power and obsessive thirst for her blood, Sofia soon realizes that the safest place on the island is within his quarters, and she must do all within her power to win him over if she is to survive even one more night. Will she succeed? ...or is she destined to the same fate that all other girls have met at the hands of the Novaks?My Rating:
My Review: Sofia is abducted from the human world and whisked away to a mysterious vampire world where it is always night and vampires have built their homes in the trees. She is soon gifted to Derek Novak, the Prince who has just awakened after being asleep for hundreds of years. Though Sofia is afraid, she attempts to be brave so she can find her way home. Luckily, Derek is instantly enthralled with Sofia and tries to protect her but not everyone has her best interests in mind.
Told through the alternative points of views of Derek and Sofia, this read may appeal to Twilight lovers because the romance has a similar feel. I liked that Derek's protectiveness didn't venture into the realm of creepy and I really feel that Derek and Sofia's romance had potential. While I definitely saw potential, I just thought this one lacked development. I wasn't convinced that Sofia wasn't TSTL (Too Stupid to Live). I felt every other phrase was "I don't know why I feel this way, but I do" (paraphrased by me) and that simply wasn't enough for me. As the reader, I want to feel the same way Sofia does even if it is illogical. I want to be just as enthralled and it just fell flat. I ended up not connecting to Sofia or any other characters and there wasn't much depth in the way of side characters.
Overall, this felt like a one dimensional read. That's okay sometimes.