Fledgling - Mari Miniatt

This is another indie author, who has realease her first novel, an adult vampire story that goes backt o basics. Mari Miniatt's story is definitely not for kids!

-->Beka just got bitten. Not by your average vampire though. This guy’s real - seven feet tall, fierce and Slavic. The way they should be. Now Beka’s one of them. She has to learn to accept the changes, and the consequences. There are always consequences. Her first problem is a power-hungry runt, who will do anything to get what he wants. But, what exactly is that? Once they find out what this guy wants, things get complicated...and stay that way.

Independent author Mari Miniatt has gone back to fantasy basics with this little gem. The vampires aren’t sweet, and they certainly don’t glitter. The main character in this book is not your average skinny girl, and she’s more than willing to get her hands dirty. She’s different, clever and much more realistic. And she’s definitely not throwing herself at the first sucker she sees. In fact, she’s terrified by the idea of vampirism– like a normal person would be! Her first reaction is exactly how people should be reacting, which is what makes her lovable from the beginning. 

Another great thing about this book is the different take on other fantastical creatures. One such example is of a berserk (don’t ask, just read the book) that gets involved in a lovely little fight scene (my favourite scene). The fight scenes: beautifully original, and just enough that they don’t get boring.

One thing that I was a little disappointed with was the lack of characterisation. I didn’t get a good understanding of the characters until quite late in the book. It would’ve been nice to know more about the characters earlier on, to make it easier to get attached to the characters and genuinely want to know about their adventures. This is one thing that may make it difficult to get into the book, but that’s probably different for each person. Another small thing is that the characters only ever ‘say’ things. There wasn’t much yelling or any other kind of emotion in the speech. But again, that could be easier on the imagination, because it doesn’t restrict how a character says something.

With this criticism, I think this book is very original, in comparison with some of the drivel that gets published these days. While the author’s writing style may not be for everyone, the story is a definite recommendation for vampire lovers.You'll like this if you're into old skool vampire lore.

Hush Money - Susan Bischoff

This, my first review as Madam Reads-Alot, was originally posted on Goodreads (will link to my Goodreads profile soon).
A bit about Susan: she's an indie author who specialises in superpowers. Hush Money is her first novel, hopefully to be followed by second soon. I quite liked this one.

-->Be normal, invisible. Don’t get close to anyone. Kids with psychic abilities tend to mysteriously disappear when they get noticed. Joss has spent years trying to hide. Now she has an unasked-for best friend, who is the victim of an extortion plot by the school bully, who used to like Joss, who is best friends with her long-time crush, who is actually talking to her. Life just got more complicated.

In her first novel, Susan Bischoff brings us this original beauty about common kids with terrifying Talents, and what becomes of them when they get caught out. She’s managed to write a used idea in a way that could quickly make superpowers the new vampirism. 

While there are typical teenage girls and boys written into the story, the main characters have qualities which many teens (and older) can associate with. Realistic attitude, not too attractive and awkward teenage emotions carry the relationships into a zone that’s easily understandable and a little bittersweet, given the circumstances. The dialogue has a nice zing to it, with the perfect amount of young sarcasm and nerve. The narration of more than one character allows a better insight to the complications of supernatural teenage love. It’s a great way to watch the relationship between characters develop throughout the story.

One thing that bugged me was the focus on a fellow student as the main antagonist. Of course, there was the government agency that was threatening the lives of all those with Talents, but there wasn’t enough focus on that. Instead, we see quite a bit of Marco, the blackmailing, abusive jock, menacing people into getting his way. This kind of character may seem like a huge problem in a teenage world, but I think that the higher power of the government should’ve had a more dominant and foreboding role in the story.

Having said this, Hush Money is an excellent and easy read. The writing was clear and in no way convoluted. I’d recommend this to fans of Cassandra Clare and Claudia Gray. Hot stuff!