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.