REVIEW: Descended by Blood (Vampire Born) by Angeline Kace

 

Author: Angeline Kace

Series: Vampire Born

Genre: Young Adult - Paranormal

Pages: 263

Publisher: Accendo Press

Amazon: Descended by Blood

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

Brooke Keller is a high school junior who has never spent much time living in one place. She is finally in a town long enough to almost snag the boy of her dreams, until her life is threatened after killing a fanged man in his attempt to kidnap her. Brooke begins a dangerous journey in an effort to find out who is after her and how to stop them. In a world with powerful and prejudiced vampires, Brooke must tap into the side of her that she never knew existed at the risk of losing her life in order to save it.

MY REVIEW: 4 out of 5 stars

Brooke Keller is a 16-year-old high school student who has never had a chance to settle in the same town for longer than a few years because of her mother’s constant need to move. Just as Brooke starts to feel more settled in her latest hometown of Buena Vista, Virgina – she has a handsome new boyfriend and a loyal best friend, she is followed by a strange man who eventually approaches and attacks her but what shocks her more is her strength and ability to fend him off and eventually kill him.

Events that follow lead to Brooke finding out she is a half-breed vampire – a Pijawikan and her father is possibly one of the strongest vampires around and the bad guys want to use her for their own nefarious purposes. Her life is now in danger and also of those who are closest to her so she is moved to a military base compound of sorts where she will be protected, trained and taught to hone in on her abilities as well as learn more about her heritage with the handsome and intriguing Mirko.

I absolutely loved Mirko! He is a Zao Duh – a made vampire. He is sarcastic, cocky and gorgeous and I am really eager to read more about him in the next installment.

I really enjoyed the history we are given on the Pijawikas and Zao Duh, they were certainly a unique and fascinating way of describing the types of vampires. I also liked the reasoning behind the villain’s pursuit of Brooke, it was definitely a power struggle and I am eager to see how it all pans out.

The secondary characters were written well, I loved the relationship Brooke shared with her best friend Kaitlynn, it was a really close bond which I enjoyed reading about. I loved Jaren initially but didn’t like how indecisive he became; I adored Lijepa and was saddened by her demise; as for Mirko – Yummo! I am looking forward to seeing how his relationship progresses with Brooke. Each of the characters had depth and were believable.

What prevented me from giving Descended by Blood 5 stars was the insta-love declarations, I wish they could have held back and let their relationship develop at a pace that was realistic and believable for their age. I am also not a love triangle fan - other than this, Descended by Blood was a really enjoyable read.

All in all, Descended by Blood is fast paced, action packed and entertaining, I enjoyed Ms Kace’s unique take on vampires, the riveting story she has created and her easy flowing writing style kept me engrossed from the start to the end of the book.

I am keen to read the next book in the series, Enemy Within which has an anticipated 2012 release date.

 

Obtained: Amazon for Kindle