Review: A great start
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 02 7, 2013
Hit the ground running was the impression I got when I started this book. Within the first ten pages we are plunged, head first, into Selena's life, witnessing a monumental change such as her transition into vampire-hood and the honing and perfecting of the skills that come with it. We also get a view of the dynamics of her home life. Although brought up by a caring and loving surrogate mother, her every move was managed and scrutinized peripherally by her powerful and lethal father that wanted nothing shy of perfection. Selena is an emotionally and physically busy girl; juggling the demands of life as heir to the Northeastern faction of vampires and as a 25 year old engaging in activities young adults commonly do. On one hand, she wants to live a normal life free from the constant responsibility her father and her people place on her and, yet, on the other hand, she wants nothing more than to please her father and gain his approval.Written entirely from Selena's perspective, the book moves quickly. There can be days, weeks, or even months that go by from paragraph to paragraph. At first this annoyed me because I felt like I was missing part of the story, but then I realized the necessity for this and it wasn't an issue for me anymore. There is a lot happening in this book. Not only are we witnessing the whirlwind life of Selena as she navigates through sorting out issues and dealing with tasks set forth by her father, but we are also involved with her personal life and the choices made there. This is a book about relationships and there are several happening alongside each other. With the main character alone, we have the dynamic of Selena and Celia, her surrogate mother; Selena and her father; Selena and her booty-calls; Selena and her friends; Selena and her boyfriend; and Selena and her reluctant soul-mate. They all come together to aid in the construction of an extremely flawed character, Selena. I liked that she was because it humanized her, making her vulnerable and reachable. I like the way Carrara addressed the soul-mate aspect of the story. Both characters are aware of destiny's pull and both try to fight it. It wasn't an automatic, take it at face-value type of encounter that we see a lot in PNR novels, but one that both characters fought (maybe Selena not as hard) to try to keep their autonomy.Overall, the story had a lot of elements for a short and sweet read: Action, paranormal, lusty tension, and smoking hot love scenes.I will definitely be continuing this series.