Customer Reviews

Blood Born

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Not sure why the reviews on this book are not better. I enjoyed this book alot...Yes there is a lot of backround but the characters were interesting and you really felt their emotions. Very well written. I can not wait to read the next books in this series. Lots of new twists in the vampire world in this book. I would recommend it highly.

I have stopped reading books by Linda Howard as her stories have become cold, boring and I didn't like her characters. While on holiday I needed something to read and seeing that Linda Jones was co-writing the story I tried again. I really enjoyed this story and am looking forward to the next book in the series.This book was well worth buying.

This book surprised me in many ways, not always in a good way but it did nonetheless. It's the first book in a new series and as in most first books it has the bitter task of introducing the world and the characters.

The world we are thrown in is nothing totally unique but it worked for me. We have vampires living hidden between the ignorant humans who are unaware of the danger they live in. Vampires aren't completely the way they are often pictured in these kind of book but they aren't really something new either. They drink blood, they don't like the light but can learn to tolerate it and they can't breach into your home because of spell cast a few hundred years back. But all the rest we think to know about them isn't true. The vampires in this book are mostly aloof to say it nice. They see the humans as a necessity, something they need to live. They need the human blood and the best way to do that is to stay hidden in the dark or otherwise the humble humans would start a rebellion against the monsters. That's what most of the vampires think. In the last few years a group of rebells formed and now wants to grab the reigns of the world and form it the way they want it: vampires as masters and the humans nothing more as kettle. We also have the immortal warriors who are there to save the human race from the danger that will come. They are from another world and can only enter ours if invited by a so called conduit, a special human descendant of this warrior. The conduits are the warrior's only way to get here so it is a logically step for the vampire rebells to try to destroy this passage. So the conduit hunt begins.

The story starts with one of the oldest vampires in this world- Luca Ambrus. He is our hero and one of the few blood born vampires (that means he is the child of 2 vampires and not turned through blood transfer as most of them are). He's very old (2000+ years) and powerful, he has gifts most vampires can't even imagine and he likes to live on his own, secluded from the rest of the world. For me Luca was not easy to like. He's not a bad guy or had any major flaws I could point out now but he just didn't do it for me. His actions his reason to do them were mostly wrong in my mind. He did good things and all the stuff hero's are supposed to do but I never had the feeling he did cuz of the right reasons. I'm not sure if that makes any sense at all to you but it is hard to explain. Perhaps he was too aloof for me but it was right to make him that way. I know that 2000 years of experience would make someone different and perhaps he was just too different for me.

Chloe is a conduit and of course she doesn't know that. She has an ordinary life with even more ordinary problems. When the first vampire tries to kill her she is thrown headfirst in a world of monsters and her only help is Luca. He offers his help and she knows it would be stupid to refuse. She wants to live and she was never someone to shy away from problems. I really liked Chloe as a character. She is a strong woman with the right morals and a good attitude. I enjoyed reading her part of the book and was a bit disappointed that there weren't more parts about her. I disagreed with her a few times and some choices really pissed me off but I still liked her.

That brings me directly to one part of the book I didn't like so much. We have again a vast variety of POVs. I never noticed it so much in the past but I kind of run into more of those books in the last few books. It could be that it is only me but I was highly annoyed with the ongoing shift between places and characters. It always happened when I just started to feel for a certain character and bam we are thrown into a totally different storyline again and I was left wanting more of the last one. Not a good start for the next part and so it went on and on. I think I really am no fan of this.

Also worth a mention is Sorin- he is the second in command of the bad rebel vampires and I really enjoyed his part in the book. He was a good mix of good and bad and he really drew me in. I so hope he gets his own book in this series. He is so worthy of my interest.

All in all I think the many story-lines and different plot directions distracted a bit too much from the romance between Chloe and Luca. I was surprised that they loved each other at the end. The world building was nicely done and the story was interesting. The story didn't grab me as much as I wanted it too but all in all I still want to read book 2, Warrior Rising. I'm highly intrigued by both Sorin and his heroine Iklayina.

Originally posted at: [...]

Vampires are set to rule the world and the only thing in their way are two measly human women; what threat could they possible pose?

Blood Born starts off with drama - dark, intense and intricate. It seemed to me that there was a lot of world building going on to help a reader understand the stakes and the nefarious nature of the plot. The concept of warriors on call is interesting. The fact that no one remembers how to call them is reminiscent of the gods of Olympus--are gods still powerful when people no longer worship them? Not usually and, in this case, we humans being so resistive to magic is our downfall. Science has us believing that if it can't be touched, seen or dissected by a super computer, it's not real. The more we get away from the balance of nature the easier it is for bad things to happen to humans--because anything not explainable is crazy, right? Our non-belief is our Achilles heel. And it's a great set-up for this story. It made me wonder what, if anything, do we discount because of science? And what are we missing out on because of it? In this book, we are going to miss having human autonomy.

And the plot thickens.

There is a varied cast of characters that weave an intricate dance throughout the tale. I liked Luca - a really old hunk of a vampire who thinks he's seen it all, done it all and humans no longer cause him surprise. I liked that he ended up annoyed, bemused and perplexed by the very beings he thought simple. The older they are, the harder they fall. Chloe is a character I got to meet before she gets mixed up in the politics. Her reaction is understandable and commendable. Chloe is a wonderful balance to Luca if she but knew it. Soren is one of the villains but even villains have hidden depths and the authors dug deep for this guy. What they found was an interesting surprise. Every time I saw the name Indie, I imagined someone with that classic Fedora instead I got someone who was a very cool character who was very proficient with a sword. There was a vampire who was a victim just like the humans and I felt bad for him. Nevada, although not the love interest, is a main character with plenty of guts and determination. Once I got the full scope of what she'd been through, my estimation for her as a person rose to considerable heights. How many people, male or female, could do what she ends up doing? Not many I bet. Certainly not me--well, if that stuff were real.

The true villain is A person of great power and great insanity. The old saying, `absolute power corrupts absolutely' could have been coined by someone dealing with this person. What a whack-job. But then again, what great villain isn't to some degree?

When Luca and Chloe do get together for a bit, it's steamy and life altering--but I won't tell you for whom.

The build-up is slow in the beginning but once all the players are in place and the authors are sure of where they want the reader to be, it's pandemonium, action, suspense and high drama. The happily ever after is pretty clear for a certain couple but there are hints that there are more to come and even that relationship is going to be dicey. And I can't wait.

Blood Born is a tightly written, rich and vibrant tale of good versus evil, love sneaking up and blindsiding the hero, other heroes being born in the heat of battle and a destiny unfolding of historic importance. This was an amazing read for me especially when at first I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. I ended up loving it and would recommend it to all fans of suspenseful paranormal romances.

1st...I love this book.

2nd...I was trying to find out when the 2nd book in the series would be published. Well the book has been written, and the title is Warrior Rising.

BUT....the publisher says the bottom has fallen out of the Vampire book market and they've put the book on hold indefinitely.

Shame on Ballantine publishing.

This book was wonderful. I enjoyed meeting the charcters and learning the background for this series. I would definitely recommend this book. I am eagerly awaiting book two. The story is written beautifully and the charcters are complex enought to hold my interest. I was only sadden by the fact I have to wait till Spring 2011. You will not be disappointed.

Two good writers team up and voila--a truly awful book is created. The plot: rebel vampires are trying to take over the world. Hero vampire and female human try to stop the takeover. Yes, there is sex...generally sick, never anything romantic. And my, does this book need editing. It is as if they didn't read the other writer's sections. The same story points are repeated and repeated and...well, you get the picture.

This is apparently the beginning of a series (the bad news). The good news is that I didn't pay for the book, it was a gift. And second, having read one, I never will be tempted to read another one in the series.

It's fun, it's absorbing, it's engrossing enough to make the family get take-out and leave you alone to finish your book.

Stop assuming this book isn't good! The collaboration between Linda & Linda is seamless. Linda Howard's voice comes through clearly, but it's Linda Howard all grown up. Either Linda Jones, a good editor, or both made this book better than any of LH's most recent offerings, all of which I enjoyed. This is the best Linda Howard book in years.

The back stories for the four or five main characters are interesting, and the characters are compelling. Readers need to know them in order to fully enjoy the plot. Some reviewers apparently want a 185 page book. Fine, go away. Find a different book. Every page of "Blood Born" is good reading.

When people act out of character, a book loses integrity. How do you get a vampire to act out of character? Well, define what vampires think and how they live (these vampires are alive), then if they do something else, it annoys the readers. "Blood Born" is never inconsistent. People act like humans, vampires act vampy within the parameters the authors lay down for them.

Once the characters start to interact with each other, the story becomes a runaway train. Although never slow or boring, the action accelerates gradually until it's impossible to stop reading. This book could stand alone, but the setup for the next installment had me groaning to learn that it won't be released until April, 2011.

I enjoyed this one. What I'm not excited about is that I have to wait a full year and a few months to read the next book in the series.

Lucas Ambrus is blessed and cursed. People forget who he is the minute they're not looking at him. It's helpful being a vampire, but unless you're the strongest of the strong vampires you won't remember him. It's difficult for him to have any connections with vampires or people.

Chloe Fallon is a conduit. There's a war brewing and her warrior is trying to come through to stop it. As more and more warriors are trying to get through the rebel vampires are taking the conduits out before they can enter this world.

Lucas happens to stumble upon Chloe as one of the rebels is trying to kill her and he saves her. What he doesn't understand is why Chloe is different and can remember him. While Lucas is trying to stop the war he also needs to protect Chloe.

There were a lot of character dynamics in this novel. There were a lot of characters I'd like to learn more about and a few characters that were cut short that I feel like I'll miss. It kept me entertained and wanting to read more and more. I didn't want to put this one down.

I was a bit disappointed at the end as it just sort of ended but I think it was mainly to setup the beginning of book two. Still, I wish it had a little more of a conclusion.

I loved this book! The romance wasn't a huge factor in this book, it was there, but so many other things were going on. It was fast paced and I found myself not wanting to put it down. A different take on the vampire world. There were a few things in this book that reminded me of other series by other authors. I didn't really mind, I still loved it and can't wait to read the next one in this series