Customer Reviews

The Blood That Bonds (The II AM Trilogy)

5 star:		(119)
4 star:		(57)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(22)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

Agree with another reviewer that the book cover isn't great. There are so many vampire books out there now that it's very hard to find one that's original. This book is highly original, and perfectly paced. The characters are unique (a heroin addicted prostitute that's not a cliche? Great job!), the author makes you care about them, and they're intriguing enough to hope there's a sequel. I want to find out more about the history of this line of vampires. Hope the author keeps up the good work.

I guess I'm a more discerning critic as compared to other reviewers. I thought this was a decent story, but not 5 star worthy! The plot was interesting and the characters well developed. What irritated me was that clearly no one proofread this before going to print. Typos and blatent inconsistencies. Enough to make you stumble as you read. Examples: Theroen (male character) references Samantha (another character) by name, but on the next page says he doesn't know her name. No, not part of the plot, simply poor attention to detail. Another example would be confused pronouns: Two's (female character) mind is referenced as "his mind." And I can only presume from the plot line when I read "I do now know [xyz], I do not know [abc], I do not know [lmn]" that "now" should've been "not"... It made more sense, at least. All in all, this is a light read for those looking for entertainment, just know that this is now...er, I mean, not worthy of 5 stars (IMHO).

Plain and simple, I picked this up as a freebie because it was a vampire book. All I can say is it is unassuming AND not the same predictible story! I love reading the tried and true series, but it is so nice to find a new author (well, new to me) with 'out of the norm' characters and a fresh storyline. I'm not going into the storyline because you can read it on the cover, but when you find yourself thinking about the characters three days after you finish the book - you know it made an impression on you. This was a really good book! Sure, there were a few narratives I hurried through, but overall the author did a great job of sucking me in (no pun intended) and wondering what would come next. I finished in one day and ran straight to the computer to search the author for more. I don't see one, but I hope there's a sequel coming soon!!

You will not be disappointed with this tale. The cover leaves much to be desired, but the story is well written. It is raw, captivating yet heart wrenching.

Sequel? Yes, please and thank you.

I'll start with the obvious: the book was OK, in a fashion.

As to why, I'll say in broader terms I think this book will appeal vastly more to women than men. It has overliberal smut, and a good measure of "woman power". Not usually what a man looks for in a book, but for those who are a fan of Stephanie Meyers this should be amusing.

I admire the effort that was put into writing the book - heaven knows writing is not as simple as people think, but in my opinion it's probably best that this was a free download. I guess it serves the purpose of getting people interested in the universe while letting the author polish their skills.

The world the book takes place in seems orinigal enough, so at least it's (mostly) not ripping off other authors. There are a number of flashbacks - probably too many - but they are more cleverly presented than just a blunt paragraph with no context. The characters have their own flaws and talents, but they are introduced too quickly and the emotional bonds between characters feel a little contrived, like some of the writings of Anne Rice.

For the price of free I recommend picking this up; it's a quick read and the possibilities are somewhat intriguing. Women will probably enjoy it more, but take my review with a grain of salt since I'm a dude and I prefer the more masculine Jim Butcher. Plus the vampire thing has been done to death over the last decade. But not bad - just go in expecting a new author that really is putting a lot of effort into their yet-to-be-refined work.

i saw this book listed for free on kindle, so i figured what the heck? if i dont like it no big deal. but once again im glad my frugalness paid off. i couldnt put it down. i was sucked in from the very begining. starting with Two's sad lifestyle, then through the heart breaking and soul shattering events with Thereon. i admit that i might have had a few tears that were able to escape run down my cheeks. its a very good read, especially if you get it while its free. but even if you dont its worth the few bucks to pick it up. also according to the thank you at the end from the author there will be a sequel! cant wait

I wanted SO bad to like this book. (Spoilers so watch out !)

It was free on Kindle and when I read the description and glanced at the reviews (I only really scan the star ratings) I was siked. I LOVE Vampire novels written by men. (Ala Charlie Huston) Men have a way of making the (possible) love between a mortal and a Vampire make sense. Women go for the old, every girl likes the bad boy they think will change for them. Men, not so much.

I thought ahh ha! She was a drug addict and prostitute, of course loving a Vampire would make sense Stockholm syndrome something like that. Somehow the author took that no-brainer of a plot and made it senseless. They are in love about 30 seconds after meeting. I was literally sitting jaw dropped like "really?!? Wtf?!?" How and when did that happen? The heroine bounced back and forth between a hardened street urchin to a whiney and love struck little girl. It made no sense.

And how like a man to think that he can give her an orgasm (which lacked detail imo btw) and she will instantly fall in love. She was a prostitute. I imagine it would have taken her a bit longer to get past some things.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this plot. I really do. I felt like the story got away from the author, like perhaps his brain was working faster than he could type and there was no one there to properly edit or add and delete and line up his story. It was disjointed. He would have me really interested and liking the style and then wham! Jump around to something that made no sense.

I, by no means think this author is lacking in talent. I think it's just the opposite. He has the makings of a very good vampire writer, but he needs honest back up. Someone who is not afraid to tell him when to cut the story back and what does and does not work. The bones of this story are very good. But for instance the bit about Two liking art seemed random and disjointed. I think I am using disjointed for the second or third time in this review. That is why I am NOT a writer. But that does sum up my feelings about this book. Disjointed. Get it together and I could be a rampant fan. Nothing better than Vampire love stories that actually include sex. :-)

Ohh and I am all for crazy names, but Two was difficult to read as a name.

Whenever I thought that the story was heading down a predictable path it would surprise me. Even though it is more of an Urban Fantasy then a true (or at least how I define it) vampire yarn, it was not of the "Twitlight" (oh, did I misspell that?) style as a prior reviewer implied. It is quite a bit more complex then that. There were spots in the book where it appeared it was heading down that path and I almost put down the book, but since I was hooked on Two's character I stayed with it. I am glad I did.

I would not consider this a horror novel even though there are a few horrific scenes (the master vampire is absolutely delicious in his evilness). But it is way more then just a teenage fantasy vehicle. There are several typos of the their/there, wood/would variety like they had only used a spell checker for typos, and not a copy reader, BUT the writing is very well done otherwise.

I agree with the other readers. This is a great story. I read this book in one day. I enjoyed Buecheler's take on vampires...can't wait to read the sequel.

i was totally expecting just another simple trashy read. however, this book is actually really good... i finished it in two days... it's a fast paced read. doesn't slow down much in the book. i highly recommend it.