Cat the Vamp [Kindle Edition]

Christina Martine (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

As a child, Catherine Taylor never understood why her parents were so secretive and distant. After the death of her grandmother, Cat’s parents take her to a mysterious castle called Blacklune. They explain to her that they, and she, are vampires, part of a hidden community co-existing with humans. Now that she’s of age, Cat will be initiated into the community and undergo a period of training in its methods and morals, along with several other vampire students her own age.
At Blacklune, Cat meets a young man who had appeared to her in dreams, Morgan. She and Morgan form an instant bond, but success with their vampire lessons doesn’t come so easily. Tempted by the lure of blood and the powers they now have, Cat and Morgan push the limits over and over, ignoring the concerns of their classmates and the scolding of their teacher, River. As they become ever more reckless, Cat and Morgan risk going too far. It’s only when serious harm comes to someone else that they realize they have to control themselves--and it may be too late.

About the Author

Christina Martine was born on October 22, 1988 in Vancouver, British Columbia, and penned her first novel at the age of 13. She began reading The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice and was immediately hooked. Christina read more vampire literature and found a common trend throughout the genre: most vampires were immortal and could be killed by sunlight. There were not very many modern vampire books available with original ideas, so at 17, she began writing Cat the Vamp. Intrigued with the idea of "real vampires," she set out to create a novel that would reach vampire fans all over the world. Her unique vampires-who can walk out in the sun unscathed-with life energy deficiencies and blood addictions are sure to set one's heart racing. She currently lives in British Columbia.

Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 221 KB
• Publisher: By Light Unseen Media (November 23, 2009)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B002YK44O2
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

More About the Author

My name is Christina Martine. I reside in Vancouver, BC, a city as diverse as its topography. I constantly remind myself to be thankful to live in a place where all ethnicities and beliefs are welcomed and accepted. Here, it's okay to be different. It's even encouraged, and that, to me, is inspiring. With such friendly, open-minded and intelligent individuals surrounding me, it's hard not to want to create.

I guess you could say that I'm inspired by what I see. Expressing myself through any medium, whether it be art, literature or fashion, (and anything in between) is essential to my existence. Seeing my thoughts on paper, watching my imagination manifest into something palpable, is the epitome of freedom to me.

I was a creative kid, but a shy one, so instead of telling stories, I would write them out. They usually involved witches, monsters, and magic. I was one of those kids who believed in fairies... and yeah, I still kind of do. I started on my first novel at age 13. It was a fantasy that involved dragons, unicorns, and elves. It turned out to be rather unpublishable, but that didn't stop me from writing. At 17, I began to write the true and tragic tale of my teen life, but it turned out that my life wasn't so tragic after all. I was just absorbed in my own angst and once again, not published. At the end of age 17, still being an emotionally distraught teenager, I began writing Cat the Vamp.

I have always been in love with vampires, probably because of the connotations surrounding them: beauty, intelligence, mystery, seduction, darkness, power, eternity. I had fallen in love with Anne Rice's vampires and began reading more vampire literature. Soon I became fascinated with the idea of "real vampires." The idea that certain individuals were born with the ability to give and take "life energy" intrigued me. It also, at the time, was a perfect explanation for my hormonal imbalance! It was shocking to me that there were no novels that incorporated this idea. I grew to realize that there was a common trend throughout vampire novels: most vampires were immortal and could be killed by sunlight. There were not very many modern vampire books available with original ideas. I wanted to be the one to change that.

It took me around three years to complete Cat the Vamp. It changed and evolved as I did. I feel that I've definitely grown as a person and as a writer since its publication. I think of my novel as a sort of conglomeration of my teenage philosophies and fantasies. I hope you all enjoy my world as much as I do!

Visit me at:

www.christinamartine.com
www.christinamartine.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/catthevamp

Become a Christina Martine Fan on FACEBOOK:

www.facebook.com/christinamartinefanpage

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars exciting urban fantasy, December 10, 2010

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cat the Vamp (Paperback)

With the death of her grandmother, the parents of teenage Catherine Taylor explain her heritage that they concealed from her. They and Cat are vampires, a species that lives in secret amidst the humans.

Her parents take the stunned Cat to Blacklune Castle since she is old enough for initiation into the species. They leave, while she and others her age receive ethics training as well as use of their powers. Cat is shocked to meet Morgan, who has starred in her dreams. They become close but they also struggle with their formal education as each feels the glamour of their powers and a thirst to taste human blood. Cat and Morgan flout adult authority including admonitions from their instructor River while paying no heed to what their actions do to others especially their classmates. When they go too far and harm another, the pair finally learns what others had been telling them, but it may be too late.

This exciting urban fantasy places a wonderful conceptual twist on the vampire sub-genre by having the lead teenage pair behaving as juvenile delinquents. That fresh approach comes across as a two edged sword; the pair causes all sorts of rule breaking havoc which gets increasingly worse and nastier while teachers and administrators do little even when a major violation that borders on criminal activity of assaulting a human donor of their blood occurs. Still this brisk updating of Evan Hunter's Blackboard Jungle into an urban fantasy landscape makes for a brisk unique thriller.

Harriet Klausner

3.0 out of 5 stars A dark twist on YA vamp lit, January 30, 2010

By 

Ellz Readz "Ellz Readz" (Eastern US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cat the Vamp (Paperback)

My thoughts...Cat the Vamp is not your typical young adult vampire novel. This book reaches beyond sparkly vampires and romantic blood exchanges. It is dark and dangerous. Catherine, affectionately known as Cat, is a new vampire. She learns at the young age of 18 that she is being sent off to receive special training so she can learn to about her new life. While there, she makes some new friends, including a very handsome young man named Morgan. Morgan and Cat instantly bond, in a very erotic ceremony, and quickly discover that they crave each other and the very thing that gives them vitality,blood. The desire for blood becomes an addiction and they have to find a way to control themselves and try not to hurt anyone in the process.

The characters in the story were interesting. The author, Christina Martine, did a great job of evolving them through the stages of dependency. The story line kept me interested and turning pages. I found myself gasping on occasion, in complete disbelief at the actions of the characters. While the plot is similar to other YA vampire tales, it had several very unique twists. I enjoyed the setting of the story. The majority of the book takes place in an old castle full of secret passage ways, dark corridors and mysterious rooms. One of my favorite scenes is an initiation ceremony which takes place in the ballroom. The author did a brilliant job of describing the candlelit room full of mysterious people dressed in black capes. The dark side of the story really set it apart from others that I have read.

The cons...I enjoyed the story, but I do believe it should come with a warning. The characters in the story do use some strong language and there is a large amount of drug and alcohol use. Also, there are several graphic sex scenes. Parents of younger readers may want to review this book first or use it as an opportunity to discuss the pressures and issues teens face.

4.0 out of 5 stars A good YA vampire novel, January 30, 2010

By 

LunaMoth (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cat the Vamp (Kindle Edition)

Cat the Vamp was darker then your average YA vampire novel. Catherine and her friends (alex, kevin, morgan, etc..) are all vampires, going to Blacklune for training. They form a club called "Animal Kingdom" there they cut themselves and drink each others blood, drinking anothers blood is like a high, everything becomes sharper, more intense and this leads Cat and Morgan to do very reckless things. During Cat the Vamp (a short read by the way, about 224 pages) We see how one struggles with addiction (blood cravings) and love.
Cat The Vamp has a moderate amount of swearing and sexual content as well. Morgan and Cats relationship could get rather annoying after a while, Cat continuosly goes on about how she has Morgan so everything is alright, and it did not seem to be very real at points, it seemed almost too good to be true. This does not deter from the book however.
There will be a sequal to Cat the Vamp, when I dont know, but if you want to read a vampire novel that portrays vampires not as they are in myth (these vampires dont burst in sun, they can see thier reflections..) and deals with some aspects of teenage addictions then this is a good book for you.