Once Bitten [Paperback]

Kalayna Price (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 9, 2009

Vampires and Shapeshifters. A Fictionwise bestseller: No. 1 on the Fictionwise Dark Fantasy list in Feb. 2009 Kita Nekai, on the run and the smallest of her shifter clan-a calico cat among lions and tigers-is being hunted. She was expected to accept her role as her father's successor whether or not her cat was up to the task of leading the clan. She disagreed. Now she's less than a step ahead of the hunters, bone-tired, cold, and living hand-to-mouth in the city of Haven. And that's the high point of her day. She's also drugged, "accidently" turned into a vampire, and sentenced to death for recklessly creating a rogue shifter who tortures its human prey. She's got seventy-two hours to find the rogue, evade a city full of hunters, prove she's not responsible for the rogue, and keep the vampire council from killing her. All while sorting out an apprentice mage, a married ex-boyfriend shifter-hunter, and the vampire who made her. Reviews: "Many of the world-building elements such as the nature of the vampire council, Firth and the society of the mages and Nathanial's backstory are deliberately left enigmatic to pique our curiosity and look forward to exploring the possibilities in future tales. Refreshingly, Once Bitten wraps up without the usual ubiquitous series cliff-hanger and ends on a positive note. Once Bitten is a solid urban fantasy debut with enough original ideas and twists to satisfy readers looking for something different and fresh. Kalayna Price is currently working on the next book in the Haven series." --Scifiguy Reviews "Once Bitten is imaginative, thoroughly entertaining, and easily keeps a reader's attention." -- Patricia's Vampire Notes Reviews "I’ll be watching for book two in this exciting new series." -- Darque Reviews "This was a perfect adventure." -- Paranormal Romance Reviews "Urban fantasy readers who enjoy the works of Kelly Armstrong and V.K. Forrest will have a great time reading this exhilarating story." -- Harriet Klausner "Young Adult girls will swoon over the strong male characters and try to be just like Kita. 4 Hearts" -- Book Reviews by Crystal

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Bell Bridge Books (January 9, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0980245397
• ISBN-13: 978-0980245394
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (104 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #135,485 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

USA Today Bestselling author Kalayna Price writes the Alex Craft Novels, a new dark urban fantasy series from Roc, and the Novels of Haven from Bell Bridge Books. Her works have been translated into several languages and are available (or have been contracted for release) around the world. Kalayna draws her ideas from the world around her, her studies into ancient mythologies, and her obsession with classic folklore. Her stories contain not only the mystical elements of fantasy, but also a dash of romance, a bit of gritty horror, some humor, and a large serving of mystery. Kalayna is a member of SFWA and RWA, and an avid hula-hoop dancer who has been known light her hoop on fire. To find out more, please visit her at www.kalayna.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars cscross, November 17, 2009

By 

C. Cross (Utah) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Once Bitten (Paperback)

New author - great story. I love books by such authors as Patricia Briggs, Karen Chance, Robin McKinley, Nalini Singh, Michelle Sagara, Katie MacAlister, Rachel Caine, Ilona Andrews, Carrie Vaughn...I love Fantasy, SciFi, Urban Fantasy. Well, I loved this book. Kalayna Price creates a world you want to visit and characters you want to know. My only complaint - it was too short. I wasn't ready to leave Kita and her friends. I want more.
Kita is a shifter who turns into a calico house cat and as her father's heir, she doesn't think she is up to the task of leading her clan, full of such shifters as lions and tigers. So she escapes to earth through a gate that opens on the full moon. Constantly hiding from the hunters sent to find her she is just scraping by, surviving hand to mouth, day to day. She is not really living, nor does she actually hope for more out of life. Truly a lost little kitten in a big bad world. I loved that the author let us know just how lost Kita was, how foreign she found earth by the little keepsakes she keeps in her coat pockets...like a couple of marbles. When Kita first found the marbles she thought they were very pretty rocks. The story is fast pased and for Kita it quickly goes to heck in a hand basket only to find herself a newly made vampire. She has no idea what that means for her. She's not even sure she's still a shifter. Talk about a fish out of water...a lost little kitten. Through her struggles she finds more strength within herself then she ever could have imagined. (She is woman hear her meow.) After being such a loner and so alone for the last 5 years, she finds true friends. People she can count on when things get rough...and they definitely get rough. I'm really looking forward to more in the haven series with book two, 'Twice Dead' coming out February 2010.

28 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely worth the read!, February 12, 2009

By 

A. M. Bushardt - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Once Bitten (Paperback)

I really enjoyed reading Once Bitten. This book is one of those great reads that just allows you to escape the real world for awhile and when you are done you can't wait to go back and visit. The main character Kita is easy to connect with and the surrounds are so vivid I feel like I have been there. I thought the plot moved at just the right pace. Once I picked it up, I didn't put it down until I was done. I am definitely looking forward to a sequel. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Kim Harrison and Kelley Armstrong. Great urban fantasy.

24 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great New Urban Fantasy!, December 30, 2009

By 

JA (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Once Bitten (Kindle Edition)

Once Bitten is the first book in what looks to be a promising urban fantasy series. The plot dragged in places, and Price could have developed the characters a bit more, but overall the book was interesting, entertaining, and well written. I look forward to reading the second installment this February.

While the book has some romantic elements in it, it is primarily an urban fantasy novel. Unlike most urban fantasy novels, the different supernatural species are not that familiar with one another. This is an interesting spin on the normal urban fantasy formula, and I can't wait to see how she develops the relationship between the two main characters.

If the publisher offered the book for $0.00 to get people hooked on a new series, they succeeded. I'll definitely pay to read Twice Dead.