Origins (A Demonkin Novel) [Kindle Edition]

Sean Hayden (Author)

Book Description

Ashlyn Thorn was born different. Born with all the characteristics of a vampire, she lives in a world where vampires, elves, and werewolves work, play, and die side by side with normal humans. But everyone knows vampires aren’t born, they’re made. The only thing she wants is to know her true origins.

Ashlyn’s quest to discover the truth of her differences is all that matters. But with every answer, she uncovers more uncertainties. To make things worse she has found herself an enemy of the most powerful vampires of the city who fear her powers are too dangerous to let go unchecked.

Salvation comes at the hands of the government, or does it, who trains her in the ways that best serve their purposes. Ashlyn is torn between two worlds. She can either be a monster, or she can help destroy the monsters.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sean Hayden works in South Florida as a Fiber-optic Engineer for a cable communications company. Born in the Suburbs of Chicago he relocated to Florida as a child, where he grew up and attended school at a small Catholic elementary and high school. It was there, in literature class, he fell in love with books. Vampires especially fascinated him as well as the realm of possibilities of the urban fantasy genre. This fascination gave birth to his first novel, Origins. He lives at home with his wife, children, and a plethora of pets.

Product Details

• File Size: 794 KB
• Print Length: 276 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1590806824
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Echelon Press (February 8, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004MYFS5M
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #228,891 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book April 25, 2011

By Candy

Format:Paperback

If you have not read Origins, you should. Ashlyn is one of the best female characters I have read in a while. Ashlyn comes from a unique background for a vampire. She lived a sheltered life viewing the world through television and computers. After the death of her aunt, she is thrown into the real world, in which she becomes an FBI agent, she has attitude to spare. A great book looking forward to the next one.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars "Supes" Are Alive and Well in Sean Hayden's Origins February 17, 2011

By Brighter Scribe at The Scribe's Desk

Format:Kindle Edition

As the title suggests, Origins, the first title in the Demonkin series written by Sean Hayden, lays down the foundation for this intriguing new paranormal mythos filled with supes of all kinds. Vampires are alive and well in Chicago -- they are also out in the open and working in law enforcement. In Origins, author Sean Hayden introduces us to a new breed of vampire, making us question everything we think we know about them.

Ashlyn is a 17 year old vampire, or so she thinks, recently orphaned for the second time in her life by tragic events. Alone and naďve to the world, Ashlyn is forced to leave the security of the only home she has ever known and risk the perils of the outside world and the creatures of the night. Unguided and alone, Ashlyn is driven by her hunger for blood without a suitable source to appease it. After an incident only a fledgling could find themselves in, Ashlyn is taken prisoner not once, not twice, but three times. But it seems the third time is the charm as she is first interrogated by, and then offered a place within the FBI fold.

Ashlyn becomes a warrior in training, honing her numerous natural skills and abilities. She enters a sort of supernatural boot camp, learning everything she needs to know to become part of the FBI's paranormal elite squad, a force intended to police other supes who break the law. Sean Hayden takes us along as Ashlyn is put through her paces; and as she learns about herself, we are treated to a look at what it takes to join the FBI if you are a supe. We're also given a fascinating look from a technical viewpoint as Origins delves into scientific reasoning and classifications of vampires.

Free from her safe yet cloistered life, Ashlyn begins to figure out just who and what she is. And though she finds she is a perfect fit for a life dedicated to fighting bad guys, she is also faced with more questions and surprises about who and what she is and just where exactly she came from. She is a fledging not yet in full command or having full knowledge of all her abilities.

Even so, it isn't long before Ashlyn is on her first assignment. Dead bodies, human and supe are piling up around Chicago, and it is up to Ashlyn and her partner to find out who is responsible. She finds herself on the hunt for Cicero, Chicago's Master Vampire, and quite possibly the master mind behind the murders. But coming out of hiding has put Ashlyn in jeopardy. She is unique to her race, the first of her kind to work for the FBI, which makes her and those around her a target. While searching for the killer, it becomes apparent that there is a very real chance she and her partner may not complete this assignment alive.

The beginning of this book opens in a way that made my toes curl with excitement, and will definitely leave you feeling a tad less secure in the seeming safety of our world from the entities that lurk in the ether. In Origins, Sean Hayden adds new lore to the vampire and supe mythos in a new and exciting way. This book is teeming with supernatural beings of all kinds and exposes us to a world where the supernatural is not only possible, but part of everyday, mainstream life.

Written with a refreshing humor, Origins will have you laughing and then have you surprised and horrified in the next breath. Origins will leave you wondering now that the foundations have been laid, where will Ashlyn go from here? Hopefully we won't have long to wait.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Spellbinding December 30, 2012

By Lisa McCourt Hollar

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book drew me in from page one and I read it straight through, only stopping to feed my family and I think if I hadn't done that they would have rebelled. The story begins in the past with a woman who summons a demon, expecting him to do her bidding. As can be expected, things go wrong. Fastforward 17 years or so into the future, (not sure if the pregnancy was the standard 9 months or perhaps shorter,) and the reader meets Ashlyn. She doesn't know what she is. She's not human. She could be considered a vampire, but there are things about her that are un-vampire like. For starters, she was born. Vampires are made. Second, she can only drink her Aunts blood.

Ash has spent the last 17 years hiding in her Aunts house. No one but a few of her Aunt's choice friends know of her existance. Vampires are legal, but the fact that she was born could present some problems. Only things have changed. Her Aunt was killed in a car accident. Ashly has no choice but to venture out into the world with the small savings her Aunt set aside for her and try to make it on her own. What could go wrong?

The author took me through so many emotions while reading this. I laughed, I fumed... he really pissed me off at one point... but ultimately Sean Hayden gave me something that has been rare in some of the work coming out. A good read. When I was finished I immediately went out and bought the second book in this series and read that. If you love supernatural tales that are told with humor, have a lot of action and suspense and keep you guessing at every turn, I highly recommend that you read Origins.

More About the Author

Born the son of a fire chief, Sean naturally developed a love of playing with fire. His family and friends quickly found other outlets for his destructive creativity. Writing is his latest endeavor.
Always a fan of the macabre, mythical, and magical, Sean found a love of urban fantasy and horror. After writing several novels in this genre, he found, fell in love with, and immersed himself in steampunk. He has always wanted to rewrite history and steampunk gave him that opportunity.
Sean currently lives in Florida as a fiber-optic engineer as well as an author. He was blessed with the two most amazing children he could ever hope for, has met the absolute love of his life, who coincidentally is his partner in everything. His hobbies include grand designs on world domination as well as a starring role in his own television sitcom.