Customer Reviews

Ravenous: The Dark Forgotten

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I really enjoyed this book. From the initial scene where heroine Holly Carver is trying to rescue some people from a haunted house, to the gradual worldbuilding as we learn about supernatural creatures and their own form of hell, to Holly's awakening to her possible role in a centuries-old battle, to her romance with a man who really won't be good for her long-term... we follow the actions of Holly and her business partner Alessandro Caravelli, a six-centuries-old vampire. Holly's magic was subdued by a spell that went wrong when she was young and she makes her living by doing minor witchy jobs to pay for her tuition at a business course at college. However she finds herself dragged into rather bigger issues when a demon uses her own home to try to step through into this world.

Caravelli is a fascinating character in this book, a man of integrity and goodness but who also knows and fears his nature as predator. He knows there isn't any future for him with Holly but wants to help her and to keep her safe. With several other men floating in and out of Holly's life, she doesn't always know who to trust, and those she loves the most may cause her harm. But if Holly and Caravelli can discover who is trying to control the demon and can stop the influx of evil into our world, they may find a whole new situation where they can rescue supernaturals condemned to an eternal punishment.

The writing style of this book was excellent with a good plot which unveiled at a comfortable pace. I always followed the story, not getting lost in complexities that one can find in this kind of book. Holly and Alessandro were great lead characters, although Holly was slightly less fully fleshed out in terms of her motivations and feelings. The threads of the story were well wrapped up in this book although there were a few minor plot events that will presumably follow in the next story. All in all this was always an enjoyable read with an appealing hero and a good take on the supernatural/paranormal world.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2009

The basic plot of this book is pretty straight forward - Holly is a witch who used to be able to do MAGIC, but because of an accident when she was younger is more limited in her magic. She mostly deals with haunted houses now with her sometimes partner Alessandro - a vampire. She is drawn to him (and him to her) but they have no intention of acting on this desire. Holly is dealing with a haunted house one day and finds a demon and gets involved in the high stakes world of vampires and demons who are squaring off for a battle that could change the world. Dramatic enough? Oh yeah, and Alessandro isn't just any vampire, he is the queen of vampire's right hand man, and the queen is a bit possessive of him.

I really just couldn't decide what I thought of this book, which is why I gave it three stars. Holly seems a bit flaky, going from guy to guy as she does, as well as some of the other things she does throughout the book. But she isn't a bad sort - just sort of floundering around. I didn't love her but at the same time, I didn't hate her. The queen, Omara, was an odd character and I felt she was almost just thrown in to cause problems between Alessandro and Holly. She was a character I wasn't particularly fond of, because I didn't feel like she had much substance (or intelligence).

All in all this book was a decent enjoyable light read. It was not urban fantasy, but more of paranormal romance in my opinion. So keep that in mind before you pick up this book. There is a second one coming out and I think it is the story of Mac - hopefully that will be better. I think I will give it a try, but if it isn't good I won't be reading any more Ashwood.

This book kept me company today while I couch-surfed with a congested head cold. Thank goodness I started it in the early afternoon, or I wouldn't have gotten a wink of sleep. Ravenous is that good. It burst out of the gate like a greyhound, the romance burned like a gasoline fed fire, and it finished with an armageddon style battle. I think my only criticism is with the title; I don't think it does the story justice. I'm actually sorry I got this one from the library, because Ashwood deserves to be paid for such an entertaining intro book.

Our heroine, Holly, runs a business called the Three Sisters Agency that specializes in hauntings and poltergeists, which only requires small-m magic, as she calls it. Holly avoids doing jobs that require big-M magic, because the backwash of pain is more than she can handle. Her dreams for the future are pretty modest; she'd like to get a college degree, build up her business, and find a boyfriend who is marriage material. That train is thrown off the tracks when Holly is forced to use big-M magic to save her life, and something lurking in the dark wants to take her power.

Alessandro, Holly's undead friend and partner, treats her like there's a `look but don't touch' sign on her back. In this world, a vampire's bite has venom that turns the human into a mindless slave. The lust for food and sex literally drains the slave dry over time, and Alessandro refuses to harm Holly, or remove her free will. He is noble, but far from perfect, and I had to wipe the drool away after he appeared in a scene.

I would very much like to know the true identity of the author. According to one professional reviewer, Sharon Ashwood is a pseudonym for a previously published romance novelist, and this book is way too good to be a first try by a greenhorn. Now the only bummer is, we've got to wait until December 09 for the next book in the series (Scorched). And I will definitely pay for my copy next time around.

Sharon Ashwood gives good haunted house in her paranormal romance, RAVENOUS.

Ghost-busting grab student Holly Carver is a witch out to make tuition money, but the Flanders House is no easy job. Six people have entered the building, but none have emerged yet. So in goes Holly and her vampire partner Alessandro Caravelli to investigate. Work of demons is definitely afoot, but that takes some kind of sorcery, so who's the mastermind?

The author's website proclaims this as "urban fantasy romance". Ah...no. I much agree with the publisher's label of "paranormal romance". The first three chapters are intriguing, and Flanders House makes for one hell of an interesting read. But the rest of the novel doesn't live up to it, though there are worthy scenes here and there.

The problem lies mainly with the characters. Long-haired, leather-clad vampire Alessandro has superficial qualities (if you go for that unoriginal type), but otherwise I can't really describe his character. He doesn't come alive. Same with Holly, bordering on being a Mary Sue - three guys fancy her (including her 1 tru wuv, so the others have to be evil, right?) for no particular reason I can see other than she's there. And Holly has a lot of powerful magic, only it's crippled in the beginning. But of course it's conveniently restored for her to defeat the baddies, but I would've respected her more if her powers had remained handicapped.

A childhood accident led to Holly's magic being crippled, but for me her sister Ashe Carver deserves her own novel. She has the more interesting story: Ashe had magic, and then she lost it for good. So how is she dealing with paranormal problems when she no longer has her powers?

The author has the potential to write some really interesting stuff. But for now her characters need to step out from their prescribed cardboard cut-outs and become more like real people. RAVENOUS should go down a treat for paranormal romance fans, but urban fantasy readers might be less than impressed.

Vampires and demons and . . . homework? Oh, my. In "Ravenous," Sharon Ashwood has mixed up a lively combination of classic horror elements and the horrors of modern life in this ripping good urban fantasy.

Holly is a mortgage-paying, ghostbusting witch who goes back to school to try to bring some normalcy into her life. Not so much Buffy the Vampire Slayer with all the Chosen One regalia, she's more a regular Jane with some extra talents who is trying to make ends meet - the kind of heroine you'd find in the pages of novels by Emma Bull, Charlaine Harris or Charles de Lint, to name a few. And there's definitely one vampire this witch isn't in a hurry to slay, anyway...

There's romance, of course - "Ravenous" is from Signet's Paranormal Romance line - but it adds to the story, rather than defining it. One of the main themes is definitely Holly's need to accept her own abilities. Holly comes from a long line of witches, but a childhood accident has left her functioning at half-power. A new crisis and some scary new characters in town soon threaten to overwhelm everything she cares about, if she doesn't meet the challenge head-on. Though the other characters are believable and important to the story arc in their own way, I like the way Ashwood never falls into the trap of letting the handsome studs standing by - vampire and human - save the day for Holly. There's plenty of danger and mayhem around for everyone.

Ashwood creates vibrant, interesting characters, and she has a knack for making minor characters who live as large as her heroes. If Ashwood sets more stories in this world, I can think of several secondary characters whom I'd like to see get their own books. This isn't to say that the main characters should be confined to one story. Though the conclusion is satisfyingly dramatic, I'll just say that I can still see a world of trouble ahead for Holly and her cohorts.

One final note: Ashwood's love of humorous detail comes through even in the small scenes. From many years of reading the genre, "Ravenous" has one of my all-time favourite 'urban clash' scenes, a small gem in which modern technology meets ancient monsters, with unpredictable results. To say nothing of the mouse.

Holy Carver is a witch with problems, her sister and her performed a spell when she was eight and it crippled both of their powers. Now, Holly can use a little magic to bust haunted houses with lots of pain. She is called in to bust a really nasty house and discovers that it is actually eating the people that disappear in it. Alessandro, a vampire, is there to help Holly when he discovers a body that smells like it was killed by a vampire and something else.

Then the queen of the vampires, Omara, shows up and wants her knight, Alessandro to jump at her beck and call. Omara had her house broken into and her most powerful spell book stolen. She expects Alessandro to find the book. At the same time he loves Holly and is about fed up with the queen. Holly rescues her boyfriend from the evil house just to have him dump her because he cannot handle her powers.

It was a good book. Action, twists and turns in the plot, and an interesting ending. I admit that it took a little time for me to get into it and after that it was good. But this is one book that the plot was not enough to make me really want to read it all in one sitting.

A blog I saw "highly recommended" this book. I will NOT be checking that blog for more suggestions.

I agree with lots of the other reviewers here. Holy was a flake. Alessandro was supposed to be so sexy, but her description (long, flowing, blonde, wavy hair and wearing colorful, 80's disco clothes) was so NOT appealing.

I guess if you like fantasy novels with goblins, changlings, werewolves, demons, pixies, etc, you might like this. But, unless you are really into that, it's not worth it.

And I really hated how it all worked out so perfectly. He has to bite her to save her, but then she becomes his slave, but she can break thru his power and still enjoy his bite, but not be addicted. Ugh, ugh, ugh - give me a break.

Holly Carver is a witch who makes ends meet by working small-M magics for the Three Sisters Agency. She has a partner, Alessandro Caravelli, the vampire that backs her up and keeps her safe when needed. He's totally hot, but Holly has a boyfriend and is getting ready to start college classes and doesn't completely trust vampires and their hungers. And she values her own free will too much to become either lover or snack to Alessandro. Doesn't mean he's not the first call she makes when she gets a job to clean a sentient house that's been kicking up some trouble.

At least, she was told it was kicking up some trouble. Truth is a little more intense - missing college students and faculty and reports of screams and weird lights. And the house isn't just sentient. It's malevolent. And it wants a big bite of witch. Holly can deal with the house - barely - but one thing leads to another and the house is just the first in a long line of increasing badness and danger.

A week ago all Holly wanted wanted was to do a job to get the money to pay for her classes and spend time with her boyfriend. Now she just wants to survive. Alessandro intends to make sure Holly gets everything she wants. And some things she doesn't realize she needs. Like him.

Ravenous started strong with a quickly-paced plot of danger and risk, nicely tempered with the sort of tongue-in-cheek and often self-deprecating humor that I personally favor - mostly from the protagonist, Holly. Even the prologue gave me a huge grin. Capitalizing on that humorous tone, Ashwood was able to quickly sketch out the world and a bit of the mythos without overloading the reader with exposition so the world building and character development felt very organic to the plot as it began to develop. Unfortunately, it wasn't all quite so blood and roses and there was an element that I felt was too-quickly brought up that halted that organic development and for me, the book never quite totally gelled after that.

While I enjoyed the concept of the world and the plot (the idea of sentient housing was awesome), and appreciated the primary and secondary characters, Ravenous stuttered a bit when the vampire queen Omara and Alessandro go from discussing paranormal murders on the town's college campus to Omara bringing up the Chosen legend, a legend about vampire mates that most vampires believe are nothing more than fairy tales. I had more than a few issues with that. The idea of a Chosen mate has been so overused in various incarnations in paranormal romance and fanged fiction. What little originality or unique spin on that oft-utilized romantic catch-all attempted in Ravenous was quickly stifled by the jarring out-of-the-blue mention and lack of connection to other topics during that conversation. It left me feeling like the entire Chosen topic was dealt with in a very heavy-handed and obvious manner. A sixty-foot, flashing neon sign pointing at Alessandro and Holly would've been more subtle.

There's not much subtlety to be found in Ravenous. That's not always a bad thing, but in this case, I was left feeling like various plot points kept being set up as conflict for the characters, then quickly knocked down as easily as if they were bowling pins, without a lot of impact on the characters involved as the story progressed. So many plot points and twisting developments, in fact, that there never seemed to be time to fully explore the ramifications or nuances of one before the next set was placed. It makes for a fast read, but doesn't allow for much depth or substance in the plot.

That being said, there were quite a few things that I liked about this series opener, not the least of which is the ramifications of the Castle and the potential for lots of meaty conflict with its inhabitants. I found the concept behind the interdimensional prison to be quite intriguing and hope to see that developed further. I also felt for Mac and while I wish his story had been given more room to make more of an impact here, I liked it very much. I enjoyed Holly and thought she did a reasonable job as heroine - and that's saying something, because the female leads are usually the first thing I don't like. I also liked Alessandro, but I was a little disappointed in the dearth in his development and the sort of cursory attention given to his relationship with Holly. I prefer a romance that develops with more attention and work given to that development, and this just wasn't that sort of romance. It wasn't quite to my tastes or preferences. I still enjoyed it.

I was very pleased with the promise I saw for a series here, and think Ashwood is off to a good start. I have no qualms at all about her writing style and her ability to add lyricism and humor to her prose to keep characters and situations fresh and hope that's a trend that continues with Scorched: The Dark Forgotten. Especially as I've already got it sitting in my To Be Read pile. I was left with a favorable feeling towards this book and look forward to continuing the series with the hopes that a few of my issues with this book won't be carried over to the next. 3.5 Stars.

Originally reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.

Yay!! Another winner in the unknown author (to me, anyway) lottery. I picked up "Ravenous: The Dark Forgotten" on a whim and I'm sure glad I did. Sharon Ashwood managed to pique my interest with her tale of a modern day witch with dating 'issues'.

Holly's the last of the Carver family, a registered witch, and sole proprietor of the 'Three Sisters Agency'-Specializing in the removal of hauntings, poltergeists, and unwanted imps. Her occasional 'partner' while working is a very sexy vampire, Alessandro. She has a 'normal' boyfriend-an economics prof at the local college, and things between them are heating up. Life's looking pretty good. At least it was...until she got a call to cleanse one of the oldest and spookiest uninhabited witch homes in the city...and runs into what looks like the beginning of a paranormal war! Now her life is filled with demons, vamps, weres, hell hounds, and other creatures who all seem to want something from her...either her powers or just a quick snack!

What did I like about this book? I liked the 'world' the author began to build. She took lore, myth, and 'old wives tales' and created something new and different. I won't say exactly how it's different, but I will say that I don't see myself having trouble differentiating this book from the masses. The imagination and skill in bringing those thoughts to life...just grand! I also enjoyed the plot. Yes, there were times when I could guess the outcome...but there was always a twist--so I was right...but maybe not exactly in the way I thought I would be. Make sense?

This tale also has a future. I can see several more books in the offering and I'm planning to pick up her next, "Scorched: The Dark Forgotten", in December 2009. From the teaser in the back of this one, it will continue the story of one of the very intriguing cast of secondary characters...and Ashwood has quite a few to choose from!

So if you're looking for something 'newish' from the paranormal world; and you like romance with a heavy dose of urban fantasy; and you're interested in a new version of Hell...try out "Ravenous" by Sharon Ashwood. You just might have another book for your wishlist.

I got my hands on a review copy of this new novel. Basically the plot revolves around a young and powerful, witch named Holly Carver who does `ghost busting' to pay the bills. She often teams up with the vampire, Alessandro Caravelli, for the tougher jobs. Holly has some difficulties using powers and is uncomfortable with her potent attraction to Alessandro. Soon Omara, Alessandro's queen, shows up in town to complicate matters--as well as something much older and much more evil.

Upon reading it the first thing I did was fall in love with the hero, Alessandro Caravelli. Is this the only good thing about the novel? Heck no! The writer, Sharon Ashwood, has done a fabulous job with the plot. It keeps its pace throughout the novel, has juicy substance, and makes it across the finish line without losing its oomph. As well, Ashwood's world building is believable, unlike some of the sf/fantasy type novels, including the romance genre, that I've read over the years. The background, magical structure and mechanics are plausible and won't leave you scratching your head in mystification. The characterization in the novel is zesty and each of the protagonists has enough internal conflict to make them interesting and keep us rooting for them all the way.

Ashwood has incorporated enough romance and hot sex among the adventures to keep us satisfied. This gets me back to Alessandro.......