Reviewer: Andrea
I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
From the Christian Crusades to the war in Afghanistan, the Vampire Origins series seamlessly weaves historical fact with vampire fiction. Exploring the origins of five very different vampire tribes – Strigoi, Cambion, Strix, Nosferatu and Bretonnian – the series opens with Book 1 of the Strigoi series; Project Ichorous.
He slaughtered 30,000 in one night in Jerusalem and impaled 100,000 more in Romania in the 1400s. Now Vlad has discovered a way to enslave humans and rule the world – and this time, the death toll will be catastrophic. Only one thing can put an end to his plans – a Strigoi human. And Vlad will stop at nothing to eradicate every last one.
Scarlett Fraser has no idea she’s the very thing Vlad is hunting, or that the castle her dad is renovating is ground zero for Vlad’s Ichorous Project and his plans for world domination. She can stop Vlad and save the world but she must stay human long enough to do so. Scarlett is about to discover, staying human is a lot easier said than done.
Review:
Vampire Origins: The Strigoi Book 1 Project Ichorous is a promising new series for all us who still love those bloodsuckers. When I read the blurb, I was first attracted to the historical aspect of the novel. Let’s face it; vampires have been done and done and done ad nauseum, but a novel which takes actual historical characters (and even some pop culture icons) and turns them into vampires is a fresh spin. It would definitely explain a few politicians! However, I was a little disappointed when I realized the novel didn’t explore this in as much detail as I would have liked, but their turned out to be some fantastic characters. My favorites were the shape shifters. ( I’m a sucker for a handsome werewolf.) If you aren’t feeling particularly wolfy, don’t fret. There are multiple types of shape shifters in this house of horrors. As a matter of fact, there is a plethora of nightmare-inducing pandemonium—a la Jonathan Harker—going on in and around Castle Bran; some I found cliché (like the bats and the taboo wolf/vamp relationship) but in that well-worn blanket kind of way.
I’m not sure this novel is entirely YA because a number of the side-plots were very mature both in content and age of the characters. While I enjoyed the many plots, I became frustrated with how short some of the “sections” were. Just as I was getting into the section, it was over. Also, I needed the definition of the Strigoi and the real differences between the Strigoi and the Cambions spelled out much earlier. I finally searched the net for “strigoi” because I needed clarification. The vampire regs didn’t seem firmly spelled out. They all had these unique abilities, and I became confused about who could and couldn’t do what. Though the language isn’t bad, there was a lot of bow chicka wow wow shenanigans but no descriptions of the act.
Overall, a bloody fun time!
