C.V. Hunt's Blog, page 35

Book Review: The Sorrow King by Andersen Prunty

The Sorrow King by Andersen Prunty

My rating: 4 of 5 stars [image error]

REVIEW:

What if the scariest thing you had to face was your own mind? Do you think that you would be able to fight through the madness, to save a town full of people, which have fallen under a sadistic spell? What if a monster of your imagination sprang to life?

I was a little hesitant when I read the synopsis to The Sorrow King. It didn't look like something that I could fall into at first glance, but after reading a few reviews, I thought I would give it a shot since it was only $0.99 on Kindle. I'm glad I took the risk. It had all of the four "M"s that I look for in a story. Monsters, Murder, Madness, and Mayhem.

The dialog was the best part. The dark and demented humor between Conner and Steven, it felt like conversations that my friends and I have. My only complaint would be that I would get lost in the dialog, and wasn't quite sure who was saying what lines. It's mostly my fault though, and not the author. Ninety percent of my reading is done in a break room of 30 plus people, bustling through vending machines, talking, laughing, and a television blaring in the back ground. So sometimes I get distracted.

This was a good read. It makes you think of the scary things that you can create, and the things you are capable of doing, not only to yourself, but to others around you.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

The papers call it "The Suicide Virus." The teenagers of Gethsemane, Ohio, are killing themselves at an alarming rate. 

Steven Wrigley is trying to survive his senior year of high school, still reeling from the death of his mother and adjusting to life with his father. Along the way, he meets a girl who becomes another kind of obsession: Elise Devon. 

Elise's secrets keep her distanced from everyone. She has a special place she calls the Obscura. She goes there when she is depressed or angry. The Obscura makes her feel like nothing she's ever felt before. When she loses herself to the Obscura, she fears she also gives herself to something much darker, something much more powerful. Something calling itself the Sorrow King. 

Who is the Sorrow King? 

He is carved from wood and bone. 

He smells like wax, dead leaves, and memories. 

He travels by moonlight and drinks the sorrow of others. 

Can love exact vengeance on a monster made from madness, depression, and misery? Or will the Sorrow King bleed the town dry before satiating himself and moving on

Have pleasant vampire, werewolf, and zombie dreams. www.authorcvhunt.comwww.authorcvhunt.com

An interview, a giveaway, and Legacy's progress.

Here is a link to an interview of me and Endlessly. http://evie-bookish.blogspot.com/ Don't be shy, go check it out and read about other books that she has reviewed.

I added a few last minute details and then Legacy went to the editor today. Hooray! He will read it this weekend and I will get a full report of feed back in a couple of weeks.

And on this special day of Friday the 13th. Watch out for Jason Voorhees.
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Have pleasant vampire, werewolf, and zombie dreams. www.authorcvhunt.comwww.authorcvhunt.com

Book Review: 23 Hours by David Wellington

23 Hours: A Vengeful Vampire Tale by David Wellington

My rating: 5 of 5 stars [image error]


This review is not only for 23 hours, but for the whole Laura Caxton series.

This series had to be one of the best vampire series that I read in a long time. Lately, with the YA vampire craze, the 'goody little two shoes' vampires have been running ramped through the book market. There are really only two ways to write a vampire book. The first, make them cuddly, and little sense of humanity left, or the second, make them the monsters that they are, and the motive is to destroy them. David chose the latter, which we are seeing less and less of these days.

What made this series even better, was David's take on the vampire. We're not talking about the same old song and dance here. His vampires are unique, not the same old over romanticized vampires that we see over and over. They are not beautiful in any way. They are hairless, pointed ears, red eyes, albino, and have rows and rows of pointed shark-like teeth. The exchange of the vampire trait was new and different as well. There was no blood exchange, but a curse that was passed through the vampire and to the human by eye contact, and a process of hypnotizing the victim. Throw in some hordes of zombie like minions for the vampire, and the story gets creepier.

I liked Laura Caxton. She is a head strong woman that will stop at nothing to do what she believes it right. Even if the right thing involves breaking the laws, which is gutsy for a law officer. Although she never asked to be a vampire hunter, it was just thrown in her lap; she scooped it up and took responsibility for it. The fact that it destroyed her personal life, and all of the relationships in it, never kept her from doing what she thought was best for the people. Don't you wish all law officers were like this?

The series was action packed and there was never a dull moment. Whether or not David is done writing this series, I do not know, but he really left some room to keep going.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:
When vampire hunter Laura Caxton is locked up in a maximum-security prison, the cop-turned-con finds herself surrounded by countless murderers and death-row inmates with nothing to lose . . . and plenty of time to kill.
Caxton's always been able to watch her own back–even when it's against a cell-block wall–but soon she learns that an even greater threat has slithered behind the bars to join her. Justinia Malvern, the world's oldest living vampire, has taken up residence, and her strength grows by the moment as she raids the inmate population like an open bar with an all-you-can-drink supply of fresh blood. The crafty old vampire knows just how to pull Caxton's strings, too, and she's issued an ultimatum that Laura can't refuse.

Now Laura has just 23 hours to fight her way through a gauntlet of vampires, cons, and killers . . . 23 hours to make one last, desperate attempt at protecting the world from Justinia's evil. 

Have pleasant vampire, werewolf, and zombie dreams. www.authorcvhunt.comwww.authorcvhunt.com

evie-bookish.blogspot.com review

Here is another review of Endlessly. If you like to read well written reviews of books check out this blog evie-bookish.blogspot.com

     Endlessly  by C.V. Hunt is a mesmerizing and gripping Paranormal story, with elements of Horror, Fantasy and Romance. It's a highly addictive and very enjoyable read. C.V. Hunt has a way of telling the story in a way that makes you hold your breath and turn the pages frantically, and there's simply no way you could put the book down once you've started reading!
     Verloren is a vampire with Curt Cobain's looks, who runs a paranormal store in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is no Twilight-kind-of-vampire, no sparkles and squirrel-eating habits. He's a bad-ass (forgive my language) kind of vampire, goth-looking, with albino-like skin and long hair. He is the kind of vampire that you should stay away from. He feeds on human blood, because that's the only thing that keeps him alive. And yes, he's very much alive, his heart is beating, his body is warm and even though it hurts his eyes a bit, he can walk in the sun without any serious consequences. Most importantly, though, he has a special ability to see people's auras, and so, just by looking at them, he can tell who they are and how they feel.
     The only thing that Verloren is afraid of is death, because vampires have no soul, therefore they can not reincarnate and death brings a final end to their existence. And so Verloren is doing his best to avoid getting into trouble with Quatre, a committee of four people that makes decision for all the supernatural beings, including vampires and incarnates (shape shifters). But when a beautiful and mesmerizing girl walks into his store, Verloren's world is about to be turned up-side-down, as he learns that there are feelings more powerful than fear, feelings like love and lust.

     Just when I thought there was nothing more in the Paranormal genre that could surprise me, along comes a book like  Endlessly  and, with a strong punch in the guts, makes me realize I was wrong. 
     This book was such a great read! I finished it in few hours, as I was literally glued to it (well, ok, not literally, but it sure felt like it!). It's a fast-paced, action-packed story, with just the perfect amount of horror and romance. There's not a single boring passage in this book, C.V. Hunt makes every word count. I like how the story is told from Verloren's perspective and I'm very thankful to C.V. for using first-person narrative, it makes the story flow seem very natural and the passages are easy and pleasant to read!           The lead characters have amazing chemistry between them, you can almost see the sparkles flying from the pages, but at the same time the romance part of the story is not overwhelming, which I very much appreciate. And then there's the mystery part, which was oh-so-wonderful! I thought the story was really good from the very beginning, but when I reached the part where we learn about Ashley's true form, I was left speechless, with my jaw on the floor. What an amazing idea this was, C.V! 
     Endlessly  has this thing I like to call  a "WOW factor", that's the thing that makes you nod in excitement while reading one passage after another, and go "wooow, that's so cool!". I definitely recommend it to all Paranormal fans! I can't wait for the sequel!
Have pleasant vampire, werewolf, and zombie dreams. www.authorcvhunt.comwww.authorcvhunt.com

Review of Endlessly.

This review is from The LL Book Review. They are dedicated to giving honest review for self-published books. If you would like to check out some great indie books, head over to their site and check them out. http://llbookreview.comReview 207: Endlessly by C.V. HuntBy Shannon Yarbrough on May 7, 2011 Endlessly
by C.V. Hunt
CreateSpace
Copyright © February 2011
ISBN: 1456356534
202 Pages
$9.99 Paperback
$2.99 KindleC.V. Hunt should be proud.  I actually stopped reading Amanda Hocking's Switched to read Hunt's Endlessly, and in the end, Hunt's book won me over. When Hunt first queried us with her book, I admit I rolled my eyes and thought to myself Oh yay!  Another vampire book! But after reading the preview, my hesitation went away and I decided to take a chance since the book was under 200 pages.  I was hooked after the first chapter.I continued reading Hocking because it's what everyone else is reading, and as I've stated before, that's exactly why I shouldn't read something.  (It's why I still haven't read Harry Potter to date!)  I much prefer the books no one has ever heard of, and I hope that after my review many more will be reading C.V. Hunt.As I stated in my review of Hocking, I began to get bored once much of the mystery of Wendy's dilemma rubbed off and more was revealed to both Wendy and the reader.  I also didn't like the lack of detail.  Her narrative was good, but it reads too much like a movie script for me after awhile.  Its sort of like overhearing a conversation and at first, you are listening with full attention but you begin to drift off because you're still the third party and are lacking certain details.Endlessly gives us an equal balance of narrative and detail – enough to make me step away from Hocking to finish Endlessly first.  And you aren't bogged down in detail either.  It's just enough to keep you wanting more.  She gives it to you when needed, teasing you with just enough to keep you wanting more, and then pushes the story forward with just enough dialogue.Endlessly is also a lot more graphic at times and more adult.  It leans more toward horror than supernatural, but has equal elements of both which I thought Hunt treated in a unique manner.  Endlessly is told from the POV of Verloren, a young vampire who runs a metaphysical-type store of books, crystals, and herbs.  He is spared by the Quatre, a group of four council type characters who we meet in the beginning.  They rule the supernatural community and Verloren is facing death for a reason we do not know.  The Quatre allow him to return to humanity if he agrees to stay out of trouble and to obey the rules.  He runs the store with some other supernaturals including a werewolf and a witch in order to stay under the Quatre's radar.Enter Ashley, who calls herself Ash.  Verloren is enamored by the young shy girl when she comes into his shop seeking books on reincarnation.  He feels an immediate connection to her, but he also feels she may not be human.  In an attempt to learn more about her and to help her, the two couple off and the foundation of our story really starts here.  Along the way, we meet trolls, fairies, werewolves, vampires, dragons, shamans, witches, angels, demons, aliens, and more – all ruled by the Quatre who attempt to keep their world hidden to human eye.  With such an array of characters introduced, Hunt has set herself up for writing some very nice series that could branch off from this one.Now, Hunt's vampires are different.  No shiny love here. Hers don't have teeth and aren't affected by sunlight except that it hurts their eyes.  They are pale, but more goth looking than dead. They are very strong, and what's interesting about Verloren is that he can read auras.  That's how he knows Ash is an "incarnate,"  those that have been reincarnated into something else but may not yet be aware of what they really are.  Here's Verloren's explanation:They come from other planets, other realms, and sometimes they appear to pop up directly from human imagination. They are reborn into human bodies. Some are born remembering and can shape shift at will. Others forget. They always have the feeling that they belong to something bigger. Some figure it out immediately. Others never do. the latter are reborn again.And here's what he has to say about himself:It takes a certain kind of personality to make it as a monster.  You have to be willing to take a human life without regret.  Basically, you have to have the personality traits of a sociopath or psychopath.So, if you've weeded through the top shelf and what's popular at the moment because everyone else is reading it, I highly recommend that you give Endlessly by C.V. Hunt a try.  It's something new, different, and certainly refreshing to my old vampire fiction eyes.  I'd like to use the word "re-invented," but the Twilight series pretty much did that for the genre which is why everyone is eager for vampires right now anyway, right?  Like a vampire, one author goes to sleep and another awakens later with a new perspective. From Rice to Meyer to Harris and now Hocking, the line of authors taking a stab at good vampire fiction has been long.  I look forward to seeing C.V. Hunt rise to the top.Have pleasant vampire, werewolf, and zombie dreams. www.authorcvhunt.comwww.authorcvhunt.com

The definition of vampires.

I've gotten some flack because my vampires are not dead. I thought I would share with everyone exhibit A:

From Merriam-Webster dictionary:
vam·pire  noun  \ˈvam-ˌpī(-ə)r\

Definition of VAMPIRE1: the reanimated body of a dead person believed to come from the grave at night and suck the blood of persons asleep2: a : one who lives by preying on others b : a woman who exploits and ruins her lover3: VAMPIRE BAT
From Wikipedia:Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence (generally in the form of blood) of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person.As you can see from the red highlighted areas, the definition of what a vampire is or could be can be loosely interpreted. Have pleasant vampire, werewolf, and zombie dreams. www.authorcvhunt.comwww.authorcvhunt.com

Blog Hop Giveaway.

I just recently did an interview for a blog. The host is doing a giveaway of my book. Check out the link to learn more. http://bookhimdanno.blogspot.com/2011/05/spring-blog-carnival-giveaway.html
Have pleasant vampire, werewolf, and zombie dreams. www.authorcvhunt.comwww.authorcvhunt.com

Book Review: Vampire Zero by David Wellington

Vampire Zero: A Gruesome Vampire Tale by David Wellington

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
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I so badly wanted to give this 5 stars, but I just liked Jamison too much as a character. I know that the story is not 1st person POV, but I felt more connected to his character than any other. As dumb as it sounds, I felt that his character would have handle several situations much differently in his new mindset.
I don't want to go into heavy details and spoil the story, but the person he confided in...it didn't seem like his style to confide in anyone at all. I know with this series, as a person changes into the undead, they lose track of what they were when they were human. I just felt that Jamison's character was much stronger, had more knowledge, and was prepared for what he had taken on. When he desided to become a full blown monster, he would have the smarts to keep from getting caught.

The plus side for me is that slowly but surely, Laura is becoming just like him.

Enough about the characters, I get too attached to them. Over all the story was great and David's writing style is awesome. His stories are gripping and fast paced, and they keep you wanting more. He's writing is inspiring, and I can't wait to finish his next book and move on to read the rest of his writing.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
One man stood between them and us.

U.S. Marshal Jameson Arkeley—the country's foremost authority on vampires—taught police investigator and vampire fighter Laura Caxton everything she knows about monsters. After a bloody war visited upon Gettysburg by an army of vampires, Arkeley gave up his own life to save others. Except he didn't exactly die . . .

Arkeley accepted the curse and is now a vampire himself. What's worse, he's the savviest vampire ever—he knows all the tricks better than anyone. Caxton is now faced with the task of destroying him. But Arkeley knows all her tactics too; after all, he taught them to her. Caxton realizes she must finish Arkeley before he succeeds in his quest to exterminate his own family, one member at a time. But even more important, she has to prevent him from becoming a beast exponentially more dangerous—a Vampire Zero.

The author of 13 Bullets and 99 Coffins, David Wellington takes the Laura Caxton series to a whole new level in this action-packed third volume

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Have pleasant vampire, werewolf, and zombie dreams. www.authorcvhunt.comwww.authorcvhunt.com

An interview of me and the book.

I want to thank the blogger for posting an honest review and for interviewing me. She had a couple of questions that I had to really think about. If you would like to read the interview. CLICK HERE and you will be redirected to the blog.
Have pleasant vampire, werewolf, and zombie dreams. www.authorcvhunt.comwww.authorcvhunt.com

Another honest review.

Here is another honest review of Endlessly. CLICK HERE to read it.
Have pleasant vampire, werewolf, and zombie dreams. www.authorcvhunt.comwww.authorcvhunt.com