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.

View all my reviews

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