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The Secret of the Halflings #1
Blood Oath
Raya Sarian has always known she was different. The water calls to her in a way that isn't human. She has seen things that would scar anyone for life. And her father has been non existent in her childhood.
Because he is a Siren.
A blood drinker.
A monster.
And now she must live with him in a world populated with enemies and dangerous friends. Can she survive the year?
Because he is a Siren.
A blood drinker.
A monster.
And now she must live with him in a world populated with enemies and dangerous friends. Can she survive the year?
- GenresYoung AdultFantasy
194 pages, Paperback
First published April 29, 2014
3 people are currently reading
639 people want to read
About the author
Samantha Coville
20 books122 followersSamantha Coville is a fantasy author and alumna of the University of Central Florida. Her lifelong love of reading evolved into a passion for writing during the third grade and at the age of sixteen her debut novel, Blood Oath, was released. When Samantha isn’t writing, she’s either exploring the local theme parks with her husband Marsean or bowling with friends.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
April 11, 2014
Click here for the interview: http://rebook424.blogspot.hu/2014/04/...
I received an ARC 10 days ago from the author.
Rating: 4.5
In Samantha Coville's book we get into a world where blood-sucking Sirens exist next to humans, living underground, only visiting the top side once in a while to grab someone to eat. And there are Halflings, too, creatures who are half human and half Siren. We have Raya, a Halfling in her teenage years who has to go to live with her father and the other Sirens in their subterranean compound.
This book was a really nice reading. It was different from the usual YA fantasy/paranormal books I read, it was much calmer, there was less violent action in it, yet it was not at all boring. It kept me eager to find out all along until the end when all the pieces of information got to be put together, with its twists and sporadic little, furtive hints that were geniusly placed to keep up the interest and strike the utmost that was possible. Still there are things waiting to be found out in the next book.
The characters completely matched with the story. Raya, the slightly naiv but courageous protagonist, Drew, his devoted boyfriend, and her other rather supporive friends. Of course, there weren't everything and everybody safe and sound, living happily, loving one another. Haters made the story even more exciting and intricate, more realistic even, jeopardizing the peace inside the compound.
Yet I took away half a mark and here is why. The relationships seemed a tiny bit less worked out, a little too quickly changing from bad or neutral to great and over the moon. Aprt from that there were very wee awrinesses which could have been solved better, but these were minor wrongs, they did not bear influence over the joy of the book.
On the whole, it was a captivating, heart-warming story, I would recommend it for all younger readers who are fond of paranormal creatures and crimes.
I received an ARC 10 days ago from the author.
Rating: 4.5
In Samantha Coville's book we get into a world where blood-sucking Sirens exist next to humans, living underground, only visiting the top side once in a while to grab someone to eat. And there are Halflings, too, creatures who are half human and half Siren. We have Raya, a Halfling in her teenage years who has to go to live with her father and the other Sirens in their subterranean compound.
This book was a really nice reading. It was different from the usual YA fantasy/paranormal books I read, it was much calmer, there was less violent action in it, yet it was not at all boring. It kept me eager to find out all along until the end when all the pieces of information got to be put together, with its twists and sporadic little, furtive hints that were geniusly placed to keep up the interest and strike the utmost that was possible. Still there are things waiting to be found out in the next book.
The characters completely matched with the story. Raya, the slightly naiv but courageous protagonist, Drew, his devoted boyfriend, and her other rather supporive friends. Of course, there weren't everything and everybody safe and sound, living happily, loving one another. Haters made the story even more exciting and intricate, more realistic even, jeopardizing the peace inside the compound.
Yet I took away half a mark and here is why. The relationships seemed a tiny bit less worked out, a little too quickly changing from bad or neutral to great and over the moon. Aprt from that there were very wee awrinesses which could have been solved better, but these were minor wrongs, they did not bear influence over the joy of the book.
On the whole, it was a captivating, heart-warming story, I would recommend it for all younger readers who are fond of paranormal creatures and crimes.
September 17, 2014
This review contains spoilers. You have been warned.
First off I would like to say congratulations to the author for her debut, it was quite a good book :)
I've never read a book about Sirens before, so it was unique and I could picture everything that happened in the book.
There were a few issues that I had with it, but they didn't take away from the fact that I enjoyed this book.
1. The Characters. At times, certain characters seemed to be one dimensional, and as someone who is also writing a book, I understand how difficult it is to not focus on just one character, or a few.
Some of the characters seemed to be stereotypical teenagers. You had the nerd, the jock, and the bitch.
My advice is try and focus on each character as an individual.
And now onto the things I liked.
1. The Culture. The Sirens have their own culture that I would have liked to delve into more, and I hope that in the future books we get to explore it.
2. Kat. She was probably my favorite character (I like kick-ass characters). I like that she fought with weapons, even though Sirens look down on using weapons, seeing it as an insult to their abilities.
I liked that she wasn't afraid to be herself and I hope that she gets more screen time in the next book.
3. The Sirens. The only thing I know about Sirens is that they would lure sailors to their deaths with their voices in ancient times, and I liked that this book explored them.
The Call is the most famous thing about the Sirens, and the only other thing is that they are beautiful, and I really liked that this book expanded on certain things, like that they try and be good, and they don't drink blood excessively, and that some of them are nice, so well done to the author for that.
4. The World. I know this may seem more like what I said about the Culture, but I've always been a fan of the 'world within a world' plots, so I really enjoyed this. It was unique, and like I said above, I have never read a Siren book before, so it was refreshing.
Overall, I liked this book. It was well written, and had a cool plot. I look forward to reading future books by Miss Coville.
Keep up the great writing! :D
I won this book in a first reads giveaway.
First off I would like to say congratulations to the author for her debut, it was quite a good book :)
I've never read a book about Sirens before, so it was unique and I could picture everything that happened in the book.
There were a few issues that I had with it, but they didn't take away from the fact that I enjoyed this book.
1. The Characters. At times, certain characters seemed to be one dimensional, and as someone who is also writing a book, I understand how difficult it is to not focus on just one character, or a few.
Some of the characters seemed to be stereotypical teenagers. You had the nerd, the jock, and the bitch.
My advice is try and focus on each character as an individual.
And now onto the things I liked.
1. The Culture. The Sirens have their own culture that I would have liked to delve into more, and I hope that in the future books we get to explore it.
2. Kat. She was probably my favorite character (I like kick-ass characters). I like that she fought with weapons, even though Sirens look down on using weapons, seeing it as an insult to their abilities.
I liked that she wasn't afraid to be herself and I hope that she gets more screen time in the next book.
3. The Sirens. The only thing I know about Sirens is that they would lure sailors to their deaths with their voices in ancient times, and I liked that this book explored them.
The Call is the most famous thing about the Sirens, and the only other thing is that they are beautiful, and I really liked that this book expanded on certain things, like that they try and be good, and they don't drink blood excessively, and that some of them are nice, so well done to the author for that.
4. The World. I know this may seem more like what I said about the Culture, but I've always been a fan of the 'world within a world' plots, so I really enjoyed this. It was unique, and like I said above, I have never read a Siren book before, so it was refreshing.
Overall, I liked this book. It was well written, and had a cool plot. I look forward to reading future books by Miss Coville.
Keep up the great writing! :D
I won this book in a first reads giveaway.
September 9, 2016
Smoothly-written, enticing, and realistically paranormal, BLOOD OATH relates the tale of Raya, daughter of a loving human mother and a Siren. From age six to.seventeen, her mother has raised her alone, but the agreement with Raya's father, Christopher Sharian, means Raya must now live for a year in the sphere of the Sirens, a year with a father whose deeds terrified her eleven years previously.
No suspension of disbelief necessary here: readers will slide immediately into the tale.
No suspension of disbelief necessary here: readers will slide immediately into the tale.
October 13, 2014
Blood Oath by Samantha Coville is a fantasy, YA novel that explores a new breed of paranormal creatures known as Sirens. They are vampiric in nature with an affinity to water. Raya Sarian’s world is uprooted when all of a sudden her father, whom she hasn’t seen in forever, comes to take her away. Having lived most of her life with her ever-so busy mother, Raya is terrified at the thought of going to live with her father in a world where nothing is as it seems. An incident from her childhood haunts her every time she thinks of him. The monstrosity she saw in his demeanour was more than enough to make her doubt her father as well as her capabilities as a Halfling.
Settling in a camouflage basement, Raya is exposed to an entire settlement of Sirens. Their ways of living and such horrify Raya and yet she is curious to know more. But Raya’s welcome is not as warm as she’d have liked. Making friends is not easy when her existence defies their laws and a whole bunch of angry vampires want to get rid of her. Somehow through it all, she finds herself a group of loyal friends. And yet the feeling of being in the dark about something major nags her. What is it about herself and these people that appears to be more dangerous than their eating habits?
This one was an inquisitive read. I liked the concept of water vampires. Its gets you into the story from the beginning. I felt that even though Raya and her mother knew about the existence of Sirens, their knowledge was very vague. Like a trouble-at-the-back-of-your-mind kind of thing. As simplistic as the cover is, I totally loved it! That figure swimming into the depths of water highlights how water is vital to these creatures. Raya’s father being of great power doesn’t change anything. She gets bullied a lot and I found it to be really sad that she had no way of getting back at them without the help of her Siren friends. There comes a point in the novel when Raya does something extremely stupid. It makes you question her integrity and thought process. But then again, it wouldn’t be much of story if everything was perfect. It has quite a lot of content for a 200 paged book. That was something I really liked. There’s bits of romance, betrayal, scheming, action and so on. Something about Raya and Drew’s relationship didn’t work for me. I think it was a little superficial. Nevertheless I am looking forward to the next book to add on to this one.
Settling in a camouflage basement, Raya is exposed to an entire settlement of Sirens. Their ways of living and such horrify Raya and yet she is curious to know more. But Raya’s welcome is not as warm as she’d have liked. Making friends is not easy when her existence defies their laws and a whole bunch of angry vampires want to get rid of her. Somehow through it all, she finds herself a group of loyal friends. And yet the feeling of being in the dark about something major nags her. What is it about herself and these people that appears to be more dangerous than their eating habits?
This one was an inquisitive read. I liked the concept of water vampires. Its gets you into the story from the beginning. I felt that even though Raya and her mother knew about the existence of Sirens, their knowledge was very vague. Like a trouble-at-the-back-of-your-mind kind of thing. As simplistic as the cover is, I totally loved it! That figure swimming into the depths of water highlights how water is vital to these creatures. Raya’s father being of great power doesn’t change anything. She gets bullied a lot and I found it to be really sad that she had no way of getting back at them without the help of her Siren friends. There comes a point in the novel when Raya does something extremely stupid. It makes you question her integrity and thought process. But then again, it wouldn’t be much of story if everything was perfect. It has quite a lot of content for a 200 paged book. That was something I really liked. There’s bits of romance, betrayal, scheming, action and so on. Something about Raya and Drew’s relationship didn’t work for me. I think it was a little superficial. Nevertheless I am looking forward to the next book to add on to this one.
June 6, 2014
Raya had been living with her mother ever since her father left them years ago. she had grew to hate her father, whom she assumed abandoned them because he no longer loved them. on the morning of her seventeenth birthday, her mother surprised her when she announced that Raya will be living for a year with her father, in the Siren world. it explained her love for the water since childhood, and her mother also revealed the reason her father had left in the first place was to protect his little girl. but being half siren was the most disturbing part for Raya, because that made her a monster, a blood drinker.
i received a free e-book from the author in exchanged for a review. the book was an easy read with a full of potential plot. i was captivated by the flow of the story, which was the exact attraction that got me through the book so fast. however, by the end of the book, i found it slightly disappointed that i wasn't able to love the characters more. with the political conflict involved, sidetracking Raya's self-discoveries, i found myself understanding more about Elizabeth and Eden than Raya and Drew, especially since the book focused more about the thoughts for these supporting characters/villains, but mostly actions for the main characters. if not for the oath Drew made in front of the council, i would still be doubting his true feelings towards Raya.
my review: here
i received a free e-book from the author in exchanged for a review. the book was an easy read with a full of potential plot. i was captivated by the flow of the story, which was the exact attraction that got me through the book so fast. however, by the end of the book, i found it slightly disappointed that i wasn't able to love the characters more. with the political conflict involved, sidetracking Raya's self-discoveries, i found myself understanding more about Elizabeth and Eden than Raya and Drew, especially since the book focused more about the thoughts for these supporting characters/villains, but mostly actions for the main characters. if not for the oath Drew made in front of the council, i would still be doubting his true feelings towards Raya.
my review: here
May 5, 2014
Blood Oath
By Samantha Coville
Raya Sarian has lived a fairly normal life with her mother, up until the night of her seventeenth birthday. When her estranged father shows up out of the blue, Raya learns that she is to go and live with him for one year. Now this wouldn’t normally be a problem, except for that fact of who, or more correctly, what, her father is: a vicious, killing, blood thirsty siren. Now she must live in his colony, spending a year surrounded by the very things that she has been trying to forget about her entire life. Will she be able to reconcile with her father and find friends, or will her year be full of betrayal, fear, and despair?
I really enjoyed reading this book. It had a good pace, good character development and the banter between Raya and the Sirens was very entertaining to read. I was worried that, when I first started reading, it was going to be Twilight with mermaids. However, as I read, I was surprised with 1) how wrong I was about what sirens were and 2) how invested I got into the story after I started reading. This story covers so many things, from fighting, politics and romance to mystery and mythology. If you are looking for something interesting with engaging characters, a riveting story and a fresh look on an often forgotten race, then you will love this book. I give it four and a half sets of vibrant aqua eyes out of five.
By Samantha Coville
Raya Sarian has lived a fairly normal life with her mother, up until the night of her seventeenth birthday. When her estranged father shows up out of the blue, Raya learns that she is to go and live with him for one year. Now this wouldn’t normally be a problem, except for that fact of who, or more correctly, what, her father is: a vicious, killing, blood thirsty siren. Now she must live in his colony, spending a year surrounded by the very things that she has been trying to forget about her entire life. Will she be able to reconcile with her father and find friends, or will her year be full of betrayal, fear, and despair?
I really enjoyed reading this book. It had a good pace, good character development and the banter between Raya and the Sirens was very entertaining to read. I was worried that, when I first started reading, it was going to be Twilight with mermaids. However, as I read, I was surprised with 1) how wrong I was about what sirens were and 2) how invested I got into the story after I started reading. This story covers so many things, from fighting, politics and romance to mystery and mythology. If you are looking for something interesting with engaging characters, a riveting story and a fresh look on an often forgotten race, then you will love this book. I give it four and a half sets of vibrant aqua eyes out of five.
July 1, 2014
Raya Sarian has reached an important age – 17. For the next year, she must live with her father after living with her mom for all her life. Yet Raya also knows she’s different, like her father…the monster…the Siren. Without knowing who to trust and who secretly hates Halflings, will Raya make it through the year? In BLOOD OATH, Raya is an inquisitive teenager, but woefully naïve in the ways of the Siren. After a traumatizing incident in her childhood, she doesn’t want anything to do with her father or Sirens. Forced to stay there for a year, she’s going to have to make the best of it. With hidden plots and false friends, Raya is going to need all her wits and her few true friends to figure out the truth. BLOOD OATH is what I’d consider light YA, even though the Sirens are blood drinkers. The characters were good, the plot flowed well, and I enjoyed the different take on Siren mythology. BLOOD OATH is a good story for those looking for something different!
June 25, 2014
An absolutely enticing read bringing you into the world of Raya Sarian and her un-ordinary human life. From the beginning we are captured into her life and encouraged to keep reading to find out who the 'Sirens' are and who Raya really is....
There was a lot packed into one book which I felt kept the book flowing.. from romance and dishonesty to power and deception. Although I felt there could have been more about the relationships such as Raya and Drew's, I don't think we really knew much about the relationship aside from the fact they were drawn to each other instantly.
Overall a captivating read not only for the younger adult but for all to enjoy a little bit of a paranormal story!!
I for one cannot wait for the next book.
There was a lot packed into one book which I felt kept the book flowing.. from romance and dishonesty to power and deception. Although I felt there could have been more about the relationships such as Raya and Drew's, I don't think we really knew much about the relationship aside from the fact they were drawn to each other instantly.
Overall a captivating read not only for the younger adult but for all to enjoy a little bit of a paranormal story!!
I for one cannot wait for the next book.
July 4, 2014
This is a fast-paced, addictive read. Once you've started to read it, I don't think you'll be able to stop until you've read the last word. With only 189 pages, I had no problems getting through this book in a day. The portrayal of Sirens in this novel is something I've never seen before. They are equal parts terrifying and beautiful. They're also nothing like mermaids. Surprising, isn't it?
The only thing I didn't like about this novel was the insta-love. It is kind of explained but I'm generally not a fan of this type of love in books. Oh yeah, and the main character annoyed me at times. *shrugs* What can you do, right?
The only thing I didn't like about this novel was the insta-love. It is kind of explained but I'm generally not a fan of this type of love in books. Oh yeah, and the main character annoyed me at times. *shrugs* What can you do, right?
June 19, 2014
The book introduces you to its protagonist, Raya Sarian. On her 17th birthday, her mother tells her, that she will from now on live with her father, a father she hasn’t seen in 11 years. He takes her to a another surroundings where she has to find her way, and find out who to trust or not.
With Blood Oath, Samantha Coville has created the promising start of a fantasy series for young adults: The Secret of the Halflings. Blood Oath is an entertaining and fast read, making you want to read more.
This is a book to read again; and the start of a series to be looking forward to.
With Blood Oath, Samantha Coville has created the promising start of a fantasy series for young adults: The Secret of the Halflings. Blood Oath is an entertaining and fast read, making you want to read more.
This is a book to read again; and the start of a series to be looking forward to.
June 13, 2014
omg, I loved this book. I love sirens and the characters amazed me. The writing was very good and kept me interested through the entire book. I loved the conflict and the plot was interesting and very fast moving. i loved it
November 17, 2014
I thought it was an interesting book,I feel like there could have been better story development/character development.This is the authors first book and i will continue the series.I feel like it has a ton of potential.
July 4, 2015
Raya Sarian is a halfling, half siren and half human and she goes through tremendous adversity when at 17 years old, she is told she has to live with her father at Sirens HQ and the the whole story takes off from there. I experienced so many emotions while reading this amazing book! I especially fell in love with Drew and his family, I also love Raya who fights so hard to be accepted by her peers despite her parentage. I wanted to just beat the tar out of smart mouthed Emma too. My heart broke in several parts of the story and I wanted to get inside it and whoop on the bad guys along with Raya in others. What an amazing and gifted author Samantha Coville is! This is a great and refreshing new twist on the tale of the Sirens and the Call. Reading it was like a breath of fresh air and very realistic fiction. It was easy to visualize all of the scenes, background setting, and dialogue throughout. The storyline was amazingly complex and full of twists and turns this professional reviewer never saw coming. The character development is fascinating and complex as well and that takes true talent to accomplish. I was drawn right into the story in chapter one and it refused to let me go until I had read it all in one sitting, not able to put it down for a second. Is there a siren Headquarters nearby, I would love to live in this world Author Coville has created!! I highly recommend this book to readers of all ages who love the paranomal, mythological, and who also love a story that can grip you and hold you in it while it takes you on the ride of your life with many twists and turns.
February 10, 2017
Blood Oath is definitely a hidden gem. It's not a literary masterpiece, but it's fun and exciting and I was hooked. I added this back when I first started Goodreads, so I'm extremely happy to have finally read it. I liked that this book was based on sirens, instead of going straight to mermaids. Sirens are well known enough that most people know what they are, but obscure enough that most people choose other creatures to write about. I also liked that didn't revolve around romance. It was a part of it, but it really focused on the bigger, long running issues in Raya's life. I'm really looking forward to the sequel.
Raya is a hafling, the child of a human and siren. This is something that's she's known since she was a little girl, since the traumatic night that left her bleeding and her family broken. Its been her and her mom since than, and though there's a part of her aches for her family, she's happy with that. Happy to focus on the half of her that's a normal human, instead of agonizing over the half of herself that's a bloodthirsty monster. But her mother made a deal with her father, and now that she's old enough she has to live with her father at the siren headquarters for a year. A place where Halflings, by Her own father's law, are not allowed to enter. A place where Halflings are hated, and feared. Raya has to face many trials and tribulations, a half-brother, the sirens Call, scorn, and a plot to overthrow the Siren Lord, her father, but it's her own judgment that decides her fate.
Raya is a hafling, the child of a human and siren. This is something that's she's known since she was a little girl, since the traumatic night that left her bleeding and her family broken. Its been her and her mom since than, and though there's a part of her aches for her family, she's happy with that. Happy to focus on the half of her that's a normal human, instead of agonizing over the half of herself that's a bloodthirsty monster. But her mother made a deal with her father, and now that she's old enough she has to live with her father at the siren headquarters for a year. A place where Halflings, by Her own father's law, are not allowed to enter. A place where Halflings are hated, and feared. Raya has to face many trials and tribulations, a half-brother, the sirens Call, scorn, and a plot to overthrow the Siren Lord, her father, but it's her own judgment that decides her fate.
June 3, 2016
Free copy from author in exchange for honest review.
I was really looking forward to this dark fantasy (my favourite kind!) but, although it has an imaginative plot, the story fell short in execution. I found the writing was a little repetitive and did not flow as smoothly as it could have.
Full review: http://crushingcinders.com/blood-oath...
I was really looking forward to this dark fantasy (my favourite kind!) but, although it has an imaginative plot, the story fell short in execution. I found the writing was a little repetitive and did not flow as smoothly as it could have.
Full review: http://crushingcinders.com/blood-oath...
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews