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Blood Rights (House of Comarré, #1)

Kristen Painter

Start date: February 1, 2012

Finish date: February 29, 2012

Discussion: Book of the Month

Why we're reading this: Voted as our "First-in-Series Published in 2011" February BOM…more
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What Members Thought

Jul 24, 2011 Chelsea rated it it was amazing

Shelves: vampires, fantasy, favorites, uf-pnr, suggested-series-firsts, upcoming-releases

This review was originally published at Vampire Book Club.

There are a handful of books that I go on a recommendation binge with as soon as I read the last page. It happened with Unholy Ghosts. It happened with Nightshade. It happened with Blood of the Wicked. And, there’s no question about it: Kristen Painter’s Blood Rights is the latest book that I will be pushing on every reader friend. And this means you, too, VBC readers.

Painter has taken the familiar — vampires, crazy nobility, outcast ment This review was originally published at Vampire Book Club.

There are a handful of books that I go on a recommendation binge with as soon as I read the last page. It happened with Unholy Ghosts. It happened with Nightshade. It happened with Blood of the Wicked. And, there’s no question about it: Kristen Painter’s Blood Rights is the latest book that I will be pushing on every reader friend. And this means you, too, VBC readers.

Painter has taken the familiar — vampires, crazy nobility, outcast mentality — and has given us something entirely new.

The Comarré, a special type of human, are similar to geisha in many ways. Their presence is a sign of wealth and status. Comarré are bred to feed vampires, never knowing their mothers and fathers, and trained to be polite and subservient to their future patrons. (There’s quite a bit more to them than this, but to say more would spoil some great twists.) Vampire nobility pay the Comarré’s house for the right to exclusively drink his or her blood. Chrysabelle was the most coveted Comarré, the one with the purest, most powerful blood. And she wanted out. Finding her patron dead, she fled.

A cruel vampire named Tatiana has her sights set on more power and Chrysabelle plays a role. She just needs to find her. We stop in on her point-of-view periodically, and the more you learn about her, the more you hate her. A true villain, worthy of the fear we see in those running from her.

Fleeing from the creatures Tatiana sics on her, Chrysabelle finds herself trying to adjust to the mortal world. She must work with a cursed vampire and his ragtag team for a chance at saving not only herself, but also her aunt. And while she wishes for true freedom, hard truths and dirty secrets keep getting in the way.

The tension between Chrysabelle and vampire Malkolm is gripping and intense. Their interactions brought to mind the strain of Ethan and Merit from the Chicagoland Vampires series. However, when it comes to Chrysabelle and Mal, both think they aren’t deserving of the situation. They both believe the other is rejecting them out of repulsion. There is a strong sense of duty, and both keep coming back together while internalizing a fear of disgusting the other. Given their respective backgrounds, anything else wouldn’t ring true.

Those who love heroines who surprise everyone, will love Chrysabelle. She’s supposed to be this demure thing, to be protected. Woman’s got blades on her at all times and the kind of power in a kick that will take out a steel door. She’s cunning and knows to hide her skills. It’s only through a bout of delirium that she first exposes her real fighting skills to Mal, taunting and taking the man out. She’s a woman who is used to being underestimated, and is reveling in the freedom to speak her mind and throw a blade or two.

Polarizing characters, murder, magic and the need for independence bring Blood Rights to another level. Expect this one to grab hold, pull you to the edge of your seat and leave you, jaw agape, begging for book 2, Flesh and Blood.

Sexual content: Kissing, references to sex ...more

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Dec 31, 2011 Rachel-RN rated it liked it

Shelves: read-2015

Can I say I love, love the cover! Too bad the book doesn't live up to the cover. The first half is a bit slow going. The last half picks up.

Liked: the world building. I appreciated how vampires, varcolai, and fae came into being. I will say the varcolai and fae are much more interesting and unique. The vampires, while their origin is somewhat unique, have (largely) the same disabilities found in myth (daylight, consecrated things and ground= bad, permission to enter private spaces, etc). l also ...more

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Dec 03, 2013 S H A R O N rated it liked it

Shelves: 2014, fantasy, urban-paranormal, urban-fantasy

[I also reviewed this title on my blog: Ishari's Bookshelf]

I won't lie...I was really excited when I started this book. I mean, here we have a vampire book that is different from all the other vampire books out there. In a sub-genre that's as flooded as the vamp one...that is quite a feat. Kristen Painter paints (no pun intended) a vivid world where comarrés are bred and raised for the express purpose of feeding noble vampires. Living her whole life in this form of slavery, Chrysabelle is ready [I also reviewed this title on my blog: Ishari's Bookshelf]

I won't lie...I was really excited when I started this book. I mean, here we have a vampire book that is different from all the other vampire books out there. In a sub-genre that's as flooded as the vamp one...that is quite a feat. Kristen Painter paints (no pun intended) a vivid world where comarrés are bred and raised for the express purpose of feeding noble vampires. Living her whole life in this form of slavery, Chrysabelle is ready to flee her master and escape her gilded cage...only to find, on the eve of her escape, her master murdered in their home. On the run and suspected of murder, Chrysabelle teams up with a rogue vampire named Malkom as they uncover a political web of lies that aim to tear down the veil that has been hiding the existence of supernaturals from ordinary people.

I apologize for that run on sentence.

Anyway, like I said, this book started out really strong. It has a beautiful cover and stays away from the recycled vampire plot and world. Painter's idea of the comarré is an interesting one and the twist she throws in about their world was quite good (let's just say they don't just feed vampires their blood).

But about a third of the way through things started to change. Oh, the world was still fun and the revelations were interesting...but Chrysabelle started to turn into a bit of a Mary Sue...she's the best comarré, she's the best fighter, she's the best blah blah blah. It got old. She's the best. At everything. Got it.

And the plot, which had been moving along quite nicely, devolved into political mush. Oh, there are other things happening in the story other than politics...but it seemed politics were the main focus with some fighting in between scenes.

Then it happened...Malkolm started his monologue about his past (which happens just under halfway through the book or so?) and I knew how the book would end. I hate that. I think if I had stayed immersed in the plot, the big plot twist at the plot climax would have been really great...instead, I felt disconnected from the story and had a general feeling of "yep...saw that coming".

I think this read is three stars because of the world building and it really did start out as an interesting read. Maybe I just read the book at the wrong time or something. As it stands at the moment, however...I don't plan on continuing the series. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Dec 06, 2011 Naomi rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Wow! What a great book!! I was hooked from the first page until the end. It's full of fantastic characters (especially Chrysabelle & Mal), loads of action & it stirs up quite a few emotions in you too. This is not your average vampire novel, it's something a little bit different than most which is refreshing. I will most certainly be reading the next two books in The House Of Comarre series. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jan 27, 2012 KarenF rated it liked it

Shelves: library, urban-fantasy

Pretty good first book in a series with an interesting take on vamps and other supernatural beings. The first half dragged a bit for me and I couldn't quite warm up to either Chrysabelle or Mal. The second half picked up and as we got to know them better, and see them more in action, I ended up liking them both. There's a little too much villain POV (I'm generally not a fan of that in any case) but in general it was a fun, quick read and I want to check out the next in the series as well. ...more

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Dec 01, 2011 Michelle rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Loved the story, was not happy with the ending. Can't wait for the next book. ...more

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Jul 20, 2011 Daffodil marked it as maybe

Aug 10, 2011 Vered marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: first-in-series-2011

Aug 23, 2011 Larissa marked it as dnf

Sep 03, 2011 Alyssa marked it as to-read

Sep 11, 2011 MJ rated it really liked it

Shelves: urban-fantasy, series-books-read, 4-star-ratings

Sep 18, 2011 Gus marked it as to-read-on-kindle

Sep 19, 2011 2mmommy marked it as monica-next-to-be-read

Sep 22, 2011 Steph marked it as old-tbr

Oct 15, 2011 AH marked it as to-read

Oct 23, 2011 Kimberley marked it as to-read

Shelves: have-at-home

Nov 07, 2011 Leah marked it as to-read

Nov 07, 2011 Lizz (Beer, Books and Boos) marked it as to-read

Nov 08, 2011 Haessly rated it really liked it

Shelves: vampire

Nov 19, 2011 BookDragon93'sBookCorner marked it as to-read

Nov 24, 2011 Laurel rated it really liked it

Dec 01, 2011 Rachel marked it as series-to-consider

Shelves: 1st, pnr-uf-romantasy-series, completed-series, zz5-book-series

Dec 05, 2011 Yvonne Francis rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 1-owned-books-read, adult-paranormal-romance, fiction

Dec 08, 2011 Patrick marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Jan 08, 2012 Ashley ~twisted_illusions~ marked it as to-read

Shelves: vampires-to-read, ghosts-to-read, 1st-in-ongoing-series, urban-fantasy, series-starting-with-h, cover-love, fantasy, paranormal, adult, romance