Immortalis Carpe Noctem (Immortalis, #1) in Q&A with Katie Salidas author of the Immortalis series

Apr 12, 2010 Kate rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2010

As I had not yet heard of Katie Salidas, when asked to review Immortalis Carpe Noctem, I wasn’t sure what to expect. However, after this first taste, I am certain we shall be hearing much more about Katie and her talents! After experiencing the “turning” through the eyes of a newborn vampire in Immortalis Carpe Noctem, it is a certainty that readers will be lined up for the next adventure in Immortalis: Hunters & Prey coming in 2011.

I genuinely enjoyed this story! It was very interesting to lear ...more

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May 15, 2010 Paula Phillips rated it it was amazing

Immortalis Carpe Noctem - Book One - Katie Salidas- 2010

"Becoming a Vampire was easy , Living with the condition-now that's the hard part"
Do you enjoy reading Vampire books ? Read the likes of Lynsay Sands , Chloe Neill , Rachel Caine and enjoyed them ?. If you answered yes, to any of those questions then this book is definitley one to add to your I must read list and if you are anything like myself , I guarantee you have the list written down somewhere or at least you belong to a site like libr ...more

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May 10, 2010 B.K. Walker rated it really liked it

Shelves: bk-s-library

mmortalis: Carpe Noctem by Katie Salidas was a fantastic read! If you have ever wondered what going through the change to become an immortal was like, you will be enthralled with this title.

Alyssa was awaiting the arrival of her best friend Fallon, where they meet every night at the Cafe’ Copioh. When Fallon calls to say she won’t be able to make it to the Cafe’, Alyssa leaves for home.

Not comfortable with the fact that she must walk home alone, she places her pepper spray in her hand. After bei ...more

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Nov 29, 2010 Robert rated it really liked it

Immortalis Carpe Noctem is the first in a series of books about a newly turned vampire (vampiress?) named Alyssa. After a brutal attack, she is saved by an ancient vampire called Lysander. Her turns her into an immortal blood sucker and thus she begins to learn the trials and tribulations of being a vampire. The story is well written and kept me interested as it went along. The story is written in first person and the author notes the character’s thoughts throughout the entire story. For me, th ...more

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Jun 08, 2010 Kolina Topel rated it it was amazing

Alyssa is a human going about her life in her normal routine. Work, friend, her favorite coffee-house routine, and what can be called a simple and happy life. That is until walking home one night alone she runs face to face with everyones worst nightmare. Rapists wandering the streets looking for their next prey. On the cusp of death, Lysander, a loner vampire comes to her rescue and saves her from immediate death. As she struggles with letting go of her old life she meets other new vampires, le ...more

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May 29, 2010 Melissa Silva rated it really liked it

Shelves: signed

This book gripped me right from the beginning. I haven't read many adult based books but this one was a great read full of mystery, drama, action, and desire.
The book revolves around the life of Alyssa.
Alyssa's life was pretty boring and repetitive, but she felt happy; she went to school, went to work and hung out at the local coffee shop with her friends. One night as she heads home from the coffee house alone, she falls victim to a mugging where 2 men look to rape and kill her right on her sch This book gripped me right from the beginning. I haven't read many adult based books but this one was a great read full of mystery, drama, action, and desire.
The book revolves around the life of Alyssa.
Alyssa's life was pretty boring and repetitive, but she felt happy; she went to school, went to work and hung out at the local coffee shop with her friends. One night as she heads home from the coffee house alone, she falls victim to a mugging where 2 men look to rape and kill her right on her school campus. As she lays on the ground bleeding to death, she is saved by a mysterious man name Lysander from a brutal fate but the only way for him to save her is to push her into a new life and force her to leave everything she knew behind. But is this new life a gift...or a curse. Now that Alyssa is a vampire her life has been turned upside down, where she can no longer live the life she once had, or speak to any of her friends or family, she's completely alone. Well, except for Lysander...She can't seem to figure him out but she feels a strong connection to her sire and she doesn't quite know if he feels the same.
With Lysander explaining to her the rules and ways of living as a vampire, Alyssa soon realizes that the life may be too difficult for her to handle. Her main worry being that she has to feed on people to survive, but she sees eventually that there is no other way but she focuses her attacks on those who would possibly attack others. After Alyssa's first hunt, her and Lysander come face to face with a warning. Her turning hasn't gone unnoticed by the largest coven, a coven that Lysander use to be a part of. With the threat of The coven's mistress upon them, Lysander and Alyssa must try not to draw attention to themselves and figure out a way to stop an impending attack upon them by the coven.
When you think things can't get any worse for the duo, a new threat emerges; one that has been plaguing the vampire world for centuries, the acta sanctorum has been drawn to Las Vegas because of the coven that's after Alyssa and Lysander. When they get into the Acta sanctorum's line of fire all hell breaks loose and they have to fight for their lives with an attack coming from two powerful forces.

This book has action and suspense through all the pages from beginning to end, and when it ended I was hungry for more. Book two will be a fantastic adventure leading Alyssa and Lysander on an epic journey.
I definitely recommend this book series to any Adult book readers that are fans of vampires, romance and adventure because this has everything! A great first novel for Katie Salidas. ...more

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Apr 30, 2010 Denise Verrico rated it really liked it

Review-Immortalis Carpe Noctem is a fast-paced read for those who enjoy a darker urban fantasy novel. These vampires have a bite and aren’t afraid to go for the jugular. Many of the old traditions of vampire lore are upheld but presented with a new twist. Author, Katie Salidas sets her story against the glittering backdrop of Las Vegas, (complete with a few hands of Texas Hold ‘em) and creates a world were rival factions of vampires and a fanatical religious sect are engaged in a bloody war. New ...more

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Mar 13, 2011 C.L. Stegall rated it really liked it

I have to admit getting kind of sucked into this one. It took me a while to finish due only to my life getting in the way.

The characterizations are well laid out and full to brimming with emotion and angst. The lead character, although, a little annoying at times, is portrayed well in her new life as a vampire. I could see why she was so petty in her wants and desires at first, and enjoyed seeing her slowly but surely overcoming them.

Some of the extraneous characters I thought could have been m ...more

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Apr 13, 2011 Coral rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this copy of Immortalis Carpe Noctem for free via a giveaway. I also have more than a passing acquaintance with Katie Salidas. She and I have been trading critiques back and forth for a few months now on yet to be published works. If anything, I believe that familiarity will make my appraisal of her writing more harsh, but I wanted to mention it. Now that all the boring, official stuff is out of the way, I can get down to the business of vampires.
Th In the interest of full disclosure, I received this copy of Immortalis Carpe Noctem for free via a giveaway. I also have more than a passing acquaintance with Katie Salidas. She and I have been trading critiques back and forth for a few months now on yet to be published works. If anything, I believe that familiarity will make my appraisal of her writing more harsh, but I wanted to mention it. Now that all the boring, official stuff is out of the way, I can get down to the business of vampires.
There's a lot about the vampires in Carpe Noctem that goes against the popular fancy that has taken over Urban Fantasy. Vampires in this world almost always kill and they need a fairly large quantity of blood to survive. I loved everything she brought back to vampires here, the gritty and not so pretty.
Much of this story focuses on what Alyssa must overcome in order to make the transition from human to vampire. The moral question of taking a life and how to deal with it is the central focus. That's a point that often goes unmentioned in these transition stories and I appreciated the attention given the topic.
Alyssa is not my favorite vampire ever. She's a little too stubborn, almost to the point of seeming dumb on occasion. That said, I recognize that the author did a splendid job characterizing her, because there were a few times I wanted to smack the girl silly. Lysander is just the right mixture of protective and brooding. Him, I adored. There's a lot of depth to his character that is uncovered as the story progresses.
There was one major plot hole that stuck out for me. An explanation early on by Lysander of how to get rid of the bodies of their victims so that "it should remove any traces of our involvement with their deaths." I just didn't buy that what he did would prevent a savvy medical examiner from suspecting what happened, but then again, maybe I watch too much Bones.
The Kindle edition I got from SmashWords did have a few strange hyphens floating around in the middle of words where they didn't belong, like an attempt at line justification gone wrong. They didn't bother me much, but I did notice them.
[Edited 6/23/2011 to add: The author reported to me that this issue has been resolved and should no longer be present in current downloads. I did download this copy some time ago.]

Overall it's a solid story with a fulfilling ending. Fans of the Urban Fantasy genre will enjoy a good read here.
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