I've always been a huge fan of reading, and recently I have begun doing book reviews. I even started a blog for them. I may only have two reviews as of right now, but that's beside the point. A few weeks ago, I was approached by my group editor for the Odyssey. She had self-published a book, and wanted to know if I would review it. I was more than happy to, and just picked up the book this last Friday. I finished the book the next day, and absolutely adored it! Here’s my review as it appears on my blog.

Synopsis:
Caroline Auburn is devastated after the death of her parents. Although she is taking her time to heal, it seems as though her life will never be the same again.

But Caroline will soon discover the ugly truth behind her parents’ passing. She is quickly introduced to the world of vampires, and it seems as though the life she once knew is vanishing before her eyes. With the help of a vampire by the name of Elliot O’Brian, they come up with a plan to destroy the man who took away her parents, and Caroline will learn that he has more planned than just her parents’ murder.

Can Caroline have her revenge despite the many secrets that surround her? Or will all the lies lead her down a dangerous path?
Rating:

I honestly cannot remember the last time I picked up a book and did not want to put it down, under any circumstances. With Vengeance, I was able to experience that again. I started the book last night, and if I could have, I'd have stayed up all night reading to finish.

I've always had a love of vampires novels, which actually began with Twilight, but it was nice to have bloodsucking characters that don't shimmer in the sunlight. The story, written in first person, follows Caroline Auburn, a teenager who is dealing with the grief of losing her parents in a car accident while also learning of the existence of vampires. The characters are all diverse and very well-developed. Even with a limited perspective, Caroline seems to pick out key parts of every person, and express redeeming qualities even to the ones who everyone else sees as negative.

Overall, I really enjoyed the plot, but I did find a few things that prevented me from giving 5 stars.. There were times, especially towards the beginning, where it seemed like an information dump. Too many characters were introduced at once, making me re-read particular passages to make sure I could follow along. A few points also felt like the author was telling, rather than showing how a character (typically Caroline) was feeling. It was almost too straight-forward, almost over-simplified.

These negatives don't even compare to the positives. This novel made me laugh, cry, and want to throw it across the room. Just like Caroline, Haselton is able to tug at the heartstrings and keep you hooked until the very end. The only thing I can say about this book is... when will the sequel be released?

Now, I'd like to be clear that I am not biased in any way because I happen to know the author. If anything, that made me look at the book more critically. This novel is great, and I encourage you all to head to Amazon and purchase it.