Back in October of 2009, before I began reviewing podcast fiction, I had stumbled upon Mike Bennet’s Hall of Mirrors Podcast. Hall of Mirrors is similar to one of the old time television horror magazines. It much reminded me of Night Gallery (for those of you that remember that far back). I enjoyed most of the few eps I had a chance to listen to, but with the beginning of these reviews, I found I had little time to listen to anything that wasn’t a novel, so Hall of Mirrors fell off my listen to list. Recently I discovered Mr. Bennet had been working on a vampire novel and part one was complete.

So, on to the review.

Synopsis: All David Flinch ever wanted was a normal life.

But when you’re a member of the Flinch family, normal has never been easy.

For hundreds of years, the eldest male Flinch has been servant and guardian to the Lord Underwood. While the Flinches have changed through the generations, Underwood, a vampire, has been eternal. David had hoped to be spared the horror of serving his family’s lord and master, but when he is summoned to the Flinch home in Spain by his dying older brother, he knows his luck has run out. Underwood must be resurrected from the grave in a ritual of human sacrifice, and David must be the man to do it. Because if he doesn’t, an even greater evil than Underwood will rise: the evil that is David’s sister.

Underwood and Flinch is an epic horror-thriller that spans the centuries. From the teeming slums of 17th Century London to an ex-pat community in modern-day Spain, this is the new novel from Mike Bennett, author of ‘One Among the Sleepless’ and ‘Hall of Mirrors’. (Stolen from Podiobooks.com)

Production: Mr. Bennet does a fine job with the production of Underwood and Flinch. There isn’t any atmospheric noises to jar the listener out of the story. There is also no use of sound affects other than the occasional bit of music which I found to add atmosphere and authenticity. Overall, I enjoyed the production very much.

Grade: A-

Cast: Mr. Bennet does Underwood and Flinch as a self read, and he does it very well. His grandiose, at times, over the top narration is perfect for the story he is telling. This is one of those cases where I truly believe there is no one that could read the story like the author. You truly get the feeling this is what it sounded like in his own head when he wrote it.

Grade: A+

Story: Underwood and Flinch is a vampire story. A vampire story built on the mythos of Dracula and other vampire stories from my youth. You know the kind. The vampire is unrepentant of his need for blood. He is not good, or gentle, or sparkly. He eats people. He takes what he wants. It is also the story of David Flinch. His caretaker. This is the sympathetic character and he does a good job even if he wallows a bit in his own pain.

Grade: A

Verdict: Once again I find myself the victim of not reading closely enough. Underwood and Flinch is “in progress”. When I first subscribed, I just assumed it was complete as it hadn’t been updated for a couple of weeks and had 40 episodes. Rather long episodes at times. I wish it had been complete because I greatly enjoyed it and want to know how the story ends. However, the first season (or part) is complete and tells the tale of David Flinch and his familial obligation to serve the Lord Underwood and help in his resurrection after a long dormant hibernation. One thing I truly liked about this story is that it truly DID end some elements of the story by the end of season one. This has become a pet peeve of mine lately. If a podcast is going to claim “seasons” then it has the right to leave storylines open, and even to cliffhanger me. However, I truly believe that it must end some elements of the story rather than just “quit”. Mike Bennet made sure Underwood and Flinch ended season one at a natural point, but it will definitely leave you wanting more.

Disclosure: I”ve never met or tweeted with Mr. Bennet. I don’t even know if he’s on Twitter (though I remember hearing something about that on the podcast). I was offered nothing in return for this review.

Title:

Occasionally, I simply go to Podiobooks.com and browse through the stories looking for something I’ve never heard. This might not be the best lead in for a story, but the truth is the truth. Browsing the racks is exactly how I stumbled across Jeremy Robinson’s Beneath. It sounded, from the synopsis, like a story that would be quite enjoyable.

So, on to the review.

Synopsis:  Three thousand years after a chunk of iron the size of Khufu’s pyramid collides with Europa, Jupiter’s sixth moon, an asteroid borne of the collision crashes into Earth’s Arctic ice shelf carrying extraterrestrial microbial life. The first man to come into contact with the microbes hears voices—and then dies.

After determining the meteorite originated from Europa, the Global Exploratory Corporation sends oceanographer and biologist, Kathy Connelly, and her crew to the moon aboard the Surveyor, an experimental spacecraft. They are charged with the task of melting through miles of ice to the hidden ocean beneath, where the search for alien microorganisms begins. But a startling discovery awaits them on the surface of Europa.

Life.

Vast fields of red, plant-like organisms fill the cracks crisscrossing the moon’s surface, surviving on nutrients welling up from the waters below. Intoxicated by thoughts of what might lie beneath, Connelly and her crew activate the Thermal Exploratory System and melt through the ice—toward a world that does not want to be found, toward a force that will do anything to make sure they never leave.

They search for life. They find death.(stolen from podiobooks.com)

Production: Beneath is put together quite well. I enjoyed listening to the story. The audio was neither to loud nor to quiet. The quality of the recording was better than average and the editing was well done. Sometimes, it is best to just not notice the production. That means it didn’t interfere with the story. This is the case with Beneath.

Grade: B+

Cast: Beneath is a self read podcast with voice work provided by Jeffrey Kafer. I’m unfamiliar with Mr. Kafer’s work, but after having heard him in this story, I would not be reluctant to call upon him if I needed any voice acting done. He sells the characters without going overboard. The reading was fluid and his reading voice was mellifluous. Both greatly enhanced the story.

Grade: A-

Story: When I started listening to Beneath, I was really hoping for a scary space horror story. What I got instead was an episode of The X Files. Not that that is bad, but it wasn’t what I was expecting. The creatures could have been truly scary, or evil, or just malevolent in their pursuit of their own survival. (Minor spoiler ahead) Instead what I got was a sentient race just wanting to be left alone. Again, this is far from bad, it just wasn’t what I expected.

Grade: B+

Verdict: If you like a good science fiction story that will keep you guessing, Beneath will most likely fit that bill for you. However, if you’re looking to be a bit spooked and for a story that you best not listen to in the dark, keep looking, there is nothing for you here.

Disclaimer: I’ve never met Mr. Robinson, nor do I follow him on Twitter (to my knowledge). I have never discussed this story with anyone and received nothing in the way of remuneration for this review.

Rating: PG 13 for Violence and disturbing imagery

I’ve run out of things written by authors I’ve listened to before or know of, so I’ve been scouring Podiobooks of late. This has done several things for me. One, it is helping me find some great stories that I might not have stumbled upon earlier, and two, it seems like the number of views has decreased a bit. Maybe my readers are more interested in reading reviews by those they know or know of , or maybe it is simply coincidence. Regardless, this story, Earthbound, isn’t one I was familiar with and the author was unknown to me as well.

So, on to the review.

Synopsis:

“I didn’t believe in ghosts, not until I became one.”

Schuyler Ramsey just wants to be like the other kids in school. Too bad she’s dead. She haunts a farm in windswept western Ireland, along with some of its previous inhabitants. When she partially materializes in front of her sister at breakfast, she is propelled on a quest to stop a fake TV psychic from visiting the farm and stirring up trouble. Along the way, she visits a famous pirate, helps a mermaid rescue a basking shark from fishermen, and encounters Nicniven, queen of the dark elphs. But Schuyler soon finds that the Haunted Planet television show is the least of her problems. As her world unravels, can she find the strength to save her sister from a monstrous evil? (Stolen from Podiobooks.com)

Production: The production of Earthbound is rather robust. The music that is recorded for the intro and outro is haunting and beautiful and completely matches the story. The ambient nature sound effects matches the feelings of desolation the story invokes perfectly. The sound quality is crisp and clear and all parts work together well. There are 23 eps in this story. Not 24. Ep 21 file must have been corrupted or something, because when I tried to listen, I could never download it. I streamed it instead and had no issues. I then happily listened to eps 22, and 23. Where the story ended. Ep 24 is actually a reworked version of ep 21. Be wary to get the right one.

Grade: A-

Cast: This is a single read story. At first I thought the author was the narrator, later I found this not to be true. Regardless, the narrator does an excellent job, and even with accents abounding, does a decent job. (However, I will say the “Houston drawl”, while perhaps recognizable sounds strange when practiced by someone from the “other side of the pond”. Still, much better than I could accomplish in reverse.

Grade: B+

Story: The story is quite different from what I expected, and some of the foreshadowing would have made me believe the author had planned to make this a different story than it turned out to be. However, that didn’t make it any less enjoyable to listen to. The characters were well done. The plot and the setting were vivid.

Grade: A

Verdict: I really enjoyed Earthbound. However, one of the things that made me want to listen was the fact that it was billed as family friendly. While there was no language that I can think of that might have been objectionable, the content was a bit more scary then I’d let my little ones listen to. Definitely a YA or an adult book. That point not withstanding, I really enjoyed this story and highly recommend it. If you are interested in hearing what happens when a deceased soul doesn’t choose to enter the light, told from the ghost’s point of view, download Earthbound now and thank me later.

Shameless plug: Don’t forget, if you send an audio comment to me at Odin1eye at viewfromvalhalla dot com, I’ll include it in the podcast version of this episode next weekend (or when I receive it). You can also leave voicemail, for this or any other story, at the Valhalla Hotline simply by calling 956-307-ODIN (6346)

Disclosure: I do not follow Artemis Greenleaf on Twitter. I loved the theme for this podcast so much though, I tried to track down the author to find out where I could get a copy of “Dandelion Girl”. Turns out that Artemis Greenleaf is a pen name. It took a bit of effort but I finally found the narrator and, as I figured, he was also the singer of the song in question. He showed me where to obtain the song and I immediately did. However, as much as I enjoy this song (and let me tell you, it has become quite the ear worm), I wrote the review with no regard towards any favors received.

Rating: R for violence, language, sexual situations

I’ve recently greatly enjoyed going to Podiobooks.com and simply perusing their offered wares. That is how I stumbled upon Shape Shifters. I read the synopsis (below) and when I got to line “a werewolf tale with no vampires” I knew I had to give it a listen.

So, on to the review.

Synopsis: The sun sets. The moon rises. And the night howls…

The people in the foothills town of Black Diamond are thrilled to hear of government plans for commercial development of the Kananaskis Parklands. With three world-class ski resorts within an hour’s drive, everyone is going to get rich! But The Fellowship, a colony of “nature nuts” who live to the immediate west of Black Diamond, are effectively stalling the government’s plans. Hostilities escalate when a hitch-hiker is brutally slaughtered just outside of town…

Shape Shifters–a werewolf tale with NO vampires. (Stolen from Podiobooks.com)

Production: Shape Shifters was easy to listen to. All of the audio levels were safely within comfortable limits. There were many sound effects and the use was usually done fairly well. However, on at least one occasion I can remember, the cycling of the effect was a bit repetitive.

Grade: B+

Cast: Mr. Parrish read his story independently and did quite an adequate job of it. Some of the voiced characters were a bit similar and occasionally the listener might be confused as to whose point of view he is listening to. The story is told from a variety of view points so it is hard to single in on a single character as being the lead character. However, all of the ensemble characters were interesting enough that the average listener will be interested in hearing what is happening to each one.

Grade: B+

Story: The story is a straight forward werewolf tale. The town is divided into two camps. The humans and the wolves. Of course the humans know nothing of the wolves and are only aware that there is something “different” about the freaks that choose to live in the woods and keep to themselves. While the story offered nothing completely new in the way of werewolf folklore, it also did not try to change everything we know. It also, as promised, contained no vampires.

Grade: C

Verdict: I had high hopes for Shape Shifters. The werewolf has always been one of my favorite classic monsters. I was a bit disappointed in several aspects of the story though. One, once again the monster is really not a monster. They’re too human. They’re treated poorly as people and we’re supposed to have a sympathetic reaction. I wanted a terror story where evil wolves hunted/killed hapless humans. That isn’t this story. *SPOILER* Add that too a scene of bestiality that was much too graphic for my tastes and unless you’re a huge fan of the genre, I’d have to recommend you give Shape Shifters a pass.

Shameless plug: Don’t forget, if you send an audio comment to me at Odin1eye at viewfromvalhalla dot com, I’ll include it in the podcast version of this episode next weekend (or when I receive it). You can also leave voicemail, for this or any other story, at the Valhalla Hotline simply by calling 956-307-ODIN (6346)

Disclosure:I don’t follow Mr. Parrish on Twitter, nor have I ever had a conversation with him.

As any reader of this blog knows, I am a big fan of Philippa Ballantine’s books. Her stories have never failed to entertain me. I have reviewed several of her stories in podcast form and the very first post ever written on this blog was a recommendation of her wonderful story Weather Child. When Ms. Ballantine announced she had sold two of her stories to Ace Books, I of course knew immediately both stories would end up being on my bookshelf. The first of those two stories, Geist, was released last week. I wasted little time in purchasing my copy at the local B&N and rapidly devoured it.

It should be obvious to all that I had high expectations going in and that, all ready being a fan of the author, I might be in a forgiving mood and cover any inadequacies of the story with gushing enthusiasm. So, what are my thoughts?

I’m happy to report that I don’t think there were any plot holes and no need for forgiveness. Ms. Ballantine has crafted a superior tale in Geist and made me crave an accelerated release of the sequel.

As has been stated before, I am extremely character driven. World building seems to have turned into the rage these days. Many authors spend so much time creating the universe the characters live in, the forget to make those same characters breath.

For me, this is obvious in stories like (prepare for blasphemy) Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. After reading all but the last book of the series, I realized I had no desire to complete them because while the world lived and breathed, the characters hadn’t developed sufficiently to keep me interested beyond the second or third book.

Ms. Ballantine does create a firm mythos that encapsulates the motivations driving her characters towards their objectives. However, she does this whilst keeping the focus on the characters and letting the mythos build along the way. This is a lesson I think many writers need to learn.

Ms. Ballantine’s characters are worth knowing.  Her strong female lead is unique. Sorcha Faris is a strong, powerful, mature, attractive woman. She is direct, almost brutally blunt at times. She enjoys a good cigar and is truthful with herself. She is easily the driving character in the story and she exudes potential development in subsequent stories. She might not be the easiest person to know, but she would be someone that would be worth that effort.

Raed Rossin enters the story relatively early on (the second chapter) but remains outside of the main storyline, moving parallel, for the first part. Raed is a member of the once ruling family, now a sea nomad doing his best to stay alive. He hides his inner qualities behind a course (though not unrefined) exterior. He effortlessly claims loyalty from those that follow him. He is a prince among men and a pirate at heart.

Merrick Chambers completes the starring cast. He is a young but powerful idealist partnered, against their wishes, with Sorcha. Along the way they learn to trust and rely on one another. It is neither an easy or enjoyable path for them at times, but it does make for a very good story.

Geist is much more than another quest fantasy. Geist has elements of fantasy, horror and romance all rolled into one action packed adventure spanning continents where loyalties are called into question, rogues can be heros and heros can be idealists.

At a purchase price of under $8 US, this is a story you shouldn’t hesitate in buying. This book begs you to lock the doors, get comfortable in your favorite chair, turn down the lights and read. I encourage you to do the same. You won’t be disappointed.

Title: Dead Hunt
Author: Kenn Crawford
Genre: Horror
Released: 18 March 2010 – 2 June 2010
Located: iTunes, Podiobooks, Author’s Site
Formats Available: Podcast
Rating: R for violence, gore and adult language

I have stated (repetitively) that I don’t normally listen to horror podcasts. I don’t avoid them, I just don’t seek them out. I much prefer dark fantasy. The horror elements are similar in both without what I would call the “shock elements” as prevalent in dark fantasy. So, as I prepared to conclude this October horror series of reviews I consciously went looking for a horror story. Strange territory indeed. I had heard Dead Hunt mentioned on more than one occassion and I knew many of the voices included in the cast, so I decided to give it a shot.

So, on to the review.

Synopsis: Off the coast of Nova Scotia on a remote island, a lonely scientist, a powerful computer, a simple mistake. Unleashes a new threat, somewhere in the hills of Margaree.

“Dead Hunt” is Kenn Crawford’s chilling tale of a desperate father’s undying love, a daughter frozen in time, and the small group of teens trapped in the aftermath.

“Everyone makes mistakes. Some are small, some are bigger. My father’s mistake, born of an innocent heart and fueled by sadness, was the greatest mistake. Some thought the death of his little girl drove him to the point of insanity; some thought he was trying to be God. But, this is not how it happened. The truth is, he wanted to save me. To give me life. And, in doing so, everyone was doomed.” ~Robin  (Stolen from the author’s site.)

Production: The production of Dead Hunt is really top notch. Seriously. Thinking back on it now, I can’t remember a single incidence where production interfered with the story being told. This is a full cast audio, so this fact is even more impressive.
A-

Cast: As I stated this is a full cast production  and you should recognize some of these names.

Dead Hunt is narrated by R.E. Chambliss (Dreaming of Deliverance), and features the voice talents of: Kimi Alexandre, Brian Brown, Ry Stevenson, Melissa Bartell, Erk and Kim Butler with special guest appearances by Andrew Ball, Arlene Radasky, Judy, Kristopher Lamont, Lindsey Burns, Lisa Tobias, Neil Stringer, Nobilis Reed, Randall Carruthers, Tom Storms and Featuring Rick Stringer of Variant Frequencies as the voice of Professor Patrick Heslin, and introducing “Robin” as herself (again, stolen from Podiobooks).

The performances these individuals put in are excellent. I was very impressed with the seamless quailty on the performances. Very nice work. And I have to comment, although this is a production issue, with voice actors not being in the same room, the editing sure made them seem like they were.
A+

Story: If you decide to give Dead Hunt a listen, you should know that it is really only 15 episodes long, regardless of how many eps are in the feed. (The rest are feedback, etc.) Dead Hunt is a zombie story, pure and simple. And simple might be the best way to describe it. There is really nothing new or noteworthy in the first 13 episodes. Don’t get bitten? Check. Don’t get eaten? Check. Run away from shuffling zombies? Check. Watch as the party slowly is devoured? Check. Hit the zombies in the head to kill them? Check.

Does it matter that there is little original in this story? Well, that is really up to the listener. It did to me. In fact, there are parts of the story that I felt I had heard before. Maybe just deja vu as I can’t place where it would have come from.

The last two episodes do offer a bit of a departure from the norm. Is it enough? Hmm… good question. Not for me. Conversely however, I would probably give the sequel (if it happens) a shot just to see where it’s going. Maybe not the whole podcast, but an ep or two.
D+

Verdict: Dead Hunt is far from the worst thing I’ve ever listened to. I must state that I am not a huge fan of zombies. Even in horror, I like a thinking intelligent preditor. This doesn’t seem to cross into the zombie subgenre of stories. If you’re a zombie fan, you’re going to love Dead Hunt. If you’re not, no nead to run, zombies never move at a gait faster than a shuffle.

Disclosure: I’ve never met Mr. Crawford or chatted with him on Twitter. I have with several of the cast members and regularly converse with Ms. Chambliss. I was not promised anything in return for this review but am now hoping there are no zombie hoards heading in my direction.

Title: Nocturnal
Author: Scott Sigler
Genre: Horror
Released: 15 August 2008 – 19 December 2008
Located: iTunes, Podiobooks, Author’s Site
Formats Available: Podcast
Rating: R for violence, gore and sexual situations

Continuing with our month of October reviews of the strange, the scary, the podcasts that go bump in the night, we bring you Scott Sigler’s Nocturnal.

So, on to the review.

Synopsis: Something lives deep beneath the streets of San Francsico. Something that has been there for centuries, something that comes out at night … to feed on the dregs of society. A sub-culture, with its own myths, its own legends of leader named The King that will lead them out of bondage, and their own demon, a hunting shadow known only as Savior.

But the legends of Savior’s brutality have faded, the fear passed into stories told to frighten the young ones. When The King finally appears, just as foretold, the Nocturnals know their time has come — the time to come out from under the streets and hunt humanity in the open. (stolen from the author’s site)

Production: By the time Mr. Sigler began podcasting Nocturnal, he was far from a noobie in the podcasting field. With Nocturnal, however, Mr. Sigler decided to try something a bit different and began with adding a few sound effect elements into the production. Most of the time, I’m all for spicing up audio. In this case though, the effects seemed somewhat forced (although, a bone breaking snap early on really did make me wince). I’ve a feeling Mr. Sigler felt similarly, because as the production continued, the effects diminished. I haven’t mentioned The Story so Far in quite a while. I still hate them. I am noticing fewer and fewer podcasts using this device though. Although I definitely don’t take credit for this, I wouldn’t be being truthful if I suggested I wasn’t thrilled by the fact. However, the reason I mention TSSF now, is that Mr. Sigler was able to get some really interesting guests to read for TSSF for him. No particular favorites… oh who am I kidding… Tee’s reading was absolutely priceless.

Cast: Calling any of Mr. Sigler’s stories a straight read would be like saying the cast of Ben Hur was limited to one. However, he is the only voice telling the story. If you haven’t heard any of Mr. Sigler’s other stories, you only need give one a listen to know what I mean.

Story: Nocturnal is a bit different from Mr. Sigler’s previous stories in that it is more of a story of a group of people with a unique genetic trait than it is a pure creature feature. The creatures in this story are also sentient, making it possible for Mr. Sigler to give us points of view from both sides of the table.

Verdict: Mr. Sigler knows how to tell a good story. Some of course are better than others. In my hierarchy of Sigler stories, this fits in somewhere between Earthcore and his Contagious series. My favorite of his books continue to be his Rookie series followed by Ancestor. As in all Sigler stories, no character is safe. Nocturnal had a lot of things that going for it, but it failed to deliver in a few others. Disagree? Tell me why.

Disclosure: I have purchased several of Mr. Sigler’s books and I have listened to all his podcasts. I follow him on Twitter though I’m pretty sure he doesn’t follow me (truthfully, I don’t know for sure and I haven’t checked). I’ve never met him, and I wasn’t offered a dang thing in return for this review, not even a ride in a plaid tank. Though, now that I think about it, I probably better be keeping a look out for them, starting……now.

It’s October. Going to be a busy month for me personally, but I’ve always loved October. Whether you celebrate Halloween or not, it just seems to kick off the holiday season and fall is bursting out everywhere (even if you live in the land of relatively little change like I do). I’ve decided to try and do a month’s worth of horror/monster reviews here at VFV, and to kick it off, we have a vampire tale!

So, on to the review.

Synopsis: Raine Black draws comics about the San Francisco Tenderloin, granting wishes to the down-and-out in ten panels or less. The weird thing? Her comics come true. But money is running out and waiting tables isn’t cutting it, so it looks like Raine is headed back to the upstanding, Southern, adoptive family that hates her. Typical.

That’s when, Joshua, Raine’s secret childhood friend, shows up to save her, just like old times. Only something is wrong. He’s dying, she’s sure of it. His weird black scar has spread, and he’s saying hello just so he can say good-bye. Again. She’d like to be tough enough, mean enough, to blow him off, dying or no.  But he’s the only one who knows where she came from. And she loves him, the bastard.  If only she could draw him a comic with a happy ending.

Joshua, on the other hand, just wants to get out of town so he can kill himself properly. An abolitionist for over a century, a vampire for a bit more than that, he’s ready to face the sun in order to kill the revenge demon a conjure doctor accidentally put inside him. The demon is growing too powerful, taking Joshua over for minutes at a time. And the practices of Joshua’s vampire religion aren’t working to contain it. If he can just get Raine safe from the blood-sucking human trafficker who hates him, Joshua would have his house in order.  But things are never simple with Raine. She’s trying to save him. Again.

And the demon wants to strike a bargain. With Raine. (Stolen from the author’s website, and possibly too much for a synopsis? What do you think?)

Production: While not the worst production I’ve ever heard, Conjuring Raine is far from the best. There are many artifacts that make their way into the final edit. The author seems constrained to a 30 minute episode and chapters are cut or run together in an ep to make that happen. Most of the time there is a natural cut place, but occasionally an ep would end and I would be left scratching my head in wonder.

Cast: Ms. Lassiter performs Conjuring Raine as a straight read and does an adequate job. Barely. There are many instances where I was left wondering who was speaking as she tends to read the story a bit quickly and without a lot of character distinction. The story would benefit from a “remaster” in order to correct some of the production errors and to simply breath life into the narrative with her truly wonderful voice. Oh, did I forget to mention? She really does have a lovely voice perfectly suited to her story.

Story: I freaking hate Anne Rice. Why did this woman decide it was necessary to take my favorite childhood monster and make some sort of unrequited love object from him? I remember being truly terrified the first time I read Dracula (of course, having a concussion made it even more surreal) and the old “evil” vampire flicks were a staple of my childhood. Now, between Anne Rice, Joss Whedon (who gets a pass, just because I said so) and Stephanie Meyer, you can’t have a vampire story without the vampires being represented by at least one good, gentle vamp. Bleh. I hate it.

If Meyer’s abominations do this to my werewolf favorite, and they become the tame lapdogs they are in her books, I’m going to be soooo angry (yes, I know, but I’ll blame whom I choose). And no, Underworld does not fall into this category. Why? Again, because I said so.

And why do so many writers fall into the pattern set up by Stoker of alternating points of view between characters in a vampire story? Yes, this story is written this way. I really don’t enjoy this style. I feel it keeps me from getting to know either character as well as I would like.

Verdict: Well, you might think after that last paragraph that I didn’t enjoy this story. I might have thought that myself if I had read the synopsis provided here and on Ms. Lassiter’s site. In fact, I might not have listened. Luckily, I heard about this story via a suggestion by Thomas Reed (@trreed). Surprisingly, with all the elements listed above still annoying me, I enjoyed it. I really did. I do recommend this book for an adult audience, and if you’re looking for a vampire romance to start you October with, feel free to forget Meyer’s abominations and start with Ms. Lassiter instead.

Disclosure: I do not follow Ms. Lassiter on Twitter. I don’t believe I’ve ever even heard her name mentioned on Twitter. That being said, it should be no surprise that I don’t believe she follows me either. (Don’t you love how Twitter makes us all sound like stalkers?) I was asked by Katharina if I received a vile of blood for this review. What do I look like? Some psychotic Billy Bob or Angelina?? No nothing was tendered or accepted in return for this review.