Anyway, today I'm reviewing a YA novel I picked up from my library, and yes, sorry, it is about vampires. The book is Crusade by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie.
Summary:
"The ultimate battle. The ultimate love. For the past two years, Jenn has lived and trained at Spain's Sacred Heart Academy Against the Cursed Ones. She is among the few who have pledged to defend humanity or die trying. But the vampires are gaining power, and the battle has only just begun.
Forced to return home after death takes a member of her family, Jenn discovers that San Francisco is now a vampire strong-hold. As a lone hunter apart from her team, Jenn is isolated--and at risk. She craves the company of her fighting partner, Antonio: his protection, his reassurance, his touch. But a relationship with Antonio comes with its own dangers, and the more they share of themselves, the more Jenn stands to lose.
Then Jenn is betrayed by one who was once bound to protect her, causing her to doubt all she has held as true. To survive, Jenn must find the courage to trust herself--and her heart."
Forced to return home after death takes a member of her family, Jenn discovers that San Francisco is now a vampire strong-hold. As a lone hunter apart from her team, Jenn is isolated--and at risk. She craves the company of her fighting partner, Antonio: his protection, his reassurance, his touch. But a relationship with Antonio comes with its own dangers, and the more they share of themselves, the more Jenn stands to lose.
Then Jenn is betrayed by one who was once bound to protect her, causing her to doubt all she has held as true. To survive, Jenn must find the courage to trust herself--and her heart."
My Thoughts:
This was an interesting book. Jenn starts off as being just an okay character, believing herself to not be as good as the other members of her team and throughout the book she seems to be trying to figure out her place because she sort of sees herself as expendable. By the end, I think she is honestly starting to realize that she is an important addition to the group.
I think probably the most interesting character/part of the story is Antonio, Jenn's romantic interest as well as fighting partner. Antonio is a vampire, a Cursed One, but he is wildly different from the other vamps in the book. While a "vegetarian" vampire is nothing new to books, TV, and movies (hello, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, The Vampire Diaries, Twilight, etc.), Antonio really is unique in this universe. Vampires don't like crosses or symbols of faith, and holy water is another weapon to be used against them. However, those things don't bother Antonio. I don't really feel that it is a huge SPOILER since it is mentioned fairly early on in the book, but before he was turned, Antonio was actually studying to become a priest. It is because of his deep faith that none of these things bother them. He still prays a lot, helps to lead services, has no problem using holy water, and he even wears a cross on his necklace.
Crusade is basically what you would expect from a YA novel with vampires. Jenn wants to be with Antonio and he wants to be with her, but there's the chance that he could bite her and suck her dry anytime they are alone together, so naturally he struggles against that urge. I think this book would appeal to fans of Buffy and Angel, and Jenn is certainly a more kick-ass heroine than Bella in Twilight.
Anyway, because I have read a great deal of YA vampire fiction, I feel I can probably give this book a 4.5/5 overall. The story line moves quite well and there's plenty of action. Plus the rest of the hunter team makes things interesting and I really am curious to learn more about them. So, I can say that I will probably pick up the next book in this series.
Crusade at Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/crusade-nancy-holder/1100059789?ean=9781416998020
Crusade at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Crusade-Nancy-Holder/dp/1416998039/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1350178191&sr=1-1&keywords=Crusade
I think probably the most interesting character/part of the story is Antonio, Jenn's romantic interest as well as fighting partner. Antonio is a vampire, a Cursed One, but he is wildly different from the other vamps in the book. While a "vegetarian" vampire is nothing new to books, TV, and movies (hello, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, The Vampire Diaries, Twilight, etc.), Antonio really is unique in this universe. Vampires don't like crosses or symbols of faith, and holy water is another weapon to be used against them. However, those things don't bother Antonio. I don't really feel that it is a huge SPOILER since it is mentioned fairly early on in the book, but before he was turned, Antonio was actually studying to become a priest. It is because of his deep faith that none of these things bother them. He still prays a lot, helps to lead services, has no problem using holy water, and he even wears a cross on his necklace.
Crusade is basically what you would expect from a YA novel with vampires. Jenn wants to be with Antonio and he wants to be with her, but there's the chance that he could bite her and suck her dry anytime they are alone together, so naturally he struggles against that urge. I think this book would appeal to fans of Buffy and Angel, and Jenn is certainly a more kick-ass heroine than Bella in Twilight.
Anyway, because I have read a great deal of YA vampire fiction, I feel I can probably give this book a 4.5/5 overall. The story line moves quite well and there's plenty of action. Plus the rest of the hunter team makes things interesting and I really am curious to learn more about them. So, I can say that I will probably pick up the next book in this series.
Crusade at Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/crusade-nancy-holder/1100059789?ean=9781416998020
Crusade at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Crusade-Nancy-Holder/dp/1416998039/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1350178191&sr=1-1&keywords=Crusade
Other Readings:
All right, so again, not much change in my reading status from yesterday but I'm planning on reading some more on Master of Crows tonight. I'm also planning on really focusing on Grave Mercy since it is due back to the library in another four or five days. So, most likely my post for next Friday will be on Grave Mercy. Looking further into the future, October 26 will be a review of Poison Study, which was the main pick in my Vaginal Fantasy Hangout book club (and I can say that Poison Study is more YA in the smut level so don't worry).
So, I guess I will see you all on Tuesday for my writing and life in general update.
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