DAC#5 Avenging Amethyst [Review]

Debut Author Challenge #5

Title: Avenging Amethyst

Author: Kaitlyn Price

Format Acquired: mobi provided by author for honest review

Publication Date: January 21, 2013

Publishing House: self published

Summary:

What she discovers is nothing like she could’ve imagined. The stranger’s name is Felix, and he’s part of a race of creatures called Lovac. He tells Avery that she is a Lovac, too, and that they’re the distant descendants of the ancient vampire Nosferatu, along with two other races—the Nesmyr and Zhulik.

However, the Lovac are doomed to insanity, and nearly all of them lose their minds in their early twenties. The only way to be saved from the curse is for a Lovac to find their Dimidium, the one creature that can calm the darkness.

Nightmarish visions, kidnappings, and a lifestyle she never knew existed consume Avery’s life as she begins the search for her Dimidium and to get revenge for her mother’s death.

Review:
Ah! Another Debut Author for 2013. I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I am very glad that I was able to read her Debut because it was surprisingly very good! I started off not really liking the book because I felt like main character was a bit flat. The story starts off with her witnessing the death of her mother, and then she runs away and all she can think about is the locked box that she has to get in order to run away. I just didn't feel like she grieved enough. I mean, if I just witnessed my moms death, the last thing on my mind would be to run away and get my belongings and a trunk from my house. It just didn't seem to make sense to me. Avery, the main character, does end up crying a bit later on, but I still just don;t think it is realistic the way she handled the situation. I think that this is one of the challenges an author faces when they start a story off with a death of a loved one of the main character. I have never been in Avery's shoes, so I don't know how I would react to the situation  but I still think it could have been written a bit better. Anyways, the rest of the story I did enjoy a lot. 

Vampires these days can be a bit overplayed, but the author mixes it up a bit by giving us three different kinds of vampires with three very different lifestyles. There is the Lovac, Nesmyr, and the Zhulik. They are presented in such a unique way, that I really didn't even really believe that I was reading about vampires at all. Although there are a lot of new concepts thrown at the reader, the author does explain them thoroughly so the reader will not be confused. I found myself embracing Avery's new world, just as much as she did herself. 

There is also another category of creatures in the story called Dimidium, and they are for the Lovac. Essentially, they are the soul mates of the Lovac so that they do not end up going crazy from the darkness. You would have to read this yourself to really understand the concept of this, but the gist is that Lovacs cannot be together, they must be with another race(their Dimidium) in order to survive. This presents a problem because Avery and Felix kind of have the hots for each other, but they are both Lovacs. I found myself feeling sorry for Felix because he really was a likable guy. Why can't he be Avery's Lovac, darn it? 

Overall, I found this to be a satisfying read. I loved the author's new take on vampires and I enjoyed the action in the story. Do I recommend? Uncertainly yes! Will I read the sequels? Most definitely!

Overall:

About the Author:

Kaitlyn lives in Colorado with a house full of crazy animals.

She is a huge fan of vampires, and while they might be overdone, she will still continue to write about them and read any vampire book she can get her hands on.

Authors Website.