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Synopsis (From NetGalley):
If there is one thing eighteen-year-old Aurora Sky wants, it's to get off the iceberg she calls home. Being kissed before she graduates wouldn't hurt either.Then a near-fatal car wreck changes everything. Government agents step in and save Aurora's life in exchange for her services as a vampire hunter. In Alaska. Basically she's a glorified chew toy. All thanks to her rare blood type, which sends a vampire into temporary paralysis right before she has to finish the job... by hand.
Now Aurora's only friends are groupies of the undead and the only boy she can think about may very well be a vampire.
Review:
I know that the whole vampire craze has died down over the last few years, but I still enjoy a good vampire hunting book (Buffy lovers unite!). Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, by Nikki Jefford, is a fun book that also packs an emotional punch . It has a lot to say about how people face life-altering events.After Aurora is in what should have been a fatal car accident, she wakes up to find her life has been changed forever and that she is basically owned by the U.S. government. She has become a genetically altered Vampire Hunter.
I found Aurora's reaction to be an analogy for what teens do when they have been traumatized. They can go off the deep-end and engage in destructive behavior. I have seen this happen to a friend after...(I don't really want to say what happened to her). At the time, I couldn't understand why she was doing this. But now I get that my friend, and Aurora, felt hopeless. They saw no future worth having, so they were going to live for the moment, and do whatever the Hell they wanted. This rings so true and makes this book vastly different from other paranormal books. I would say this book is meant for older teens and adults.
This is the first book in a series, so there is a lot of set up for further adventures, with exposition concerning the complicated government program of vampire hunters, including the long list of players involved. There are informants, hunters, and the hunted. Are all vampires bad? Could what they have be just an unfortunate disease?
There are also many comparisons between hunting for vampires and hunting for terrorists and the ethical questions it raises. Are all vampires bad? Do you turn a blind eye if the vampires don't kill people? I don't mean to suggest that the author meant there are good terrorists. But I do think she was implying that it is wrong to lump a group of people together (whether from a place or religion) and call them evil.
I found the romance to be a bit stereotypical of the genre. Of course, when Aurora is altered, she is instantly attracted to the hot vampire guy and must struggle between her lust and with her duty to rid the world of vamps. But the vampire boy is very different from Edward of Twilight fame. This guy is not presented as romantic. He is more of a puzzle. At times he is all 'bad to the bone', and at other times, he is looking out for her. She doesn't know how to react to this.
Overall, I enjoyed this book very much and look forward to all the sequels (already out on Kindle!).
Rating:
Release Date: December 9th, 2012
Source: NetGalley
Format: E-Book
Recommendation: A strong start to a fun series, this book will have you rooting for Aurora. Buffy has some competition!
OOh nice! I've had this on my kindle for sometime now, just never got around to it! Glad to hear it's enjoyable read!! I never tire of vampires myself!! LOL! Waited too long to find some good vampire books when I was a teen, so I'm enjoying myself these days with all the wonderful books to choose from! Very nice review!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jessica. This book is certainly a more raw version of the genre. It's hot without being pornographic (which I appreciate!). Have fun reading it.
DeleteHaha I love the "Buffy lovers unite!"
ReplyDeleteThough I love vampire movies and TV shows (True Blood lovers unite! :) ) for some reason I haven't been into vampire books. I think I have only read the Twilight series. However a genetically engineered vampire hunter does sound interesting glad you enjoyed Ardis :)
Hi Daniela! I would say that the author founds some interesting twists to the genre. There are actually several references to Twilight in the book! It is a fun, and quick read.
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