This is a spoiler-free review!
Vampires, lycan, angels... the list just keeps on going. Set in a modern world where a vampire will casually be using an iPad, this novella reminded me a lot of The Mortal Instruments in the sense that in that series they are just out of reach in using technology by choice, but Day chooses to have her characters welcome the advances.
Raze is a vampire on a mission and he does not hold back when it comes to carnage, whereas Kim has just witnessed a gruesome crime scene of someone close to her -- and yet, they somehow find each other when they needed someone the most. I think if we knew more about Raze and his past, it would have made their instant connection more interesting, but I went through the entire novella wondering what exactly was so great about him that Kim could not stay away.
For a novella tagged as erotica, it was plagued with fade to black scenes that made me feel like I was back reading young adult novels just alluding to what happened between the main characters. Especially since Raze and Kim are adults, it was kind of disappointing to have mild build up just to have the chapter come to an end or page break into the next scene. I fell victim to the free book section on iBooks and paid the price... I kept waiting for something more exciting to happen and at the end of every chapter I was only left hanging. I understand that this is an introduction to a series, but if the rest of the series is anything like this, I will not be continuing on.
Raze would have been a much more interesting character if the author kept the momentum going with him on how he was introduced in the beginning. If Raze had been more brooding or even cold -- ironic, since he is a vampire -- it would have at least added something to his character besides being interested in Kim. At least Kim had some more dimension to her with what she has been through, but her own characterization was lacking and she was running into the arms of the first man she laid eyes on and somehow turned it into a relationship overnight.
The scenes where Raze was just running around tracking random vampires and talking to his friends on his iPad had me rolling my eyes into the back of my head. For someone who thinks that himself and Kim might be in danger, he sure does take his time in actually doing anything about it. Every chapter had him either thinking how great Kim was or thinking about how to get intel on other vampires, and not much else.
If you are looking for a very quick read to up your reading goal for the year, this novella fits the bill. If you are looking for something with a bit substance to dive into a new series, I would say that you can pass on this one. It is unfortunate, because angel and vampire books usually are just what I am looking for, but Day's novella misses the mark when it comes to world building and characterization.
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