Belinda Reviews: Kristen Painter's - "Blood Rites"
What do you get when you cross a fugitive blood donor, a twice-cursed outcast vampire, a ghost, a hexed were- leopard, a sociopathic noble vampire, and a missing relic?
You get a bloody good series of books; that’s what!
“Chrysabelle’s skin bears the telltale markings of a prized Comaré – a race of humans bred to feed vampire nobility. But when her undead patron is murdered, she becomes the highly visible prime suspect. This sends her running into the mortal world… and into the arms Malkolm, an outcast vampire cursed to kill every being from whom he drinks.
Despite their many differences, Chrysabelle and Malkolm must work together to stop a plot to merge the mortal and supernatural worlds. If they fail, chaos unlike anything anyone has ever seen will devastate both realms. And only a chosen few stand to gain.”
The covers on this series are certainly eye catching and beautiful. The dark greys and blacks are accented superbly by vivid reds and the elegance of gold. The artist captured both the gloom and the beauty of Chrysabelle and the situations she has thrust upon her.
Blood Rights is the first in the series, set in 2067. A futuristic world where the humans have no clue they’re co-existing with the supernatural world. The gap between the haves and the have-nots isn’t exclusively a human issue. We’re following Chrysabelle as she makes adjustments and accepts that even outcasts know the difference between right and wrong.
Kristen has thrown together the most unlikely band or raggamuffins to back up her heroine while she fights to stop the dastardly plans of Tatiana, a freaking crazy noble vampire, with the top job within her sights.
I found myself sucked in well and truly, and though the main thread of drama is quite entertaining, I also found the secondary plot-line to be just as enthralling. A word of advice, have the other books sitting beside you ready to go.
My favourite scene would have to be in chapter fourteen, when Chysabelle is explaining certain things to Fi and Maddoc, and she isn’t as frigidly blunt as she is around Malkolm.
Fi would have to be my favourite cast member and mostly because she’s pragmatic while retaining her sense of humour.
Tatiana is so horribly evil, with no redeeming character traits, I disliked her from the word go. As her plotline progressed the dislike became a hatred that just about had me skipping over her chapters.
The final scene in book one thrusts you out of the safety zone, and only when you start on the second book, Flesh and Blood, will your curiosity be quenched. Then you’re thrown straight back into more catastrophe!
Paperback, 416 pages
Published October 1st 2011 by Orbit
ISBN 1841499692 (ISBN13: 9781841499697)
