On the evening of Sofia Claremont's seventeenth birthday, she is sucked into a nightmare from which she cannot wake.
A quiet evening walk along a beach brings her face to face with a dangerous pale creature that craves much more than her blood.
Will she succeed? ...or is she destined to the same fate that all other girls have met at the hands of the Novaks?
My Thoughts:
I am a contemporary girl at heart, but I have a soft spot for a good Vampire book. There is something so incredibly appealing to me about Vampires. I think they have a beauty and seductive quality about them. Maybe that's just me, but there you go...
I never once imagined that my life would play out the way that it did. To be fair, I guess I could say that life never really unfolds the way we expect it to.
Walking along the beach on the night of her seventeenth birthday, Sofia Claremont is approached by a handsome stranger whose intent on kidnappping her for the sole purpose of making her a part of his brother Derek Novak's harem. Sofia wakes, bound and chained in a dungeon on an island of vampires in the middle of nowhere. Upon meeting the vampire prince, Derek, Sofia finds that he is drawn to her and takes her under his wing. It doesn't take her long to realise that the safest place for her is in the care of Derek. But there comes a point when she isn't even safe from evil there.
A Shade of Vampire is told from the perspective of both Sofia and Derek. I loved having the story told from such different perspectives. Sofia, the strong willed human whose need for survival is what first draws her to Derek. She is thoughtful and considerate of others feelings and needs and it doesn't take her long to notice the charms of Derek. And Derek, the vampire who feels such a strong draw and connection to Sofia and he will do anything to make her happy and protect her. He is compassionate, caring, loving, remorseful and he has a conscience.
The main evil comes in the form of Derek's brother. He takes a liking to Sofia. But his needs are very different to Derek. He wants her blood and he doesn't hide that fact from Sofia. He really takes great delight in rattling her.
I found myself unable to pry my gaze away from Derek Novak, wondering about all the fuss surrounding him. He was what every teenage girl would most likely describe as hot, which was rather ironic considering how pale and cold he looked.
As for the romance, while it is there in the book, it's delivered to us mostly through the characters thoughts rather than their actions. I liked that there was no instant love. There was a connection and an unlikely friendship. The possibility of realising their feelings mixed in with getting to know the characters.
I would have to say that what I loved most about the book was Derek. I really want to know more about him. I want to spend more time with him. I loved all aspects of his nature. I want to experience more of his connection to Sofia. I loved that he had different aspects to his personality... His desire for blood and then his desire to protect Sofia.
I really loved the world of The Shade that Bella Forrest has created. A really original concept of having this world of vampires that sits in amongst the world of humans yet completely hidden away from most human eyes.
I really enjoyed the writing of Bella Forrest and look forward to reading the next book in the series. I'm also looking to have a greater connection to Sofia in book two. There is so much to look forward to because the ending in book one was a doozy!!
4/5 Stars!!
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