Audio: Wild Hunger - Chloe Neill

Narrator: Suzanne Elise Freeman ▾

Audible Audio, 11 h

Published August 14th 2018 by Tantor Audio

Heirs of Chicagoland #1

UF

For review

My thoughts

I have only read 3 Chicagoland books, but I did feel like it did not matter. This is after  24 years after those finished. Sure they talk about things from the past, but it is the present that matters.

Elisa is the daughter of two vampires. But vampires can not have children...Magical stuff happened and she was born, with something lurking in her soul. Ok so the thing inside of her was a secret and I found that silly. Her parents saved the city in 13 books, but she can not tell them this huge thing..ok. Instead she ran away to Paris (but hey who wouldn't run away to Paris!)

Now she is back with French vamps so that Europe can have peace, just like Chicago. But drama! Someone does not like that idea. Murder and mayhem ensured.

She meets her BFF again.

She meets her childhood nemesis, hunky wereprince Connor.

She meets this cool guy who she decides at once is perfect friend material.

And of course there are her parents (but to be fear, I only read 3 of their books so I did not get the feels) Others will def get all the feels.

I did like Elisa, and she was kick-ass, but the same time not. I am not saying every heroine has to be kickass, but they have to have a brain, and I felt she was saved way too often. All because she never stopped to think. Reckless is not cool. And it's not like oh she is young, other people that are young saves her ass. I hope she shapes up and does not have to be saved by men all the time. 

Conclusion:
I did enjoy the tale and I liked the baddie. But yes I hope Elisa grows a brain.

Narrator

Her vice sounded so familiar, but no, I have not listened to her before. It so bothered me. It felt like I had listened to many of her books before. But hey, that must be a good thing. If you are at ease with the narrator at once.

Cover

Cool

Blurb

In the first thrilling installment of Chloe Neill's spinoff to the New York Times best-selling Chicagoland Vampires series, a new vampire will find out just how deep blood ties run. As the only vampire child ever born, some believed Elisa Sullivan had all the luck. But the magic that helped bring her into the world left her with a dark secret. Shifter Connor Keene, the only son of North American Central Pack Apex Gabriel Keene, is the only one she trusts with it. But she's a vampire and the daughter of a Master and a Sentinel, and he's prince of the Pack and its future king. 

When the assassination of a diplomat brings old feuds to the fore again, Elisa and Connor must choose between love and family, between honor and obligation, before Chicago disappears forever. 

Review: Twice Bitten - Chloe Neill

Series: Chicagoland vampires #3

Genre: It does not feel like UF anymore so UFR

Pages: 355

Published: 2010

Publisher: Gollancz

Source: Library

Merit, Chicago’s newest vampire, is learning how to play well with others. Other supernaturals, that is. Shapeshifters from across the country are convening in the Windy City, and as a gesture of peace, Master Vampire Ethan Sullivan has offered their leader a very special bodyguard: Merit. Merit is supposed to protect the Alpha, Gabriel Keene—and to spy for the vamps while she’s at it. Oh, and luckily Ethan’s offering some steamy, one-on-one combat training sessions to help her prepare for the mission. 

Merit must accept the assignment, even though she knows that she’ll probably regret it. And she’s not wrong. Someone is gunning for Gabriel Keene, and Merit soon finds herself in the line of fire. She’ll need all the help she can get to track down the would-be assassin, but everywhere she turns, there are rising tensions between supernaturals—not least between her and a certain green-eyed, centuries old master vampire.

My thoughts:

I am going to make this short because everything I hoped this series would be fell apart in this book and right now I am just annoyed for having read it.

I am annoyed at Ethan because he is an arrogant jerk and I can't see why Merit likes him, cos he is hot? Aye, but he is a jerk and I want to kick him in the crutch. I am annoyed at Merit because she no longer felt kick-ass, she felt weak and she should have known better. I am annoyed at them together because I honestly could not feel the attraction. They like each other a lot..yes but I no longer feel it.

I am annoyed at the tone too, I should be not be. I like it light, but right now it felt like her saying it is a vampire frat house just is too true. No one is acting like adults anymore, they are kids in one big house. It even felt a bit too YA.

As you can see I was not that happy about this book, and still the writing was so much better than other books that have gotten a higher grade from me. But the difference is that I enjoyed those books, while here the word for the day is annoyed and I am sad. If I can't respect the characters I got nothing left.

Conclusion:

*sad reader*

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My flash fiction for this week

Happy New YEAR I wish you all a great new year and many more good books to read. I am also grateful for all the new bloggers I have met this year, and the old ones that have gotten to know better. My blog would be nothing without you all :D

Review: Friday Night Bites - Chloe Neill

Series: Chicagoland Vampires #2
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 357
Published: 2010 (2009)
Publisher: Gollancz
Source: Library

The story of a young heiress's initiation into the dark society of the Chicagoland Vampires continues…
Ten months after vampires revealed their existence to the mortals of Chicago, they're enjoying a celebrity status usually reserved for the Hollywood elite. But if people learn about the Raves-mass feeding parties where vampires round up humans like cattle—the citizens will start sharpening their stakes.  So now it's up to the new vampire Merit to reconnect with her upper class family and act as liaison between humans and bloodsuckers, and keep the more unsavory aspects of the vampire lifestyle out of the media. But someone doesn't want peace between them—someone with an ancient grudge…

My thoughts:

I did like this book, but it did not grab me the same way as book 1 did. This one was easy to put down and first towards the end I got interested enough. That being said, I did like it as I said, just not as much as I wanted to considering book 1. 

Am I on team Ethan yet, no, not really. After being such an ass in book 1, come that scene where she walked in on him with Amber, not cool. Sure he seems really hot, but someone I would invest more in. I still think Morgan would be the guy to go for, sweet and nice. Oh Merit, you are not thinking with your brain. 

I am also wondering about super Merit, she does seem to be so much better than the rest. Sure he got her issues that we learn more about, but I guess I could want her a bit more normal. 

Action is promised as someone wants to do an expose on certain things the vampires to not want people to know about. There is blackmail and Merit re-joins the folds of the the rich and famous. Still something is missing for me, maybe the feeling I had in book one that there was always something going on, while this one was more relaxed. I do not know. I hope book 3 picks up again, I want more tension. I did not even feel enough tension between Ethan and Merit. 

Conclusion:

Still it was a good book, and I do want to read the next one.

Rating:

Nice

Cover:

Ok

Review: Some Girls Bite - Chloe Neill

Series: Chicagoland Vampires 1
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 341
Published: 2010

Sure, the life of a graduate student wasn’t exactly glamorous, but it was Merit’s. She was doing fine until a rogue vampire attacked her. But he only got a sip before he was scared away by another bloodsucker—and this one decided the best way to save her life was to make her the walking undead.

Turns out her savior was the master vampire of Cadogan House. Now she’s traded sweating over her thesis for learning to fit in at a Hyde Park mansion full of vamps loyal to Ethan "Lord o’ the Manor" Sullivan. Of course, as a tall, green-eyed, four-hundred- year-old vampire, he has centuries’ worth of charm, but unfortunately he expects her gratitude—and servitude. But an inconvenient sunlight allergy and Ethan’s attitude are the least of her concerns. Someone’s still out to get her. Her initiation into Chicago’s nightlife may be the first skirmish in a war—and there will be blood.

My thoughts:
Yes I have finally tried this series. I have heard a lot of about it and how Team Ethan is the best and how something that happened in the last book was shocking (oh and I actually know what since I am a very bad girl and asked someone.)

 

Back to the beginning. Merit does not want to be a vampire but she was saved from a certain death and this was the only way to survive. Therefore she has certain attitude problems towards her new Master Ethan, oh yes I love how she stands up to him and refuses to serve him hand and foot. I liked her at once, the same goes for her housemate Mallory, her new sparring buddy Catcher who is so cool and Morgan (Team Morgan! Please do not become a creep or evil cos I like him).  Ethan then, sorry all, but he was an ass. Yes I know some like jerks but he was not for me. I saw the attraction, I am not blind, but I did not fall for him. But he was not a I wanna kick your ass jerk, he was more rolling my eyes jerk. And if he turns around then I am going to fall as hard as the rest of you.

The world was good. Vampires  came out 8 months or so, but the rest of the paranormals have not. Everything is pretty civilized on the surface, even if I am sure we will see the dirt at the bottom when the series continues. A simple world with much to offer. And a good story about Merit trying to find her new vampire self and the hunt for a serial killer, the same that attacked her.

Conclusion:

I liked it at once. I did not have to read far before I knew that I did not want to put this book down. I recommend it and I want to read book 2. Ok I need to read book 2. I want more.

Rating:

Page-turner

Cover:

ok I guess

Review: Firespell - Chloe Neill

Dark Elite, book 1

Genre: YA, urban fantasy
Pages: 278
Published:  2010 Gollancz

As the new girl at the elite St. Sophia’s boarding school, Lily Parker thinks her classmates are the most monstrous things she’ll have to face…

When Lily’s guardians decided to send her away to a fancy boarding school in Chicago, she was shocked. So was St. Sophia’s. Lily’s ultra-rich brat pack classmates think Lily should be the punchline to every joke, and on top of that, she’s hearing strange noises and seeing bizarre things in the shadows of the creepy building.

The only thing keeping her sane is her roommate, Scout, but even Scout’s a little weird—she keeps disappearing late at night and won’t tell Lily where she’s been. But when a prank leaves Lily trapped in the catacombs beneath the school, Lily finds Scout running from a real monster.

Scout’s a member of a splinter group of rebel teens with unique magical talents, who’ve sworn to protect the city against demons, vampires, and Reapers, magic users who’ve been corrupted by their power. And when Lily finds herself in the line of a firespell, Scout tells her the truth about her secret life, even though Lily has no powers of her own—at least none that she’s discovered yet… 

Plot:

Lily's parents are going to Germany and decides to leave her behind in a fancy private school. She misses her home and her friends, but one good thing is the girl she shares the 4 bedroom room with. But then Scout is pretty weird and sneaks off in the middle of the night. Something strange is going on, and on top of it all she has a run in with the mean girl squad.

My thoughts:

I did enjoy Chloe Neill's voice, and reading this one made me want to check out that adult series of hers too.

Sure not that much happened at first, but I liked that. the book was building up to something. We got to see the school, see her make a friend, meet the Mean girls (oh why are there always mean girls, they are so bitchy and think they are all that.) And then she started having doubts about why her parents had gone away, why she was there, and what the heck Scout was up too. When she finally did learn the truth things picked up, and there was some action at the end. It also promised for one exciting book 2.

I liked Lily even if she was a bit too curious for her own good at one point. She was also very human in her fears later, and she showed great courage. There was also this love interest with a boy from a boy's school and he seemed sweet. I do like some romance with my action. Scout was one cool kid, and the mean girls, well they were mean. But then this was a private school and what would that be without the brat pack.

The world was interesting, people have magic and they either go bad, or they hunt the baddies. They are supposed to be some vamps and demons too, guessing from the blurb, but did not get to meet those yet.

All in all, I was happy with this book. I never know with YA, but this one delivered. 

Final thoughts and recommendation.

It seems UF YA fits me better than PNR YA, and I enjoyed this book. It was a fast read, an interesting world, budding romance, and some action. I would give it a 3,5 cos it is a YA I could recommend to adults and teens. It also has promise to get even better when the real fighting starts.

Reason for reading:

Curious about Chloe Neill

Cover:

ok

Review copy from the publisher