Tagged: k l kerr

From the Ashes by K.L. Kerr

From the Ashes by K. L. Kerr(Cover picture courtesy of K. L. Kerr’s website.)

For a simple eternity, all Michael Roman has to do is let it all go: the mystery surrounding his maker’s murder, the memory of his mortal life, and the basic idea that killing is wrong.

“From the Ashes” chronicles Michael’s early vampire life spent fighting on the Tournament circuit and falling for another vampire’s familiar.

This is a Blood of Ages Companion Novel. It can be read independently of or in addition to the Blood of Ages series by K.L. Kerr; if reading as part of the series, it is advised to read at any point after “The Genesis (Blood of Ages, #1)”.

[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

In The Genesis we got to see Fox through the eyes of another person.  But in some ways I actually like the companion novel From the Ashes even better because we get to see Michael’s evolution from regular guy to Fox, the toughened Tournament fighter.

The plot is not exactly fast-paced in the beginning because it focuses more on Michael’s character and his transformation to a vampire.  Of course in the beginning he has no idea he’s a vampire until the mysterious Vincent rescues him from a police officer determined to turn him in to the ACA.  After that the plot is a little slow while Michael gains his bearings in this terrifying new world of vampires.  But then the plot starts to pick up when Vincent decides it’s time Michael became useful and throws him into the Tournaments to prove his fighting capabilities.

It’s there that poor Michael meets Amy, who is the familiar of Chino, the Tournament organizer.  Falling for another vampire’s familiar isn’t exactly the greatest thing to do and it explains why Michael is so distant toward Catrina in The Genesis.  Sometimes companion novels or novellas don’t really add any backstory or greater understanding of the world of the original novels, but this is certainly not the case with From the Ashes.

Sure, I suppose you could read From the Ashes before you read The Genesis, but then The Genesis won’t be nearly as awesome if you already know Fox’s tragic backstory.  I don’t think reading From the Ashes will be required to understand the second book in Blood of Ages, but it certainly gives Fox and Dayson city a lot more depth.  If you loved the first book, I highly recommend reading this companion novel.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

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*Not available.

The Genesis by K. L. Kerr

The Genesis by K L Kerr(Cover picture courtesy of Love YA Books.)

An Uncontrollable Power. An Unstoppable Corporation. A Vampire God.

The vampires of Dayson city are preparing for war. Having lived in constant fear of the Archway Corporation for decades, desperation has forced them into action. Their solution is to bring the First vampire, Alistair, back from the dead, a warrior famed for eradicating entire armies in the name of his kind.

For fledgling vampire Catrina Malinka, the fabled return of some unknown deity falls low on her list of concerns. Between fending off strangers trying to kill her in her dreams and trying to rein in an uncontrollable power that no one else even understands let alone shares, Catrina is forced to fight her assumed role in the war against Archway, which threatens to send her down a path she doesn’t want to travel.

The first book in The Blood of Ages series, “The Genesis” is an urban fantasy about the inescapable nature of Fate and the corruption of power.

[Full disclosure: I received a free ARC ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

First off, you need to read this book right now.  Yes, The Genesis by K. L. Kerr is so good that I’m starting my review with my recommendation.  But I know what you’re thinking: “Vampires again?  You’re kidding me, right?”

No, imaginary reader, I’m not.  Why would I give such a blanket recommendation of a vampire book when vampires are so over-used in mainstream fiction?  Because these are real vampires: they are bloodthirsty killing machines with very little or no remorse when they take human lives.  They die in the sunlight rather than sparkle and romance certainly isn’t the main focus of The Genesis.  The main focus is Catrina’s change into a vampire and her slow journey to find out why the Clan wants her to be the Vessel to return the mysterious Alistair.

Catrina is an awesome protagonist with an occasionally mysterious backstory that is one of the very few narrators that doesn’t go into complete and utter denial when she becomes a vampire.  No, she learns a bit about being a vampire and actually believes Fox when he tells her he turned her into a vampire because of the clues she notices around her and the changes to her own body.  A logical narrator?  Heaven forbid!  If her being extremely logical isn’t a satisfactory explanation, there’s more of an explanation later on but it’s a spoiler.

The lack of information given to Catrina by Fox is a little frustrating as a reader at times, but considering Fox’s personality it makes sense.  The only thing I didn’t like was that we knew so little about Catrina’s own backstory and there’s really no excuse for this.  However, with the fascinating vampire mythology and the slow, suspenseful reveal of the real conflict I guess I can forgive that.  Coupled with the fact that there were quite a few unexpected plot twists, I really can’t complain about the lack of backstory.  I’m sure K. L. Kerr will explore Catrina’s and Fox’s pasts in the next book in her Blood of Ages series.

I give this book 4.5/5 stars.

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