| Title | : | A Shade of Vampire (A Shade of Vampire, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1481280767 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781481280761 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 296 |
| Publication | : | First published December 14, 2012 |
ISBN 13: 9781481280761 .
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.
She is kidnapped to an island where the sun is eternally forbidden to shine.
An island uncharted by any map and ruled by the most powerful vampire coven on the planet. She wakes here as a slave, a captive in chains.
Sofia's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn when she is the one selected out of hundreds of girls to join the harem of Derek Novak, the dark royal Prince.
Despite his addiction to power and obsessive thirst for her blood, Sofia soon realizes that the safest place on the island is within his quarters, and she must do all within her power to win him over if she is to survive even one more night.
Will she succeed? ...or is she destined to the same fate that all other girls have met at the hands of the Novaks?
A Shade of Vampire (A Shade of Vampire, #1) Reviews
-
I was reading other reviews and many people loved this book , so I started wondering if something's wrong with me .
Sofia is kidnapped by vampires and she forced to be a part of Derek's harem.Derek is the vampire prince who woke up after 400 years .
She hates being there and she tries to escape but she didnt managed to.
Why I didn't enjoy it.
Derek fell instantly in love with her .
When he woke up he was supposed to drink her blood but he didnt want to because he was afraid that he would hurt her.
I thought "Another freaking twilight".
The problem was that sometimes I couldnt keep up with the story because of the dual pov.The chapters were too short and the changing pov irritated me.
All in all , I came to the conclusion that maybe I wasn't in a mood of reading a book like this .
-
I went into this book like a person between jobs, bored of their last venture and not yet ready to dive into anything too serious. I knew exactly what I was getting myself into and my expectations were appropriately set for mindless entertainment. I know this may seem like a strange thing for some people and I'm sure many would wonder why I decided to read a book I was sure to dislike. The simple explanation would lie somewhere between "Because I felt like it" and "Because I paid for it." But for those of you who aren't as easily pacified, I'll say this: Reading books like this is like inviting your friends over for a night of popcorn, ice cream and really, really terrible horror movies. It takes itself so seriously, that you can't take it seriously. And instead of scaring you, the intentional outcome, it has the reverse effect, providing you and your friends endless fodder for punch lines to new jokes and puns equally as terrible as its source material.
But the moral question, of course, must be considered. Is this fair to the author? And to that I would have to reply in the affirmative and point such cynics in the direction of my Amazon receipt. A Shade of Vampire isn't a book that I would recommend or even one that I could see myself coming back to. It's served it's purpose of being different enough from what I usually read, breaking up the monotony. It entertained me and now I shall entertain you. (Also, spoiler alert.)
Here we go.
Twilight.
There. I've already shot, mangled and killed the Fat Elephant in the room right out the gate. I'm not pulling the "T" card strictly because this book is about vampires and forbidden love. Plenty of other Paranormal Romance books have those qualities and still maintain their independence from the pop culture phenomenon. I bring it up because it's inevitable and follows similar book canon. As such, I created a Choose Your Own Adventure based on A Shade of Vampire.
Choose Your Own Adventure: A Shade of Vampire
1. You're walking through the park alone, feeling down and under appreciated by family and friends. A handsome stranger comes out of nowhere. He's creepy, invades your space and asks you name. You:
A. Tell him your name and force yourself not to run away because you'll show your friends and family! So what if he turns out to be some psycho serial killer. You're 16 and invincible and living on the wild side for once. WHOO-HOOO! YEAH BABY! (Proceed to #2)
B. Run, because he could be some psycho serial killer. (Proceed to #6)
2. Okay, so that was totally not smart and now you're tied up to a post in a basement. Turns out they want to pamper, primp and prime you for this important Vampire Prince. You vow to be smart from now on about your decisions. You are brought before the Prince along with several other girls, made up for the sole purpose of sexual objectification. You're scared and nervous, so you hold one of the other girl's hands. The Prince notices this gesture and singles you out! Oh noz! He slams you against the wall hard, ready to suck you dry. You:
A. Tell yourself you are not the victim here, despite clearly being in a victim-like situation. It's something your Yoda, best friend used to always tell you. So naturally you tell the Prince, who just can't seem to control his thirst even though he really, really wants to, that he is also not a victim. You do all this with a clear head even though Vampire Fangs are breaths away from your throat. Also, you are a Mary Sue. (Proceed to #3)
B. Think about the great life you had and go down fighting like the lion you are. You die. GAME OVER.
3. Whew! Somehow that worked! Who knew your Yoda best friend's advice could come in handy against a Vampire Prince with a tortured past?! As a result, the Prince has taking a liking to you and gives you the plush room right next to his in his pimped out tree house (because where else would a vampire sleep? A coffin? Yeah, right). In fact, he's drawn to you and you to him. But you have to get home, so when the Prince thinks you're sleeping, you:
A. Miraculously find a hoodie and pair of shorts in your closet that's conveniently filled with cocktail dresses, find a way down the treehouse, and make a run for it... all on the same page! Who needs details? You have no idea where you're going, but you'll find a way. You're the heroine after all! (Proceed to #4)
B. Buy out the opportune time. You get to know the Prince and find out as much as you can about the secluded town to help plot your escape. All things come to those who are smart. (Proceed to #6)
4. This was a bad idea. You didn't realize this was an island with no way of escape! WAAAA WAAA! They even have a fence as tall as the wall of China! UGH. Damn Vamps! If only you had attempted to learn more about this place, maybe you could have anticipated this and prepared better. Alas, you are a dunderhead. Oh, no! Here come two guards. You:
A. Think about name-dropping your powerful master's name in the hopes that it'll put fear into their hearts, but you allow yourself to be interrupted because something has to encourage this ridiculous plot along. This is it. Your death is coming. (Proceed to #5)
B. Run. You Die. GAME OVER, silly girl.
5. One of the guards has his fangs in your neck. Just as you are mentally saying goodbye to your life, the Vampire Prince comes out of nowhere and rips you away from the attackers. Then some serious Indiana Jones type shit happens.
You're scared, hurt and mentally cursing yourself for yet another terrible decision. Vampire Prince makes you drink his blood to heal yourself and takes you back to your fancy prison. He tells you never to run away again and that you are his. You:
Fall in love because he seems like a nice guy underneath it all. GAME OVER.
6. Congrats! You're probably not a dunderhead, but will most likely still die because you're playing by cliché YA rules. May the odds be ever in your favor.
The basic plot for A Shade of Vampire is Sofia coming to accept Derek and help heal him. I'm generally not a fan of those type of books because it creates an imbalance in the relationship and breeds co-dependence. The next thing you know the characters are proclaiming their undying love and saying things like they'll never love another or how they can't be without that person. Of course, you also have the fact that Derek wants to EAT Sofia. And somehow after 400 years of not drinking blood, he's able to resist Sofia because she's different.No other woman -- and believe me when I say that I've been with many -- had the same effect that Sofia Claremont has on me. [...] She'd only recently entered my life, yet it felt like I'd known her for ages.
OH REALLY?I've already stopped even thinking about a life that doesn't have Derek Novak in it.
Whether I liked it or not, home had become wherever Derek Novak was.
What made me angry was the not so subtle sexism and slut shaming that went on. Sofia is a member of Prince Derek's harem and other Vamps in the town assume she's sleeping with him, because HAREM, and all that. Sofia is oblivious to this until a member of the Prince's guard says she's doing a good job of pleasing him. And she replies:"That's not... I would never!" I spluttered.
Here I was, a virgin, being rumored to have given the newly awakened prince a pleasurable night in bed.
He frowned, an amused glint in the corners of his eyes. "You mean you didn't..."
My eyes widened. "No! I'm not that kind of girl..."
Then we have Derek's brother, Lucas, who wants nothing more than to rape and kill Sofia. Every time he showed up in a scene he made these intentions clear. Because it's not enough that he wanted to drink her blood and kill her, he has to want to rape her too.The lust was unmistakable. He was practically undressing her with those eyes and I could tell that Sofia felt it based on how she sat there tense and unmoving.
But why does Lucas want Sofia so bad? WHAT'S HIS MOTIVATION? Her blood smells good just wasn't a good enough for me. But that brings us to the novel's biggest issue. Regardless of the clichés, A Shade of Vampire could have been decent if the writing had been tighter and not had sentences like this:I was aware of it all, and yet, I wasn't. It was almost like everything was happening to another person, and yet it was me.
WUT. Let me help you: "It was surreal."
The characters could have also used some development besides the usual descriptions. Sofia is a girl who can do no wrong, a pure virgin, The One to Change Derek, selfless, not used to attention, etc. The only unique thing about her is her Low Latent Inhibition disorder, which basically amounts to nothing more than a really good memory. I kept wondering if it would somehow relate to the plot or have some other use, but it's kinda like Nora's iron pills from Hush, Hush. They serve no other purpose than being present.
(OH. And there just happens to be a witch on the vampire island who also was a psychologist and able to diagnose this disorder. I swear this book was written with an Easy Button.)
The underlying plot with the war between the other covens and Vampire Hunters would have been more interesting if it had more page time instead of just being casually mentioned once or twice. This is certainly not the worst book I've ever read, but I can't really recommend it to anyone either unless you're bored or a huge Twilight/Hush, Hush fan. And even then, this book may be too ridiculous to be true. -
This book has a lot of mixed reviews from being compared to Twilight to people saying it's amazing.
So I was like;
Big mistake there!
Yeah, I was an idiot for wasting time and money on this. Another fucking insta-love, and believe me when I say it's an annoying one, because I can stand certain amount of insta-cheesy-love. But this was just absurd, throw that in a bowl, add some poor writing, and you are up for a very shitty novel.
Some examples:
"I caught myself before I could turn myself into my own personal villain. The severity of the situation hit me full force and I was unable to suppress a shudder. What have I gotten myself into?"
"Contemptuous that I would wake when I so explicitly asked to be given an escape from which I would never wake..."
"I was still marveling at the places we were passing by when they ushered us to a place that..."
Um, repetitive much? Somebody let the author know about the use of synonyms ASAP please.
And those were extracted from only 15% of the book.
I do have to agree with my peeps here saying that this is like Twilight. I mean, the guy is a tortured vampire... Oh, I'm so beautiful, and powerful, and immortal... Please kill me.
And the girl, she is convinced that she is plain and boring, but guess what? Yep, the powerful gorgeous vampire dude can't stay away from her. Because fuck it. She is also very naive (or very stupid), she is kidnapped and while at it she thinks this:
"Everything about him told me that I wasn’t safe around him. His next actions solidified my suspicions that his intentions toward me were less than noble."
Oh, and here was I thinking that kidnappers were good people. I mean, what. the. heck. You are being held against your will. One would think that is enough reason to know the guy has no good intention.
About the "vampire world" that is contemplated here, I didn't find it amusing or interesting in any way. I only read a bunch of supernatural buddies living in a coven protected by knights(?) and collected Harems.
I read about 30% of the book, and honestly that was enough between all the cheese and the meager storytelling.
Needless to say, I dont recommend it at all. -
WHAT THE...?
WHAT THE HECK...?!
WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED?!!!!
Errmm, i think it's illegal to end a book like that. You juts can't do that, OK?
Sophia is kidnapped at her 17th birthday. She's taken captive by a vampire to an island where the sun never shines.
The island is called The Shade.
Sofia is selected out of hundreds of girls to join the harem of Derek Novak, the dark royal Prince. Sofia soon realises that if she's to survive she must gain Derek's affection. But will she? And what will happen if the feeling will become mutual?
When i read through some 'bad' and 'good' reviews about this book i heard it's a copy version of twilight.
Now listen. Just because this book is about vampires and they're pale doesn't freaking mean this is like twilight! God! Why do you people think everything is copied from twilight?! Just stop! Twilight is like 1 million years old. GET A FREAKING MOVE ON!
Anyways...
Meet the main characters!
What i thought about Sofia?: The first few pages i didn't really like her, mainly because of this -....determined to start having fun again with the most important person in my life, but then i'd remember... I'd remember what it felt like to see him with his arms around Tanya Wilson.
Now, if you don't know, she's talking here about her BFF Ben that she has a crush on and beliefs to be her 'the one and only'. When i first read that paragraph i was like
NOT.AGAIN! Girl falling for her best friend? Sound similar? But, her feelings did start to change when she spent more time with Derek, slowly growing feelings for him in the process. She was also a strong character who didn't like to be told what to do. That's what i loved about her the most!
What i thought about Derek?: I absolutely LOVE him! Since the moment i met him he stole my heart. He's the strongest vampire in the world. Who doesn't like muscular/ strong physically hotties!? I do! But Derek is also smart, inspiring, full of potential and very loyal to people he loves. He is bossy, i mean c'mon! He's a freaking prince! Aren't all of them like that? But he learns to respect others, mainly Sofias, opinions and will.
I really loved this book. I couldn't put it down. It's my fav of the month so far! The writing style really pulls you in, and the characters just make you care about what's happening.
The book wastes no time. It starts of when Sofia get's captured, and i'm thankful for that. At least there are no 200 pages just dragging on about particularly nothing, and yes, i'm talking especially about you
Beautiful Creatures and
Unraveling.
The ending was a bit let down to be honest. Sofia was unbelievable. I don't think i have ever wanted to shake and strangle a character this bad. She was so mean to Derek! She would like literally ditch him the moment he says "you're free to go". Ahhh!
Overall A Shade of Vampire was an extremely entertaining book that i stayed up late for because i couldn't put it down. The creative vampire world and awesome characters were great! I have to read book 2 ASAP! Definitely recommend this to everyone! :)
Thank you Bella Forrest for providing me an ARC copy! It was a pleasure!! <3 -
![Carol [Goodreads Addict]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1626057011i/10717098._UX200_CR0,33,200,200_.jpg)
I waited so long to read A Shade of Vampire and it was worth the wait. It was short but the pages were packed with so much. Bella paints such a vivid picture of the island of The Shade that serves as a refuge for a coven of vampires, led by their prince, Derek Novak. Derek's very evil brother, Lucas, kidnaps Sofia and brings her to The Shade for Derek's harem but secretly wants Sofia for himself. This book is packed with just the right combination of evil and romance. You can't help but fall for Derek right along with Sofia and let me tell you, there are plenty of awesome one-liners in this book that melted my heart. I am a sucker for a good vampire romance and this didn't let me down. Can't wait for the next book which I will start in about 5 minutes. Thank you Bella Forrest.
-
4 Stars
Told in dual POV, 1st person. It’s cliffy with very short chapters. It’s the first installment in the (veeeeerrryyyy loooong) "A Shade of Vampire" series (it contains 75 books so far). I don’t know if I'll read all of them but this is a good start to the series. My issue was that Sofia was too much cool for someone who was kidnapped with night creatures at the age of seventeen! And when she was kidnapped, she didn’t think of her father or other people, that whether they were going to search for her or not! Another thing is we knew very little about Vampires in this world. Overall, it was an enjoyable read and hope you like it as well! -
MY BLOG:
Melissa Martin's Reading List
I have been wanting to start reading this series for some time and damn it, I decided today was the day.
I love Sofia and Derek together! I really liked this book and I look forward to the rest of them! Yay!
Sofia is living with the Hudson family. They were friends with her mother, Camilla, and her father. But, Sofia's mom was a little whackadoo there for a bit and got put away and then her father just dumped her on this family. I really wonder though if something is going to come up about her mother later on. Anyhoo, so there are two other children in the home that are the actual kids of the family. There is little Abigail and Ben, Ben is Sofia's age and her best friend. And... she has a crush on him. I think this only came about when he became the only person that could calm her panic attacks and such. But... there is always a but... Ben seems to have a lot of girlfriends, not all at once, but he's a football player (so what) and all the girls want him.
One night when the family goes on vacation together Sofia decides she's going to tell Ben her real feelings when one of his exes comes along and ruins it. Ben says he's going to spend three nights that the ex has left with her and he misses Sofia's bday. I'm not sure what parents just lets their son go off and spend three days with some chic, but I digress. When Ben tries to apologize, Sofia runs off to the beach at night to be a lone for awhile. On her way back she gets snagged by this jerk named Lucas. She wakes up on an island called the Shade that belongs to vampires. She is going to be one of the slaves to the prince when he awakens. Well... when he awakens.. things don't go quite as his brother Lucas (jerk) or sister Vivienne plan. Derek has a bond with Sofia because she shows him kindness before he is about to eat her and thus he is intrigued with this. I mean he's been asleep for 400 years --->long story, read the book.
Anyway, they live on this island and live in these awesome tree houses! Yes!! Tree houses! I love me some tree houses. Theirs is all decked out as you can imagine.. um.. no pun intended there.
Derek is actually nice to all of the girls they brought to him only because of Sofia. So they don't have to worry about getting eaten unless some arse sneaks into Derek's home and eats them, he has guards but they can be knocked out. Some of those parts I don't understand.
Anyway, Sofia seems to slowly be falling in love with Derek because of his kindness and he's just different, he doesn't push her to do things. Now, his crap arse brother on the other hand keeps trying to get her. Just kill him someone, damn. Okay, so there is a moment Sofia talks Derek out of killing him so he wouldn't be upset about it. My arse! I would have been cheering him on, but that's just me!
I don't want to give much more away, but Ben ends up showing up. Like really, lets just leave him out of it for awhile.
There are some politics that are involved as Derek has to find out a way to keep the vampires safe from hunters and other crap going on. I liked the way the book ended and am looking forward to the next book. -
Find all of my reviews at:
http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
My friend
Sh3lly was reading this series awhile back and her updates were all shades of
Twilight. . . .
Don’t judge.
Anyway, I figured what the hell. She was even nice enough to attempt to lend me a copy but there was a glitch in the system somewhere becauseI suck at technologythe universe is out to get me. Lucky for me the porny librarian is also versed in all things vampire and my turn came up at exactly the right time for mindless fluff – a holiday weekend.
I was sooooooo ready to get my fang on. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the one for me. I know what you’re all thinking . . .
You are 100% right so don’t bother trolling me. I’ve read enough vampire books to know that . . . .
And I’ll still probably eat it right up. As stated before, I was expecting a bit of a Twilight knock-off so I never imagined I would dislike this so much. Things that I’m apparently okay with? 117 year old creepers who like to watch high school girls while they sleep. Things that I’m not okay with? Girls who get dissed and dismissed on their own effing birthday when their bestie/crush decides to make smush smush with some other chick who then get kidnapped on a rando Mexican beach and have the following reaction . . .
“My last thought was that I might never see Ben again.”
Have no fear, though, it only took an escape attempt and a couple of hot minutes before she went all instalove on her new captor. And of course that’s the moment that Ben came back into the picture. Meaning #2 will probably be all . . . .
Or Sophia. Tomato tomahto.
Nothing about this worked for me. I have no clue how old the author is, but the writing seemed very young – like a child might have written it. The characters were all pretty cardboard and due to this being a serial the story progression was nearly non-existent. It’s now come to my attention that there are THIRTY-THREE novellas in this collection, to which I say . . .
No way. No how. -
DNF at 81%
It's my first DNF of the New Year. I guess I had higher expectations, but this was too cliche for my tastes. Just not the book for me. -
A Shade of Vampire (A Shade of Vampire, #1), Bella Forrest
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.
She is kidnapped to The Shade, an enchanted island where the sun is eternally forbidden to shine – an island uncharted by any map and ruled by the most powerful vampire coven on the planet. She wakes here as a slave, a captive in chains.
Sofia’s life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn when she is selected out of hundreds of girls to take up residence in the tree-top harem of Derek Novak, the dark royal prince.
Despite his addiction to power and obsessive thirst for her blood, Sofia soon realizes that the safest place on the island is within his quarters, and she must do all within her power to win him over if she is to survive even one more night.
تاریخ خوانش روز چهارم ماه اکتبر سال 2014 میلادی
عنوان: سایه ی خون آشام؛ نویسنده: بللا (بلا) فارست؛ مترجم: پرنیان امینی؛
سوفیا کلیرمونت (کلارمونت) شب تولدش، درون کابوسی کشیده میشود، و نمیتواند بیدار شود؛ هنگامیکه در یک عصر آرام، کنار ساحل قدم میزند، با جانور رنگ پریده ی خطرناکی، روبرو میشود، که عطش بسیاری، به خون او دارد؛ او ربوده شده، و به جزیره ای برده میشود، که تابش خورشید تا ابد در آن قدغن است؛ جزیره ای که روی هیچ نقشه ای نیست، و توسط توانمندترین محفل خون آشامها، اداره میشود؛ او در آنجا، در قالب یک برده، و گرفتار در غل و زنجیر، بیدار میشود؛ زندگی «سوفیا» آنگاه ترسناکتر میشود، که از بین صدها دختر، برای پیوستن به حرمسرای «درک نوواک»، شاهزاده ی تاریکی، برگزیده میشود؛ علیرغم اعتیاد «نوواک» به قدرت، و تشنگی وسوسه برانگیزش، برای خون او، «سوفیا» خیلی زود میفهمد، که امنترین مکان در جزیره، همان خانه ی «درک نواک» است، و او برای اینکه حتی یک شب، بیشتر زنده بماند، باید تمام سعیش را بکند، تا «نواک» را به دست بیاورد؛ آیا سوفیا موفق میشود؟…؛ یا او هم به سرنوشت دیگر دخترهایی دچار میشود، که در دستان «نواک» اسیر شده بودند؟ ا. شربیانی -
Before I begin, I feel the need to quantify my five-stars here. You know how people will say something is "so bad it's good"? I feel that term somewhat applies here, though more in a sense "It's a great read, if you like that sort of thing".
As such, A Shade of Vampire is a "great read" if you like swooning human heroines and smoldering love-interests with fangs. For those who aren't fans of those tired cliches, know you're not getting a new experience here. Otherwise - for those who partake in the occasional guilty pleasure - this should scratch an itch for you.
A Shade of Vampire is the first novel in a series that seems capable of satisfying those who were charmed by the chaste, boy-met-girl romance Twilight offered readers while incorporating darker, more sultry elements that entice viewers into shows like The Vampire Diaries. That's not to say it's a knock-off of either, per se, but it does draw from such sources to give readers who are fans of the vampire genre familiarity while offering originality and establishing a world of its own.
A Shade of Vampire is about 150 pages long, which made it a short read and a good example of what readers can expect of the series. It's a perfect way to get introduced without feeling like you're committing a lot of time and see if you're intrigued by what's being set up. It's worth a try if you're nostalgic for Twilight. -
In case you’re wondering, A Shade of Vampire is not just another average vampire book. It’s a quick, captivating read about a 17 year old teenager called Sofia Claremont, who gets captured to an island called The Shade. The island is controlled by vampires who capture humans as slaves and food to do their bidding, and there’s no escape. Sofia is one of several teenage girls who have been caught to serve Derek, a revered and powerful vampire who has just awoken. Despite the terrifying circumstances, both vampire and human develop feelings for each other.
This is a relatively short read, told from the perspectives of Derek and Sofia and it quickly covers the event of her capture and how they develop feelings for each other. There’s also the threat of Lucas, Derek’s brother who wants a piece of Sofia which makes things terrifying.
Sofia is a fascinating character, highly attuned to her surroundings. She has some reservations about her feelings for a vampire, and rightly so. In contrast, Derek falls quickly for Sofia based on her beauty and care for others, and I sort of felt that his insta-love was a bit creepy in a way. Luckily these feelings subsided when Sofia began to return his feelings.
In just 147 words, Bella Forrest fleshes out the circumstances between different characters and we’re left hankering for more. I wanted to know what Derek had done in his life to deserve so much respect and power from everyone, and why he seems to have a shred of humanity intact. I wanted to know more about the conflict between him and Lucas, who posed a threat to Sofia. I also wanted to hear more about Sofia’s ‘best friend’ that she has feelings for, Ben, and whether he felt the same way.
Luckily there’s a sequel coming out which will hopefully delve a bit more into my questions. I can’t wait to read the sequel!
I received a review copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much, I look forward to reading more of your work.
This review has been cross-posted on my
Happy Indulgence blog. Check it out for more reviews! -
OMG!!!! This book is brilliant!
I am in love with vampires, hmm after Edward Cullen, Salvatore Brothers :) They ruined me for good!
This book had everything and I was gripped from the start to the end. The moment Sofia meet Derek, am gone! Intense connection they had :) *swoons*
N Derek is such a swoon-worthy vampire.
Can't wait for more for these two! If you loved Twilight, grab this book. It is fab!
Thumbs up!
*This book was given for a honest opinion by the author* -
1.5 stars
A Shade of Vampire is an enjoyable, light, extremely short read. is what I would have liked to said but my fingers keep twitching towards Stay away, it's a piece of crap.
I couldn't help but point out various grammatical mistakes and the repetition of sentences when they're everywhere. There's only so many times when a person can say, "Welcome to the *insert-place-here*"! It got to a point where I was begging for no more shitty dialogue. Although, this could have been easily fixed if there was an editor on hand. Or if there was, fire them. They don't know how to do their job.
Another negative point for me, was the love-at-first-sight aspect of the book. I think this is what reminded so many people of Twilight. The vampire sees the girl, wants to feed on her blood but somehow manages to stop himself in time because of how special and unique the said girl was.
Same old story. So, yes, I didn't like it.
The characters themselves were flawed.
Sofia was, might I dare say it, a 'Mary-Sue'.
1. She didn't think she was pretty, even though she was "beautiful".
2. She didn't have a single flaw. Not. A. Single. One. I mean, c'mon, I don't believe this...Unless you count being too perfect as a flaw?
3. Every single character, including Derek specially, believed her to be a paragon of virtue, strength and hope. They're all overwhelmed with admiration for her.
Ahhh, Derek. The man I hoped to be my new YA love. And expected to be at least mildly threatening/intriguing Instead, I got a sap.
Don't get me wrong, I love romantic guys who are sensitive and caring and devoted. But I counted the number of Derek's almost-declarations of love...and there were a lot. It was sweet at first, then it got unrealistic.
And then there was the fact that he had apparently been asleep for five centures. Five. Centuries. That was sometime in the middle 1900s. My parents can't even keep up with the slang and the trends and they were there for most of it!!. Derek's been out of the loop for a while and he sounds just like the bratty teens.
I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review so even though I didn't enjoy it very much, I thank the author for giving me a chance to read it.
P.S Was this review too honest? -
A fast read! And who doesn't love a vampire and human love story? Looking forward to Book #2 in The Shade of Vampire series: A SHADE OF BLOOD.
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A copy of A Shade of Vampire was kindly sent to me by Bella Forrest in exchange for an honest review.
I really disliked A Shade of Vampire. It seems to me that Forrest has taken a book from the Stephenie Meyer school of writing and followed it exactly. The plot is bland, it’s full of purple prose, the characters are completely unlikable and the heroine made me want to throw things and scream. It manages to be sexist and misogynistic on practically every page – our darling protagonist Sofia is even flattered about being the property of a blood sucking vamp. You go girl. Derek, said blood sucking vamp, is Edward Cullen incarnate – sulky and remorseful, he even wants a music room.
It’s only saving grace is that at its most shallow and superficial, at its most basic level as a teen chick lit vampire thing, it succeeds – it’s readable and easy, and, as long as you don’t even think about analysing anything in it, will not fill you with indignant rage. Tweenie girls who won’t read too much into it will probably love it, as will fans of all things Twilight. Educated twenty three year olds with feminist tendencies and a moral code, however, will not.
My stream of consciousness notes when I was reading it are below in a spoiler – if you enjoyed this book or don’t want to be enraged further by its contents I suggest you ignore the next part entirely. -
4.5 Super romantic, alpha male, oh my goodness stars
I’ve seen A Shade of Vampire for years. It’s been on Amazon’s best sellers list forever, but I never picked it up. I realized there is an extended version that has been tweaked and I figured, why not?
As of today there are 22 books in the series, BUT do not fret, only the first 8 books are Sofia’s and Derek’s story. I know I was a bit scared too. I had no expectations getting into this series, I was just in a Young Adult paranormal mood and let me just tell you this.
I got well more than I expected. I’m an instant fan. I’m actually kind of happy there are 22 books in the series because I can continually get my fix.
This was an easy and fast read. To my surprise it’s filled with romance and the kind of stuff, I crave and swoon over when I pick up these kinds of books. Give me a tortured vampire and a damsel in distress Heroine, yes please!
Sofia just turned 18. She’s on vacation with her best friend, Ben, whom she is also in love with. Distraught that Ben kind of ignored her on her birthday, Sofia runs and cries into the night on the beach. That is until she is kidnapped by an evil vampire named Lucas.
Let me tell you my thoughts so far… so far, it’s pretty awesome. I really like how the book started and I love that Sofia has a crush on her best friend but then she gets kidnapped into the vampire world?! How cool is that.
Lucas is Derek’s brother, so Lucas is the bad guy, but wait, Derek is not such a good guy as well. Well, I didn’t want a likeable Hero. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Derek, but he’s a vampire, so he’s also broody and very moody and loves human blood.
I love starting a new paranormal book because you get sucked into a whole new world. You learn about the new rules and what other supernatural elements there are. Sofia is Derek’s “slave” and he doesn’t even know what he wants to do with her, but he wants her near. Sofia is desperate to go back home, but she’s super drawn to Derek. Did I forget to mention Derek is a PRINCE! Yeah I know it gets better and better.
Tons of stuff happens in this book, it’s short, sweet and pack full of romantic elements. I’m so glad to be starting this new series.
Read on Kindle Unlimited -
3 Stars
First off, I would just like to say: Michael Scofield called, and he would like his mental disorder back!
There is something to be said about borrowing from the inspiration of shows and books that you yourself enjoy, that I have no issue with. However, not only is one of the scenes basically a carbon-copy of the reveal of Michael’s “gift” in ‘Prison Break’ but it is also something which we are TOLD and not shown. I hope we will see more show of this behaviour in the future because as it stands I don’t see any reason why this was included, other than to tell us what a special snowflake Sofia is.
This is a fairly typical ya vampire story, which again isn’t a problem, I like vampire stories, even with all their popularity in modern times. While unique in particular ways, the tree villas are a WONDERFUL concept that I truly enjoyed, for the most part this is a pretty standard vampire story.
We have a beautiful young woman who gets abducted by a vampire, a brooding vampire royal who’s never really been able to cope with the monster he’s become, a couple jealous vampire rivals thrown in to taunt and injure the aforementioned young woman. Voila! Vampires, vampires, everywhere; and too much blood to drink.
That said, I liked the way the captive/captor scenario played out here, much more than *throat clear* Across the Wine-Dark Sea… because although Sofia is being held against her will, Derek is much more compassionate and empathic in the role as captor. He also does the one thing guaranteed to make me forgive him as a captor He has a great deal of lenience for Sofia, and their love arc is a lot easier to relate to; for all it still makes no goddamn sense why a 500 year old vampire would be interested in a 17 year old girl…
I will very likely continue this series, at some point, as I found it fairly light and fluffy for the vampire genre. -
This book totally took me by surprise, in a good way! With a brave and determined heroine, sexy vampire brothers with a bitter rivalry that is shaping their fate (mmm, hello Damon and Stefan..*sigh*), and a war brewing behind the scenes that is sure to bring suspense and thrills, this is definitely a series to watch. Add to that a beautiful romance that leaves you gasping for more as the first book comes to a close, and I AM HOOKED!
"Every second that kiss lasted was another second meant for the truth to sink in. I've already stopped even thinking or dreaming of a life that didn't have Derek Novak in it. "~Sofia
What I loved about this book was that it wasn't a predictable vampire romance storyline. We don't see the sexy hero first, the heroine doesn't fall head over heels for his sparkly skin the minute their eyes meet, and the danger, rather than from other creatures or the humans that hunt them, is from within. In fact, our first glimpse into the world of Bella Forrest's vampires is the tempting morsel himself, older brother Lucas of the Novak family of vamps. He's cruel, selfish, and abusive of his power, and he's destined to wreak havoc as this series moves forward!
But despite the evil that Lucas represents, he is still the brother to beautiful Viviene and the gorgeous, troubled Derek (not exactly a name from the 1500s, but I digress), the vampire destined to bring change to their kind. He took a 400 year-long nap to try and avoid it, but he's back and knows what is resting on his shoulders.
And just like in the fairy tales, a kiss of true love will be the beginning of it all. Beautiful Sofia, captured and kept prisoner on their island of vampires and human slaves, found herself just as mesmerized by the great Derek as he was of her.
I loved Derek and Sofia's relationship, it was allowed to grow slowly and show how they began to fall for each other despite her obvious reasons for wanting to hate him. With Lucas looming as a constant threat to her safety, I couldn't help but wish Derek would just throw caution to the wind and play on that awesome chemistry between them! It was a sweet but passionate romance even though he was holding back for her sake; by the time the end rolled around and I was blown over by a heart-wrenching moment and the twist that left me screaming...let's just say I'm going to be very impatient for the next book!!!
Overall, great new vampire series with captivating characters and a storyline that's sure to keep readers hooked for the long haul! -
I found A SHADE OF VAMPIRE thanks to Amazon recommendations, it had over 600 five-star ratings, and it was a mere $.99 for Kindle. I was kinda excited to find something new.
It was a trap.
Our main POV first-person narrators are Sofia and Derek. Sofia is our red-haired, green-eyed young woman vacationing with a friend's family when she's abducted on the night of her 17th birthday. Derek is the 500 year old vampire prince just woken from a four century slumber and given his own harem of beautiful human women, of whom Sofia is included.
If I could go deeper into plot and character, I would. If I could. A SHADE is exactly what it sounds like: an unimaginative Mary Sue wish fulfillment fantasy with amateur prose and trite dialogue. The story is predictable simply because there isn't anything more to it than what I mentioned above.
So Derek and Sofia are thrown together and for some unknown reason they intrigue each other. No reason, really. Even though we do get a lot of sappy contrived interactions between them. Sofia doesn't seem afraid for her life, even if she does make a token escape attempt. She adjusts to her new role as slave pretty easily.
Derek doesn't seem like a vampire other than he craves blood and is strong, which makes the vampire culture really bland. Why is Derek a vampire prince? Because of some vaguely explained thing he did five hundred years ago. So who's been in charge for the 400 years he's been asleep? Why does Derek not seem to have an occupation although they talk about getting rid of those pesky hunters? And why are vampires holding so much stock in a prophecy? (Why do fantasy writers still use such contrived methods to create tension?) I don't know.
They spend the book at this vampire sanctuary Derek's family built while he was sleeping. It's some island (no idea where) with beautiful forests, and because of a witch it exists in perpetual night. How do the trees stay living after 400 years of perpetual night? Why would vampires feel the need to build penthouse apartments in redwood and sequoia trees? Why mention no ladders/stairs to the penthouses but Sofia can get to the ground somehow? Why end it with a confusing cliffhanger? I don't know.
Why are there no answers to these questions? Because I don't think the author knows the answers to them, either. The prose is amateurish, the dialogue is expositional yet tells me nothing, the descriptions are ham-handed and lack originality. If anything, A SHADE OF VAMPIRE is a warning lesson to all you wannabe authors out there: please, no more novels like this to waste my time.
Recommended Age: Um, I suppose it's aimed at a teenage audience who are fans of TWILIGHT, but you don't want your kids rotting their brains by reading this drek
Language: None
Violence: So lame it's a comedy
Sex: Referenced
*** Find this and other reviews at Elitist Book Reviews. *** -
"She was the most beautiful to behold— not because her appearance drew me in above and beyond the others.
No.
She was beautiful because, at a time when she had every right to be terrified, she managed to show comfort to another person who needed it. The moment she’d grabbed the hand of the girl beside her, all the others had paled in comparison. She showed me a humanity I longed to return to.
But I was the predator."
2.5 Stars. Not Bad.
Is this as good as Vampire Academy? No. Is it as terrible as New Moon? No.
On that scale this would be along the lines of Jennifer L Amentrout. It's vampire-lite. The pages turn fast, and the story is easy to wrap around.
What I like:
1) Sofia is a "different girl". But instead of just claiming it, we actually get a reasonable medical diagnosis as to why.
2) The comaraderie between the girls in the "harem". Instead of uber bitchy stuff, they band together.
3) Derek. I'm not in love, he is no Demitri or Adrian, but he is interesting and thoughtful and not an old jackass.
4) It doesn't make my brain hurt. It is the equivalent to punch at a party. It has no kick, but why not!? It's a great filler read. Like Lays potato chips before dinner (I snack before dinner).
Didn't like:
1)Lack of worldbuilding. (spoilery: it expands on the world and history in the second book)
2) Ben... ugh. Modelesque boy that Sofia loves for reasons unbeknownst to me. I hate the scenes with them
3) The harem thing isn't utilized, like at all. It's more a prop as opposed to a plot point.
This is more a prequel than anything. Albeit a shitty, nondescript one. A prequel should set the stage. This does not. It feels like I'm viewing a dress rehearsal. And yes, there's insta-attraction, but it was handled well, in my opinion.
We'll see if book two works out these issues. Yes, I thought it was good enough to read on. :)
Original comments: Just saw an article on Facebook hailing this as the next "Twilight"... Now I'm afraid to touch it. It's free on kindle unlimited, though. Decisions, decisions... -
I have to honestly say that this was very very enjoyable. Quick, clean, well written, nicely drawn characters, reasonable plot, interesting world building, no over the top unnecessary gibberish just to jazz up a vampire PNR book, no insta-love syndrome. Didn't know what to expect and stayed away from any reviews so as not to spoil the story. Went into it without any expectations other than the fact that readers seemed to like it as the ratings were fairly high. Got this great little book for free and have to say that it was a very pleasant surprise and will most definitely be looking for the next book from this author. So great to be able to discover yet another fantastic indie author. Bravo.
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Reading the description of this book made me think meh...maybe not my kind of read but it being a short story I thought why not. I'm SO GLAD I ended up reading this book! The description gave me a completely different picture in my mind as to what I ended up reading. I was drawn in from start to finish and felt disappointed that it ended so soon that I didn't hesitate to buy the next book straight after. I really liked that the drama starts so early in the book and doesn't drag on about the past and the descriptions on everything surrounding the characters.
What I loved the most about this story is the fact that Sofia stayed true to herself and didn't change for Derek. Its as though she changed him and to the better. For a short story I didn't feel that their love was rushed but actually grew in time.
In my experience when reading a book if it makes me feel fear, anxiety, happiness and love all at the same time, then that's a truly great read for me :)
This reminds me of the last bit in the book~
ARC provided by the author for an honest review. -
Ya know... pretty good.
Maybe it's because A Shade of Vampire reminded me of some vampy tv shows but I ended up liking this book. It was definitely fast paces, but that might've just been me and my sprinting.
In this book, you will meet Sofia. She's at a party one night and something happens between her and her best friend Ben. I guess they were going to take their relationship to the next level.. but it never happened. Well, she walks out crying and ends up at the beach. From there, she runs into Lucas. UGH LUCAS - I hate him so freaking much!
The next day (maybe) she wakes up. She's been kidnapped and she is thrown into this vampire harem for the waking prince. Once he awakes.. he looks into her mesmerizing eyes and basically says no to the harem and just wants her. It was interesting to see that happen and I wanted to know more about them.
WELL, I liked Derek and Sofia. They were cute and adorable. I'm just waiting for something to happen, like other than that kiss I got at the end. I want more from them. They got closer throughout this book - which, if I'm being honest would've probably happened to anyone that was kidnapped and constantly has their life threatened. AGAIN, UGH LUCAS!
I totally called that ending though but I also can't wait to dive into the next book. -
Bella is one of my favourite Authors.
Book 1 is a little slow to start with as she is building up the scene of the shade and the characters.
Hang on in there as her books only get better and better.
This book is nothing like twilight it's so much more than that which you will become to see once you get into the book.
Bella has a way of absorbing you into the shade. I truly feel like I have been on a personal journey with every one of her characters.
The shade is a magical island where vampires live protected from the human world under a darkness spell cast by the witch within the shade. She places a protection spell on the island so it becomes invisible to hunters and humans.
As you know vampires are not immune from daylight.
To begin with you see Humans are kept as slaves but one special lady Sophia is slowly changing vampire ways with her charm.
Derek Novak is a strong vampire & is not to be tested. However Sophia has a way of melting even the coldest of hearts.
Please give the Shade a go & don't give up as it really does get better & better.
I'm currently reading book 28. -
It was only 149 pages long, but I gave up at the 30%.
I am so incredibly sorry. I really am. A couple of months ago I entered a giveaway to win this book, which I did not do. However, the author approached me with the opportunity to read it in exchange of an honest review. Well, the honest to Rowling truth is that the book (what I read) bored me. The writing wasn't necessarily bad, and maybe if I had continued the story and characters would have gotten better. I SWEAR I tried, I really did. But what's the point in reading a book that's simply not for you? Or maybe it wasn't the time. Anyway, I just didn't really enjoy it.
If you want the specifics, the two main characters were whiny people (or vamp) who tried too hard. At least Cinderella's Prince wasn't that broody. They were physically perfect for each other, and had insta-love. I dare you tell me that wasn't completely unrealistic and irrational. He was violating her, yet it didn't feel that way for her. He had always had drinking problems, but the moment she speaks a few words he gets over his urge. I've been known to love cases of insta-attraction, sometimes not even seeing it as that until someone mentioned it. This was just too much.
The world-building had potential, and yet I was once again bored by how it was presented. Not one for info dumps. Not one for insta-love. Not one for cheesy writing. Not one for a quick pace that feels slow. I'm just not the girl for this book, but you might me.
I want to truthfully thank Bella Forrest for giving me the chance. Possibly the wrong chick, sorry about that.
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Alive or Undead ~ 2013 - -
I love a good vampire story. The power, the darkness, the badass men... it all just works for me. Now I would choose a shifter over a vamp if i ever got a choice but a girl has to keep her options open so I am always willing to entertain the thought a hot vamper ;)
Derek for me is a little like Eric Northman; He loves what is his, he thinks about/is into being more mainstream/working with the humans instead of just thinking they are all food, he is in a position of power, he feels little to no regret for drinking/eating/hurting people that disagree with him/get in his way/want to hurt him/try to hurt what is his. In short Derek is a loveable bad boy with some swoon appeal.
Sofia Claremont is a slightly naive 17 year old girl, who is gorgeous & a lovely friendly person. Everyone she meets seems to crush on her (even the girls seem to develop a girl crush on her). She was a little too.. sweet (if that is the right word) at times for me but I still liked her & thought she was a cool character.
The story is quite short, it seemed like I had just started reading & it was already over - but! that is also because I got really engrossed in the story & did not put it down. Bad stuff happens, there are surprises, there is a love connection, there is clearly more install for all the characters and there is a cliff hanger ending.
Good news is the book is super cheap, the series is already at book 4 and book five is coming out soon so there is no reason not to pick it up!
I have read a few reviews for the next books in the series and apparently the books get even better. I am away to start book 2 now so I will let you know what i think. -
I started reading this book expecting nothing really just a short vampire story and since I am not a big fan of vampires I thought that I might not even like the story, but because of the book's length I gave it a try. Little did I know I would end up loving it at the end.
A Shade of Vampire is the story of Sofia, a girl that has been taken captive just to enter a vampire prince's harem and Derek, the prince who just woke up from a 400 years sleep and who hates what he has become. The story was fast paced and didn't have a single boring moment. Even though the book is basically about how Sofia got in the island and met Derek and how their life started there and you'd expect that to be boring, it is not! At all.
The characters of this book is what made me truly love it though. Sofia and Derek are pretty much the perfect characters to me.
Sofia, is terrified of getting abducted and being trapped into a mysterious island but that doesn't stop her from trying to escape and standing up for herself, even having compassion for her captors. I loved the struggle inside her as she realizes that her life in the island is better than it used to be (her life sucked before anything happened) and how she doesn't allow herself to believe that she found a new home, cause the people around her are blood drinking vamps.
On the other hand there is Derek. I loved that the book had he pov too. Derek is so sweet and strong and protective of his people. He doesn't like the fact that he has become a vampire and he still struggles to hold on to his humanity. Basically if it was up to him he would go back to sleep forever so that he wouldn't have to face the monster he and his family has become.
Besides the main characters who we get to know a lot about there are others too. Derek's dangerous brother, and I am not talking Damon Salvatore dangerous, I am talking crazy, psycho killer dangerous. And Vivienne who in the end left me waiting for the next book. -
Wow! What a great start to a new world of vampires. Loved this short read and can't wait to get my hands on book 2! The characters are fabulous and the world that has been built is really intriguing. Even though it's an incredibly short read, it's full of emotion & connections. I didn't feel rushed & there was just enough balance in the details given to where I grasped a clear picture of everything. Loved it!
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One day, many months ago, in a fit of insanity I got this while it was on some sort of a sale. And today I had some free time. So I though "Why the hell not". And while it was not awful it was definitely boring. And flat. And I couldn't muster any sympathy for Sofia. Or any feeling other than mild disgust about Derek. So I know I won't pick up the rest of the series. Especially seeing as to how many of them there are. I guess I really am too old for YA.
