Reviews of Vampire Origins - The Strigoi Book 1 - Project Ichorous

I would like to thank Never Too Old For Y.A. & N.A. Books and the author Riley Banks for allowing to read this book for a honest review.

I would like to start with the cover of the book, it just does not appeal to me, but I tend to not judge a book by its cover. I honestly did not love it or hate it but I enjoyed the book very much, mostly the different point of views on which the story develops; it was very interesting to read what other characters thought or feel than just one person.

My favorite characters were Caleb and Alex, but I like Alex more at the end, I just thought from the beginning that Alex was going to be the main male character then the more I read about Caleb and I tended to favor him best and later on I completely fell for Lachman but he ends up to be a major jerk so I like Alex the most even though I resent that I didn't read more about him until the end. Scarlet was very gullible and naive, I wished that she was stronger and a little smarter about who she hangs out with and who is foe and friend. Bear, the cat, O.M.G I just couldn't imagine that he was what he was. Tash, I did like her at the very end, her actions and commitment and then her sacrifice, seal the deal for me.

I recommended this book to anyone who likes paranormal especially vampires, shapeshifters and even has witches, yeah witches, a little of everything but very entertaining. The cliffhanger will leave you wanting more, well it did for me and I can't wait to read the second book.

I loved this book! I can't wait for the next one. A wonderfully written story with an intricate plot and amazing characters that are so believable and realistic. What a great cliffhanger! The only reason it did not get five stars is because I felt at times there were not enough descriptions of the characters appearances, times when it was not clear who was saying what and some scene jumps were a bit confusing as to where the scene was and who was there.I would definitely recommend this book! This book was given to me and this is my honest review.

Who knew there were different clans of vampires?

Join the world of vampires and live forever. Do you have a choice? Probably not because the lost Romanovs, Anastasia and her brother, Nicholas would surely have turned down everlasting, bloodsucking life if they had a choice. Yes, the Romanovs are now undead and residing in Vlad's castle in Transylvania. Vlad Strigoi is a vile character, sucking the life out of anyone who strikes his fancy, but an innocent teenage girl might be able to destroy him. Scarlett is a beautiful redheaded teenager with three brothers and a younger sister, raised by a single father--because Vlad killed her mother and turned her into a vampire, too. Scarlett's barely able to control her raging teenage hormones and conquer the world of dating. Can she really be the one to kill a vampire who is thousands of years old and one of the original five?

There are five different clans of vampires with different rules of existence, the Strigoi, Cambion, Strix, Nosferatu and Bretonnian. Who knew? The author has created a history for vampires dating back thousands of years. We learn some of that history in this first book of the series, and avid readers will surely learn more in future volumes.

It might be difficult to "like" any of the vampires when they feed on humans regularly, but the author makes us understand their problems and hope they can overcome their blood lust. Some of the vampires fight their tendencies, feeding on volunteers or taking blood from packages, but Vlad Strigoi wants to create an unending supply of blood by enslaving comatose humans and draining them slowly. Humans are just a food source to him. Can Scarlett fulfill the prophecy and rid the world of this evil vampire?

The author fleshes out various characters, delving into the teenagers' relationships with young vampires, and making the readers care about the innocent humans. We cringe as they fall under the spell of their vampire lovers, and pray that they can escape a terrible fate. This is just the first volume, so we'll need to wait to learn the whole story.