Paris, 21. century 

Louis XXIV. is the young king of France, the French Revolution never happened, monarchy rules to this day and age. Gossip spreads.... apparently you can find vampires in Versailles and some even go as far as to say that everyone in Versailles is a vampire. But we begin this story with a young beautiful teenager called Angélique, the daughter of a duchess who is struggling to keep her head and her station while just being introduced to court. She inadvertently reveals the struggle for power between two of the most known and prominent families in France, family Condé and family Orléans. One is said to be the legacy of angels and the other of demons.

(*note: This book is originally written and published in French - Sang Maudit, Des Vampires a Versailles - tome 1 -, this Croatian edition is only a translation of the original book)

My thoughts. 

I picked this book up in my local library simply because I had room for one more book and this one's cover called to me, yes, yes I admit it. The cover is beautiful, the title most appealing and short summary on the covers called out to me like nothing else... history and alternate future, France, politics, intrigue and... vampires. Imagine the combination. I almost melted while I carried this book home happy as a little child whose mommy just bought him/her some ice cream or in my case, chocolate. 

And I will admit that this book has everything I hoped for. It is very engrossing, characters have depth and layers and we see their progress, story has so many elements that some people might find it confusing and get lost in it because there are so many references to French history and notable people as well as known events that you can fully enjoy it only if you understand it. And I loved this aspect. There is also a couple of action scenes and holding your breath ones. There is also a wonderful imagination of the two authors who write under the pseudonym Ange (Anne and Gérard Guéro respectively) about the future, or the alternate future, we would have if the French Revolution never took place. Modern and old combined. 

This book was definitely amusing. It kept me glued to my seat and it told a wonderful story. But. But. If only this wasn't a young adult book I would be ecstatic right now. Generally, I have no problem with the young adult genre, everything has its merits. But politics, intrigue, court and conspiracies and all of it told from a perspective of a 17 year old girl who does things in this book that are quite unbelievable for someone that age and especially someone who was pushed into that world a couple of days before... that aspect I had difficulties reconciling with. Because I am able to think and I know how the world works and how teenagers work, been there, done that, seen that. 

One more thing was the fact that three teenagers who are friends are also people who carry this story and all the events happening in this book. And each one is very different and we learn about all of them because it is all a part of a bigger picture which comes together in the end. Sometimes it is difficult to remember all the details about the bunch of information thrown at us in a very short time frame and that is if I am including the fact that all the historical references about everything, from places, people, events, books, ideas etc are already well known to the reader. 

If this was meant for the younger readers, teenagers I suppose, I do not see how they can fully appreciate this story not making all the connections properly and if it was meant for the more adult readers, why oh why make it a teenage heroine one???

I will not put any spoilers here and most of the things I would like to say would be considered a spoiler because every detail will be in the end relevant and I don't want to give any of the pieces away before time to those of you who plan on reading it. And I do encourage everyone who loves history, especially French history, old court intrigues and plots in the modern age, teenage heroins and vampires to read this, I believe it will surprise you as it did me.

I received a free kindle copy of The Calling by Louise White in an Amazon promotion in exchange for a fair review.

While I read young adult fiction sparingly, this book leapt off my kindle & the pages flashed by as I read. It's very exciting, no lack of action here! 

I gave it five stars. Plus, the protagonist has my name, Carolyn. Ironically enough each time her name was written, I had a little jolt of recognition.

I eagerly look forward to the next book Chasing the Demon. I HIGHLY recommend this pleasurable paranormal read.

Link to purchase: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0993081738/ref=x_gr_w_bb_t6_b?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_t6_b-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0993081738&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2

This is a wonderful book. Amalie Jahn did an excellent job in putting together a well thought out plot with very likable characters. The story is so well told that it brought me into the pages and I felt that I was part of the script. I was overwhelmed with a mixture of strong feelings. I felt excitement, anger, resentment and utter shock at the horrible, disturbing issue of human trafficking.

The plot was quite riveting and I was glued to the pages. I loved the soft touch of supernatural. The author used the aura of a person through out the story and though not trying to make it a major theme it becomes quite meaningful. The most important issue of the book is centered on the subject of foreign women brought to the States to find a better life but instead their dreams are crashed into dust. That was gut retching.

I am now a fan of Amalie Jahn. I loved her first book The Clay Lion and I thought she could not do any better than that. Boy was I wrong. The second book is absolutely fantastic. I would recommend it to anyone who loves a suspenseful and compelling story filled with excitement and provocation.

PJV QUICKIE: The whole popular girl/high school drama meets paranormal world, chosen one…etc. is the main plot thread of HEXED by Michelle Krys. This is why I equate this book with the adjective – regurgitated. Because it is. Very. Change Buffy to Indigo, and Vampires to Bad sorcerers and you have your story.

More About the Book:

Series: The Witch Hunter #1 on June, 10, 2014
Narrator: Tai Alexandra Ricci
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
Amazon :: Purchase :: More Info ::
PJV Rating:

Review: The promo statement advertising this book says it all: It’s Bring it On meets The Craft in this spellbinding witchy series debut. Do “real” teens even know who Fairuza Balk is and have seen the film The Craft? I love when these YA novels reference 90s and early 2000s pop culture. I get it…real young adults don’t. Maybe because they weren’t even born yet when The Craft was released. My feelings toward that one promotional statement sums up my feelings toward this book, I get it, but it’s rather silly and a regurgitated plot… that left me somewhere in the middle as far as like or dislike. Maybe read it yourself and let me know how you feel about it.

Michelle Krys redeemed the unoriginal story with fun characters, witty dialogue and a fast paced, competent writing style. Thank goodness, because if not, this would have been a quick DNF.

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