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Amaranthine
Amaranthine is a tale of the dark side of desire. Crimson Wilkinson is a seemingly normal high school senior who, bored with life, finds her kicks in reading a popular vampire series. But her boredom is well remedied when she becomes an active part in the very true vampire stories the world thought were fiction and falls in love with their author, Nicholae Albaric, the dangerously gorgeous and sweetly lonely vampire celebrity. The rush she once so longed for becomes a burden as Crimson discovers she has a rare gene that makes the carrier extremely powerful once they are made into a vampire, and she is targeted as the vampire community's number-one most wanted, some who want to kill her before she can become a threat and others who want to use her powers to their own ends.
314 pages, Paperback
First published April 10, 2012
43 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 7, 2012
I don't really know what to say about this book. I didn't like it, but I also kind of liked it a little bit.
The Story
Crimson has read all of the vampire books about Nicolae Albaric (also the author of said vampire books) and then stumbled on the fact that he is a real vampire! She then found a way to hack into systems and located where he lives and can check his credit card activity to see where he is. She is in her senior year of high school and her one goal is to meet Nicolae, her marching band just so happens to be going to New York where he lives and that will be her perfect opportunity. She notices that a couple people she believes are vampires are following her in her home town, then she starts dating Stephen and after a night at a party where he did something reprehensible the next day she finds out he was murdered! Finally the trip to NY happens and she gets her chance to meet Nicolae. She finds out all sorts of vampire secrets, finds out that she has something special, vampires the world over want to kill her and she is just trying to finish high school and get to her 18th birthday!
Likes and Dislikes
--I liked the basics for the story.
--I thought a lot of the side characters were fun, though sometimes there were so many (6 friends on her side 4+ friends on his side, plus the other good and bad dudes) that it didn't seem like we got to know any of them very well.
--I was upset that Crimson was supposed to be mature for her age and yet it seemed like at times she was very selfish, forgetting all about how her actions affected other people (like her friends when she forgot about them and her cousin whom she completely ignored after meeting Nicolae). Though I do think that Crimson is an AWESOME name for a character.
--I thought the writing was amateurish, however this is a first novel so that has room to improve. In this I mean the way conversations flowed, the way things were described and the inconsistancies that I found. At one point they were flying from LAX to Amsterdam and Nicolae told the pilot that if they could fly them there in under two hours they would get more money....not possible to get from LAX to Amsterdam in under two hours, maybe with a warp drive.
--I noticed a few editing errors, me instead of my, etc. There were very few though and it didn't detract from the story.
--The cover is AMAZING!
--I thought of Twilight while reading this book. Stalker much? Except in this book they are both stalkers! This just puts the book a teeny tiny percentage down for me though, because really I think you can look at many books and think Twilight.
--There were some YA cliche themes that I am sick of....instant love, unnatural forgiveness, MC thinks she's not anything special.
--I thought it was ridiculous that vamps can't have sex, especially since it said that their hearts still beat, which means their blood still flows....so, uh, why can't they have sex? If there was some other reason I didn't catch on. And why would that mean woman vamps can't have sex? I don't get it
--I did like the concept of Amaranthine 17 and Laramie with his experiments! Super cool premise and I would love to learn more.
Conclusion
While I thought the author has room to grow with her writing style and there were some major flaws in consistancy, I did get interested in the basics of the story. If there are more books in this world where we get to see what results in more of Laramie's projects and find out what happens with the Amaranth part of her I would be quite interested in reading. WARNING - this book contains matrial not necessarily suitable for young Young Adults. I would recommend for mature 16 and up. There is one crazy mild almost sex scene and alcohol use.
The Story
Crimson has read all of the vampire books about Nicolae Albaric (also the author of said vampire books) and then stumbled on the fact that he is a real vampire! She then found a way to hack into systems and located where he lives and can check his credit card activity to see where he is. She is in her senior year of high school and her one goal is to meet Nicolae, her marching band just so happens to be going to New York where he lives and that will be her perfect opportunity. She notices that a couple people she believes are vampires are following her in her home town, then she starts dating Stephen and after a night at a party where he did something reprehensible the next day she finds out he was murdered! Finally the trip to NY happens and she gets her chance to meet Nicolae. She finds out all sorts of vampire secrets, finds out that she has something special, vampires the world over want to kill her and she is just trying to finish high school and get to her 18th birthday!
Likes and Dislikes
--I liked the basics for the story.
--I thought a lot of the side characters were fun, though sometimes there were so many (6 friends on her side 4+ friends on his side, plus the other good and bad dudes) that it didn't seem like we got to know any of them very well.
--I was upset that Crimson was supposed to be mature for her age and yet it seemed like at times she was very selfish, forgetting all about how her actions affected other people (like her friends when she forgot about them and her cousin whom she completely ignored after meeting Nicolae). Though I do think that Crimson is an AWESOME name for a character.
--I thought the writing was amateurish, however this is a first novel so that has room to improve. In this I mean the way conversations flowed, the way things were described and the inconsistancies that I found. At one point they were flying from LAX to Amsterdam and Nicolae told the pilot that if they could fly them there in under two hours they would get more money....not possible to get from LAX to Amsterdam in under two hours, maybe with a warp drive.
--I noticed a few editing errors, me instead of my, etc. There were very few though and it didn't detract from the story.
--The cover is AMAZING!
--I thought of Twilight while reading this book. Stalker much? Except in this book they are both stalkers! This just puts the book a teeny tiny percentage down for me though, because really I think you can look at many books and think Twilight.
--There were some YA cliche themes that I am sick of....instant love, unnatural forgiveness, MC thinks she's not anything special.
--I thought it was ridiculous that vamps can't have sex, especially since it said that their hearts still beat, which means their blood still flows....so, uh, why can't they have sex? If there was some other reason I didn't catch on. And why would that mean woman vamps can't have sex? I don't get it
--I did like the concept of Amaranthine 17 and Laramie with his experiments! Super cool premise and I would love to learn more.
Conclusion
While I thought the author has room to grow with her writing style and there were some major flaws in consistancy, I did get interested in the basics of the story. If there are more books in this world where we get to see what results in more of Laramie's projects and find out what happens with the Amaranth part of her I would be quite interested in reading. WARNING - this book contains matrial not necessarily suitable for young Young Adults. I would recommend for mature 16 and up. There is one crazy mild almost sex scene and alcohol use.
June 3, 2012
I am having a hard time reviewing this book, not because I didn't like it but because there were so many blaring similarities to Twilight that I find myself having a hard time liking what was original about the story. And there was some originality to it that was pretty great and interesting. So, yeah, see my dilema?
I should start by saying that the cover of this book is just amazing. Truly gorgeous. I think it is very eye catching and just draws you in.
The concept of a human with a gene that, if made a vampire would make her powerful and dangerous and therefore feared and of course a target for other vamps to go after, was fun and original and entertaining.
.
The varying cast of characters, again nice, but, the love interest, their romance and instant love for one another (willingness to forgive unthinkable acts and possessiveness from Nickolae), the battle with the vampires over Crimson (which is an awesome name for a character by the way), the mysterious leader of the vamps in a foreign country and his creepy sidekicks?
Well sometimes it was just a little too much like Twilight for me and I found myself shaking my head at the likeness.
I know, terrible of me but I couldn't help but feel that way, and I did like Twilight, don't get me wrong on that count, I just didn't want this to be so much like it and I don't even know if the author was aware that she was making so many similarities to be honest. They were pretty subtle sometimes.
Don't get me wrong though, what was original about the story was good. The writing was fine and the characters were loveable, I especially liked Crimson and how feisty she was, but things, especially their love for one another, just moved way too fast for me. They were in love after one meeting, like crazy, sick in love. I think I would have liked to see their love grow a little over time.
The story started off with a vampire stalking Crimson but we don't really get why or really learn anything about this vampire. In fact, it is easy to forget that he is even there since we see so little of him throughout the story. I would have liked to see that played out a little better than it was. I think it would have put a little more action into the story and spiced it up a little.
The ending too was a little confusing. Why throw in her cousin Haley wondering about Crimson's safety? Was it a lead up to a sequel? It left me feeling a little lost.
Overall though this was a fun fast read that I think lovers of Twilight will really enjoy and have a good time reading. The characters and storyline are different enough that it isn't too predictable or slow and it isn't a rip of the Meyer's work.
If there is going to be a sequel I would be really interested to see what happens next and see if some of the similarities of other series die down and little and this takes on more of a life of its own.
I think the author has great potential and has come up with something interesting and fun to read about that any lover of vamps and the paranormal will enjoy.
I should start by saying that the cover of this book is just amazing. Truly gorgeous. I think it is very eye catching and just draws you in.
The concept of a human with a gene that, if made a vampire would make her powerful and dangerous and therefore feared and of course a target for other vamps to go after, was fun and original and entertaining.
.
The varying cast of characters, again nice, but, the love interest, their romance and instant love for one another (willingness to forgive unthinkable acts and possessiveness from Nickolae), the battle with the vampires over Crimson (which is an awesome name for a character by the way), the mysterious leader of the vamps in a foreign country and his creepy sidekicks?
Well sometimes it was just a little too much like Twilight for me and I found myself shaking my head at the likeness.
I know, terrible of me but I couldn't help but feel that way, and I did like Twilight, don't get me wrong on that count, I just didn't want this to be so much like it and I don't even know if the author was aware that she was making so many similarities to be honest. They were pretty subtle sometimes.
Don't get me wrong though, what was original about the story was good. The writing was fine and the characters were loveable, I especially liked Crimson and how feisty she was, but things, especially their love for one another, just moved way too fast for me. They were in love after one meeting, like crazy, sick in love. I think I would have liked to see their love grow a little over time.
The story started off with a vampire stalking Crimson but we don't really get why or really learn anything about this vampire. In fact, it is easy to forget that he is even there since we see so little of him throughout the story. I would have liked to see that played out a little better than it was. I think it would have put a little more action into the story and spiced it up a little.
The ending too was a little confusing. Why throw in her cousin Haley wondering about Crimson's safety? Was it a lead up to a sequel? It left me feeling a little lost.
Overall though this was a fun fast read that I think lovers of Twilight will really enjoy and have a good time reading. The characters and storyline are different enough that it isn't too predictable or slow and it isn't a rip of the Meyer's work.
If there is going to be a sequel I would be really interested to see what happens next and see if some of the similarities of other series die down and little and this takes on more of a life of its own.
I think the author has great potential and has come up with something interesting and fun to read about that any lover of vamps and the paranormal will enjoy.
June 20, 2012
Where do I start …..well here goes.
Amaranthine by Tricia Rigli
I loved the cover.
314 pages
Paranormal Romance
Mature YA
Main characters:
Crimson – love the name – 17yr old H.S. virgin
Nicholae – 200 yr old vampire / author
Supporting characters:
Tiana, Amber, Roberto, Reina, Chris, Jason, Parker, Stephen, Patty Brianna, Ross, Haley, Damien, Several Teachers, Benny, Celer and his coven, Delilah and her coven, Kerrich, and so many more.
Conclusion:
I like so many parts of the story and disliked others. I believe there are too many similarities in scenarios and if you read Amaranthine you will definitely see them as well. There are also too many unbelievable scenarios and situations. But yet the main ideas about the rare gene was very interesting and wish that the story had gone in a different direction. A part of me liked Crimson and there where parts of her that I did not like. She is witty, feisty, and powerful but she is also needy, whiny, selfish, and naïve and at times very annoying with her fetish of being turned into a vampire, those are the ones that I can remember off the top of my head. Nicholae is a typical 200 yr old vampire that has acquired a tremendous amount of wealth over the past 200 yrs. He likes and drinks human blood but only hunts bad humans for his blood such as drug dealers, rapist, murders ect. What I did not like about him was his violent side, mainly toward Steven, I really liked Steven character and I definitely did not agree with they way his character ended. There are parts in the story that could have been edited out and there where times where I thought that there were sectionts that should had been more to it and some parts left me wondering and full of quesitons. Don’t get me wrong there where several situations in the story that are very unique and loved but the similarities between other vampire books took away from those good unique ideas and situations. It was an experience and I really do hope that the second book is better. I realize that the normal conclusion usually comes at the end of the piece; however I decided to place it here in case individuals found the rest to long to read. The following are basically my notes I took down while I was reading the story and thought it would help other readers as well as Tricia. Basically to see where I as a reader was coming from. Thank you Tricia Rigli for providing me with the eBook for opportunity of reading it and reviewing it.
I don’t know what to think:
Female teenager wants to be a vampire
Male vampire wants her to experience life and finish HS before turning her
Vampire clan is after female teenager and wants to kill her
Fight between clans outside in the snow
Travel to a foreign country to save the female characters life
Must speak with those they considered their leader consist of three ancients
She is depressed when he (vampire) leaves her for three days
Thoughts while reading:
I did not like the obvious no no’s such as taking a hike in the woods by herself. It’s too obvious that something is going to happen.
I liked Steven character, very sweet guy that could have had a better ending which I did not like.
Lovy dovy statements had me gagging, but some were nice – “as far as I’m concerned…I belong to you” they were just declared to early which had me rolling my eyes and not really believing it.
Love is declared way too early in the story. It would have been better if it was after they actual got to know each other more like towards the end of the story.
Can there really be love when all they do is stalking each other before they even meet… a little creepy.
A little unbelievable that Nicholae has been using the same name for over 200 yrs and no one has caught on to hit, besides the fact that he is a very popular vampire writer/author but yet only a 17 yr old has the curiosity to investigate his background and discover this very interesting fact.
I was like what, yuck she wants to see him hunt, sick.
Very annoying the she whines when he tells her to finish school before he turns her, also he talks to her like a father figure not a boyfriend.
Where is her father in all this, he is never mentioned in the story, well not that I can recall.
Why introduce her brother and not include him in anything besides Reina’s crush on him and Thanksgiving Dinner.
Okay….a vampire dog…all righty why not
I would have loved to know more about Nicholae his life before being a vampire.
I didn’t think that introducing that the male’s equipment as not a working piece of equipment once they are turned into a vampire was needed.
I also did not like that he is ok and tells her that basically its okay if she wants to go and have sex with a human to experience it. So not ok with that.
I did like the lab and the experimental green house, which on its own can have its own story.
A little confused as to what the point was for the last chapter on Haley’s P.O.V.
I love the Different Gene Concept but definitely need to be fewer similarities to other vampire stories.
I look forward to seeing what happens to Crimson.
I realize that the review is everywhere and not a typical review format but it was a very difficult for me to write this review my thoughts were popping in my mind and I was putting them down on paper, which is basically how I left it.
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January 4, 2015
I received a copy of this book from the author, Trici Rigli through the Making Connections group on Goodreads. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to read this book, however, the following review is not positive. If you cannot handle negative reviews there is no need to read further.
This book was such a disappointment. The synopsis makes it sound fantastic and to put it bluntly, it is not. My following review may contain spoilers. So, if you wish to continue reading, you have been warned!
The story starts by following Crimson and her misfit group of friends through their daily activities in high school. This goes on for the first 50% of the book. I’m serious. Nothing interesting happens until Stephen dies, then it is back to boring until Crimson meets Nicholae. And then, wham! Nicholae and Crimson are in love and doing very inappropriate things for a 17 year old, in my opinion. I could have gone my whole life without hearing how Nicholae had magic fingers. Ewww. Then at about 75% through the book, the vampires actually get into fighting action. It doesn’t last long enough though. And then the writer goes absurd again by taking Nicholae to Crimson’s family Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving! Least coolest holiday ever to invite an Immortal to attend.
Anyways, I kept reading, determined to finish this book. And this was a very hard book to trudge through. The plot was all over the place. There would just be pages of meaningless dialogue. If this dialogue was supposed to make me empathetic to the characters it did not work. In fact, I never believed in any of the characters. They were stereotypical and one dimensional.
I also did not enjoy the writing style. There were instances where Crimson used outlandishly advanced language for no reason at all. I think the word “Chimerical” was used in different contexts at least 2-3 times. Each time on my Kindle I would look it up and never did the definition fit what I had thought Crimson was trying to say. I felt like I was studying for the SATs vocabulary portion. There was even one word (that I can’t remember at the moment) that wasn’t IN the dictionary at all. That was frustrating.
The good part of the book was the concept of Amarants. I thought this was a highly creative and interesting idea. I wanted to spend time learning about them and more about Crimson after she had been turned. But the author decided this was not to be. I am assuming this is a stand-alone book. If that is the case, the author really missed the mark on this one. Such an interesting concept could easily had been stretched into a series.
The last chapter is what completely aggravated me to the point of having to write a review that is far from positive. And I hate doing negative reviews. In my opinion, this was a horrible way to end the book and to me personally made no sense. When I did finish this book, I just felt completely confused and a little pissed off. That is not a good sign.
One star to “Amaranthine”.
This book was such a disappointment. The synopsis makes it sound fantastic and to put it bluntly, it is not. My following review may contain spoilers. So, if you wish to continue reading, you have been warned!
The story starts by following Crimson and her misfit group of friends through their daily activities in high school. This goes on for the first 50% of the book. I’m serious. Nothing interesting happens until Stephen dies, then it is back to boring until Crimson meets Nicholae. And then, wham! Nicholae and Crimson are in love and doing very inappropriate things for a 17 year old, in my opinion. I could have gone my whole life without hearing how Nicholae had magic fingers. Ewww. Then at about 75% through the book, the vampires actually get into fighting action. It doesn’t last long enough though. And then the writer goes absurd again by taking Nicholae to Crimson’s family Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving! Least coolest holiday ever to invite an Immortal to attend.
Anyways, I kept reading, determined to finish this book. And this was a very hard book to trudge through. The plot was all over the place. There would just be pages of meaningless dialogue. If this dialogue was supposed to make me empathetic to the characters it did not work. In fact, I never believed in any of the characters. They were stereotypical and one dimensional.
I also did not enjoy the writing style. There were instances where Crimson used outlandishly advanced language for no reason at all. I think the word “Chimerical” was used in different contexts at least 2-3 times. Each time on my Kindle I would look it up and never did the definition fit what I had thought Crimson was trying to say. I felt like I was studying for the SATs vocabulary portion. There was even one word (that I can’t remember at the moment) that wasn’t IN the dictionary at all. That was frustrating.
The good part of the book was the concept of Amarants. I thought this was a highly creative and interesting idea. I wanted to spend time learning about them and more about Crimson after she had been turned. But the author decided this was not to be. I am assuming this is a stand-alone book. If that is the case, the author really missed the mark on this one. Such an interesting concept could easily had been stretched into a series.
The last chapter is what completely aggravated me to the point of having to write a review that is far from positive. And I hate doing negative reviews. In my opinion, this was a horrible way to end the book and to me personally made no sense. When I did finish this book, I just felt completely confused and a little pissed off. That is not a good sign.
One star to “Amaranthine”.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 16, 2012
Amaranthine is a young adult paranormal about a 17-year-old high school girl named Crimson. Crimson is obsessed by vampires, and is a huge fan of a series of books about a vampire named Nicholae Alberic. She realizes that Nicholae is a real vampire and sets out to meet him, and in the process she finds out she possesses a gene that will make her very unique if she is turned.
Crimson is a pretty typical seventeen-year-old. She belongs to a little high school clique, she is in the band, she likes music and shopping, and can be a little self-absorbed at times. Nicholae’s character confused me sometimes. He is two hundred year old vampire, and one moment he seems much like a teen himself only to take on the personality of a more paternal figure the next. There are a lot of likeable supporting characters in this book; one of the stand-outs is Laramie. I guess I would describe Laramie as a mentor to Nicholae, he is an older vampire and quite intelligent. Laramie is a scientist of sorts, and he uses his knowledge to come up with things that could be beneficial to mortals, and to make the world a better place. He also plays a pivotal role in the story, as he confirms and gives an explanation for the gene that Crimson carries.
This is one of those books that ran hot and cold for me. The biggest problem I had was the romance between Crimson and Nicholae. The relationship basically began by them stalking each other, they meet, and immediately the undying love is professed. I wish a bond would have forged between the two that turned to love later on. As a reader, I kind of felt cheated. However, I took an interest in the part of the story about the Amarant gene. Although there was sufficient explanation about the gene, I would have loved to see Rigli delve deeper into that part of the story.
All in all, the concept of the story was really good, but it just needed to be a little better executed. I feel things will improve more as Rigli evolves as a writer. I am sure this story will still appeal to teen readers because they will relate to Crimson, and fall head over heels for Nichlolae!
**Reviewed by Teresa D. for VampireRomanceBooks.com**
Crimson is a pretty typical seventeen-year-old. She belongs to a little high school clique, she is in the band, she likes music and shopping, and can be a little self-absorbed at times. Nicholae’s character confused me sometimes. He is two hundred year old vampire, and one moment he seems much like a teen himself only to take on the personality of a more paternal figure the next. There are a lot of likeable supporting characters in this book; one of the stand-outs is Laramie. I guess I would describe Laramie as a mentor to Nicholae, he is an older vampire and quite intelligent. Laramie is a scientist of sorts, and he uses his knowledge to come up with things that could be beneficial to mortals, and to make the world a better place. He also plays a pivotal role in the story, as he confirms and gives an explanation for the gene that Crimson carries.
This is one of those books that ran hot and cold for me. The biggest problem I had was the romance between Crimson and Nicholae. The relationship basically began by them stalking each other, they meet, and immediately the undying love is professed. I wish a bond would have forged between the two that turned to love later on. As a reader, I kind of felt cheated. However, I took an interest in the part of the story about the Amarant gene. Although there was sufficient explanation about the gene, I would have loved to see Rigli delve deeper into that part of the story.
All in all, the concept of the story was really good, but it just needed to be a little better executed. I feel things will improve more as Rigli evolves as a writer. I am sure this story will still appeal to teen readers because they will relate to Crimson, and fall head over heels for Nichlolae!
**Reviewed by Teresa D. for VampireRomanceBooks.com**
July 11, 2015
I got 160 pages in and just couldn't do it anymore. I tried, I really did.I really wanted to like this story. I like paranormal romance stories but this one just rubbed me the wrong way. Crimson is a tough cookie but as far as Im concerned is a little to tough. Why does she need to prove her point by violence? Twice she punched a girl for really no reason. I know we are told they have history but I dont feel it warranted the fights later on. I really liked Steve, he was a great guy. He was funny, like Crimson even though she was totally different from himself. He was intelligent, handsome and fun. Then for purposes to suit the story she turns him into someone terrible. I didn't buy it. Also, the feelings Crimson had were all over the place. She didnt love Steve then she did.And the love between Crimson and Nick was unbelievable, she loves him because of his books and he loves her by following her around for months! She is the only human to figure out he is a real vampire and he doesn't kill her right away to keep his secret? They love each other even though they have never spoken? Oh, and she will be a powerful vampire because shes a virgin, then later its discovered she has this rare gene that will make her an even more powerful vampire? What?!?! This is where I stopped. I just didn't think I could take anymore.
I got this copy for review purposes and feel terrible for writing a negative review but really this story is hard to read. Thank you Tricia for sending me a copy.
I got this copy for review purposes and feel terrible for writing a negative review but really this story is hard to read. Thank you Tricia for sending me a copy.
January 31, 2015
Amaranthine is ok for what it is, a Young Adult(ish) novel about a human and a vampire who fall in love. Yes, some of the literary tropes are going to be familiar to those who are fans of the paranormal romance genre but that's generally to be expected. For a first novel, Amaranthine holds up quite well in terms of character development and pacing. That being said, for a romance novel, the romance occurs a bit too quickly to be entirely believable. As headstrong and independent as the main character is, the thought of her completely devoting herself to another person based on love at first sight (and some cyber-stalking) doesn't really hold up. Also, the central idea of a rare DNA type influencing the development of a vampire could and should have been fleshed out. What does a DNA sequence that results in a unique eye color in humans have to do with an increase in vampiric abilities? It's an interesting concept and so deserves attention. I would like to see what the author is capable in future works and look forward to reading them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2012
Amaranthine takes you throughout the whole spectrum of feelings--especially humor. Fluid and eloquent. Waywardly using GRE vocabulary, tremendously witty with numerology and local Tucsonean folklore, this novel of deep passionate teen love represents how thin the layer of reality and fantasy is. Crimson's dreams are just at the tips of her fingers, a simple search in the Internet leads her to discover that Nicholae Albaric is real and not just the hero of her favorite novel series; from there all hell escapes and yet heaven stays too. Life, death and adventure are quite poignant. I cannot wait to read the sequel. MSW
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