Bloodwitch

The Maeve’ra Trilogy #1

by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

A gripping tale about loyalty, power, and the quest for freedom
Vance Ehecatl was raised with every luxury he could imagine in a beautiful greenhouse within the powerful empire of Midnight. Vampires are the only guardians Vance has ever known since he was abandoned by his shapeshifter family as a baby quetzal, and he is grateful to them for generously providing for all of his needs. When an act of violence forces Vance from his sheltered home, he is startled to meet Malachi Obsidian, a fellow shapeshifter with conflicting ideas about Midnight and its leader, Mistress Jeshickah.

Malachi claims Vance is a bloodwitch, who Jeshickah and her trainers, Jaguar and Taro, are trying to control. Vance doesn't know anything about the rare and destructive magic Malachi says he possesses, and he can't believe Jeshickah would use it to hurt others. But when his friends begin falling ill, Vance starts to realize his perfect world may not be as flawless as it seems. Now Vance must decide who to trust-the vampires he's always relied upon, or the shapeshifters who despise them.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Vampires, Paranormal, Magic, Fiction, Shapeshifters

288 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

I grew up in Concord, Massachusetts, where I matriculated through the public Concord-Carlisle school district from kindergarten until my graduation in 2001. The best part of school, from fifth grade until the year I graduated, was definitely chorus. I love music, and I love to sing, and though I never had the courage or the talent to participate in any of the high school plays as a performer, I enjoyed being involved at other levels; the music and drama community at CCHS was the highlight of my high school career. I was also on the fencing team for two years, an experience that actually inspired a couple storylines, and regret that I did not continue with that sport.

I now live in Massachusetts with several pets... as well as, of course, my family. I am a student at the University of Massachusetts, with an English/psychology double-major. I hope to work either as an English teacher at the secondary level, or in special education. I have strong opinions about literacy, education, and how our educational systems are treated- strong enough that most of my friends know not to get me started on the subject.

My non-writing hobbies are eclectic, and cover everything from rather domestic pastimes like cross-stitch and cooking to aquarium keeping, playing piano, gardening, carpentry, Harley-Davidsons, driving, and arguing- there are few things I enjoy more than a good debate with someone who knows how to argue, which might have something to do with a best friend who works in politics. I love to learn, so if I have down-time and nothing to do, it is not at all unusual to find me pouring over some book, website or video designed to teach me some new skill, from belly dancing (something I desperately want to learn but have not yet been brave enough to sign up for classes on) to JavaScript.

Reviews

[Jordan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Before reading:

Oh my gosh! Jaguar is in her new series!? I remember Midnight Predator being one of my favorite books during middle school because of Jaguar. I can't wait to read this book!

After reading:

Well...the book wasn't bad, but this author just doesn't appeal to me as much as she did when I was in middle school. I am undecided on whether or not I will continue to read anymore books by her.

[Jessica (a GREAT read) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I dived headfirst into Amelia Atwater-Rhodes newest series, The Maeve'ra Trilogy, with Bloodwitch. And ironically, it seems to be a combination of both her previous series. We see familiar terms like Midnight, the Obsidians...so naturally, this did bring a little bit of confusion for me, but I was still able to enjoy it a little, but there was still some confusion going on as well!

This time, we follow a fourteen year old boy named Vance who's a quetzal, which is basically a small bird. He was abandoned by his family when he was just a baby and the vampires of Midnight took him in. We once again see the familiar names, Jaguar and Jeshickah who were his sort of primary caretakers. Though more emphasis on Jaguar who becomes his most recent caretaker. Jeshickah is the leader. And naturally, there's unsettling events that are about to occur.

When a murder of a servant girl happens in the house Vance lives in, he runs away out of fear when one of his masters starts beating him. He then runs into Malachi Obsidian who is a shifter. Having just read the last two books of the Kiesha'ra series, I was familiar with this sort of rebel/outcast group of Serpiente. What I could not figure out though is a timeline of sorts. I tryied looking for clues, but I have no idea where the events here fit into both worlds of the Kiesha'ra and the Den of Shadows, which in one of the later books briefly mentioned Jesihckah. Though Midnight Predator, did delve a little further with Midnight and Jaguar...I just can't remember if Jaguar was an antagonist or sort of anithero in that one! It's been over ten years since I read that particular read!

I did find this one a little hard to get into at first. I guess because our hero is so young. I struggled seeing how this was YA and not an advance MG. The world setting and issues of the world definitely fit a YA book, but the character felt overly juvenile to me.I can see why he wanted to take the side of his "family" versus these new people who are telling him things that sound outrageous. But the fact that he doesn't have much inner dilemma going on about these events and just being so firm in his belief that his "family" is good, nagged at me. Hopefully he matures a bit in the next book, though that looks to have more focus on another character that we meet towards the end of this one.

It really saddens me how lately, Amelia's books just aren't wowing me anymore! I adored the first four books of the Den of Shadows! I thought they were incredible! While they are all four entirely different books just occurring in the same world, we do get the occasional cameo of a character from a previous book. That made me feel like the books were connected! Those later books, lacked that. With the exception of All Just Glass, of course!

I will admit the worldbuilding to this one wasn't as confusing as previous books. Though I didn't really get a firm grasp on it, I didn't feel like I was just floating in space while reading words on a page. It will be interesting to see where this trilogy goes since the main character here was so young vs your tradition YA book where they might be anywhere from 15 up. So no romance in this one, that's for sure. Which didn't bother me too much. With a character that young, you know romance is so far from his mind that even if there was something, it would've felt forced!

Overall a decent read. Hopefully the next book will make things more interesting for me as I do see we'll be focusing on a different character this go around. I wouldn't say you have to have read Amelia's previous books to read this one. Her worlds are very unique and vast filled with many details it seems. It's intricate for sure, which does speak of good writing, but I feel like the execution of it sometimes makes it harder to understand somethings. Take this as you will, I guess!



Overall Rating 3/5 stars

[Marsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book like all of the books she writes. But a word of advice to people looking to read one of atwater's books. Don't start with her most recent book, of corse your going to be confused, it's like joining a conversation 3/4 of the way though. Read her first book "Tiger Tiger in the night"

This book was wonderfully written right into the history that all her other books have brought us though. As always you get to see a different view of characters she has talked about from several of her previous books, it's like learning the history of a family or village, dysfunctional as we know they really are. What is true evil? What makes someone bad or wrong? I have a great respect for this author because she has the ability to give you a view from all angles without stumbling, the books truly live a characters point of view.

Thank you Atwater for sharing your stories, I look forward to every book you publish

[Pamela]

Midnight...? Hmm...

Jeshickah? OMG OMG OMG!!

JAGUAR?? COUNT ME IN!

[T.]

10 May 14. Anything with Amelia Atwater-Rhodes' name as the author will be read by me.

[Ikayuro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honest to god, I have never read a book by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes that I didn't like. I had no idea that this series existed, so when I found it and realized that it was part of her overarching vampires and shapeshifter world, I knew I was more than ready to five back into the heart of Midnight.

And Bloodwitch did NOT disappoint!

While there were moments that I really disliked Vance, I had to remind myself that he was fourteen. There's so much character development that he goes through, and he grows so rapidly that it's almost painful to watch. Everything is crafted beautifully- and it's so fun to see Jaguar again! - and I'm really looking forward to reading the next book!!

[Erin Kinsella · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was massively disappointing to me. If you loved the Kiesha'ra series I would recommend skipping this one. I was really expecting to love it, because I've always been a fan of Atwater-Rhodes's books, but this book was not my cup of tea at all.

[Hazel Guandique · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was a lot of descriptions that seemed a little long and sometimes would loose me. But I think I'll try to read it again.

[Laura Martinelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Going back to when I read the Kiesha’ra omnibus, I had just learned that Amelia Atwater-Rhodes was going to come out with a new series called the Maeve’ra. “Oh,” I think, “Maybe this will get into the falcons’ backstory and history.” Well… not so much.

Bloodwitch actually expands on the fall of Midnight as we somewhat glimpsed in the prologue for Promises to Keep. Which is okay, I guess? The history of Midnight and the vampire slave trade isn’t one of my particular favorite plotlines (especially since Midnight Predator now retroactively excuses Jaguar’s involvement in the empire, not to mention the whole vibe of “What, this is totally for your own good. We’re not like human slave-owners.”)

(SingleEarth! I want to know more about SingleEarth! Or if we’re going to delve further into Den of Shadows history, what about New Mayhem? I’d be much more interested in that than Midnight.)

What also doesn’t quite work about Bloodwitch is that Atwater-Rhodes puts a lot of Midnight’s major players up front, and it kind of takes away any suspense. I understand why Jesickah would be a major presence in this, but I want to see more of the characters that we don’t already know.

There are some really interesting aspects in here, though. I know that I keep bringing up the earlier books in both the Den of Shadows and the Kiesha’ra series, but reading those series at first felt like “Okay, these are two separate universes with some nods to each other, but they’re standalone.” Even when Persistence of Memory brought in the Mistari in, it still felt like “Okay, vampires and witches are over here, and the shapeshifters are here.” (Especially since the serpiente and avian weren’t really mentioned in the latter half of Den of Shadows.) Bloodwitch, on the other hand, features the full melting-pot of supernatural creatures that have shown up before and even a few new ones.

And while I do still like the world-building of the book, my main problem here is that this drags on too long. Vance continuously waffles between recognizing he’s being manipulated and abused by the people he considers his family, only to backstep a chapter or so later and say, “But they’re really good people! I’m not a slave!” I get that Vance is supposed to be a naïve and sheltered character, but for as short as this book is, it just goes on far too long.

And it’s frustrating because there is some really interesting things going on whenever Vance and Malachi aren’t arguing about what Vance really is to the nobles of Midnight, such as Vance’s newfound friendship with the Shantel guard, or the introduction that the white vipers were the progenitors of Obsidian, or even the whole idea of what a bloodwitch is. Or Vance’s species—I really wanted to get more into the quetzal history, or have it touched on a little more than what we get in here. And I think this is really due to one of Atwater-Rhodes’s big plotting problems which is “Oh, these people are being mysterious because ANCIENT MYSTERY that I will probably never fully explain. WOOOOO~” I think that this book would have benefited from a multiple perspective, instead of Vance’s first-person POV, because there’s so much that we don’t learn throughout the book, and Vance’s continually backsliding into “But the vampires are super-nice to me, they can’t be manipulative!” And then the book ends with the biggest anticlimax that I have read from Amelia Atwater-Rhodes—we have Jaguar, Nathaniel, and Jesickah all coming down with the mysterious plague, and anyone who’s read either Midnight Predator or even the last two books knows that they’ll be fine because oh look, Jaguar and Jesickah are still prancing around in the modern-day.

(You know what I thought about halfway through reading this? This is like the first half of M.T. Anderson’s The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing vol. 1, except not as smart and well-written. And with vampires and shapeshifters and witches.)

I don’t think this is a terrible book, but I do think that it’s a very mediocre one. For as short as Amelia Atwater-Rhodes books are, this drags on too long, and there’s so much denial I can take from the main character. I might go pick up the next book in the series, but I think after I get through “The Rebel” short story, I’m probably going to take a break from her for a while.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the second Atwater-Rhodes book that I’ve read and I’m not really impressed, which I find unfortunate since I know a lot of people who adore her work. I want to be one of those people, but clearly it’s not working out. Bloodwitch is the start a of a new series, with some connections to her other books, but I figured it was a safe enough start and it would be easier to fall into the world. Unfortunately I had more issues with this one than I did when I read Poison Tree which is book eight in her Den of Shadows books.

Bloodwitch has a pretty interesting concept and I was drawn into the whole idea of a shapeshifter and vampire world…but it started to fall a part after a few chapters. I don’t know enough about her books to be able to tell you what kind of world this is, where it is, or when…so I had hopes that being the first book in a series this would be provided…but it wasn’t. I felt like I had been plunked into the middle of story that was already in the process of being told. Is this our world? I know from Poison Tree that it’s connected, but how…none of it seems ‘normal’ at all and the only clue that it might be connected is the fact that the people talk like we do. Is it another realm “within” our own? Or have they some how managed to squirrel away in some secret corner of…somewhere?

As for the characters I never quite understood enough about who they are and what makes them tick to even care about them. The main character is Vance, a young quetzal shifter, who is just now learning how much more there is to the world than he’s been given. The innocence was acceptable in the beginning as it made learning things about the world easier, and they didn’t feel like info dumps…but after a certain point the info stops coming so I ended up just as clueless (probably more so) as he was. I also wasn’t really sure “who” Vance was as a person, which is actually the point of the book so it’s understandable…but even towards the end I wasn’t really sure. I know he’s nice, trusting, and doesn’t want to see people hurt but that’s about it. The vampires were sort of flat as well and just seemed to be there as a point of power and I never really understood any of them either.

Overall this book fell flat for me and I personally would have enjoyed it more if there had been more pages dedicated to world building and character development. It does have really interesting story though and I did find Rhodes’ writing to be quite beautiful at times, but as it stands I’m not sure if I’ll continue this series.

[Alienor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a bit sorry I didn't like it more.

I love the viewpoint of an essentially brainwashed character. I felt the book would follow his gradual awakening - and it does, to an extent, but this arc seems to peter out quickly and I found ensuing events to be confusing. Enemies, allies, friends are all unclear. The level of threat, also unclear. Political alliances are completely disregarded. Some people who are supposed to be terrifying end up being mild (although... is this in my head, or was there a STRONG S&M undercurrent??!).

Examples; the protagonist leaves Malachi Obsidian behind in a cell - which he manages to leave quite easily by saying please - and then is immediately determined to rescue him and overcome with guilt, even if his own captivity was rather mild.
Malachi, trying to convince Vance the vampires are horrible - they raise children 'and never play with them!!!!!' OMG, atrocious! Why would Vance care, he was more or less brought up the same way?
We don't understand what's at stake, the climax feels like a deus ex machina and doesn't even lead anywhere. I felt I was fumbling in the dark (there are other books that take care of the world building apparently, but I haven't read them) and actually not seeing much of a contrast between the 'good guys' (puerile and weak) and the 'bad guys' (who didn't look so bad).
Shame. I liked the premise.

[Brandy Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not her best, but still good

Atwater-Rhodes delivers yet another novel that you can’t put down.
However, this is not close to her best book. I didn’t really attach to any of the characters, like I did with the Keisha’ra series. There were several times that I felt like I had missed a book that she was referencing (ie a book between the Keisha’ra and Den of Shadows quartets).
This book left me with more questions than answers. I am hoping these are cleared up in the next chapter of the trilogy.
Despite these feelings, the book is still a good, entertaining read, especially for those who are already familiar with Atwater-Rhodes’s books. Vance represents a mixture of several of the writer’s previous protagonists- he is shy, unsure of himself, and very naive. Readers will instantly know that he is heading for trouble. We meet several characters from the Den of Shadows quartet again, and there are many references to the descendants of the Keisha’ra characters. The story is fast paced; a lot happens in a short amount of time.
Overall, I would recommend this book to other fans of Atwater-Rhodes, but not to someone who is unfamiliar with her works.

[BookOwl BookOwl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can I remember much of it? No.
Did I care for the characters? Hell no.
Why three stars? I honestly don't know.

Maybe because I read all of it because lately I've grown a pair, and so I'm not longer afraid to list a book as DNF.
But I kept reading this anyway.

Maybe it's because it's a quick read with different elements. Yeah, that must be the reason. And the writing. Wasn't too bad.

[Sarah B · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a young shape-shifter who turns into a colorful bird called a quetzal who has been raised in the kingdom of Midnight by vampires. His name is Vance and he is very naive and innocent due to his isolated upbringing inside of a pretty green house. He never saw the outside world and doesn't know what a squirrel is. His world changed the day he left the greenhouse out of sheer curiosity and into a cold, snowy world. So when he starts learning more about Midnight and realizes that his vampire masters are really very cruel he has to decide what to do. Should he save the vampires to raised him and that he cares about or should he let them die because of the things he they have done to others? For someone who has never made their own decisions before, this is very hard for young Vance.

I really enjoyed this book and actually read it in one sitting. Vance was very real and I could see myself in him. It's often hard knowing what is the best thing to do. I know I wouldn't want such major decisions resting on my shoulders. Through the story Vance grows. He goes from a mindless pet who blindly obeys to flexing his Independence. He starts learning about the world around him, asking questions and realizing things are not as he had thought. In the end he has to make tough choices.. I especially liked the bit when he was working with horses.

Vance is not only just a shape-changer. He's also a witch. But he can't use his powers and doesn't realize he has them as he was never trained.

The world of Bloodwitch is well built with different groups of shape-shifters who turn into different types of animals. We only see a small fraction of the well thought out world in the novel but what I saw I truly enjoyed. Very entertaining and a great way to spend the evening.

[Jojobean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amelia Atwater Rhodes is one of my favorite authors. I was so excited when I found out she was writing another series. I love her "Den of Shadows" and "Kiesha'ra" series. The "Den of Shadows" series concerns vampires, humans and witches while her "Kiesha'ra" series is about shapeshifters. This new trilogy "The Maeve'ra trilogy combines all of these supernaturals and humans together.

The one thing I loved about this book is that characters from both of her previous series make an appearance. Some more than others are secondary characters who are involved in the plot. I loved seeing these characters that I knew from the previous books in another time, place and situation. Some have changed from the original character that I met in the previous books while I saw similarities of other characters as they were in previous books. There were also introductions to new characters as well.

One thing that did confuse me about the book was the whole time frame in regards to the other series and the station of some of the characters. The "Den of Shadows" series takes place in the present time, while the "Kiesha'ra" seems to take place in the past (based on some descriptions of the area and how people lived). This book takes place in 1803. The main thing I was trying to figure out is how this book and events take place in regards to the "Kiesha'ra" series. Based on what the characters in that series say, their ancestors had been alive a long time ago and that the war that wages in that series went on for hundreds of years. Yet both of the ancestors in question from that series are alive in this book in 1803, when the "Kiesha'ra" books say both of them died. Also if the war in the "Kiesha'ra" series has been going on for hundreds of years then when did that series take place? Its very confusing and hurt my head when I thought about it too much. I'd like to ask Ms. Rhodes about that, if I ever get the opportunity to do so, which is probably never. haha

Anyway this book's main character is Vance and he is a quetzal shapeshifter. He was supposedly abandoned by birth and taken in by Jeshickah, a vampire, to be raised in her kingdom of Midnight. In addition to being a shapeshifter he is also a bloodwitch with magic in him. It is believed that that the vampires of Midnight want to tap into his power to control the rest of the world that is not under their power already. Enters the half falcon, half white viper shapeshifter Malachi who tries to free Vance from the vampires. Vance however loves and trusts the vampires and thinks that Malachi is crazy for thinking that Midnight is evil. So now its up to Vance to discover for himself whether Malachi is right and Midnight's vampires are evil or that he himself is right and that his love/trust for the vampires was not misplaced.

I liked Vance well enough. He lived a sheltered like in Midnight and was not exposed to the outside world for his entire childhood. Once he comes into contact with the outside world and meets Malachi, he starts to question everything he has ever known. Sometimes he is extremely ignorant and doesn't believe a thing Malachi says, even when he witnesses the vampires brutality first hand. For the most part he believes that he is completely safe with the vampires and continues to live with them. He does admit that he is somewhat useless in terms of fighting and magic since he has had no training at either. He is basically a slave without the term slave being used to describe him. In Midnight he is better than the human slaves but nowhere near the status of the vampires. He can be beaten and thrown out just like any slave or freeborn person. He just doesn't realize it for most of the book.

Malachi is ok. He is a shapeshifter with magic because of his Falcon father. He tries very hard to get Vance to open his eyes and really see what's going on but he doesn't do so well in that area. He is a freeborn which means he can travel in Midnight safely. He is against Midnight and sees its evil. He had a vision when he was younger that he is actively working for to become reality. He tries very hard to save Vance who will have none of it.

I loved the vampire Jaguar. He was in one of the "Den of Shadow" books called Midnight Predator and I was really happy to see him in this book. In this book he trains human slaves and Vance becomes his charge to take care of (not as a slave, more like a mentor). He is funny, sarcastic and mischievous. Of course as a vampire he doesn't care about the brutality of his kingdom. That is one aspect where he is different in "Midnight Predator." In that book he is kind and does not like his work as a trainer. In this book he is passive about the cruelty, although he is always nice to Vance.

I also liked Jeshickah. I guess she is a character I love to hate. She is very vicious and brutal. She also makes appearance in a few of the "Den of Shadows" books. In this book she is the creator and leader of Midnight. She controls everyone even her vampire trainers, especially since she made a few of them. In the "Den of Shadow" books however she is not the ruler of Midnight but her personality is the same as this book. She is doesn't care about killing anyone if it suits her needs.

Anyway the plot of the book moves at a good pace and as usual I love the world building it it. I love reading about the different shifters, witches and vampires in Rhodes' books. Each group has a different history and we find out piece by piece what it is. I can't wait for the second book in the trilogy.

This review is also posted on The Book Owl Extraordinaire

[Ellen Shouvlin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't finish this. I was huge fan of her earlier books, but this one was a disappointment. It's been probably 10 years since I read one of her books, and I was completely lost. It's in the world of her previous books, but there's no recap or explaining for new readers or those who have been away for awhile. I recognize words here and there but I don't really remember who is connected to whom or what powers each specific group possesses. At first I thought we were going to get more information about the world as the main character became less sheltered, but it appears he knows most everything and isn't willing to share. Don't even get me started on the writing itself. At one point a character "shivered in a way that had nothing to do with temperature." Are we sure this isn't fanfiction? Because that's what it feels like.

[Lynn Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with all of her amazing books this is a new story built upon the backbone of her other amazing books. This one was a little harder to get into than the others of hers that I've read, mostly because I started it after not re-reading her other books for a while. My fault, not hers. The ending of this book has left me a strong hope for the future of these shapeshifters and a worry over Jaguar (I'm attached, what can I say?). I know he's a vampire and a trainer but I think it's possible to be both of those as well as a good man. It also has me worried about my Avians and Serpentine friends. What could've happened at their courts for them to become pushovers to Midnight..? Looks like I need to do some digging while I continue on with this series.

[KV · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to decide if it's a 2.5 or a 3, so I went with 3.

It was very difficult to get into. I'm a huge fan of the Kiesha'ra series, and part of what kept me going was when I realized there was some connection. I also admit I also struggle with seeing authors try to handle topics related to race that fall flat--which maybe seems less relevant to someone curious about this series, but it did catch me several times.

I've settled on a three because aspects of it were still well-executed. It does make me want to go back to read the series I was truly attached to, and I will decide at some other point if I'll continue this series. (I purchased this book years ago when it first came out, but never found the time due to school. Now that I have read it, I do not know if I'll be continuing it.)

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read all of Den of Shadows and The Kiesha’ra Series when I was in high school and from there I was on an endless reading journey.

When I found out there was a new trilogy I was so eager to start reading! & WOW. Amazing. I am a huge fan of the writing style, the characters, and just every aspect The Maeve'ra and how it connects and interacts with the previous titles/series.

I love Vance and Malachi, their relationship is so well crafted. The vampire trains of Midnight are terrifying yet so interesting at the same time!

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise was interesting, even if it felt kind of odd: vampires, at the top of a magical world hierarchy, rule shapeshifters, witches and humans with an iron fist and one 14 year old is somehow in the middle. The writing was a bit stilted, but the story was good enough.... Until I realized that, of course, this is a series. There's not enough here for a series. I highly doubt I'd read the next installment as by the end of this first book my interest had already waned significantly. Closer to a 2.5, but rounding down because it really lost me by the end.

[Julia O'Connell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vance always thought of himself more as a valued companion of the volatile vampires who took him in than as their enslaved prisoner. But when he meets another shapeshifter like himself, he realizes that there's a wider world out there and he may have been wrong to put his trust in vampires.

I read this one too fast, though. I'll have to go back and jog my memory if I ever get around to the sequel.

[Brittany Wouters · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first chapter really weirded me out- but I'd like to talk about the narrative voice for a minute. Up until about the twelfth page in, I really had the impression that the narrator was a young woman- abused, submissive, beaten down- and it disturbs me that my automatic thought was woman, rather than person. Food for thought...men aren't typically thought of as submissive in literature...

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Atwater-Rhodes was one of my favorite authors growing up and I enjoyed this vampire fantasy world that she created, but not quite as much as I enjoyed her Den of Shadows and Kiesha'ra series, although I'm not sure how much of this is just nostalgic preference. Still, this was an entertaining read with exciting characters and a storyline that drew me in enough to keep me turning the pages quickly. A good read for anyone who wants a quick, easy read in an otherworldly vampire fantasy realm.

[Leann · Rating 3 out of 5]

As much as I loved the portrayal of a naive and sheltered person and the effects it had, I couldn't connect with anyone or really care about there struggles. For that matter, I don't feel invested in anything that happens in this world. It wasn't boring. I just don't feel any need to know what happens in book two.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s not a bad book, but the quetzal bird really threw me off. I didn’t know what this bird was until I looked it up and I wasn’t expecting this bright green long tailed bird. I was expecting the bird to be more edgy, dark but also pretty to certain people like a crow. I know a lot of people use crows but something along that line.

[Trina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like that characters from her others books are present in this one but I had some issues with the the way the story-line progressed. I felt like in some ways it had too large of twists as though it should have been seen by the characters prior to when they finally figured it out. But overall it was a decent book.

[Rachel Remer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was not my particular cup of tea so I don't plan to finish the series, however I was very impressed with how well the everyone is morally grey at best plot was handled. Frequently "grey" characters are described as dark but really only do light things. Not so in this book. Even the pure/naive protagonist has to make some hard decisions by the end of the story.

[Stacy H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter’s favorite book, she recommended this to me and I loved it. It’s about a shapeshifter boy of 14 who learns to stand up for what he wants and to fight for freedom against the vampires who rule over all. No more gilded cages for him! I loved how he grew and still had compassion. Stuck up for what he thought was right and spoke up when he thought it was wrong.

[Erin Barney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy Vance and the evolution of his character throughout the book. The set up is intriguing too- with a rich world of fantastical shapeshifters and vampires. I just wished that Vance was the pov for the other two books in this series :(

[L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vance, a quetzal abandoned by his shapeshifter blood and raised by Midnight vampires, is forced to quickly grow up from a fourteen-year-old boy into a man as death enters his world. The motif of a quetzal unable to live in a cage reoccurs often.