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The One Rises #1
Bitten
Only fanatics and lunatics believe demons can possess human beings. Or at least, that’s what Callie White thought until one possessed her best friend. Now, wanted for murdering the thing that crawled into her friend’s body and dealing with hungers and powers she doesn’t understand, Callie White just wants to die. She just has to make sure no one can bring another demon over before she goes. When that proves more difficult than expected, Callie is pushed to her limits and discovers just how common demon possession really is.
“There is another world touching ours that is filled with demons or, at least, that’s what we call them. They call themselves something else entirely, though that is neither here nor there. Every now and again, human beings manage to pull these demons through to our side. The human dies, of course, and the demon gets a person shaped suit to live in. We call these creatures the demonridden.”
“There is another world touching ours that is filled with demons or, at least, that’s what we call them. They call themselves something else entirely, though that is neither here nor there. Every now and again, human beings manage to pull these demons through to our side. The human dies, of course, and the demon gets a person shaped suit to live in. We call these creatures the demonridden.”
170 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 9, 2013
About the author
Anna Wolfe
16 books9 followersYou know, I always find introducing myself to be awkward so I’m going to keep my bio short and sweet. I’m a college professor with a Ph.D. so new it squeaks. I have a husband, a heterolifemate, and two cats. I’m willing to try any food I’ve never eaten at least once. I have jumped out of a plane (awesome), blown fire (also awesome), learned that having accelerant soak into your sports bra hurts like hell, and am a pagan (please note that this does not mean I’m a satanist).
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 2, 2013
Callie’s life has fallen apart. Her best friend was possessed by a demon and slaughtered her friends and her brother – until Callie herself managed to behead the demon (and her friend) while getting bitten in the process, she was then be shipped off to a mental institution for the murder.
Having escaped the institution, Callie had one goal. Kill the man who called the demon in the first place and destroy the book he used. But when she completed the first task, something dark and terrible awoke inside her along with a terrible, evil hunger. Now she has a third task after destroying the book – killing herself for the terrible things she’s done.
But the book proves to be very difficult to destroy and she is found by an organised group of other Bitten who may offer a different path than suicide.
This is a completely original book. It’s totally unlike any other book I’ve read in the genre – we have minor elements that are parallels, but it really is something unique which is pretty precious out of all the books I’ve read so far.
The world is the foundation for this uniqueness. The idea of demons coming through – strange alien creatures that seem to have parallels only in the malice they hold – and biting people, spreading their influence. The Bitten with their demon-wrought abilities have different factions – including the one Callie has fallen in with. Those who try to police their fellows and live as good a life as they can.
It’s fascinating because, despite being self-appointed police, there’s little they can do against the actual Demonridden, or so it seems and there are factions that they must avoid enraging – again, so it seems. I say so it seems because the author has an excellently restrained view of world building. We’re not overwhelmed with details that aren’t relevant but we have plenty of hints to keep us hungry for more. Some information about witches here, some hints about other Bitten there, some allusions to history over here – lots of hints, lots of things to keep me hungry but nothing being stuffed down my throat.
The way the book is written is also extremely well done. We don’t just see things from Callie’s point of view, though she is definitely the protagonist, but also from Silas, Mark and Edie. Normally I hate shifting points of view, I think it tends to be repetitive as each character goes over the same plot points and often stops the protagonist standing out it can also break conflict since we know what everyone is thinking. But this is one of the few times it works – Callie remains firmly the protagonist, but the other characters are excellently fleshed out from the insight inside their heads. It also makes to clear that Mark and Edie aren’t just going to accept Callie and be her servants nor are they going to hate her for no good reason. The side characters who would normally be relegated to after thoughts in the book are fully fleshed out participants, characters in their own right as important as the protagonist herself. I really like it and am impressed that the author managed to pull of this quirk that normally makes me cringe.
This is held up through the rest of the writing – the characters and their surroundings are described just the right amount. Their emotions are examined without long angsty monologues. There’s a lot more showing than telling, the world building, as mentioned, is restrained the fight scenes have that perfect balance between action and description, the characters inner-monologues explains their actions without overdoing it and treating the reader like a fool. It hits that ideal balance.
Characterwise, all of the characters are really fleshed out – again, more with hints and insights than info dumps. Silas is a mystery but there’s definitely something old, tortured and paternal there. Mark has this skim of utter confidence over a lot of uncertainty and eagerness to please. Edie has a whole lot of compassion and good sense – but also an adherence to being “professional” or perhaps too serious and overly cautious – she’s been burned before. Callie herself is an excellent, conflicting and almost contradictory character. Part of this fits because she feels like a highly intelligent, quick witted and capable woman who has suffered overwhelming trauma recently that has hit her confidence and sense of self. She also is completely surrounded by near strangers, something unexplainable has happened to her, has changed her, she’s fighting a lot of guilt and having a lot of trust issues.
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Having escaped the institution, Callie had one goal. Kill the man who called the demon in the first place and destroy the book he used. But when she completed the first task, something dark and terrible awoke inside her along with a terrible, evil hunger. Now she has a third task after destroying the book – killing herself for the terrible things she’s done.
But the book proves to be very difficult to destroy and she is found by an organised group of other Bitten who may offer a different path than suicide.
This is a completely original book. It’s totally unlike any other book I’ve read in the genre – we have minor elements that are parallels, but it really is something unique which is pretty precious out of all the books I’ve read so far.
The world is the foundation for this uniqueness. The idea of demons coming through – strange alien creatures that seem to have parallels only in the malice they hold – and biting people, spreading their influence. The Bitten with their demon-wrought abilities have different factions – including the one Callie has fallen in with. Those who try to police their fellows and live as good a life as they can.
It’s fascinating because, despite being self-appointed police, there’s little they can do against the actual Demonridden, or so it seems and there are factions that they must avoid enraging – again, so it seems. I say so it seems because the author has an excellently restrained view of world building. We’re not overwhelmed with details that aren’t relevant but we have plenty of hints to keep us hungry for more. Some information about witches here, some hints about other Bitten there, some allusions to history over here – lots of hints, lots of things to keep me hungry but nothing being stuffed down my throat.
The way the book is written is also extremely well done. We don’t just see things from Callie’s point of view, though she is definitely the protagonist, but also from Silas, Mark and Edie. Normally I hate shifting points of view, I think it tends to be repetitive as each character goes over the same plot points and often stops the protagonist standing out it can also break conflict since we know what everyone is thinking. But this is one of the few times it works – Callie remains firmly the protagonist, but the other characters are excellently fleshed out from the insight inside their heads. It also makes to clear that Mark and Edie aren’t just going to accept Callie and be her servants nor are they going to hate her for no good reason. The side characters who would normally be relegated to after thoughts in the book are fully fleshed out participants, characters in their own right as important as the protagonist herself. I really like it and am impressed that the author managed to pull of this quirk that normally makes me cringe.
This is held up through the rest of the writing – the characters and their surroundings are described just the right amount. Their emotions are examined without long angsty monologues. There’s a lot more showing than telling, the world building, as mentioned, is restrained the fight scenes have that perfect balance between action and description, the characters inner-monologues explains their actions without overdoing it and treating the reader like a fool. It hits that ideal balance.
Characterwise, all of the characters are really fleshed out – again, more with hints and insights than info dumps. Silas is a mystery but there’s definitely something old, tortured and paternal there. Mark has this skim of utter confidence over a lot of uncertainty and eagerness to please. Edie has a whole lot of compassion and good sense – but also an adherence to being “professional” or perhaps too serious and overly cautious – she’s been burned before. Callie herself is an excellent, conflicting and almost contradictory character. Part of this fits because she feels like a highly intelligent, quick witted and capable woman who has suffered overwhelming trauma recently that has hit her confidence and sense of self. She also is completely surrounded by near strangers, something unexplainable has happened to her, has changed her, she’s fighting a lot of guilt and having a lot of trust issues.
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July 26, 2020
IF YOU 💘LOVE A WONDERFUL INTERESTING STORY!
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL, AMAZING FANTASY BOOK ☝!😍I AM SO HAPPY ☺ THAT I FOUND THIS AUTHOR'S BOOK!😍I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ALL READERS OF WITCHES AND VAMPIRE STORYLINE!BUY IT NOW!😍😊😀
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL, AMAZING FANTASY BOOK ☝!😍I AM SO HAPPY ☺ THAT I FOUND THIS AUTHOR'S BOOK!😍I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ALL READERS OF WITCHES AND VAMPIRE STORYLINE!BUY IT NOW!😍😊😀
January 13, 2022
Seriously needs editing
This book could be rather good, if it had been edited properly. Multiple mistakes on nearly every page was hard to get through!
This book could be rather good, if it had been edited properly. Multiple mistakes on nearly every page was hard to get through!
April 3, 2019
Enjoyable for the most part but not sure if it's unique enough to retain my attention to read the rest of the series. The main character is a bit inconsistent - sometimes shy and awkward, others time assertive and confident. I think the story would have been improved putting in some twist that's surprising, such as her being something other than unusually powerful, like being a hidden demonridden or something. Guess that's not how the world-building work, but it needed a little extra something in the oomph department.
Characters are fine - I like the conflict of Mark and not knowing where you stand with seemingly polite Edie. Silas a bit cliche and overdone, I see his types a lot in these books, but he's endurable. I don't fully understand the differences with some of the affected, and being forbidden to kill the demonridden makes no sense to me. It would seem to me that the bitten who want to overcome their base impulses, who have suffered trauma at the hands of the demonridden, would want to use their talents and training to bring down some of the monsters. Otherwise what is the point of all this discipline and training?
Despite so much seeming familiar with the tropes of the genre, the actual created story is a bit different. I hadn't seen something that completely matches in terms of how the bitten are created, what the demonridden are, and it's interesting having a further war with "The Chosen." I'd had liked clearer direction for that ending spell and more of a reason/twist for the MC, though.
The book is multiple point of view but it's oddly achieved. The bulk of the book is told through the MC, Callie, and is done in this manner for so long that it's a shock when one chapter randomly switched perspective.
It's currently free on Kindle Unlimited, so it is worth a read for Urban Fantasy fans, especially if they enjoy New Adult.
Characters are fine - I like the conflict of Mark and not knowing where you stand with seemingly polite Edie. Silas a bit cliche and overdone, I see his types a lot in these books, but he's endurable. I don't fully understand the differences with some of the affected, and being forbidden to kill the demonridden makes no sense to me. It would seem to me that the bitten who want to overcome their base impulses, who have suffered trauma at the hands of the demonridden, would want to use their talents and training to bring down some of the monsters. Otherwise what is the point of all this discipline and training?
Despite so much seeming familiar with the tropes of the genre, the actual created story is a bit different. I hadn't seen something that completely matches in terms of how the bitten are created, what the demonridden are, and it's interesting having a further war with "The Chosen." I'd had liked clearer direction for that ending spell and more of a reason/twist for the MC, though.
The book is multiple point of view but it's oddly achieved. The bulk of the book is told through the MC, Callie, and is done in this manner for so long that it's a shock when one chapter randomly switched perspective.
It's currently free on Kindle Unlimited, so it is worth a read for Urban Fantasy fans, especially if they enjoy New Adult.
July 2, 2013
I loved this book. I read it straight through and immediately purchased the second in the series. From the cover it looks like a youth novel, and yes, the protagonist is a teenager, but it's most definitely one for adults (especially the second book). It's urban fantasy without the swooning love story that seems to accompany so many fantasy novels these days. There is sex, and there is violence, but they add to the story - they aren't added in for purely reader thrills. Well written, brilliant story line, interesting characters, and a world that you can believe in. All this, and it's free - what more can you ask for? Go read it - what have you got to lose.
November 12, 2013
Read my full review of Bitten on Book Chick City: http://www.bookchickcity.com/2013/10/...
Just want my VERDICT? Here you go:
Overall, Bitten was a quick, fast-paced little adventure, with likeable characters and an interesting mythos. Was I completely won over? No. But I think it was a start in that direction, and I do have hope for book two. This book would be good for those who like their urban fantasy to read a little younger, and without the lovey dovey stuff. Oh, and did I mention that it’s free on Amazon? Because you really can’ t beat free, guys.
Just want my VERDICT? Here you go:
Overall, Bitten was a quick, fast-paced little adventure, with likeable characters and an interesting mythos. Was I completely won over? No. But I think it was a start in that direction, and I do have hope for book two. This book would be good for those who like their urban fantasy to read a little younger, and without the lovey dovey stuff. Oh, and did I mention that it’s free on Amazon? Because you really can’ t beat free, guys.
August 30, 2013
This book drags you into the story. Callie experience is explained well and you are able to understand some of the difficulties she faces after what she has been through. I like how you get a idea of what each character is feeling towards events in the story. Each character has its own story and together they make a dysfunctional team set out to find and destroy demons. Really good book.
July 10, 2014
Sorry, not for me, I didn't even manage to make it past the first chapter.
It gave the impression of a poorly written fan fiction, and left me colder than a witch's backdoor step.
My reading time is precious recently, and it failed to inspire.
It gave the impression of a poorly written fan fiction, and left me colder than a witch's backdoor step.
My reading time is precious recently, and it failed to inspire.
March 29, 2014
I got this book for free and I thought it was excellent. Wolfe doesn't shy away from blood and violence, but there is humor here, too, and characters with depth and a cause worth investing in. I enjoyed it and will continue the series.
May 25, 2013
Excellent book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I am going to by her other book, and can't wait until she writes more.
February 5, 2014
The story line drew me in but it felt like something was missing from the story telling. I am super curious as to where the storyline is going so I will be moving onto the next book :)
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews