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Killer's Instinct
Where there is NO life - there's Hope...
Hope has always been a bit of a freak. But when her mother crawls from her grave and her undead corpse goes MIA, Hope's last thread of normal snaps with a vengeance. Enrolling in a militia-style school for monster hunters seems her best bet for tracking down Mommy-dearest and putting what's left of her mother to rest.
But the stakes are raised when she's partnered with three unique male recruits - each with their own personal demons to slay if they want to survive basic training. But does Hope have a true killer's instinct? If she finds her mother, will she have the guts to do what must be done to save her soul? In a place like Le Manoir, all bets are off.
"What could be creepier than hunting down your own zombie mommy?....A single page in, I was hooked." ~Jacqueline Mitchard, author of What We Lost in the Dark and The Deep End of the Ocean
"Killer's Instinct is going to knock other YA monster-battling books off the shelves." ~Gary Braver, bestselling and award-winning author of Tunnel Vision
Hope has always been a bit of a freak. But when her mother crawls from her grave and her undead corpse goes MIA, Hope's last thread of normal snaps with a vengeance. Enrolling in a militia-style school for monster hunters seems her best bet for tracking down Mommy-dearest and putting what's left of her mother to rest.
But the stakes are raised when she's partnered with three unique male recruits - each with their own personal demons to slay if they want to survive basic training. But does Hope have a true killer's instinct? If she finds her mother, will she have the guts to do what must be done to save her soul? In a place like Le Manoir, all bets are off.
"What could be creepier than hunting down your own zombie mommy?....A single page in, I was hooked." ~Jacqueline Mitchard, author of What We Lost in the Dark and The Deep End of the Ocean
"Killer's Instinct is going to knock other YA monster-battling books off the shelves." ~Gary Braver, bestselling and award-winning author of Tunnel Vision
- GenresYoung Adult
327 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 27, 2013
399 people want to read
About the author
Dawn Dalton
6 books109 followersDawn Dalton wrote her first monster book at the age of eight when she discovered writing about them was way less scary than looking for the beasties under her bed. Since then, she's still leery of things that go bump in the night, but she'd like to think her creepy storytelling skills have improved. After earning a degree in Journalism, Dawn ventured into communications, marketing, and public relations. But her heart has always belonged to fiction.
Though she'll always be a BC, girl, Dawn now lives in Edmonton, Alberta with her husband, teenage stepdaughter and three bullmastiff hounds. You know, just skulking around.
Dawn also writes adult thriller and paranormal fiction under the last name IUS.
Though she'll always be a BC, girl, Dawn now lives in Edmonton, Alberta with her husband, teenage stepdaughter and three bullmastiff hounds. You know, just skulking around.
Dawn also writes adult thriller and paranormal fiction under the last name IUS.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 3, 2013
Hope sees dead people. It's her greatest weapon and her ultimate curse. After the death of her father and her Mother rising from the grave as a mindless corpse, Hope joins an elite fighting team at Le Manoir, a group of teens trained to deal with all manner of paranormal spooks and baddies. She wants to find what's left of her mother and put her to rest, but first, she needs to learn how--and she might even need some help along the way. Hope is a wonderful heroine, smart, savvy, and good with a gun: my favorite kind of ass-kicker! The other members of her team kept me on my toes, never quite sure who I could trust and what their true motivations were.
A beautifully woven story about courage and trust and what it really means to be a 'monster'. I pined for Adam immediately and his past, when revealed, was both surprising and skillfully imagined. I can't wait for the next installment so I can see where he and Hope go from here. I also really enjoyed how the 'monsters' were so unique in their mythologies. No sparkly vampires here, buddy. These creatures were well depicted and nothing like what we might traditionally expect them to be. It was really refreshing and unique.
Killer's Instinct is a breath of fresh air in the YA paranormal genre. Graves and Dalton hold nothing back and drag you into a dangerous, dark world where the things that go bump in the night are very real. Once I started reading it, there was no putting it down. I highly recommend it to fans of the Strange Angels series or anyone who likes blunt edged paranormal action in their YA books.
A beautifully woven story about courage and trust and what it really means to be a 'monster'. I pined for Adam immediately and his past, when revealed, was both surprising and skillfully imagined. I can't wait for the next installment so I can see where he and Hope go from here. I also really enjoyed how the 'monsters' were so unique in their mythologies. No sparkly vampires here, buddy. These creatures were well depicted and nothing like what we might traditionally expect them to be. It was really refreshing and unique.
Killer's Instinct is a breath of fresh air in the YA paranormal genre. Graves and Dalton hold nothing back and drag you into a dangerous, dark world where the things that go bump in the night are very real. Once I started reading it, there was no putting it down. I highly recommend it to fans of the Strange Angels series or anyone who likes blunt edged paranormal action in their YA books.
September 4, 2014
Harry Potter step aside, there’s a new girl in town and her name is Hope.
I did a tour for Killer’s Instinct a short while ago, because it sounded right up my alley. And we will be spending some time in alleys. I didn’t have time to review it then, but Judith Graves offered me a copy for review. Thank you so much Judith. I really wanted to read this.
OMG, I was right about Killer’s Instinct. I love it. It started out okay, but by the end I was bummed that I had no more to read. It is a young adult, paranormal novel that even us older folks can love.
I love the title, but the cover is creepy good. I saw the synopsis and it made me think of Harry Potter and Hogwarts. I was so looking forward to a fun adventure and I found it.
A teenage girl is determined to hunt down her zombie mom. I can read a bunch of psychological crap into that. LOL As she walks the streets, searching, she finds her training is not enough to battle the monsters she runs across. So it’s off to school……
Most Wanted Monsters Organization, like Hotel California, you can never leave.
Hope is special. She sees dead people. She can see behind the monsters mask. She was older than her years. She never had time to watch movies and read anything other than books her Dad thought she needed to be a hunter. Her defense had been avoidance, don’t let them know she could see them.
Hope – a hunter. She is strong, impulsive and alone.
Caddoc – privileged, arrogant and cowardly. His dad had been a hunter until he turned into an overweight drunk and drove his mother away.
Hyde – a fighter, a loner and full of rage. His parents gave him an ultimatum. It was either the psych ward or Le Manoir.
Kain – a machine, not social, as emotionless as a bioroid. He is a nerd, smart, strong, and dependable. His mother had died and his dad had dumped him at an orphange.
The jock, the geek, the rebel and the freak.
Why were such an unlikely group teamed together?
They were all fighting their inner demons and I saw early on they would come together.
As I read on, I began to wonder if there was more going on than meets the eye. Maybe the food wasn’t the only thing that was fake at La Manoir.
I am really enjoying Killer’s Instinct now, at 57%. It is written with a young adult Harry Potter feel, but the story is changing and coming together in a way I never saw. I am excited for the group. I can see all their potential……..maybe even their future.
Would Hope’s childish, impulsive need to prove herself turn out to be what saves them all? Reality was so much different from stories – the werewolves were bigger, the vampires meaner and their teeth sharper.
Imagine a vamp mesmerizing you, his gaze holding yours and you are unable to look away. His teeth gently brush against your neck as the hairs rise on your nape. A werewolf hovers over you, his saliva dripping off his teeth onto your face.
Zombies attacking vamps, heads falling, biting, chomping, blood and gore flying, slipping and sliding in body parts, the smell of blood and burnt flesh making it hard to draw a breath.
Sometimes the POV change confused me, but I quickly adjusted and read on.
I sit here, finished, trying to think of how to tell you how amazed I am at the writing and creative storyline. I never saw the story reaching such momentum that I hated for it to be over. I thought it would be a fun, young adult read for a summer day, but boy did it go down a different road. Harry Potter on steroids. The action is gruesome, but it is written in such a way that it does not make me cringe. I almost border on laughter at times. Written as if it could be included in a Supernatural, Sam and Dean, episode. ALMOST humorous.
“You have developed a Killer’s Instinct, Hope, but you must be prepared to face the consequences.”
I did a tour for Killer’s Instinct a short while ago, because it sounded right up my alley. And we will be spending some time in alleys. I didn’t have time to review it then, but Judith Graves offered me a copy for review. Thank you so much Judith. I really wanted to read this.
OMG, I was right about Killer’s Instinct. I love it. It started out okay, but by the end I was bummed that I had no more to read. It is a young adult, paranormal novel that even us older folks can love.
I love the title, but the cover is creepy good. I saw the synopsis and it made me think of Harry Potter and Hogwarts. I was so looking forward to a fun adventure and I found it.
A teenage girl is determined to hunt down her zombie mom. I can read a bunch of psychological crap into that. LOL As she walks the streets, searching, she finds her training is not enough to battle the monsters she runs across. So it’s off to school……
Most Wanted Monsters Organization, like Hotel California, you can never leave.
Hope is special. She sees dead people. She can see behind the monsters mask. She was older than her years. She never had time to watch movies and read anything other than books her Dad thought she needed to be a hunter. Her defense had been avoidance, don’t let them know she could see them.
Hope – a hunter. She is strong, impulsive and alone.
Caddoc – privileged, arrogant and cowardly. His dad had been a hunter until he turned into an overweight drunk and drove his mother away.
Hyde – a fighter, a loner and full of rage. His parents gave him an ultimatum. It was either the psych ward or Le Manoir.
Kain – a machine, not social, as emotionless as a bioroid. He is a nerd, smart, strong, and dependable. His mother had died and his dad had dumped him at an orphange.
The jock, the geek, the rebel and the freak.
Why were such an unlikely group teamed together?
They were all fighting their inner demons and I saw early on they would come together.
As I read on, I began to wonder if there was more going on than meets the eye. Maybe the food wasn’t the only thing that was fake at La Manoir.
I am really enjoying Killer’s Instinct now, at 57%. It is written with a young adult Harry Potter feel, but the story is changing and coming together in a way I never saw. I am excited for the group. I can see all their potential……..maybe even their future.
Would Hope’s childish, impulsive need to prove herself turn out to be what saves them all? Reality was so much different from stories – the werewolves were bigger, the vampires meaner and their teeth sharper.
Imagine a vamp mesmerizing you, his gaze holding yours and you are unable to look away. His teeth gently brush against your neck as the hairs rise on your nape. A werewolf hovers over you, his saliva dripping off his teeth onto your face.
Zombies attacking vamps, heads falling, biting, chomping, blood and gore flying, slipping and sliding in body parts, the smell of blood and burnt flesh making it hard to draw a breath.
Sometimes the POV change confused me, but I quickly adjusted and read on.
I sit here, finished, trying to think of how to tell you how amazed I am at the writing and creative storyline. I never saw the story reaching such momentum that I hated for it to be over. I thought it would be a fun, young adult read for a summer day, but boy did it go down a different road. Harry Potter on steroids. The action is gruesome, but it is written in such a way that it does not make me cringe. I almost border on laughter at times. Written as if it could be included in a Supernatural, Sam and Dean, episode. ALMOST humorous.
“You have developed a Killer’s Instinct, Hope, but you must be prepared to face the consequences.”
August 18, 2013
Move over, Cassandra Clare. There's a new breed of demon hunter in town, and they're gonna kick some serious monster--and Shadowhunter--ass.
An incredible debut by duo Dalton and Graves, this is a highly intricate book of lost souls and tortured pasts. Hope, Kain, Hyde, and Caddoc all find themselves at Le Manoir, a training facility for young monster hunters, a place filled with incredible resources to aid in their development, but also dark secrets that could be all their undoing. The four must work as a unit to stave off all manner of demons--within as well as out.
All four main characters are unique with a capital U. You could have all four in a scene without dialogue tags and I'd still know which was talking in every instance. Yet they worked well as a team. My favorite quickly became Kain (he's a bit of a scene stealer, in my opinion), but each held my attention equally, and the POV changes between chapters had me reading faster and faster to keep up with each character's story.
This book in an incredibly fast read. I'm not one for finishing a book in one sitting, but once this story had its hooks in me, it wouldn't let go. I'm just glad I thought to charge my Kindle beforehand. Incredible tension and pace, this book will keep you reading long into the night. And once you reach the end, be prepared for the unthinkable...
Highly recommended and can't wait for Book 2!
Write fast, ladies!
An incredible debut by duo Dalton and Graves, this is a highly intricate book of lost souls and tortured pasts. Hope, Kain, Hyde, and Caddoc all find themselves at Le Manoir, a training facility for young monster hunters, a place filled with incredible resources to aid in their development, but also dark secrets that could be all their undoing. The four must work as a unit to stave off all manner of demons--within as well as out.
All four main characters are unique with a capital U. You could have all four in a scene without dialogue tags and I'd still know which was talking in every instance. Yet they worked well as a team. My favorite quickly became Kain (he's a bit of a scene stealer, in my opinion), but each held my attention equally, and the POV changes between chapters had me reading faster and faster to keep up with each character's story.
This book in an incredibly fast read. I'm not one for finishing a book in one sitting, but once this story had its hooks in me, it wouldn't let go. I'm just glad I thought to charge my Kindle beforehand. Incredible tension and pace, this book will keep you reading long into the night. And once you reach the end, be prepared for the unthinkable...
Highly recommended and can't wait for Book 2!
Write fast, ladies!
August 17, 2013
This beta reader went Wild! Team Wild that is. I thoroughly enjoyed Killer’s Instinct, a terrific YA paranormal. For me, it was The Hunger Games and The Breakfast Club meet the monsters.
Four very different teens join La Manoir to learn how to kill beasts of all types, both in the world and in themselves. Joined together as a team fighting for their own existence, they must also discover each other and themselves.
Dawn Dalton and Judith Graves give this book a wonderful variety of creepy, ghoulish monsters in an amazing world of the underground, but more importantly, each of the main characters must battle and understand past demons before truly becoming Team Wild.
Killer’s Instinct excited me and made me think. It also forced me to hold a mirror to my own face as I recognized bits of me in Hope, Kain, Hyde and Caddoc.
And of course, Adam and his story went to my heart. Adam, how touching to see an old friend.
Dalton and Graves could only have accomplished that by creating characters with depth, and they did that in spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs.
I can’t wait for the next installment of what will unquestionably be an awesome series.
When Killer’s Instinct is released, I highly recommend that all fans of YA paranormal buy and drink in the first part of this stellar story!
Four very different teens join La Manoir to learn how to kill beasts of all types, both in the world and in themselves. Joined together as a team fighting for their own existence, they must also discover each other and themselves.
Dawn Dalton and Judith Graves give this book a wonderful variety of creepy, ghoulish monsters in an amazing world of the underground, but more importantly, each of the main characters must battle and understand past demons before truly becoming Team Wild.
Killer’s Instinct excited me and made me think. It also forced me to hold a mirror to my own face as I recognized bits of me in Hope, Kain, Hyde and Caddoc.
And of course, Adam and his story went to my heart. Adam, how touching to see an old friend.
Dalton and Graves could only have accomplished that by creating characters with depth, and they did that in spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs.
I can’t wait for the next installment of what will unquestionably be an awesome series.
When Killer’s Instinct is released, I highly recommend that all fans of YA paranormal buy and drink in the first part of this stellar story!
August 15, 2017
It was alright:(
This book focuses more on learning about the characters. It's got a bit of action and suspense but it never really ends, if you know what I mean. It needs more to it. We've learned about the characters past and the systems corruptness...now we need the action.
Overall it was a pretty boring book that you need to read in a sitting.
This book focuses more on learning about the characters. It's got a bit of action and suspense but it never really ends, if you know what I mean. It needs more to it. We've learned about the characters past and the systems corruptness...now we need the action.
Overall it was a pretty boring book that you need to read in a sitting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 25, 2014
This book was ok... not the best paranormal fighting school novel I've read, though definitely not the worst. I feel like certain points in the plot could have been extended with a little more detail, because there were a few things that I was just completely confused about.
Really though, I think the real problem I had reading this was with the kindle layout... Chapter headings were seriously all over the place. Top of the page, breaking up a paragraph, sometimes appearing before the next chapter even started. Seeing as how the POV changes between four characters at the beginning of a chapter, that was a HUGE problem... especially when you were switching from one of the guys to another. Hope's POV was really the only one that stood out for obvious reasons.
I haven't decided whether or not I'll be reading the next book in this series, but if the layout is just as bad, I think I'd just save myself the confusion and move on to a different series.
Really though, I think the real problem I had reading this was with the kindle layout... Chapter headings were seriously all over the place. Top of the page, breaking up a paragraph, sometimes appearing before the next chapter even started. Seeing as how the POV changes between four characters at the beginning of a chapter, that was a HUGE problem... especially when you were switching from one of the guys to another. Hope's POV was really the only one that stood out for obvious reasons.
I haven't decided whether or not I'll be reading the next book in this series, but if the layout is just as bad, I think I'd just save myself the confusion and move on to a different series.
April 26, 2015
If you like action, intensity, and lots of gruesome creatures, check this one out! The four main characters--Hope, Hyde, Craddoc and Kain--are well written. They each have secrets and ulterior motives, which come to light over the course of the story through their alternating points of view. They also each have surprises revealed, adding to the story's intrigue. The creatures are great--zombies, vampires, and other assorted ghosts & ghouls--and not all are cut-and-dried villains. This story was a great, wild ride, and I can't wait to see what happens next with these characters.
Disclosure: I received an e-book copy of this book from the author, in exchange for my honest review.
Disclosure: I received an e-book copy of this book from the author, in exchange for my honest review.
September 6, 2014
If your looking for a fast-paced, action packed adventure with a twist on classic monsters this book is a must-read. The main character is Hope who joins a training academy to learn how to kill "beasties" in the hopes of tracking down her zombie mama....oh ya, and she can see dead things....hooked yet?
I was significantly drawn into each of the four main characters and of course the ending leaves you hanging!!!!! I can't wait for the next one! Team wild all the way!
I received a free copy of this novel through the goodreads first reads program. Thank you!!!!
I was significantly drawn into each of the four main characters and of course the ending leaves you hanging!!!!! I can't wait for the next one! Team wild all the way!
I received a free copy of this novel through the goodreads first reads program. Thank you!!!!
August 27, 2015
High creepiness/gore factor in this YA monster-hunters-in-training novel. Despite what the back cover implies the story in told from the POV of four teens--Hope, Hyde, Kain and Caddoc--the freak, the rebel, the geek and the jock. Each cadet has there own designated monster specialty (Ex. Hope is Spades which covers all the undead) It took me awhile to be invested in some of the characters, but the story really picked up at the halfway mark and finished on a strong note.
July 15, 2015
This wasn't my usual fare. But the cinematic first chapter hooked me then I found the motley crew of main characters peculiar and curious. The military background and the plotting, the gruesome foes, all wound around to create an atmospheric, kick ass monster mash up. If you love action this book is for you. Well done action -- intelligently written.
January 15, 2014
Review to come ...
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews