On the verge of suicide after his wife leaves him, Alex Regal learns he has inherited property located in a small town deep within the mountains. Putting things on hold, he heads to Glade, hoping for something positive in his life. Getting there is easy but leaving proves to be impossible. A spell exists, keeping everyone captive in this hidden place.
The town of Glade is run by a Shapeshifter called the Strigoi. The creature needs to drink human blood to survive. Taking the form of a man or an animal, folklore about the Strigoi became the basis of stories about vampires or werewolves. Now Alex must discover a dark secret before he becomes the vampire's next meal.
While not what I had expected, based on the title, I did enjoy this. I expected lots of vampire action. And vampires there are but this has a more generic Paranormal mystery air through much of the book. 3.5 stars for final rating.
Alex gets a mysterious inheritance letter, taking him the the small, isolated town of Glade. From snake-like attorney, odd silences and strange townsfolk that are outdated, Alex has a lot to figure out. He wanted to just get in, claim his inheritance and get out. But other forces have other plans. Then there is Maggie. She is feisty. I liked her character. Less the jerk of a boyfriend. She ends up in Glade after a nasty car crash. And bears some strange resemblance that sets some of the town on its heals.
What frustrates me the most here is how naive she and especially Alex seem to be. How many hints and situations need to fall in ones lap to get the idea that something is wrong! Although part of that frustration I blame on how the book is written. We are given some other views that prepare us. But still, they were given enough. Then they have to wonder if they even CAN leave.
I love the town. The mixed era's, the characters... Everyone has s part they play here. Some sincere, others.....well lets just say I refused to like other characters just to be safe. Some have only been there a few years, others have been there for much longer. One silly thing I noticed is when Sally is putting on perfume. It states she has had it since she came to town in the 1920's and has been using is sparingly. Um, 90 year old perfume?! Eew! Author is obviously not aware that perfume changes scent and goes bad over time. So oopsie there or that is some fancy, well preserved perfume!
This novel sort of reminded me of the old gothic mansion mystery novels. With a paranormal twist that put it right up my alley. While the paranormal aspect is subtle through the beginning majority, it does step up as it gets further along. For me the culture mixes, mysterious situations and oddities made this story most enjoyable for me. It does get more traditional vampire horror toward the end but it is very last minute and leaves a few question unanswered. Hence the 3.5
Personal note: Author Ron D. Voigts is my Dad. With that said I want to make sure that everyone understand that this doesn't reflect on my thoughts and feelings about his novel.
Before reading Strigoi: The Blood Bond I honestly had no clue what a "Strigoi" was. I had never really heard the name or looked into the meaning until my Dad decided to write about about one. My initial thought was "Oh great, another Vampire novel", like we don't have enough of those. I myself had tired of reading about Vampires. They are so very much overdone and possess similar stories. Although, I've learned Strigoi is different. They possess all of the traits on a vampire but have the ability to change their form, among other unique differences. With that said, now onto my review.
The story takes place in the present time. In the beginning we meet a very depressed and desperate man named, Alex Regal. Alex is about to commit suicide by blowing his brains out. He's soon to be divorced after finding his Wife in bed with another man. Alex feels killing himself is the only way out or is it? While the gun is literally in his mouth seconds away from firing there comes a knock at the door. A man named Krebs who is about to change Alex's life forever. He's inherited a large estate from a cousin he never knew he had. The home is in a unknown small town named Glade. Not many have ever heard of the town or ever will. With nothing else to lose Alex decided to give it go and check out the home. Little does he know, he may never be leaving again...
The town of Glade and the people in it are hiding a big secret. Nothing is as it seems. Upon visiting his late cousin's home and going over paperwork from the lawyer Alex decided to sell the house and be done with it. Upon leaving, his car mysterious breaks down, and now he's forced to stay. Alex comes to learn his cousin was mostly killed, and now something or someone is hunting him. The inhabitants of Glade will not let Alex leave, no matter what he tries all roads lead back to Glade. Alex is not the only outsider in Glade.
After having a huge fight with her boyfriend Krebs, and knocking him out, Maggie Morton accidentally discovers the town while driving to get away. She ends up hitting a tree and decided to walk to find civilization to call for a tow truck. Maggie ends up meeting Alex who also is new to the town. Soon Maggie is also taken prisoner as Alex is. As they both come learn more about Glade and the people who live here they discover something is definitely not right. Something very evil lives in the town of Glade and Alex and Maggie are about to come face to face with it. After a turn of events, the devilish truth about the town and it's people will soon be revealed.
And the truth.... will shock you!
My first thought after I finishing the book was "HOLY CRAP!, What did I just read?" My second thought was, "Wow, my Dad can really write!" Duh! Even though he has published a number of other novels before this one, I'd never read any of them. (sorry Dad) I don't know how but Ron has renewed my interest in Vampire books again. I was so blown away but how unique and fascinating this story truly was. It has it all; breakneck pacing, mystery, and paranormal horror unlike anything I've ever read. I ended up staying up until 2 AM finishing the book and even then I couldn't fall asleep right away. I was still reeling from what I had just read. The story, the characters, and thrilling mystery of the town were written perfectly crafted. There was never a dull moment. I loved how Ron took the classic tale of Vampires and made it his own.
I have in fact been told there will be sequel to the book. So, YAY! I highly recommend Strigoi: The Blood Bond to everyone. Honestly, I am so very proud of my Dad for writing such an amazing novel. (sorry for not reading your work sooner) *blushes*
This is a very standard Dracula type story, where a vampire holds a secluded town under his spell. There's nothing particularly original about it. It's just vampires and shapeshifters and priests and whores and... Damn, it's pretty much True Blood.
The story starts out with a man named Alex, trying to kill himself. And he's not fucking around. He's got a bottle of pills. A big fucking knife. And he's jamming a gun in his mouth. He just can't decide if he should shoot up, for more of a brain angle, or down, for more of a paralyzed the rest of your life angle. Why this is even a consideration, is anyone's guess.
As he's standing there in his kitchen, failing miserably to kill himself, a guy raps on the window. "Hey dumbass!" Alex looks around his kitchen, a bit confused. Mumbles something that sounds like, "Whooae meah?" With the gun still jammed in his mouth, of course.
Because fuck that bitch. There's no fucking way Alex is letting his soon to be ex-wife get the last word. He's determined to fucking end his life with a bang. "Yeah you, fucktard," said the stranger outside the window. "I've got a package for ya. And trust me, you're going to like it."
A non-verbal argument ensued, as Alex tried to explain in no uncertain terms that he was in fact going to kill himself. No package or blowjob was going to change his fucking mind. Okay, maybe a really good blow job. But there's nothing in a box that would possibly change his mind. Unless it was a dick-in-a-box.
Unfortunately, it was not, in fact, a dick-in-a-box. It was a letter informing Alex that his long-lost uncle had died and left him a huge estate out in the middle of bum-fuck nowhere. With tons of cash. And bitches. And vampires. Wait, no it didn't say anything about the vampires. That would kind of give away Dracula's evil tricks, now wouldn't it? I mean it's hard to lure fresh meat out to your secluded estate if you tell them up front that you 'vant tooo drink thair bloooood'.
I really liked the first few chapters, and the last few chapters in this book. The in-between chapters sucked donkey balls. It's just Alex meeting his creepy neighbors. Doing the whole Scoobie-Doo thing as he tries to unravel the mystery of how or why his so-called uncle was killed. And why, oh why do so many people want to suck him off? I mean, I'm not one to protest such things, but come on people, give it a rest.
In the end, I think this book should have been much shorter. Because there's just way too much filler that didn't need to be there. It's just not a 300 page story. 100 pages, at the most. I'd probably even recommend this story if it was a concise 100 pages. Because then it would actually be worth reading. As it is, the bullshit in this story overtakes the good bits, and makes it suck in more ways than one.
Fun filled, slightly creepy page turner. This book kept me up all night, I liked all of the characters, the plot was interesting and unique and had enough twists and turns to keep you guessing, fun ending also !!
Alex Regal finds himself at a crossroads: his wife has left him and he is right in the middle of attempting to kill himself when he is interrupted by a man who gives him news that will change his life forever: Alex has been named as the sole beneficiary of his distant relative's estate in a town called Glade. Unfortunately for Alex and the girlfriend of the man who served Alex with the notification, Glade isn't anything close to what it first appears. You see, Glade is a town that is sort of a cross between Brigadoon and Hotel California where you simply don't stumble upon it and, if you do, you can never leave -- alive, at any rate.
I'm a long-time reader of vampire fiction; I cut my teeth on Bram Stoker's Dracula. I've read many different takes on the lore of the vampire and Ron D. Voigts has given us something that I wasn't sure was still possible: a fresh look at the lore. I loved the fact that the book was definitely a stand-alone, but that Voigts left the ending open enough that there could be future books set in the same world. The characters are flawed in a way that makes them very human, and very believable. The only reason that I'm giving the book 4.5 out of 5 is because the character of Krebs, and what happens to him, is very confusing to me. I wasn't sure, exactly, what was going on with him and that was kind of distracting.
While there are romantic elements, I don't know that I could really call this a romance novel. Any sexual situations are handled relatively discreetly and it would really be the episodes of violence that would discourage me from recommending the book to anyone under 17. The story was well-crafted and I felt like I could really visualize the town and the people in it.
This was a different kind of vampire read. You have a town that is hidden away from the world, and it is not one you would find unless you have been invited. In comes Alex Regal, he plans on ending his life until he gets a visit from a stranger. He learns that he has acquired a home in a small town called Glade. But not all is what it seems, and soon Alex learns this. His car breaks down, he has no cell service and if he tries to leave town he has been warned that he could get hurt by what is in the forest. Now just to clarify things a Strigoi can change their shape so they are not just a vampire but a shape shifter as well. All the characters in the book as we learn later on come from different era's of time which I thought was pretty cool. What I also thought was cool was the town. It was a very small community of just random people brought together. Now as I did enjoy the story plot of how everything came together especially the way the town was hidden from the general public. The only thing I didn't enjoy was that it seemed Alex and Maggie who comes into the story a bit later on. Never truly tried to escape. Yes they talked to other people about leaving and were worn but they never truly tried to set foot. Now yes Alex did go and "explore" but I wanted more of an escape plan going on. Now there is not a lot of action that goes on within the book so if you are not wanting a lot of action then I suggest you pick this book up.
I didn't know about a Strigoi before I read this book. Yes, they have similarities to vampires but they can also change their form and I think that makes them more dangerous. I love paranormal mysteries and that's why i enjoyed reading Strigoi: The Blood Bond by Ron D. Voigts. The story opens up with a funeral and then leads us to our male protagonist named Alex who's about to commit suicide because of a cheating wife. Fate plays her cards and Alex get a letter telling him about an inheritance from a cousin he's never heard of. That brings him to a creepy town called Glade. It gave a bit of a 'Silent Hill' feeling to me and I enjoyed getting to know about the town residents who seem to be living in a whole other era.
A female character named Maggie also find herself in the Glade after crashing her car...see, Silent Hill, people! I liked her as a character. Something is definitely wrong in the Glade and it was fun seeing Alex and Maggie trying to make sense of it, and then there's the Strigoi!
This book is an enjoyable read for anyone who wants to spend a few hours reading a book that has mystery and the paranormal added in.
Note: Same review has been posted on Amazon US and UK under the name Omar Mujtaba.
Nothing can compare to reading DRACULA by Bram Stoker while living in a haunted building in Europe, but STRIGOI: THE BLOOD BOND does a good job of reviving those feelings of dread that I felt back then. It is the first vampire book I've read since the 1970s. Voigts' shape-shifting vampire book drags you deeper into Glade, NC and holds you there as surely as Alex is stuck in the place of no return. And the murder mystery hidden within the horror story is a bonus.
It is a smooth read. It's without many of the hiccups that bump you out of indie books of lesser quality. Though a departure from Voigts' excellent young adult PENELOPE series and CLAWS OF THE GRIFFIN murder mystery, it again demonstrates the well-paced building of suspense that he has mastered. The pacing kept me with the story even though I don't often read fantasy/horror. If you're a lover of this genre, you need to add this book to your reading list. Plot, character, and pacing are enough to bump this book over the hump and into the 5-star rating camp.
This isn't the run of the mill vampire story, a very unique and entertaining read. The characters are strong and the descriptions are amazing, you really get 'sucked in' to their world. I decided to purchase this book after reading "Claws of the Griffin" which was so enjoyable that I had to see what else this talented author had to offer. Strigoi:'The Blood Bond' was a different kind of genre but just as intriguing as the other one. If you like the style of imaginative and articulate backdrops with a mixture of well crafted hidden motives, Ron D. Voigts is your best bet. His engaging deliverance to structure, and uncanny ability to portray a combination of both darkness and suspense with a playful attitude, he never misses a beat (so to speak). With twists and turns galore, the book was extremely enjoyable and I will definitely be starting on his Penelope mystery books soon. Highly recommended.
I was given the opportunity to read to review this book as part of the blog tour, and I loved it! I loved the whole concept, it was so well written, there was mystery, diverse characters, and of course, a cursed town.
Alex Regal was a trigger pull away from ending his life over the unfaithfulness of his wife when he received a fateful missive. A cousin he didn't know he had, living in a town he's never heard of, had died and left him his home. Thinking he can meet with the lawyer and settle the estate quickly, he has no earthly idea that there is dark magic involved when his car won't start and the people prove themselves to be ... a little weird and a whole lot unfriendly to visitors. The truth, he will find, is a whole lot stranger - and a whole lot more menacing.
I received a copy of this story in exchange for a honest review. The story was an interesting remix of what some people would call an original vampire. The stories setting is in a mysterious town that is blocked off from surrounding areas. The community's population is strictly controlled and the towns people are a living form of a strigoi. The author does a wonderful job of providing mystery and suspense within the story.
I'm now a firm believer of never accepting an inheritance from a long lost relative. Sell that thing! Author Voigts sucked me into this story straight away with his strong writing skills. I found it easy to associate with the sarcastic overtone of the man character, Alex. While I've never been a fan of vampire stories, this book falls well out of that realm. Voigts has something special here that horror fans should not miss.
I don't actually read horror a lot. Most of the times, I watch it. The interesting thing about this book is that I feel like I'm watching it instead of just laying in bed reading it. I like the way the author create the characters of the group of scary people. It was intense and scary for sure! It was a long read, but definitely worth spending. I really look forward seeing this in a big screen!