The Vampire Skeleton

The Vampire Skeleton #1

by Sara General

Living in Harrowstone means you either follow the rules—or risk exile to the outside world. Rowen is the healer’s apprentice. The rules have never bothered her—until a vampire attacks her community and hurts one of the people she cares about most.

Suddenly, Rowen is forced to make a life-altering decision—hunt the vampire or let her best friend die.

But hunting a vampire isn’t as easy as it sounds and soon enough, Rowen finds herself needing help. Enter Cruz, wealthy businessman and vampire overlord of the City of Brantwood. He’s the only person powerful enough to help Rowen save her friend and naturally—his help comes at a price.

Will Rowen agree to pay it? And what will her decision cost her?

Genres: Vampires, Amazon, Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance

Unknown Binding

First published January 10, 2016

About the author

Sara General lives in Six Nations of the Grand River on Turtle Island (Canada). She has worked in the area of Indigenous education for the last ten years. Sara holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Indigenous Studies, a Masters of Professional Education and is currently completing a Doctor of Education at Western University in London, Ontario.

Her greatest passion is for books and stories. She specializes in writing speculative fiction, and in particular—mystery, science fiction and fantasy.

Much of her work is inspired by themes and events in Haudenosaunee history, myths and legends. Most of it has magic in it.

Reviews

[Zainab · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four friendly stars
This book is a page turner. If you read its description you get to think that this is just another cheesy book about two characters that aren't supposed to fall in love but they conquered the world and blah blah blah... BUT THIS IS NOT WHAT THE STORY IS ABOUT. This story is about a wonderful value that is called helpfulness. It shows that if we helped each other we could grow inside and win at life. And that sometimes it's okay to ask for help if needed even from a stranger.

[Summer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I know that this book's setting is kind of mirroring the Amish but with a more fantasy-Druid twist. The storyline isn't terrible...but the dialogue made me lose it. The first time Rowan friend said "I can't fucking believe it" and then "Jesus Christ" as a swear word, and then Rowan changing into a "skanky tank top" ...... It's just so out of place from the rest of the world that's been built that I just couldn't hold it together any more. I couldn't take it seriously any more. I finished reading it, but it's unremarkable and not-recommendable.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspired by legends, Sara General imagines a magical world with First Nation vampires divided by a wall. One side is Harrowstone, a close-knit community with a strict protocol which all members must adhere to, and on the other is the modern, busy life of outsiders. The Vampire Skeleton follows the story of Rowan, a girl soon caught between the two vastly different worlds after a vampire harms her friend. Her mission: kill the vampire in order to save her friend’s life. What she finds beyond the wall of Harrowstone complicates everything. She may even have to trust one of those deadly creatures.

The concept behind The Vampire Skeleton is unique. I enjoyed Rowan as a character. She’s grown a lot towards the end of the book. What I especially liked was how she handled the critique against her culture and how she defended it. She was aware of the unfairness of the protocol but pointed out that the people on the other side had their own problems as well. I also liked the dynamic between Rowan and Cruz. I’m curious to see where that will go.

This book is currently free on Amazon.

[Timothy Skilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised to read in the notes that this story was based on First People traditions, not because the idea of an "Indian" vampire was so novel, but rather because that element wasn't really strongly suggested in the story, at least to me. It seemed to reflect more of a Wiccan and Amish sensibility in my view, so that's a small miss by the author. The walled "Return to nature" community is a relatively common world building device and there is nothing novel here. The characters and the plot are OK, but the story isn't overly compelling and not to hard to put down. Conversely, I didn't feel a desire to give up on the story, either, and I'll certainly try the next story, but I won't rush out to get it either. This book is "good enough.

[Christina McMullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every so often, I pick up a book based on nothing but the title. This was one of those books. And I'm glad I did. I absolutely loved this story. Not only is this a unique style of fantasy, but it's got an underlying message that I liked. Rather than be a cautionary tale of what will happen if we continue to treat the Earth as we do now, it presented us with the daunting truth that there truly is no simple and easy solution. Human nature persists no matter how we try to suppress it.

Very well written, the characters were fully developed and all were easy to care about. I highly recommend this and just grabbed the next book. I can't wait to keep reading.

[Mony Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one! The world-building in Harrowstone is dark and intriguing, and Rowen is a heroine you can root for. The tension between following the rules and risking everything for someone you care about kept me hooked. Cruz adds an interesting dynamic mysterious, powerful, and morally gray in all the right ways. I liked how the story balanced action, suspense, and emotional stakes, and the plot twists kept me turning the pages. It’s a solid fantasy read with vampires done in a fresh, compelling way.

[Emi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful read can't believe I finished this book in such a little time but, it was a good read for a good reason. Learned about a lot of things in here which was good and things between people different people and worlds that are separated and do not have equal rights and have to follow the protocol/laws. Other than that really loved this book.

[Eileen Funk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some quite obvious similarities to The Hunger Games and Twilight series, but this is from a First Nations point of view and written well enough to keep the characters and plot interesting. Some sentence fragments editing didn’t catch. Overall a worthwhile read

[Mariah · Rating 2 out of 5]

The characters really lacked depth — it was difficult to really like any of them. The storyline was fairly predictable. I wouldn’t say it’s a bad story — it was pretty good for a short story — but it was unremarkable enough that it wouldn’t make a recommended list.

[Latasha Carrasquillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book!!

This book was fast paced and it kept me intrigued. I loved everything. Its a different take on the usual vampire and witches. I loved everything. I downloaded the second book immediately. I would definitely recommend this book you won't be disappointed.

[Leonor · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a page turner. I was engrossed in this story since the beginning. Loved the writing and the magic, the characters had depth, flaws and personality. Will definitely continue this series.

[marlene johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Read

This was a really good mystery vampire clean romance book. A really great storyline. So great that I’m thinking about becoming an amazon kindle reader member.

[Matilda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it, the storyline was great and the character stories too.

[patrik dahse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truth and it's conflicting beliefs.

The story seems to flow naturally. The characters are likeable. I enjoyed the conflict of accepted truths. I think I might enjoy more of this story and learn more about its characters.

[Connie Yates-biddinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed

I very much enjoyed reading this book .....need to know more about what happens between them.....if they are destined to be together