Captive: A Graced Story

Graced #2

by Amanda Pillar

Civilization has ended.

Vampires, werewolves, and the Graced are at war with their human creators, and humanity is losing. But one girl might hold the key to salvation. Held captive with her fellow humans by alpha Wolfgang and his pack of weres, Laney secretly inches ever closer to breaking were and vampire blood dependency forever.

But Laney doesn't have long. Their numbers decimated by plague, humans are being kidnapped and reduced to livestock. And when Laney and her sister are kidnapped by a neighboring vampire clan notorious for its "farming" of humans, their only hope lies in Wolf - who doesn't know the shocking secret Laney has gone to great lengths to conceal.

With their lives and the future of humanity in the balance, can Laney and Wolf learn to trust each other before their races cease to exist?

Genres: Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance

146 pages, Paperback

First published February 11, 2016

About the author

Amanda Pillar is addicted to writing. Not in the fun kind of way, more in the has-to-get-her-fix kind of way. But that's a good thing, right? It means she's busy working on her next book and has plans for many more to come, all with lots of snark. Because snark.

Amanda has had almost a dozen books published, alongside a variety of short stories, as well as solo and co-editing over half a dozen anthologies. People say it's because she's an 'over-achiever' but, in reality, Amanda doesn't understand the concept of 'relaxation'. (Please feel free to explain it to her. Use small words.) Compounding this issue, Amanda has commenced work on a PhD. Because she's crazy.

Oh, and in her day job, she's an archaeologist. (And no, she doesn't get chased around site by rogue boulders, thank the flying spaghetti monster. She doesn't even want to imagine the OH&S paperwork THAT would cause).

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a dystopian world where humans are becoming extinct they are captured and held in camps to be harvested for food. Years before human scientists had created vampires, werewolves and also a race known as the Graced. The vampires and werewolves need the humans for food to survive and it's been an all out war over control of what is left of the human race. The Graced are also in hiding as they are used for their powers and for breeding.

Quin who is a full Graced with incredible powers has hidden his two sisters who are half human in one of these camps. When vampires take control of the camp from the werewolves Quin seeks the help of Wolf, the alpha to rescue his sisters forming an alliance between himself and Wolf. Wolf's plan is to get himself captured to get entry to be able to rescue the girls but what he didn't count on was having an immediate attraction to Laney who he is there to rescue.

I have to say I was intrigued with this story and wasn't disappointed in the least by the glimpse I was given into this world. What I found though was the usual novella dilemma that I felt I just wanted to know so much more of the story and characters. This isn't necessarily a bad thing as it did gain my interest in continuing with other books into the series.

The majority of this story the characters are kept in captivity so I kind of felt that held a bit back from a I really love it moment to making it become an OK this is interesting read. In the end I decided on going with 3.5 stars for this as it was good and would like to continue and learn more.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captive is a novella-length prequel to Graced, Amanda Pillar's debut novel. In Graced, the reader was introduced to a world populated by weres, vampires, humans, and the Graced, humans whose coloured eyes signify psychic abilities such as telekinesis and healing. Captive takes the reader back in time to a post-apocalyptic time between the modern world and the world as it would become in Graced.

We follow several characters in Graced. The were Wolfgang and the sisters Laney and Jane, who have been hidden by their Graced brother Quin in a camp used by the weres essentially to farm humans. At this point in time, both weres and vampires require humans as food - vampires consume human blood, and weres eat human liver. The safety of both Laney and Jane - as well as the secret Laney is hiding - is in jeopardy when both of the girls are captured by a vampire clan and kept captive in one of their camps.

It needs to be said up front that in order to get the most out of the novella, the reader is best to read Graced first. This allows a good grounding in this world and its supernatural beings, and deepens a lot of the events that happen in Captive.

Pillar's strength in Captive, as in Graced, lies in her characters. Even in this shorter length, all of them are well-developed and have distinctive voices. We only see Quin through diary excerpts, and even his voice stands out (and those entries may have made me chortle more than once). All of the characters are strong, and all are intelligent, most especially Laney with her medical and scientific knowledge. There are no damsels in distress here, no women waiting to be saved.

There are many links to the modern world here, with plots that deal with technology and genetics. In all of these arenas, Pillar has done her homework, and all of it reads true (as a side note, I'm a trained geneticist and I get picky about this!).

My only real complaint is that there is a lot of plot and character development in this relatively short work; there's definitely enough here that this could easily have been expanded into a full novel. There are a few plot points that feel a bit rushed because of the length, but nothing that detracts overmuch from enjoyment of the work.

If you've read and enjoyed Graced, you'll find a lot to enjoy in Captive, too. There's a lot more information about the world, and there's a direct link to Graced as well at the end of Captive. I finished wanting to know even more about the world and would happily pay for a dozen more books exploring this world.

[Susan Kost · Rating 3 out of 5]

After loving the story of Elle and Clay, I was looking forward to Captive. Unfortunately, it fell short for me. I imagine when a story is short, it is hard to truly develop the characters, but I didn't feel any chemistry for Laney and Wolf. I feel Wolf's character especially really needed more depth. The plot was good, but without characters that speak to me, I can't enjoy a book thoroughly. I will read the next book, but if it is like this one, I doubt I will go any further in the series.

[Charlotte Hope Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captive

Tells the story of how the weres and vampires were created from the Gifted. Humans with a certain color of eyes have special abilities. But the scientists that created the weres and vampires, they did not expect them to rise up against them. They were given a weakness that made them rely on the blood or liver of the humans.
A unusual book but very well written.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prequel

Just like Star Wars, the author has gone back in time in this gregarious book off the series to answer questions that the reader from the first book about weres, vamps and graced. Quite interesting turn of events

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

I liked the prequel. It made the first book just a little more interesting, but this book isn't required for the real book.

[Angie Elle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to MOMENTUM (PAN MACMILLAN) and Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Captive: A Graced Novella, is a prequel to the first book in the series, Graced. I haven’t read Graced, but I have to admit that if I had, I think I would have understood the point of this book. Don’t get me wrong, it was interesting and I enjoyed it, but I’m not sure what the author was trying to accomplish here. It felt like just a portion of a much larger story, and I wanted more. This take on the shifter/vampire strife was interesting – in this world where humans are few and far between, they are the food source for both species and that adds another element to the lore. This book shows just how desperate both species are to keep their humans (in colonies by the weres where they are given a certain amount of freedom or kept prisoner by the vampires with no freedom at all.)

This particular story was very fast moving, and as I mentioned before, it was interesting. Certain humans (doctors, in particular) have more usefulness than others, and the Graceds are feared due to the special powers they have. My issues lie with too much story in too few words. The ending felt rushed, love came way too quickly, and with ‘mating’ being a staple in most shifter stories, I wish we’d been given more of a backstory on these weres. It didn’t seem to be something that was part of their genetic make-up, but I’d have liked to know what was. I really feel like this novella could have been drawn-out into a full length story, answered some reader questions, and been an even more entertaining read.

I originally picked this up because it was touted as ‘being for fans of Anne Bishop’s Others’ series. I think what makes The Others series so special (aside from the offbeat coupling of Meg and Simon) is the world building. Obviously the same caliber of world building can’t be found in a novella that graces a full-length novel, so I’m not sure the comparison fits. What I will say is that Captive was intriguing enough for me to pick up the next book, and I am excited to discover more about this world and how (and if) the vampires and weres can learn to coexist. There are a lot of places this series could go!

I searched the author’s website for more information on this series, and I couldn’t find it. I’m hoping more information about the next book will be forthcoming.

This review was originally posted at Badass Book Reviews.

[Jeannie Zelos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Captive: A Graced Novella,  Amanda Pillar

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: Romance, Sci-fi and Fantasy.

I’m not a fan of novella’s and usually avoid them, but the fact this sounds like a prequel to a full series plus this quote “This post-apocalyptic romance is perfect for fans of Laurell K Hamilton, Nalini Singh, and Anne Bishop's Others series.” drew me in.

There’s a lot packed into such a short space, just over 100 pages. There’s Humans, Weres, Vampires and Graced,who are humans with extras...and all of them hate each other. Thanks to that a civil war has pretty much decimated them, and the few humans left in the world are mostly kept captive by the Vamps, who need the blood and the Weres who eat human liver – eurghh...Given liver surgery is tricky, livers bleed a LOT,  I had a hard time believing that a human/were with a bit of medical knowledge but no real resources, could successfully take chunks out of the humans every six months and keep them alive. Its not without risk now, so in these very primitive times most of them would have died...and dead food is finite.

I liked the characters from what little we know of them, but it was pretty obvious what was going to happen, and I just felt a lack of any kind of suspense, any mystery about what was developing. It was almost as if problem and solution was presented in the same chapter. The battles were over before they began, and as for the ending, well, like most of the novel, it was over so quickly, very simplified, and I just couldn’t believe that suddenly the answer to everything came out of a sub standard lab and a couple of people, when humans in their heyday with everything at their finger tips couldn’t do it. Stretched my credulity too far.

I guess as a prequel it works OK in introducing those who I assume ( I haven’t read Graced) are going to be major characters, but as a novel in its own right its just not for me. As for the comparisons with Nalini Sigh and Anne Bishop’s Others - No,Nope, Nothing like any of those stories at all IMO. I did finish the novel but wouldn’t have if it had been longer, and I can’t say I really enjoyed it nor yet that I really disliked it. I won’t be reading further into the series, even though they may be stronger reads. Fans of the series may like to get a perspective on earlier events maybe and it could well be a hit with them, but not me. 
 
Stars: sadly a two, just didn’t cut it for me.
 
ARC supplied by Netgalley and publishers for review purposes

[Elizabeth Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Captive is a prequel novella to Amanda Pillar's Graced. Given the latter was one of the highlights of my 2015 reading year, I had high hopes for Captive. Unfortunately, I found the novella's ambition exceeded its scope.

The key problem with Captive is that it tried to do too much: it aimed to be a paranormal romance and an exploration of a post-apocalyptic world, as well as show a pivotal point in the world's history and be an origin story for one of the characters from Graced. All within 100 pages. As a result, it doesn't successfully manage any of these elements.

I didn't find there was much chemistry between Laney and Wolf, with their on-stage courtship being limited to Wolf invading Laney's personal space and kissing her a few times. The secondary relationships were far more entertaining. Laney's sister Jane lacks a romantic bone in her body, so it was particularly amusing to see attempts to woo her. I hope we may see something more of her in the future.

As a fantasy story, it didn't quite work for me either. It's always difficult to write short speculative fiction because the premise and feel of the world needs to be conveyed in not much space. Captive faces a difficult challenge because it's set in a world that isn't our present day or the far future of Graced but something in between. A prologue in the form of a character's diary entry tries to set the scene but ends up feeling like an awkward infodump that left me without a visceral feel for the world. Since the pertinent information comes up again later--repeatedly, in some cases,--I feel it would have been better to put the prologue's word count to better use within the story itself.

Despite my criticisms, I enjoyed the story a lot. While the diversity of the characters isn't as broad as in Graced, it is still casually present. Laney makes a great character. Physically, she's never going to be a Strong Female Character, which makes her quiet courage all the more admirable. I also enjoyed seeing one of the characters from Graced make an appearance in the final chapters, albeit in a much younger form.

While Captive could conceivably stand on its own, some of the impact of the events it depicts would be lost. New readers are best off picking up Graced first.


This review first appeared on Earl Grey Editing.

[Tsana Dolichva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captive by Amanda Pillar is a novella set in the Graced universe, but at a much earlier period of story history. Although a few character names might be familiar, the two stories stand completely alone. If anything, Captive fills in some of the "historical" backstory that didn't fit into Graced, while telling its own story.

I enjoyed Captive quite a bit. I would go so far as to say I enjoyed the start of the novella more than I enjoyed Graced. This is probably partly because the main character is a scientist and I am biased. Where Graced was set seemingly very long after the apocalypse, so to speak, that resulted from the creation of vampires and werewolves and the subsequent wars, Captive is set much closer to that time period (but still after it).

The main(est) character, Laney, is a geneticist who had been working on "cures" for the vampire need for human blood and the werewolf need for human liver. Not, to be clear, changing their species back to human, just removing their need to farm humans. Having originally been part of a werewolf, er, farm, Laney, her sister and their fellow humans are captured by vampires in a raid. Their main goal is to survive until a way out presents itself. Unbeknownst to them, other characters are also working on rescuing them from the vampires.

I mentioned earlier that I particularly enjoyed the start of Captive. It would be more accurate to say that I enjoyed almost all of Captive but I found the ending rather abrupt. The main plot arc of escaping the vampires is resolved, but a lot of romantic (and other, spoilery) subplots are introduced near the end and I don't think this novella was long enough to give them enough space to properly develop. The time jumps at the end, to get to the second last chapter and the epilogue, didn't really help on that front. I think it would have been more enjoyable had the last portion of the book been longer. I certainly wouldn't've minded reading more of it.

Overall I liked Captive, even if I would have preferred more of it. I would recommend it to fans of Graced, but want to stress again that both stories stand alone quite well. I will certainly be reading any other novellas or novels Pillar writes set in the same world. This was almost a 4-star read, but I took off half a star for the abruptness of the ending.

3.5 / 5 stars

[Lindsey Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having thoroughly enjoyed my first novella – even if I need to get used to the style – I thought I would branch out and try another. My next was Captive: A Graced Novella by Amanda Pillar. As introductions to world’s go, this one drew me in hook, line and sinker and I am looking for others in this series.

Laney and Jane are taken hostage by a vampire clan who wish to use them for feeding. Their half-brother, Quin, is an extremely powerful Graced and will do anything to get his sisters back, even an alliance with the werewolves. But when Wolf infiltrates the compound to break the girls out, he finds more than he bargains for. He doesn’t find humans; he finds love. But once free, the sisters continue their work to find a cure for vampires and werewolves alike, preventing them from having to feed on human flesh without a choice.

When I first started reading and realised it was vampires and werewolves, I had doubts. They were soon put to rest by how adult the novella is. There is none of the sparkly, vegetarian vampires that have flooded literature recently, but blood and guts the whole way. The first time a character swore, I knew I was reading something much better than I had anticipated.

The abilities of the Graced were partly what drew me to the book because of what I am attempting to write in my own novel. This were handled and explained well, despite not having read anything else in this world. There was never the feeling of coming to the world late with this novella, partly because there is no time to explore deep and meaningful story arcs in such limited space. But I knew within a short time what each character was capable of, how their power worked and what their limits were.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this and will look for more in this world, even if it is just to continue the story-arc of the characters. The characters were engaging, the plot fast-paced and riddled with tension and romance, the language suitable for both the situation and providing humour and even in the short space of time, more character progression was shown than I’ve seen in some novels.

This worked to further encourage me into the land of novellas and I look forward to finding more of Pillar’s writing.

[Angel Hatfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Human scientists had created vampires and werewolves and a race called the Graced. It has been war between the humans and the vampires and werewolves as the humans were the food for the werewolves and vampires. The Graced are actually humans and the color of eye tells the psychic ability they have such as healing or telekinesis. The Graced are actually in hiding as they are used for their powers and for breeding. Quinn is a full Graced with a lot of power and had hidden his two sisters that were half human in one of the camps where the Graced had been hiding. Then vampires toke over the camp Quinn goes to Wolf who is the alpha of the werewolves who had run the camp . Wolf and Quinn form an alliance as Wolf agrees to rescue Quinn’s sisters- . Wolf has an instant attraction to Laney who is one of the two Wolf was to rescue.
I liked this novella and as usual for me I wish this story had been longer and had more backstory and more about the characters. But this story did hold it’s own and I enjoyed it. I really didn’t find this story lacking just wanted more. I liked the ins and outs of this story. I recommend.
I received an ARC of this story for an honest review.

[Shari · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the idea of this book, but it didn't really work for me. Harvesting humans for food? Nope. The ideas as humans as food made sense, it just was a bit much for me. I liked how it was all resolved in the end though.
I received this free book for an honest review.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A post-apocalyptic romance with plenty of drama and suspense. Laney and her sister are kidnapped by a neighboring vampire can they be saved? Fast paced story, with great characters. Entertaining read!

[Amanda Pillar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm the author, so I'm a little biased :)

[Shelley Nolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story. Great characters, rick and unique world building, and with more books in the series. I was hooked from page one and the pace kept me interested until the last word.