Bad Reception

by Shannen C Wright

Listening to your parents is hard work. As a teenager, you're always right, of course, but to them everything you do comes up short. Kana is nearing the end of her teenage years and is already a young woman. With no career prospects, no goals in life, she just can't seem to attain her family's expectations. On her nineteenth birthday, an accident caused by her own shortcomings causes a domino effect of chaos turning her life from boring and mundane to terrifying and supernatural. Kidnapped by a vampire and her chauffeur, she ends up the hostage of a host of strange Chloe, a mild mannered Cajun vampire. Vincent, a Welsh werewolf with a penchant for piracy and a history of drug abuse. Gabriella, a Spanish immortal who cannot die, and her daughter, a shapeshifter.

Will she finally find her way back home to her family? Or is family more than blood and kin?

189 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 31, 2017

Reviews

[Completely Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was sent a copy of this book for review. I am not paid for this and my opinions are my own. Ok, let me start out by saying that I would give this book a 4.5 if it would let me. I really enjoyed this book! The book starts out with our main character named Kana on a train and she starts talking to this stranger and tells him her story. The story was being so well told that I kept forgetting that she was on a train (kind of like how in Forrest Gump he is telling his story from that bench the whole time). When it would go back to something about the train, I would be like "Oh yeah, I totally forgot all about the train!" I was so immersed in the story of it all. I loved it! For me, if the book had stopped at the end of Chapter 17, this book would have totally gotten a 5 star. To me, that would have been the perfect way to end this story, and the last 2 chapters would have been the perfect beginning to the sequel. Without spoiling anything, to me the last 2 chapters just kind of wrapped everything up and left us with what I think was supposed to be a cliffhanger but really wasn't because if paying attention we learned that bit of information earlier in the book. I do love this rag tag group of characters, and would totally love to read the next book in the series!

[Boosmummy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this from the author as a free book and have to say I'm glad I did as I really enjoyed it. An unusual book which revolves around Kana, a normal teenager who gets taken from the hospital (with a broken leg) on her 19th birthday after seeing Chloe trying to run with bags of blood in her arms. Chloe and Gabriella take Kana back to their home where she meets the other residents. Everyone in the house is definitely not what they seem. The book is a hidden gem and I found myself reading well into the night as the story unfolded. Well worth a read.

[N.W. Moors · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bad Reception is the first book in the Sanctuary series and I found it a pleasant surprise. The story is well-paced, the characters are quirky but engaging, and the author has written a new and different paranormal YA book.
The story is all told as Kana is riding on a train with a baby. She confides in a stranger, Theo, by telling him the story of how she got to this point in her life in exchange for a mug of soup for the baby from Theo.
Kana goes back to the day she was celebrating her nineteenth birthday and it wasn't going the way she wanted. Still living at home with her nagging mother, she fell down the stairs and broke a leg. Her mother and sister grudgingly take her to the hospital and it's there that Kana's day takes an unexpected twist.
There are all sorts of paranormal/supernatural creatures introduced into Kana's life at this point. The story is fast-paced but always interesting. Each creature has their own characteristics and we learn about them along with Kana.
I'll be honest; I'm not sure what I was expecting in this book, but it turned out to be so much more. The story is fresh and the characters are a lot of fun. I can't wait for the next book and see what happens next.

[Tabitha Ormiston-Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Bad Reception, the age-old theme of unity in adversity is worked out with a most unusual household. A vampire, a werewolf, a shape-changer, Death and a human are later joined by a salamander (humanoid in this book) and a Titan, and the sparks fly- literally! There's not a dull moment as they struggle to form a cohesive family unit.

Any novel lives and dies with its characters in my view, and these people are well drawn and practically jump off the page; despite the large cast, there are no placeholder characters here; each one is three-dimensional and solid. I liked, too, the way in which the theme of racism was subtly developed. A good read for the young at heart.

[Karrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful plot!

This story totally intrigued me! The characters were wonderfully different and quirky. They had distinct personalities and I couldn't stop turning pages!
The downside was the need of an editor and proof reader. There were many grammatical errors of all types that hurt the flow at times. Otherwise it was great! I look forward to the next installment!

[Charlee Lock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rainy Read

I realised about half way through I was completely hooked, I only planned on reading a couple of chapters and when I looked up, half my day was gone. Instead well into the night and can not wait to read the next in the series!