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The Vampires of Athens #1

Vampire Addiction

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An alternative cover edition for this ASIN can be found here.


Is it love or addiction?

Seventeen-year-old Gertrude Morgan, the only child of one of the wealthiest couples in America, is shipped away from her home in New York City to the American school in Athens against her will.

But the city of Athens has secrets.

Her host family calls them "tramps." In Greek, they are called vrykolakas, or "vryks," which sometimes gets translated to "freaks." They are the vampires of Athens, created centuries ago by the Maenads. They live in caves beneath the acropolis without economic resources and according to rules imposed on them by the Olympians. First and foremost, they are forbidden from turning humans into vampires. The human will not turn unless all of the blood is drained, so a vampire is allowed to drink up to one pint per month from a willing mortal. Some mortals are willing because a vampire bite will infect the body for six hours, and during that time, the mortal has the powers of the vampire: flight, invisibility, strength, speed, x-ray vision, and mind control. Such great power can become irresistible, though dangerous and addicting to mortals...

As seventeen-year-old Gertie, studying abroad from New York, uncovers the unfathomable secrets of this ancient city, she becomes involved with a handsome vampire. Is it love that attracts her, or the temporary powers from his bite? She's more confused when her heart is drawn to the vampire's enemy--a demigod sworn to protect the city--and she becomes an unwitting catalyst to war.

This series shares the word of The Underworld Saga.

280 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 27, 2014

645 people are currently reading
2242 people want to read

About the author

Eva Pohler

113 books1,740 followers
Eva Pohler is a USA Today bestselling author of over forty novels in multiple genres, including mysteries, thrillers, and young adult paranormal romance based. Her books have been described as "addictive" and "sure to thrill"--Kirkus Reviews.

Get THE BOOKWORM BIBLE for FREE: https://www.evapohler.com/bookworm-bible.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 196 reviews
Profile Image for Ben Alderson.
Author 30 books14.4k followers
May 31, 2016
4.5

Very good start to a series. I was in love with the mash up of Vampires and Greek Gods.
Profile Image for Dianne.
6,817 reviews633 followers
January 2, 2018
Her parents had everything, money, power and a daughter who craved their attention. Their answer was to send her to Greece for the “experience”. But was that the true reason? Was the warm and welcoming family really strangers or was there something more behind it? No matter, Gertie has discovered what being part of a family really means, and finally feels what familial love is.

There are more secrets in Athens that Gertie is about to discover, vampires are real, not just the creatures of fantasy and she is falling for one quickly. She also finds that she is anxious to have Jeno bite her, but when he does, all of the warnings she has been given fly out the window. Gertie will find she likes the effects of the bite, the temporary rush of being powerful. In a rash of poor judgement calls, Gertie leaps before she looks at the danger she puts herself in, betraying others’ trust in the name of “doing good.” Is she actually becoming addicted to Jeno’s bite and its aftereffects?

Gertie is in over her head, confused, and alone in a foreign country as she blindly makes one bad decision after another. Beings of fantasy are real, reality isn’t always as it appears on the surface and some things are best left alone.

Eva Pohler’s VAMPIRE ADDICTION cleverly weaves fantasy into a tale of a sheltered teen’s immature actions, reactions and blind faith in the unknown dangers. Ms. Pohler’s portrayal of Gertie is that of a young girl in need of guidance, lacking in the comfort of “family,” who has no concept of the dangers she has placed herself in. She is a girl who has been betrayed by those who should have protected her and easily swayed by the mystique of thinking she is in control, when she dances on the edge of being completely out of control. When she goes too far, she is unable to face the consequences that are devastating.

A story easily read by younger YA readers who may relate to Gertie’s POV, which seems younger than seventeen. Ms. Pohler has created the right amount of turmoil with a balance of consequences, some angst-filled, confusing romance and the magic of fantasy!

Series: The Vampires of Athens - Book 1
Publisher: Green Press/Eva Pohler (December 27, 2014)
Publication Date: December 27, 2014
Genre: YA Paranormal
Print Length: 280 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
Profile Image for Fafa's Book Corner.
515 reviews346 followers
Read
May 21, 2017
DNF

Mini review:

I received this for free from the author through a promotion she was having. I had heard about this book through booktube. I enjoy reading paranormal books and haven't been able to find a good vampire book. Unfortunately I did not enjoy what I read.

The writing style read very juvenile. The dialogue was slightly worse to read. It felt kind of forced and odd. In fact the writing didn't really flow well. I also did not like the MC's parents at all.

All in all I didn't enjoy it. It's up to you whether or not you want to read it.
Profile Image for Miranda - Life Between Chapters☕.
311 reviews59 followers
December 31, 2016
*2.5 stars*

Originally posted @ Miranda's Book Blog

This one has been on my TBR for quite some time. I've been in a bit of a book slump as of late and picked this one to read on my Kindle randomly while scrolling through my collection. Of course it being a vampire book didn't hurt either, as I love them.

All of that being said, Vampire Addiction didn't hit the spot like I had expected it to. I wanted to love this one, I did. In fact, after seeing the rave reviews for this one on Goodreads I began thinking that maybe I was missing something. Nevertheless, I kept on reading and while it did get better I'll be rating it 2.5 stars.

Let's get into why:

What I liked-

Gertie's ability to see past labels- She looks past Jeno's vampirism and sees who he is as a man, not Jeno the vampire. I love how she gives him a chance when no one else will.

description


The Greek Mythology & Vampire lore interwoven together- This one was definitely unique.

What I did not like-

The love triangle- I'm not a big fan of these as it is but to top it off the MC Gertie seemed confused as to who she wanted to be with. Ahh I don't like those types of tropes.
Gertie's naive thinking- She lets her feelings blind her to the fact that (in my opinion) she's being taken advantage of.
Gertie seems childish in her decision making. Yes, people make mistakes. But she seems to make the same one over and over.

I can't really say much more without spoiling it for you. Keep in mind, while this one was only 2.5 stars for me the rating on Goodreads is 4.03. If you like vampires & greek mythology you may end up loving this one.
Profile Image for Shannon.
171 reviews
February 13, 2016
When I started reading I was very frustrated with the main character, Gertie, who was being sent abroad, by her parents, to spend her Junior year of High School in Greece. Who wouldn't love that experience-especially when she explains how little attention her parents pay her and her lack of true friends in New York? Then, as she grows to love both Greece and the people she meets there, she becomes a much more enjoyable (and interesting) character to read about.

Love, betrayal, tension, and mythology are key elements in the plot. The world-building is very well done, combining Vampire mythology with Greek mythology seamlessly, to produce a fascinating and unique storyline. I genuinely love where Ms. Pohler has taken us, in this book! I felt all the feels, while reading it. Be sure to have the next book, Vampire Affliction, on hand, though. You will want to continue on, in the series, immediately.
255 reviews4 followers
December 23, 2014
I loved reading this story. Eva creates can intriguing new set of characters and plot line that's fun to read and easy to fall in love with. I need the next one now. Eva certainly keeps you guessing and its never what you think its gonna be. I'm really picky and I'm not a huge vampire fan but I really enjoyed it might just work on me having a vampire addiction now. ;)
Profile Image for -`ˏ maci ˎ´˗.
59 reviews43 followers
December 20, 2017
*Rating: 2.5*

I have so many problems with this book, which I'll get into below. Yet, it was oddly enjoyable. As much as I was cringing, I couldn't stop reading. What is wrong with me?

I actually made a list of everything I disliked about this book. I'm awful, I know. But I thought it would help when writing this review.

Let's start with the writing style, shall we? It was awful, juvenile, and terribly cringey. The paragraphs had no flow to them. At first I was bored out of my mind because of the writing style. It was all written in passive voice, which can get old quickly. The characters lacked depth, and I couldn't connect to them well. (That, and they had confusing names...) Run-on sentences and spelling errors plagued this book. And, lord, help me, after every sentence, the characters would say "no?" (Such as "I'll bake a special cake, no?" or "You should ask her, no?") Starting from chapter thirteen, the word "no?" was used after a sentence eight times. That was only counting from chapter thirteen and on!! Also, Gertie, the MC, said "hee-hee-hee!" once, and I wanted to claw my eyes out. *sighs*

AND DO NOT GET ME STARTED ON THE INSTA-LOVE!! As soon as Gertie met a guy, she would try to make out with him, and then two seconds later, she was practically promising to be the mother of the his children. This happened with two guys in the story. So guess what that means?! Of course, a love triangle!! Now, as much as I enjoy love triangles, this one bothered me. Why? Because Gertie wasn't all like "Hey, give me time to figure this out because I love you both." No, she would lie to each person and say she didn't love the other, when she so obviously did, which would hurt both of them so much.

Now onto the characters:

Gertie. Gertrude. Self-centered, arrogant brat. Call her what you want. Her life is perfect. She's rich and beautiful; her parents force her to live in Greece for a year, and what does she do? Complain!! (Well, for the first few chapters, at least.) Like I said above, she constantly tries to make out with people. She is an emotional rollercoaster, always yelling at people one second and then kissing them the next. She is such a problematic teenager, too—always woe is me. And goodness, she trusts everyone after talking to them for a millisecond. On the first day she arrived, she made out with Hector without knowing him. Then on her second date with Jeno, she asked him to drink her blood. Like girl, you barely even know this dude. What are you doing????? She is also stupid. She literally walks into a cave of vampires, after being told not to by Jeno. And oh my, does this girl playfully punch wayyyyyy too much. Like if I were Jeno, I would've drop kicked her after how much she punched him "playfully." Last but not least, she is inconsiderate and mean. She never thinks of others' feelings. She is awful about her mom. She 1000000% disobeyed Nikita's parents, and then lied to them over and over. And then, after everything, she begs Marta to let her stay because "she loves her more than that woman (referring to her real mom) in New York."

Jeno and Hector were both arrogant, inconsiderate, and overly dramatic. (Oh, and Jeno was oftentimes extremely creepy—cute, but creepy...)

Now onto problems I had with the story that had to do with how it was written:

So obviously, the author forgot half the stuff she wrote because there were so many pieces of the story that contradicted other parts.

Such as.....

Jeno said that he could only take one pint of blood a month from the same human. Yet, after he takes Gertie's the first time, about ten days later, he feeds on her again. This cycle continued throughout the book. Ugh... Like how was he not killed by Hector from feeding on her so much??

Another one was that Jeno couldn't enter Phoebe's mind because he hadn't been invited into the Angelis's home, but he had entered Gertie's mind before just fine. Like she would be sleeping in their home, and he would just call her up. I'm confused????????

All in all, this book had so many flaws. But I liked it because I have no taste. Help me.

P.S. I kind of need the second book now....

P.P.S. Wait, I forgot to add this, but was Jeno just using her the whole time?? That cliffhanger nearly murdered me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Jonel.
1,717 reviews311 followers
June 12, 2015
Pohler has a very approachable writing style that allows readers to focus on the story at hand. Her descriptions are vividly realistic. Pohler doesn’t just tell you that her characters are in Greece, her words and descriptions transport you there. The different cultures we encounter stand out in stark contrast to one another.

Pohler has done a brilliant job of developing each one while building it into the storyline as a whole. She builds a fabulous and unforgettable new world for readers to get lost in. The melding of mythology, the paranormal, and a dash of mysticism is a heady mix and lends itself nicely to this story. Pohler makes Greek mythology her own here in a bit way. The pantheon is transplanted into modern day with a few very original twists along the way. I love her origins of vampires. It’s very easy to grasp for those versed in Greek mythology or simply the story of Dionysus.

The main character portrays emotions in a very realistic manner. I love the fact that her decisions betray her age at every turn. She tries to follow her heart and do what she feels is right, but it rarely goes as planned for her. She can’t seem to grasp the concept that she’s pushing away those she’s trying to help until it’s too late. This is completed with a fantastic and diverse cast of characters that you not only get to know very well, but who are outstanding individuals that I’d love to meet in person. I love how Pohler’s characters have actual conversations with one another. The dialogue is fantastic and spot on.

This is a novel that will be enjoyed by young adult & adult audiences alike.

Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this work in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Katherine.
173 reviews6 followers
April 8, 2015
Vampire Addiction: The Vampires of Athens Book 1 is an amazing start to a new series by Eva Pohler. This YA story has a unique twist on vampires and ties vampires to the Greek Gods.
The story focuses on a young American, Gertrude, who becomes a foreign exchange student in Greece. She is living with a loving family who try to keep the secrets of Greece's dark vampire side from her. But that is impossible, especially since Gertie has befriended Jeno, a vampire.
The story was well developed and flowed smoothly. The plot was interesting and unique - there were a lot of interesting twists and turns. And the characters were amazing. I found the characters easy to relate to and realistic. Gertie definitely acted like a teenager and made some bad choices - there were some times that I wanted to smack her - but that made her a more realistic character.
I really enjoyed this story and I cannot wait to read the next book in this series.
Profile Image for Rachel.
213 reviews1 follower
December 14, 2015
I received this book from the author in exchange for a review.

Overall a pretty decent read. Fairly solid storyline and likable enough characters. However it was a little cheesy and a little too forced in spots. Like I get a love triangle makes things more interesting for a lot of stories but this one was not quite developed to its fullest potential. It was like Gertie had to convince herself she would rather be with Jeno. Speaking of Gertie, while she was a decent main character she was a bit daft at times and lacking in the common sense department. More than once I wanted to smack her and tell her to open her eyes and use her common sense. On a positive note this book is an interesting version of vampire origins. The tie in withGreek mythology is unique and makes for a good story.
Profile Image for Tanya Johnson.
268 reviews5 followers
March 17, 2015
Vampires – check, Greek Gods – check, romance-check, suspense – check. Yes this book has it all and if you are like any of these you will absolutely love this combination! I mean vampires which are a descendant of a Greek God (yup not giving that one away LOL). I was so engrossed with the book that I had it done in one weekend (I have a family so I did have to stop occasionally). There was so many times that I wanted to smack Gertrude but in the end I was wanting to read on and see what happens with her and Jeno.

Eva does a fantastic job of combining both the paranormal with the Greek mythology and I feel that this is going to be a great series!!
3 reviews3 followers
March 19, 2015
Eca Pohler really knows how to pull you into a book. This author is one of my all time favs. In this book you get a story like no other. Many people can undertand where the main character is coming from because alot of us had parents like hers. I have never read or seen vamps being called tramps, and never have I heard the stories of the gods being involved with vampires. So if you love vamps and greek gods. Pick this book up today. You will love it. Can't wait for the next one.
Profile Image for Nancy (The Avid Reader).
3,075 reviews128 followers
October 4, 2016
Gertie is a sixteen year old American girl who is being sent to spend a year with a family in Athens and go to school there. Her parents try to tell her that this will be good for her but Gertie knows they just want to get rid of her for a while. Gertie doesn’t have any friends at her school in New York well not true friends. So there really isn’t anyone or anything that she will miss. But Gertie loves spending time alone so that she can read. Gertie loves reading about vampires and Greek mythology. So you would think she would love visiting Athens but it is not Athens particularly that she doesn’t want to see. She is just afraid of the unknown and of being around people or someone she doesn’t know.

But once she arrives in Athens and meets the family that she will be staying with and gets to know them as well as a friend of theirs Gertie falls in love with all of them and doesn’t ever want to leave. Gertie actually meets two guys, Jeno and Hector while in Athens that she really likes a lot and they both like her very much as well. The family that Gertie is staying with warns her away from Jeno though.

Athens has some secrets that they try to keep hidden from most humans. In the ancient city don’t be surprise if you run into a vampire or two or maybe even a Greek god or two as well. Jeno is a part of this secret world he is a vampire. And the family that she is staying with warns her away from Jeno for this reason. They think that vampires are nothing but tramps and if you hang with them then you must be just like them.

But Gertie likes Jeno very much and doesn’t want to lose her new friend but she doesn’t want to lose her new family either so what is a girl to do? Jeno is very addicting but she loves her new family very much. Can she have both? Her new family and Jeno? Will she have to choose between the two?

Yes Vampire Addiction is very addicting. Once I started reading it I couldn’t put it down. I think I read it in one setting. Vampire Addiction will grab you right on the first page and keep you enthralled the whole way through until the last page and beyond. I love me some vampires but throwing in Greek mythology was out of this world as I do love both. If you love vampires and Greek mythology then you are going to love this mixture of the two. Pick up your copy today and get started on this new series. I can’t wait to read the next book Vampire Affliction in The Vampires of Athens.
Profile Image for Diamond.
91 reviews7 followers
May 12, 2017
*DNF'ed it at around 50 pages*

Ah this book. This book is probably the worst book I've read.

The book takes place in Greece, our main character has been forced by her parents to spend her vacations with a Greek family.

As a Greek I found the representation of Greek people just really bad. The book was full of stereotypes of Greeks and Greece in general, of which barely a few are true. I'm not going to count them in this review, but there are quite a few in there that someone may not even notice if they are not Greek.

Also, I really didn't like the insta-love going on. And most of the characters were poorly developed (But this may get better as the book continues, I'll never know I guess).

Finally, I wasn't fond with the writing, I thought it could have been better and a few greek words and phrases here and there didn't really help either.

I'm really sorry that I couldn't get myself to finish this book. :(
Profile Image for Kersten.
20 reviews2 followers
October 18, 2018
I really enjoy good vampire stories and have a passion for Greek mythology so had high hopes for this book. Very disappointed. Trite, contrived and trying too hard. Also predictable. The characters are obvious and shallow. The dialogue stilted and unnatural. This storyline had a lot of promise but failed to deliver.
Profile Image for Shellene.
124 reviews2 followers
September 27, 2015
I put off reading this book as long as I could!!! OMG IT'S AMAZING!!!! My love for vampires and mythology in one book, yes please!!! I love the story line and the characters. Read this book, you will be happy you did.
Profile Image for Ann.
4 reviews
December 25, 2014
I absolutely LOVED this book!!! I highly recommend giving it a read!!! Miss Pohler is absolutely BRILLIANT!!!
Profile Image for Nichole Brunt.
467 reviews8 followers
February 10, 2016
An amazing book about Vampires, Gods, and humans. Eva Pohler is an awesome Author and I can't wait to read more of her work
Profile Image for Samantha.
60 reviews
March 19, 2020
I made it 41 pages in and called it quits. 41 pages in and barely any character development, the main character and a boy already developed a love interest? No thanks. Very low readability level, definitely a young adult book. Not my cup of tea.
Profile Image for Nour.
65 reviews41 followers
April 16, 2017
Honestly the story could've been more enjoyable if it wasn't for the writing style.
1,217 reviews1 follower
May 16, 2018
Love this book can't wait to read more by this author in to see what happens in the next two books
Profile Image for Sherri Shade.
114 reviews
April 11, 2017
Super good read, really imaginative. Totally kicks Twilight's ass in the YA vamp genre. Way better than the standard vampire vs. werewolf trope, much more original.
Profile Image for Michelle .
2,128 reviews304 followers
September 29, 2016
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**

2.5/5

Vampire Addiction is the first book in the young adult paranormal romance series, the vampires of Athens, by Eva Pohler. Vampire Addiction is the story of Gertie, who is a book worm that didn't want to go to Athens for a study abroad year. Her parents had to force her to go, so right off the bat Gertie and I butted heads a little. I just couldn't wrap my head around someone not wanting to learn all kinds of things by experiencing a new culture like that, especially someone who is as much of a bookworm as she is. I guess I just equated bookworms with people who have a thirst for knowledge and would love to be able to learn about Athens, while being in Athens! She came across as very immature to me. However, the book did get better, and I ended up liking Vampire Addiction.

Once Gertie gets to Greece, she is immediately taken under the wing of her host family. I loved how involved her host family was. weird things did start happening right away, and soon we are swept up in a whirlwind journey. The vampires of Athens were brought into the story line pretty quickly, and I have to say Vampire Addiction seemed like the perfect title for the story because Gertie was obsessed with them. It seemed like every other word out her mouth was about vampires. every single person she met knew, within their first or second conversation, that Gertie was reading interview with a vampire and that she was fascinated by them. I thought that was a little overboard. Which leads me to my main annoyance with Vampire Addiction. I felt like this book was very cool, but I felt like it lacked finesse. There wasn't very much showing, just a lot of telling. It felt a little abrupt and jumpy.

However, I still enjoyed Vampire Addiction, and that was mainly due to the plot line of the story. even though I felt like the pacing was a bit choppy, I like the blending of mythology and vampire lore a lot. It is something that I haven't seen done much, if at all, and it was a very cool take on subject. I also love the idea that if a vampire drinks from a human that they inherit some of the vampires superpowers for a little while. That is cool, and I could totally see how that would be addicting. Those elements were what kept me interested in Vampire Addiction. I liked this novel, but I didn't love it. I would recommend it to fans of vampire stories that are looking for a unique twist on the lore.

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Profile Image for Angela(demonsangel) Fitzgerald.
501 reviews35 followers
Want to read
December 15, 2014
I HAVEN'T READ THIS STORY YET.

Okay, this is not a review, it's more of what I think. I've listened to every audiobook that Eva Pohler has available at Audible. When listening or reading The Gatekeepers Saga you can tell that Eva has a brilliant imagination and she loves mythology. I never really cared about learning about mythology until listening to her stories but I've come to really enjoy mythology in stories. I discovered that Eva has written a new story, this one, Vampire Addiction and learned that she's throwing in vampires along with mythology. I'm not sure if any other author has tried this before but I was beyond surprised. I don't know what made her think of mixing vampires with mythology. I wonder how long she's toyed with this idea before putting pen to paper, rather fingers to a computer.

I love her stories and I know she loves mythology and the Gods. I've learned so much and mythology just from listening to her stories. I'm so proud of Eva for taking her love for mythology to another level. I feel that any author that steps out of their “comfort" zone has go be brave. I remember things I read about Julie Kagawa when she decided to write about vampires instead of her stories of they Fey. So many people were afraid of her failing but she didn't. I do wonder if she had mixed vampires and the fey. This is what Eva has done and its brilliant.

I am scared for her, yet I know from her other stories that this might very well be the best story she's written. I am fascinated to learn of how it plays out and how she has written mythology and vampires into a story. I do wonder if any other author has put the two together. I wonder how long she played with the idea of including vampires into a story. I wonder how much time she spent on the idea of it all. I suppose Eva is the one that knows this and maybe we'll find out, maybe we wont. Eva never ceases to amaze me. I'm really intrigued with this story, maybe even obsessed, lol. I know that whatever you write Eva that it will be great and mind blowing. Congratulations on your upcoming release of Vampire Addiction.
Profile Image for Barbara Desmond.
297 reviews14 followers
July 8, 2015
I love it when I'm in the right place at the right time. It doesn't happen often but it did the other day when I spotted a link on Twitter to a download for this book. Yay for freebies and for vampires. Forget about warnings to not take candy from strangers since for me it would be books although I wouldn't mind the candy too. I am having such a great reading year discovering authors and more series. Yes I continue to drown in series.

I'm just going to go out on a limb and say that's Jeno and of course the girl would be Gertie. As you can see from the cover this is the first in a series. I'm so glad I discovered this one because I really enjoyed it and hooray the second book is out so I'll have to read that one too. This is an interesting cover. This book takes place in Greece which is cool.

It all starts off with Gertie getting sent off to live with a family in Greece for a year. It is one of those exchange programs but there doesn't seem to be any exchanging since it just appears to be a way for Gertie's parents to get rid of her for a year. She is a reader and she's reading Interview With The Vampire. Yep Anne Rice was my introduction to vampires and I still love them and jump at the chance to read a book about them. She's certainly braver than I am because if I was in her place I would have left the second I stepped into that apartment and saw those roaches. I'm not a fan of bugs. They really should get a pet bat. Do they have bats in Greece?

Anyhoo Gertie feels like she finally has a family. Yes there is a triangle but it isn't one that drives you too crazy. As a longtime soap viewer I'm kinda used to them even though I'm not too crazy about them. Eva does a pretty cool take on vampires and weaves in Greek Mythology into the story. I am amused that they call them tramps and the bite marks are called tramp stamps. Feel free to giggle. I know I did when I was reading this book. Okay I might be giggling a little bit while typing this. I think Misty's a Jeno fan because she has a hairdo that is very much like his hair unless that's Hector.

http://www.ficgal.com/book-club/vampi...
Profile Image for Shannon.
1,084 reviews17 followers
September 23, 2016
I received this book in exchanged for a review. This book was a bit on the juvenile side of YA for me. I found the characters to be very juvenile, but an accurate representation of teenage behavior which you don't often see in YA books. YA characters are usually mature beyond their years and face epic problems. In this case, our main character Gertie is visiting Greece as a foreign exchange student. She comes from a wealthy family and feels unwanted and neglected by her parents and would rather escape into a book than to Greece. In Greece she finds the Angelis family who she comes to love, Hector who is part of the YA love triangle, and Jeno who is our vampire and completes the triangle. Upon meeting Jeno, Gertie starts down a road of fantastical experiences with him, while upsetting her host family and making more mistakes while trying to fix everything. She never learned from her mistakes, kept her promises, or took ownership for her actions.

The insta-love with Hector and Jeno is ridiculous. There is no exploration of her feelings for either of them other than, you paid attention to me so I love you (Jeno) now but I like him (Hector) too. There was so much potential with the mythology behind the Greek Gods and Vampires and the rich history in Greece, you only get a little taste of it. At the end there is a hint that maybe you'll get a bit more in the continuation after the cliffhanger ending of book 1.

I prefer something with more character and plot development. I also didn't relate to the immaturity of the characters which I think turned me off from the beginning.
Profile Image for Dorothy.
149 reviews1 follower
December 27, 2017
I waffled between 2 stars ("it was ok") and 3 stars ("liked it") because there were some interesting details in this book I haven't seen in YA recently. The combination of Greek mythology and vampire mythology was interesting, but a little forced at times. Unfortunately, one of the 'big twists' was visible approximately 10 miles away (). That clumsy foreshadowing plus the active attempt to make a vampire character more angsty than Edward from Twilight bumped it down to 2 stars for me. I would still recommend this to readers with an interest in Greek mythology and a tolerance for slightly cheesy vampire romance. As far as violence and sexual content, I wouldn't recommend this to readers under 14 or so, depending on their maturity.
Last but not least, the juxtaposition of our main character with her unlimited credit card and her host family in near-poverty is a little undeveloped. There was a lot going on in this book what with vampires, demigods, family trauma, and revolutions, but it would have been lovely for our MC to check her privilege for a moment, too.
Profile Image for Ely.
1,435 reviews113 followers
March 22, 2015
3.5

I received this book from the author, but this is no way alters my opinion of the book.

Eva Pohler is a goddess when it comes to world-building. She creates these amazing worlds and stories that you just can’t help but be amazed at. In Vampire Addiction, she combines Greece, vampires and mythology in the one book to make this amazing world. Eva puts so much time and effort into her research and it just shines through her work. I think it’s my favourite thing about her books.

While I adored the world, unfortunately I didn’t feel the same about some of the characters. This shocked me because I absolutely love every character in Eva’s two other YA series. That being said, I didn’t dislike any of the characters but I just didn’t feel that same connection to them. Despite the fact that the main character Gertie is probably the heroine I have most in common with, I just didn’t love her like I love Therese or Daphne.

I think my favourite character was Hector – I think he’s gorgeous and probably the best character in the book so far. I just really loved how caring he was and funny, but he still had depth to him. I feel a new fictional crush coming on! I didn’t however like Jeno – I just wanted to scream at Gertie to stay away from him.

I’m really interested to see where Eva goes next with these characters and the world.
Profile Image for Nimuë .
14 reviews
November 10, 2016
Good things first: lovely world-building, intriguing plot, fantastic Minotaur cameo (my favorite part). But the bad overwhelmed the good for me. Once again, we have a heroine who can't choose between the misunderstood bad boy and the less obviously misunderstood and neglected golden boy, with a complication of some unrequited feelings on the part of her best friend. The whole book is a tragic comedy of errors in lack of communication, and far too much time is spent on the main character feeling sorry for herself. By the time we get to the interesting action, everything feels rushed. All of the chances to deal with the really interesting mythology and backstory that are obviously intended are swept away by Gertie's whining, naïveté, and downward spiral that comes from a complete inability to communicate. Also, absolutely no diversity or representation, and completely unhealthy relationships spun to be misunderstood and romantic instead of codependent and bad for everyone involved.
Profile Image for Rebecca.
909 reviews28 followers
January 15, 2018
Though this book reminded me of another very popular vampire book series it was very much its own story. I like how Eva intertwined Greek mythology with the legend of vampires. I really felt the writer did a great job letting us get to know the lead character in the story, Gertie. By getting to know Gertie you understand why she makes the choices she does. There is also a really dark undertone to one of the male leads. 

Along with great characters, there is a great story the flows and twists in places you don't expect. The writing really flowed along and the story was interesting. All in all a really good read. 

However, I am a little bummed about the ending. Only because it left me with a cliffhanger and I am unable to find the second installment of this wonderful story and I really need to see how it plays out. 
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