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Vladek
Anton Vladek is used to hunting demons.
Formerly the infamous Vlad the Impaler, Anton Vladek works tirelessly to guard humanity from the dangerous world of supernatural demons that prey on the innocent. But after a string of attempts on his life by both human and demonic forces, Vladek finds himself with a bounty on his head. The infamous Strigoi sisters, Mina and Lucy, want him dead.
And Vladek is determined to find out why.
Embarking on a high-stakes mission that will take him across the globe, Vladek becomes determined to unravel the truth behind their latest string of assassinations and bring the demonic sisters down. Racing against time to stop their killing spree while fighting to keep the bounty hunters off his back, can Vladek protect humanity from the latest demonic plot? Or this time, will he have met his match?
Filled to the brim with exhilarating action and hair-raising suspense, Vladek is a pulse-pounding supernatural thrill-ride that's perfect for anyone who loves demons and the secret agents who hunt them.
Formerly the infamous Vlad the Impaler, Anton Vladek works tirelessly to guard humanity from the dangerous world of supernatural demons that prey on the innocent. But after a string of attempts on his life by both human and demonic forces, Vladek finds himself with a bounty on his head. The infamous Strigoi sisters, Mina and Lucy, want him dead.
And Vladek is determined to find out why.
Embarking on a high-stakes mission that will take him across the globe, Vladek becomes determined to unravel the truth behind their latest string of assassinations and bring the demonic sisters down. Racing against time to stop their killing spree while fighting to keep the bounty hunters off his back, can Vladek protect humanity from the latest demonic plot? Or this time, will he have met his match?
Filled to the brim with exhilarating action and hair-raising suspense, Vladek is a pulse-pounding supernatural thrill-ride that's perfect for anyone who loves demons and the secret agents who hunt them.
104 pages, Paperback
Published October 4, 2021
3 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
About the author
Lee Cushing
84 books66 followersResiding in Blackpool, England, I have written over 70 books. As a fervent collector of celebrity autographs, I also champion LGBTQ rights, a theme I often explore in my writing. My pen name pays homage to acting icons Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, whose work I admire; despite their roles in less acclaimed films, they consistently delivered exceptional performances. My interests span supernatural folklore and enigmatic mysteries, such as alien abductions and the Loch Ness Monster. I'm an enthusiast of series like Doctor Who, Star Trek, and Buffy The Vampire Slayer, which greatly inspire my work.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
January 30, 2022
I received this book free from Voracious Readers Only to review.
I was initially intrigued by the premise of this story. I love when old horror stories are brought into the modern-day. However, I found that this novel had very little character development, even taking into account it is the 7th in the series. New characters were introduced and discarded rapidly. The entire plot moved too quickly. I had to go back and re-read parts many times because I thought I had missed something. The bright light of this novel was the action scenes. They were entertaining and the author did not shy away from the brutality of killing monsters. I believe this novel/series has lots of potential, but this novel did not live up to it.
I was initially intrigued by the premise of this story. I love when old horror stories are brought into the modern-day. However, I found that this novel had very little character development, even taking into account it is the 7th in the series. New characters were introduced and discarded rapidly. The entire plot moved too quickly. I had to go back and re-read parts many times because I thought I had missed something. The bright light of this novel was the action scenes. They were entertaining and the author did not shy away from the brutality of killing monsters. I believe this novel/series has lots of potential, but this novel did not live up to it.
April 23, 2022
Anton Vladek is a leading agent in an organisation that protects humans from vampires. The irony? Vladek is actually Vlad the Impaler – one of the most famous vampires of all!
The story is very fast paced with frequent graphic violence.
Even though this story is part of a series, I believe that the inclusion of some backstory (especially for the characters) would help the reader. An interesting twist on the classic genre.
(The author kindly made a copy of this novel available for review via Voracious Readers – with thanks).
The story is very fast paced with frequent graphic violence.
Even though this story is part of a series, I believe that the inclusion of some backstory (especially for the characters) would help the reader. An interesting twist on the classic genre.
(The author kindly made a copy of this novel available for review via Voracious Readers – with thanks).
July 23, 2024
Vladek delivers an electrifying journey with Anton Vladek, the legendary Vlad the Impaler turned demon hunter. As he dodges both human and demonic assassins while racing against time to stop a deadly spree, this book keeps you on the edge of your seat. What I loved most about it was the intense pace and the way Vladek's determination shines through, making every twist and turn gripping. If you enjoy action-packed tales with a supernatural twist, this one's a great read!
January 12, 2022
One can't help but feel disoriented going into Lee Cushing's Vladek. Chapter 1 feels like the continuation of the previous book. I have no way of knowing if this is true, but the way we're dropped right into the middle of things with no explanation, I can only assume that is the case. The lack of details leaves the reader very little to go on. When you read, you rely on the author to paint a picture that you can envision in your mind. Reading this is like looking at a blank canvas while stick figures move around.
The author also assumes the reader has read the previous books (I'm guessing) because we're introduced to characters, and you get the impression you should know who these people are, but for somebody coming into the series fresh, we have no clue. As above, there's nothing about the characters, so they become paper dolls being moved around the stage. We find out that they were on the plan when it crashed (we later find out it was a bomb), and they walk away as if they're taking a stroll on the beach. They're being pursued by military types (?) with guns, but you never at any time feel a sense of menace or threat. When you find out that there's a bounty on the man's head, you'd figure the would-be assassins would know what type of creatures they are dealing with and be armed accordingly, but they stumble through and are easily (too easily) dispatched. When they arrive at the lodge, a descript of the surroundings would be helpful, but the author gives us nothing, so we assume the desk clerk is the only one present. But wait, there's a man there also, which I'm sure our hero would have noted when he took in the surroundings. Oh, and wait, there are more guests that magically appear when the author realizes he needs more people present. These people should have expressed some reaction when these strangers arrived, strangers who have been stumbling around in the wild and should appear dirty and disheveled and the woman is barefoot, but there's nothing.
I really wanted to like this based on the cover, which is awesome, and the synopsis, but sadly, those are the best parts of this book. It is badly in need of some editing. Sentence structure if often awkward and the reader stumbles over it like the characters stumble over dead bodies. There are sentences where words are missing or misspelled, and the misspellings are often comical -- sceptic when skeptic is meant. Sceptic gives a whole new meaning to the sentence, and not in a good way. In Chapter 5, a character's last name changes from one sentence to the next: first, Billy King, and in the very next sentence, it's Billy Welles.
Should the author decide to revisit this, giving it a full revision, fleshing out details, then turn it over to an editor, I would love to read through this again to enjoy the story, but as it stands now, it's just painful to read.
The author also assumes the reader has read the previous books (I'm guessing) because we're introduced to characters, and you get the impression you should know who these people are, but for somebody coming into the series fresh, we have no clue. As above, there's nothing about the characters, so they become paper dolls being moved around the stage. We find out that they were on the plan when it crashed (we later find out it was a bomb), and they walk away as if they're taking a stroll on the beach. They're being pursued by military types (?) with guns, but you never at any time feel a sense of menace or threat. When you find out that there's a bounty on the man's head, you'd figure the would-be assassins would know what type of creatures they are dealing with and be armed accordingly, but they stumble through and are easily (too easily) dispatched. When they arrive at the lodge, a descript of the surroundings would be helpful, but the author gives us nothing, so we assume the desk clerk is the only one present. But wait, there's a man there also, which I'm sure our hero would have noted when he took in the surroundings. Oh, and wait, there are more guests that magically appear when the author realizes he needs more people present. These people should have expressed some reaction when these strangers arrived, strangers who have been stumbling around in the wild and should appear dirty and disheveled and the woman is barefoot, but there's nothing.
I really wanted to like this based on the cover, which is awesome, and the synopsis, but sadly, those are the best parts of this book. It is badly in need of some editing. Sentence structure if often awkward and the reader stumbles over it like the characters stumble over dead bodies. There are sentences where words are missing or misspelled, and the misspellings are often comical -- sceptic when skeptic is meant. Sceptic gives a whole new meaning to the sentence, and not in a good way. In Chapter 5, a character's last name changes from one sentence to the next: first, Billy King, and in the very next sentence, it's Billy Welles.
Should the author decide to revisit this, giving it a full revision, fleshing out details, then turn it over to an editor, I would love to read through this again to enjoy the story, but as it stands now, it's just painful to read.
February 5, 2022
I received a free review copy of this book from Voracious Readers Only in exchange for my honest review. I’ll start by saying it takes a lot of time, effort, research, and passion to write and publish your own novels. This author has several to his name and that in and of itself is quite the accomplishment.
That being said…
The beginning of this book feels chaotic. The reader is dropped into the middle of a scene of a plane crash with no explanation and no real introduction to the characters. As this book is the 7th in a series I’m assuming the author has expected the reader to have all the background knowledge of the first 6 books, which I did not read. One line in particular uttered by the female character: “Why don’t you just kiss me?” seems wildly inappropriate right after a plane crash as they’re apparently fleeing from a group of agents (of unknown agency to me).
Scene descriptions are lacking, to say the least. Characters pop up out of the blue and I’m not convinced all of them are even relevant to the storyline. There are too many characters to keep track of and not every one of them requires a name because they are killed within a page or 2 (if that). It just makes the story more confusing.
By chapter 2 I realized this author likes to pick a word or phrase and stick with it too long. “The man did this, the man did that” “my colleague… my colleague…” over and over within a short period of time. This story would benefit from changing it up. The repetition becomes annoying and just not very creative.
Several times the author’s sentence structure becomes clumsy and frustrating to read. He switches past and present tense frequently. I also feel like he was trying to reach a word count because many times a scene or dialogue could have been more impactful with more concise descriptions. Additionally, this book reads almost like a movie script that tells more than it shows.
This book went on for so long by allowing the main villain to constantly escape. And I say allowing because it really does seem like she gets away with little to no effort or push back most of the time.
A common issue I found in this book was that the author will bring you right up to a moment of action and then cut away to a scene later in the story with no explanation of how the characters got out of their previous, and potentially fatal, episodes.
For a main character who seems to want to protect people from the main villain, he kills a lot of people. If these people are actually monsters, then that is unclear from the reading.
The story did have few good twists. The lack of character development (which I think is difficult because we have so little backstory), sentence structure, “tell instead of show” format, lack of explanation, and lack of any emotional connection to the characters made this a quick but uninteresting read. A proper editor could really help flesh out the story line and characters.
That being said…
The beginning of this book feels chaotic. The reader is dropped into the middle of a scene of a plane crash with no explanation and no real introduction to the characters. As this book is the 7th in a series I’m assuming the author has expected the reader to have all the background knowledge of the first 6 books, which I did not read. One line in particular uttered by the female character: “Why don’t you just kiss me?” seems wildly inappropriate right after a plane crash as they’re apparently fleeing from a group of agents (of unknown agency to me).
Scene descriptions are lacking, to say the least. Characters pop up out of the blue and I’m not convinced all of them are even relevant to the storyline. There are too many characters to keep track of and not every one of them requires a name because they are killed within a page or 2 (if that). It just makes the story more confusing.
By chapter 2 I realized this author likes to pick a word or phrase and stick with it too long. “The man did this, the man did that” “my colleague… my colleague…” over and over within a short period of time. This story would benefit from changing it up. The repetition becomes annoying and just not very creative.
Several times the author’s sentence structure becomes clumsy and frustrating to read. He switches past and present tense frequently. I also feel like he was trying to reach a word count because many times a scene or dialogue could have been more impactful with more concise descriptions. Additionally, this book reads almost like a movie script that tells more than it shows.
This book went on for so long by allowing the main villain to constantly escape. And I say allowing because it really does seem like she gets away with little to no effort or push back most of the time.
A common issue I found in this book was that the author will bring you right up to a moment of action and then cut away to a scene later in the story with no explanation of how the characters got out of their previous, and potentially fatal, episodes.
For a main character who seems to want to protect people from the main villain, he kills a lot of people. If these people are actually monsters, then that is unclear from the reading.
The story did have few good twists. The lack of character development (which I think is difficult because we have so little backstory), sentence structure, “tell instead of show” format, lack of explanation, and lack of any emotional connection to the characters made this a quick but uninteresting read. A proper editor could really help flesh out the story line and characters.
February 11, 2022
Full disclosure, I read this book for free on the condition of giving an honest review afterwards. I also have not read any of the other casefile novels by Cushing, so that could contribute to my opinions in this review.
For a first time reader of both Cushing and anything to do with the casefile novels, I found the plot and the concepts in the book were very good. Cushing definitely excels in creating plot twists and keeping his readers on their toes. The ending where Mina is his 'new assistant' was one I loved so much. I loved the world building aspect of the book. It was thoroughly done and extensive, making you feel like you knew and understood all about the world that this story took place. It definitely propelled the amazing plot into a sense of reality for the reader and helped elevate the book as a result.
Onto the things that personally brought the book down for me. To begin, there were sections where I felt the whole violence, bloodshed and chopping heads-off thing got repetitive. I hated the plot twist where he comes back to find Vera dead. I felt the characters, especially Vladek's, needed to be expanded more. Vladek as a character in this book, seemed like someone who was just obsessed with killing and wasn't fully capable of feeling love or reciprocating it, especially towards Vera. Other relationships, like Daphne and Catherine's I wanted to see more of and in general, I felt like relationships could be expanded because as they were, it was almost as if they were two dimensional in a way.
If I could sum up the main point of why this book isn't five stars, it would be because of its characters. This could however be a flaw that came about due to the fact that the book was so short, which I think readers should consider when deciding to read this.
I think the book Vladek was okay to read, but it's a series I think I would personally struggle to commit to. I do recommend it for fans of anything to do with vampires but maybe start with the casefile novels in order, including Vladek, to give yourself some perspective and to potentially get more into the book.
For a first time reader of both Cushing and anything to do with the casefile novels, I found the plot and the concepts in the book were very good. Cushing definitely excels in creating plot twists and keeping his readers on their toes. The ending where Mina is his 'new assistant' was one I loved so much. I loved the world building aspect of the book. It was thoroughly done and extensive, making you feel like you knew and understood all about the world that this story took place. It definitely propelled the amazing plot into a sense of reality for the reader and helped elevate the book as a result.
Onto the things that personally brought the book down for me. To begin, there were sections where I felt the whole violence, bloodshed and chopping heads-off thing got repetitive. I hated the plot twist where he comes back to find Vera dead. I felt the characters, especially Vladek's, needed to be expanded more. Vladek as a character in this book, seemed like someone who was just obsessed with killing and wasn't fully capable of feeling love or reciprocating it, especially towards Vera. Other relationships, like Daphne and Catherine's I wanted to see more of and in general, I felt like relationships could be expanded because as they were, it was almost as if they were two dimensional in a way.
If I could sum up the main point of why this book isn't five stars, it would be because of its characters. This could however be a flaw that came about due to the fact that the book was so short, which I think readers should consider when deciding to read this.
I think the book Vladek was okay to read, but it's a series I think I would personally struggle to commit to. I do recommend it for fans of anything to do with vampires but maybe start with the casefile novels in order, including Vladek, to give yourself some perspective and to potentially get more into the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 5, 2022
As this is the 7th book, I expected it to pick up right away and not give a whole lot of context to every single character. We start with a bang, hitting the ground running with Vladek and Vera in the aftermath of a plane crash. Vladek and Vera seem acquainted but far from familiar with each other--perhaps victims of circumstance. Then from there, it is go, go, go, and their relationship turns very personal too fast. Everything that happens next happens very rapidly, in quick succession.
Cushing's writing style is very disjointed and made the lack of context tough to muddle through. I had a hard time getting a sense of place and connecting with what few characters last more than a chapter. There is a strong disconnect between physical locations, and sometimes there was so little description that I had no idea who was where and had to double back to understand people's general movements in a given scene. There is little substance to the characters, in my opinion, and any backstory we are given is almost an afterthought. Then they're often killed off within just a few paragraphs. Getting attached seemed both impossible and meaningless. First, we're here getting information from This Person, then This Person rides with us there to get info about That Person, so This Person is now expendable and That Person becomes our next escort. There was a ton of room for characters to play stronger roles and contribute to the drama, but they were quickly written out with the swing of a machete or the pulling of a trigger.
Side note: The book needs a good editor. There are many typos, missing words, and a lack of punctuation that contributed to the choppiness.
I think there's a solid concept here with a fresh take on the Vlad Tepes and traditional Dracula stories, but overall, this one just fell flat, for me. With zero connection to the people and places, I couldn't get into it. If he were to revisit this story and really flesh out more detail, I think it could be very good. Maybe with a good editor on his side to catch the story contradictions and unclear language, I'll try another one of Cushing's books.
Cushing's writing style is very disjointed and made the lack of context tough to muddle through. I had a hard time getting a sense of place and connecting with what few characters last more than a chapter. There is a strong disconnect between physical locations, and sometimes there was so little description that I had no idea who was where and had to double back to understand people's general movements in a given scene. There is little substance to the characters, in my opinion, and any backstory we are given is almost an afterthought. Then they're often killed off within just a few paragraphs. Getting attached seemed both impossible and meaningless. First, we're here getting information from This Person, then This Person rides with us there to get info about That Person, so This Person is now expendable and That Person becomes our next escort. There was a ton of room for characters to play stronger roles and contribute to the drama, but they were quickly written out with the swing of a machete or the pulling of a trigger.
Side note: The book needs a good editor. There are many typos, missing words, and a lack of punctuation that contributed to the choppiness.
I think there's a solid concept here with a fresh take on the Vlad Tepes and traditional Dracula stories, but overall, this one just fell flat, for me. With zero connection to the people and places, I couldn't get into it. If he were to revisit this story and really flesh out more detail, I think it could be very good. Maybe with a good editor on his side to catch the story contradictions and unclear language, I'll try another one of Cushing's books.
August 13, 2022
I have mixed feelings about this book. I like the theme of the book and it being about vampires and werewolves which have always interested me, but for me although it was fast-paced, it was a little confusing with lots of characters and lots happening in very short periods of time. I think it may help if you read the other novels in the series to understand who each person is and have a little more backstory about what is happening, although I have only read this one in the series. I found the dialogue a little unrealistic and there was a lot of telling in the story rather than showing. Also, the editing is not very good as there are lots of spelling mistakes throughout.
Some aspects were a little odd, for example at the beginning the main characters are involved in a disaster but manage to walk away unscathed. Vladek says he’ll give people a chance to live but kills them anyway. Surely his reputation would stop people telling him anything. There also seemed to be a lot of coincidences throughout the story. I think it could be improved as the concept and ideas for the story are obviously there. The ending might not be to everyone’s taste as it’s not neatly wrapped up.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Voracious Readers Only, thank you, and all thoughts are my own.
Some aspects were a little odd, for example at the beginning the main characters are involved in a disaster but manage to walk away unscathed. Vladek says he’ll give people a chance to live but kills them anyway. Surely his reputation would stop people telling him anything. There also seemed to be a lot of coincidences throughout the story. I think it could be improved as the concept and ideas for the story are obviously there. The ending might not be to everyone’s taste as it’s not neatly wrapped up.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Voracious Readers Only, thank you, and all thoughts are my own.
February 12, 2022
I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author via Voracious Readers Only in exchange for my honest review.
When I chose this book to read, I did not realize it was the seventh in the series. The book starts with a plane crash and the reader starts with confusion. There is no context for who the characters are or why the plane is crashing.
Then the male and female get attacked by an agency (?). She is told to run, which she does but then returns and honestly seems pretty useless. It is also revealed that she's a werewolf and it's a full moon. I was also confused by this because she seems so useless in her human form but I have no background if that is normal for this literary world. She is concerned about killing Vladek but then I think he reveals he is part werewolf but again it is a little unclear due to the lack of background and sentence structure.
I had high hopes for this book based off the synopsis but was left with confusion and disappointment. Kudos to the writer though for following his dream. I may have had a slightly different outlook if I had read the first 6 books.
When I chose this book to read, I did not realize it was the seventh in the series. The book starts with a plane crash and the reader starts with confusion. There is no context for who the characters are or why the plane is crashing.
Then the male and female get attacked by an agency (?). She is told to run, which she does but then returns and honestly seems pretty useless. It is also revealed that she's a werewolf and it's a full moon. I was also confused by this because she seems so useless in her human form but I have no background if that is normal for this literary world. She is concerned about killing Vladek but then I think he reveals he is part werewolf but again it is a little unclear due to the lack of background and sentence structure.
I had high hopes for this book based off the synopsis but was left with confusion and disappointment. Kudos to the writer though for following his dream. I may have had a slightly different outlook if I had read the first 6 books.
November 6, 2021
I would give it 3.5 stars. This book made me feel as if I was reading a comic book as everything was quite straight to the point. There was a hell of a lot of head chopping action with Vladek carrying his machete everywhere he goes. In some parts, I could picture the type of settings like in the movie "Lesbian vampire killers". It was a quick and easy read. I enjoyed it but I just wished there was a bit more details on the background of the characters their past and relationships to each other. You do get enough to follow the story but I felt it could have done with more. Perhaps it is because I haven't read the previous books in this series.
I was given this story through Voracious Readers Only and am giving this review of my own free will
I was given this story through Voracious Readers Only and am giving this review of my own free will
January 4, 2022
For fans of the classic novel, 'Dracula,' by Bram Stoker, Lee Child has re-imagined this tale in a contemporary sense that is action-packed from the get-go. Complete with the classic's original characters, Vladek is a hunter without remorse. Wielding his favorite machete, he takes no prisoners, but leaves a bloody trail behind him wherever he goes.
Classical demons have evolved into hybrid creatures completely bent on their own successes, pitilessly slaying and tearing each other to bits as if it's the only thing they do.
Blazing with flashing imagery, the reader is left with a significant impression with each chapter's transition, leading to a shocking ending that is merciless as Valdek himself.
A must read!
R.J. Stief - Indie Author
Classical demons have evolved into hybrid creatures completely bent on their own successes, pitilessly slaying and tearing each other to bits as if it's the only thing they do.
Blazing with flashing imagery, the reader is left with a significant impression with each chapter's transition, leading to a shocking ending that is merciless as Valdek himself.
A must read!
R.J. Stief - Indie Author
May 22, 2022
Vladek by Lee Cushing was a fascinating story. The concept was great but the execution could have been improved. I found the story very intriguing and I was very interested in the whole monster hunter vibe. However, I found that the story didn’t have a lot of cohesion and it felt a bit choppy and muddled. If you enjoy vampire or any kind of monster stories really, I recommend you give this story a try. Perhaps start at the beginning of the Trust Casefiles to see if that allows you to delve into the story better.
This book was received complimentary from the author through Voracious Readers Only.
This book was received complimentary from the author through Voracious Readers Only.
July 22, 2024
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. I did not know this was part of a larger series, so I cannot fault the author for not providing a lot of backstories for the characters. I like the premise that Vlad the Impaler working for a secret government agency, the Trust. What I didn't like was the author trying to cram too many subplots into one novel. There were so many crises that were resolved in a few pages that I stopped caring about the incidents or the characters because I knew things would be resolved. In fact, one of conflicts could be fleshed out and become the entire plot of the story.
January 18, 2022
I received this book to read in exchange for a review.
The premise was very interesting, bringing in characters from Dracula with a little twist. Overall, the whole story moved too quickly. I understand this is Book 7 in a series, however there was no true character development.
Knowing the character names does not translate well into understanding their character in this new setting.
The ending was very anticlimactic. There were a number of grammatical and typo errors that also pulled me out of the story.
The premise was very interesting, bringing in characters from Dracula with a little twist. Overall, the whole story moved too quickly. I understand this is Book 7 in a series, however there was no true character development.
Knowing the character names does not translate well into understanding their character in this new setting.
The ending was very anticlimactic. There were a number of grammatical and typo errors that also pulled me out of the story.
March 29, 2022
Ok going into this book, Vladek by Lee Cushing, I had high hopes because I am a vampire book lover, so I thought this would be amazing. First of all it was a quick read and I really liked the premise of the story but there are still several grammar issues and as for the story, it was a good story but at times I felt it was an overdone story and it felt rushed in places but in saying that the story was a good quick read. I hope to try more from this author. I would recommend if you are looking for something short to read.
April 12, 2022
I received this book for free to review through Voracious Reader.
The story has good bones, but poor development. Immediately you're thrust into the story which is action-packed, but has no sense of time. One minute the protagonists are in a particular country, and then they're on another continent. This can make it a little disjointed. Couple that with a few poor word choices and a some typos, it can make it difficult to follow along.
The characters are interesting though, and the chemistry between certain characters can easily be felt throughout. Just needs a little tweaking.
The story has good bones, but poor development. Immediately you're thrust into the story which is action-packed, but has no sense of time. One minute the protagonists are in a particular country, and then they're on another continent. This can make it a little disjointed. Couple that with a few poor word choices and a some typos, it can make it difficult to follow along.
The characters are interesting though, and the chemistry between certain characters can easily be felt throughout. Just needs a little tweaking.
January 12, 2023
I received this as an ARC from voracious readers a long time ago. I just forgot to write a review as I didn't want to leave a bad one.
I honestly expected more as this is the 7th book in the series but I felt that there was no character development at all, new characters were introduced but were never built on they were there one min and gone the next which made it feel like they were just there for filler. I wonder if maybe this is also what I see because I did not read the first 6 books and came into the story late. SO please remember this is just my opinion on this one book I have read.
I honestly expected more as this is the 7th book in the series but I felt that there was no character development at all, new characters were introduced but were never built on they were there one min and gone the next which made it feel like they were just there for filler. I wonder if maybe this is also what I see because I did not read the first 6 books and came into the story late. SO please remember this is just my opinion on this one book I have read.
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January 4, 2022This is a brilliant read! It pulled me in from beginning to end and held my attention. The world building is detailed and imaginative. When Vladek heads out on his investigation of the assassinations you will be on the edge of your seat wondering will he make it? will he survive? you will be holding your breath! This novel has strong, well developed characters and an interesting story line that keeps you turning the pages. I recommend this novel and would read more novels by this author.
January 12, 2022
This was my first time reading a book from this author and it won't be last last book of his. It is was an easy read the author's writing just flows and before you know it you have stayed up well past your bedtime saying I'll just finish this last chapter. Action, vampires, and wolves what more could you ask for. I would give it 10 stars if I could add I loved every minute of the adventure this book took the reader on.
January 17, 2022
Lee Cushing is a new author for me but I will definitely read more. Vladek is a twist on the Dracula story. Vladek (Vlad) is a demon hunter and his worse enemy is his own wife. A fast paced entrancing story that mixes well developed characters and great action. Reading the first books in the series would definitely help set the stage but once you are there its a great ride.
I was given a free copy to write a review from the author on Voracious Readers Only.
I was given a free copy to write a review from the author on Voracious Readers Only.
January 19, 2022
I love Vampire stories. I did enjoy this book as it was fast paced but it bounced from place to place with not a lot of context. Very straight to the point which I found easy to read but I do like a more descriptive book. The editing was not done well, there were a lot of mistakes which I found hard to let go. The thing I did enoy the most was that the main vampires, or Strigoi, were all very old, which a lot of vampire stories do not include.
February 13, 2022
Not bad, but there has to be more exposition in the story. Some of the characters I had no idea who they were, but they didn't affect the story; they were just 'there to be there' apparently. Interesting idea about using old elements of horror, but the story was "too fast"...I think it would be better served if there were more 'padding'...say, more of a description of the situation, the characters themselves, etc. 130 pages for a story like this isn't enough, but a great start.
March 11, 2022
The book lacked editing and had multiple grammerand spelling errors. The story of a werewolf living centuries was a nice twist but the story was choppy and lacking in details. Random people introduced to be killed off a few sentences later. The ending was abrupt like the author just wanted to end it. The author could make this much more by going into some past of Vlad, more detail and take the pages to make it less choppy.
April 26, 2022
I received this book from VRO in exchange for an honest review. Personally the copy I received was hardly edited and only included the first couple chapters. It was in the middle of a series and I personally felt like the writing style reminded me of a middle schooler trying to write a short story. It felt very choppy and unorganized and the plot didn’t seem to make sense. There also wasn’t any real story building or character building so none of the relationships between characters made sense.
October 27, 2022
The book started off strong. But some inconsistencies throughout have made it difficult to enjoy. How could he be able to catch and decapitate everyone but, with Mina, she just manages to escape and he fails to recapture until the end of the book. And the ending was not satisfying at all. I felt the battles resolved a bit too quickly and too easily. A supposed army killing demon gets persuaded and killed in a span of minutes by one lone assailant? Come on!
November 7, 2022
I received a complimentary copy of the book and am giving my honest review. I didn't read the previous books, as when I received the book I thought it was a standalone. You can get the idea of what is going on, but there are a lot of details that are missing if you don't read the other books. It comes off as an action movie where it focused on the combat heavy scenes and moves onto the next moment. It's not a bad story but I feel like I could of enjoyed it more if the books were read in order.
December 21, 2021
I have to say this was a good book with a great storyline and great characters that the author invented and it all came together to be a great book. I was able to read it from the very beginning to the very end and I enjoyed it very much. I receieved this book for free thru an Advanced Review Copy, ARC, with an honest review freely given.
January 11, 2022
Very interesting story that kept me reading until the last word. VLADEK or Vlad is a cross of vampire and werewolf, and fights against evil vampires. The main bad guys are Mina his wife and her sister. They are assassins for the highest bidder. There is so much drama and beheadings in this book. You never know who to trust.
October 26, 2021
This book was given to me to write a review from the author on Voracious Readers Only. It was a quick, and interesting read. The main character had me hooked from the beginning, and he held you in suspense to the last sentence.
December 21, 2021
Vladek, written by Lee Cushing is a very engaging read. The story captures the reader from the beginning, and the storyline keeps the reader moving to the end.
Flow was a little stunted in some areas, but otherwise a decent read.
Flow was a little stunted in some areas, but otherwise a decent read.
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