Blood Ties

Blood Coven Vampire #6

by Mari Mancusi

"Dark, delicious and full of surprises, the Blood Coven series is like vampire candy." - New York Times bestselling author Heather Brewer.

Officially back in the arms of her vampire boyfriend Magnus, Sunny finds she still can't forget the gentle mortal Jayden who once saved her life. When darkness threatens to steal his humanity, Sunny must make a stay true to her love, or defy him in a desperate attempt to save Jayden's soul.

Meanwhile, the Blood Coven is gearing up for a showdown with a splinter group of Slayer Inc. It's Vampires vs. Slayers in a showdown that could cost Sunny not only her heart...but also her life.

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

242 pages, Paperback

First published July 22, 2011

About the author

Mari Mancusi grew up where the north wind meets the sea (otherwise known as Massachusetts), but has since made her home in the great state of Texas, mostly due to her love of summer. (And tacos.) A former Emmy Award winning TV news producer, today she is the author of more than two-dozen books for kids, teens, and adults, mostly of the sci-fi/fantasy variety. In addition to writing, Mari loves traveling, video games, and cosplaying. She is also Mom to an eight year old Frozen superfan who, when recently asked by her teacher to describe her hero answered: “My Mom!” (Okay, fine, she said Kristin Bell.)

You can find Mari online at www.marimancusi.com. She knows several Samanthas.

Reviews

[Madison Warner Fairbanks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blood Ties by Mari Mancusi
Blood Coven Vampire series #6. YA paranormal vampire series with twin sisters POV in alternating books.
Sonny McDonald and boyfriend Magnus are back in Las Vegas after she was saved by drinking from the chalice. Sonny stumbles on Jayden in an alley where he’s been turned into a vampire. Allowing Jayden to drink from her, Sonny falls a little for him again and begs Magnus to save him. An adventure begins as they travel for help while Marcus must also deal with politics and fighting between the vampires and slayers.

Sonny is still in high school and must deal with emotions, her new fae status, and an often busy boyfriend. Angst and spiraling feelings dominate. Money is plentiful as they fly on a private jet across time zones. She’s holding on to her virginity so Marcus will have to be patient. Or Jayden. No, Marcus.

A zinger of an ending giving the reader a heads up on Rayne’s next slayer task.
Amusing and exasperating (of the teen issues) and yes, I’m going to finish the next two books to complete this vampire ya series.
3.5.

[Briar's Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another round of Mari Mancusi's Blood Coven Vampires?! Yes please!

I adore Sunny and Magnus, and lucky for us these two are back together! They are one of my top YA couples and we're SO lucky to get another book with these two characters interacting!

The drama in this book is intense - a love triangle between Sunny, Magnus and Jayden is clearly occurring. But, as we all know, Sunny is meant for Magnus and they adore each other to no end. The excitement that ensues includes fighting, kisses, biting (vampire alert!), misunderstandings and teenage romance and drama!

I loved this book! It's fast paced, has fun teenage angst and lots of ooey gooey romance with my faves Sunny and Magnus!

This is a YA book, so don't go expecting adult drama and storylines. Mari does a great job making this series fun and exciting in the realms of the unbelievable. I highly recommend this series if you haven't read it! It's one of the best, fun YA novels out there is you want something lighthearted yet addicting! It's one of my go to series for when I have a bad day (because it's rarely depressing).

Five out of five stars!

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title: Blood Ties
Author: Mari Mancusi
Genre: YA/Fantasy/Romance/Super-Natural
Publication Date: August 2, 2011

Description:
Officially back in the arms of her vampire boyfriend Magnus, Sunny finds she still can’t forget the gentle mortal Jayden who once saved her life. When darkness threatens to steal his humanity, Sunny must make a choice: stay true to her love, or defy him in a desperate attempt to save Jayden’s soul.
Meanwhile, the Blood Coven is gearing up for a showdown with a splinter group of Slayer Inc. It’s Vampires vs. Slayers in a showdown that could cost Sunny not only her heart…but also her life.

Review:
Sunshine and Rayne McDonald, identical twin sisters… Sunshine (Sunny) only wanted a prom date and a boyfriend. She went to a night club and was mistaken for her twin and was bitten, thus becoming a vampire. Sunny was flown across the world with Magnus (the vampire who turned her) to find the one & only Holy Grail, so she could sip from it and become mortal again.
Rayne only wanted to become a vampire her whole life. She finally met her blood mate, Jerath, who bit and changed her. Rayne then found out she was destined to become a slayer. Well being a vampire and a slayer she decided to be the bad-ass Buffy type and take out the ‘bad’ vampires.
Let’s add one more thing on it… they are fae. Yep, Sunny is the princess to be Queen and Rayne is now a vampire/slayer/fae.
Sunny’s love of her life ends up being the vampire who bit her, Magnus. The story starts out with him finding her at school and taking her away for a limo ride (not believable). While riding, they have a tiff and she jumps out, spreading her wings for all of the people around her to see and she doesn’t care. Again, not believable. What about the innocent people around her and the concerned bystanders oblivious to anything outside human DNA? Her response, “It’s Vegas people, just a show.”
While Sunny is having her tantrum, she hears moaning and finds her “almost” boyfriend Jayden. Jayden has been turned into a vampire and she feels guilty for this happening, thinking she caused it. Jayden feeds on her and she goes into pure bliss, just to be discovered by Magnus. He throws Jayden across the ally and rescues Sunny from her own death.
Fast forward the vampire race is coming to an end because a self-riteous hypocrite wants world domination; as well as a turned vampire… slayer… (not Rayne!) I can’t say much more without giving away the story line or the plot. Also remember the Holy Grail? Well it’s supposed to be super top secret and guarded. Magnus found it by paying off the guards to save Sunny. He is going to find it again to save Jayden… but again, it’s supposed to be super top secret.
The story itself was a really good story and well thought out; however, I was completely disappointed with the characters. The guys seemed to be complete wimps and so weak. The women were written as typical teenage drama queens to be expected to lead a leaders life role. Let me explain… think Snookie from Jersey Shore leading a crusade. The characters need serious updating and more fore-thought. Make the guys more masculine, not so weak. They were completely unbelievable. Again, I enjoyed the story line, just did not enjoy the characters.

[Muffin~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I think I'm going to start with the good points.
The book is quite funny and more than I expected to be!
Also I like the location of Japan and that they are back at England!
So, now the bad points...how annoying Sunny is! I like her sister much more...Bad magnum (oh! XD Magnus! I know lame joke but I can't stop reading Magnum instead of Magnus...Maybe I should eat more ice cream *_*?)

Ok, back to the main points of this review… She is really stupid but ;_; why she says the poor Jareth is stupid while he wants only to save his mate? Surely she is stupid ...no rights to say that! xD ( ok just my opinion not serious criticism)
I hate fairies so much...worst fantasy creature so far...( sorry to all lovers!)
Rainny is quite funny so I hope more to the 7 book! Soon is the end of that nonsense book series!

I can't recommend a buy (I lend the books of a friend) but it's quite funny if you don't have something to read and too much free time. The first book until the 4th is quite funny and not that bad but book 4 is not that good any more than 1 until 3. 5 is the worst book so far of the book series.
The six is quite good, but the story is a bit lame and not that exciting but readable...
The love story between Sunny and J. is a annoying...if I would be Mangum I would ask my common sense if I'm not normal...Let's be honest ...she kisses the other boy and he just is ok with it?
She says she will love this boy forever... (Love...I'm not sure if the author knows what love is but that’s a wrong why to picture love!)
Girls never do that with your boyfriends they just start to be heartbroken and don't trust you anymore or just broke up with you and if you kiss another boy and start to have feelings I can surely say you don't love your current boyfriend anymore you just cling on him, because he was always there!
Really! She doesn't love Mangus like Sunny always says ...if she would she would not be distracted by a stupid shellfish guy who is so immature that he starts to become a vampire...

I criticize the books a lot but I also enjoy reading them...But let’s I Am honest with you if you want to read a good fantasy book series with more than nonsense topics and nonsense dialogs than you should not start reading any book of this series.

[Mandy Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

First Impressions: The Blood Coven book series is one of my guilty pleasures, even though it is a tad bit cheesy. I read the first five books in this series and was super excited to receive the sixth and almost final book for my review. I had been itching to read this book since its August release and I was so glad to finally get around to it from my TBR pile.

First 50 Pages: I'm going to try to make this a short review because I hate to give away spoilers, especially when it comes to an almost final book in a series. I hate reading spoilers when I haven't read a book yet and I'm excited about it. So, I won't subject anyone else to that either. This book picks up right where the last book left off and is narrated by the same character, Sunny. This beginning was a bit slow, but I decided to stay with it because I needed to know what happened next.

Style of Writing/Plot Points: This book felt like a filler between the previous book and the next and probably last book in the series. It reminded me of the first half of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows when it comes to a lack of action leading up to a grand and final battle. There of course is a love triangle in this book that doesn't drag on as much as I thought it would and the romance is handled a bit better than I thought it was in some of the earlier books.

With that being said, this book is very much like all of the rest in the series. It was quick, easy to read and follow, and I by the time I was done I was highly looking forward to the next book. If you are new to the series, I don't even think you need to read the other books to be able to understand what is going on. The author provides plenty of background information to get a new reader caught up.

Final Thoughts: This wasn't my favorite book in the series, but it is a filler book so that is probably why I didn't care for it as much. I can't wait to read the next book because this book ends with a major cliffhanger and I HAVE to find out what the author is going to write next. If you love the Blood Coven series, definitely pick this one up and prepare for the next book!

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really don't know why I like this series so much, but I do.

I thought this one was much better than the last one, perhaps because Rayne's narration grates on my nerves and this one was narrated by Sunny. In the beginning of this series, I hated Sunny's narration and loved Rayne's, but that has certainly changed. Rayne just makes too many stupid mistakes and it's much less irritating to read about those in Sunny's story then to be along for the ride in Rayne's story.

I was so disappointed that Sunny stayed with Magnus after admitting she was in love with Jayden. UGH! I can't stand Magnus. I will admit that I liked him a lot more in this book than in any other book, but I still don't like him. I hate that Jayden purposefully became a vampire though, as I think that will never sit right with Sunny. I do hope this series ends with her going back to Jayden and living the normal life she always claims to want.

The ending of this was awesome - Rayne is now hired to slay Sunny and Magnus. I hope she just slays Magnus. ;)

I was a little disappointed that none of the revelations from the last book that I ranted about are really mentioned in this one. Odd.

I can't wait for the next one. Goodreads says it's published in March 2012, which I hope is the correct date (even though that's still too far away!) The back of this book said "winter of 2012" which is just way too far away to be possible. At least, I hope so! I read books 1-5 in a row this year and only had to wait a few months for this one, I certainly don't want to have to wait over a year for the next one!

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will start this review by saying I have not read any of the the previous Blood Coven books. That said, it was really easy to get into Blood Ties and follow along. The first chapter has Sunny summarizing what has happened to her so far to get her to where she is at the start of Blood Ties. Of course this is brief so as not to bore those who have read the series, but enough detail so those of us just picking up Blood Ties can catch up. It was a good enough catch-up to me that I was able to follow along with the book. However I will say that now I want to go back and read the books because I am fascinated by this world that Mari Mancusi has created and want to read more about it. But I don't think you have to read the first 5 books to read Blood Ties.

Blood Ties follows Sunny as she wants to save her best friend Jayden's soul while her boyfriend Magnus is going about trying to save the vampire race from an all-out war and trying to protect Sunny and save Jayden's soul. Mischief and mayhem of course follow, there are misunderstandings, fights, kick-butt scenes, hot kisses and lots of fun. I found Blood Ties to be the type of brain candy that I really miss in young adult fiction. It's light, it's fun and it has action. It's fast-paced, doesn't require me to think to hard and keeps me engaged and keeps me reading. I liked it and I could not put it down. I read this with my kids playing in the water while we were out on the boat on Sunday and it was the perfect boat book. I only had to pause a few minute when my youngest was stung by a jellyfish. When that crisis was over (which was mainly handled by the daddy) I went right back to Sunny, Magnus, and Jayden's world.

Run, don't walk and pick this one up. I'm saving my pennies and getting the start of this series next on my Kindle so I can learn more about Sunny and her friends. I am also anxiously awaiting the next in the series because let me tell you this one wraps up nicely but then there is a cliffhanger to beat all cliffhangers and I can't wait to see what happens next! Great job Ms. Mancusi - you have scored another devout reader to your Blood Coven series.

[Liliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed on Lili Lost in a Book

In Blood Ties, Jayden's mortality is in danger. You remember him? Super sweet guy from Vegas who saved Sunny's life?? Well, now it's Sunny's turn to help Jayden. If they only knew this was the least of their problems. You see, evil fairy-vampire slayers threaten to rise and take over the world! Okay, that might be a slightly bit dramatic on my part, but you get what I'm saying ;) So it's up to the McDonald sisters and their vampire BFs to stop them and their evil plans.

I really liked this one much better than I did the last one. i mentioned that the fairies thrown in were a bit much, but I was glad to see they were kept to a minimum in this book. I was very happy to see more of the vamps!

The story was very action-y, suspenseful, and totally hilarious! That's what I love about this series: that it can literally make me laugh out loud! Even though there was a lot going on, the plot did not feel overwhelming. It was layered perfectly!

And then the hot-mazing guys? How can you not like that? Though, I have to say, love triangles suck! I love Jayden (I'm such a sucker for sweet guys), but I also adore Magnus (even though he pisses me of sometimes for being such a workaholic vampire acts like a freakin' jerk-face).

Even though this book was in Sunny's POV, I was sooo happy to see more of Rayne and Jareth! I love Jareth! Such a great vampire BF ;)

Overall, I thought the book was awesome! The shocking/cliffhanger ending was, well...shocking! Makes me wonder what will happen in the next book..

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! It starts off right where the last one ended. When she first threw some fairies into the mix I didn't think Id still follow, but here I am sad as ever that the book ended, because now I have to wait a whole year! Seriously publishing companies stop printing books that don't sell and move up the dates on the good ones.

So Sunny learns that Jayden (the boy she sorta had a thing for at the end of the last book, but went back to Magnus) ends up being turned into a vampire. Except he is sick and only Sunny's blood can help "satisfy his needs." Magnus has to go to Japan with Jareth and Rayne (because they can guard in the day time) to a Consortium meeting, since they are on the brink of war with one of the Slayer inc. groups. As usual Sunny is asked to stay behind with only the answer that Magnus has her best interest at heart. She's left feeling that he doesn't trust her and that he puts her second.

Sunny wants to help her friend Jayden, whom she feels guilty for, get un-sick. So Basically she goes on a crusade to help him and does so behind Magnus's back. I am at a loss for words to explain the rest with out anything spoiled. Lets just say she does not disappoint with the excitement and throws in a few surprises. If you've loved the rest of the series this will not disappoint at all. Still can't decide who's POV I like better, thankfully I read somewhere that the next book may have both girls POV. Though I don't know how many more there will be...

[Neoday☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dude that was wild! Me gusta más cuando narra Rayne, pero esta entrega fue muy entretenida. Toda la historia fue genial, muy divertida y las locaciones geniales. Lo único que no me permitía avanzar tanto como quería es que Sunny es muy dramática, bueno, ambas lo son. Pero Suuny es demasiado teatral cuando se trata de los sentimientos y sus trust issues me tenían de los nervios.

Ya solo me quedan dos libros (creo) para terminar esta saga. El siguiente será narrado por Rayne, así que seguro me reiré mucho.

[Ashley Yungbluth · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Blood Ties" is book six in the "Blood Coven Vampire" series by Mari Mancusi. This book Sunny plays the main part, and she really grows as an individual in this book. I like seeing her strength coming out and her stepping up to help others out. My favorite scene is when Sunny shows up to tell Magnus something and doesn't take no as an answer from his assistant. The ending is a big-time cliffhanger and has me wanting to dive right into the next book.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve always been a fan of the Blood Coven Vampires series but somehow, Blood Ties did not get to me at all. The book was written from Sunny’s perspective and, my god, is that girl annoying. Not only is she shallow but she’s a mess. She’s flaky, she doesn’t know what she wants and she somehow expects the world to revolve around her. There were so many times in that book where I was so frustrated at her, I could barely contain myself from throwing the book across the room. Or somehow reach into the book and strangle her myself. I mean, yes, she is now a fairy so she’s not as delicate as a regular human but still. There is only so much stuff she can do. I suppose, I should at least give her a point or two for having the courage to dive into danger but at the same time, the fact that she kept complaining about how Marcus, her supposed boyfriend, didn’t want to do things her way and then her dilly-dallying with Jayden. Oh goodness, there were just so many things wrong about Sunny. I really much prefer books from Rayne’s point of view – it’s just so much better.

Plus, the guys in this book were so lame. Marcus was MIA most of the time and when he wasn’t, he was just blah. And Jayden was extremely annoying – he got bitten because he wanted to be closer to Sunny – what kind of lame reason is that?! Not only that, but he becomes a half-vampire only because he didn’t complete the transition so it’s like what were you even thinking? And now he was stuck and needed Sunny’s help aka, really, Marcus’ help. Honestly, this whole book was all over the place and it would’ve been better if I just skipped it, period. I noticed a lot of reviewers on Goodreads also skipped the books written from Sunny’s POV, which now made a lot of sense because she sucks. (Sucks, get it? LOL)

Now the other book, Soul Bound, was a little better mainly because it was from Rayne’s point of view and even though she completely confuses me with her vampire/vampire-slayer/fairy princess/I don’t even know anymore, at least she’s pretty cool. I like her attitude with her don’t mess with me or you die vibe going on. The only downside actually, same with Blood Ties, was that I absolutely hated the pop culture references. I’m pretty positive that Mari mentioned Justin Bieber at least 50 times in each book and honestly, no one likes him so every time when he was mentioned, I was like omg, no. I’m pretty sure only tweens like him and both Rayne and Sunny are not tweens.

The plot for the Soul Bound was pretty decent but omg, the ending totally blows. It was possibly the worst ending ever and I really do not want to give it away but it was just horrible. Honestly, I feel like Mari ran out of things to write but she somehow wants to continue this series when it is now completely dead. I doubt I will continue to read the series by this point just because it’ll be ridiculous and a time-waster, for me at least. Even though it started out pretty good, it was just a fast spiral downwards. Maybe I outgrew the book and the series but at this point, everything from Rayne’s or God forbid, Sunny’s mouth, just seems incredibly juvenile and outrageous. Granted, it’s funny and relatively fast-paced but sometimes, being fast-paced, is not a good thing. And in this case, it’s not.

Overall, Soul Bound was better than Blood Ties but both were incredibly lacking. Sunny was a terrible POV and the ending for Soul Bound was just horrifying.

[Alisha Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plot: I had to skip the fifth book to read this one since it didn't come in on time. But, I didn't really need to read the fifth one to understand this book's plot. Mancusi elegantly went over some details of the previous book, so that people like me weren't as lost. I think the plot was the right way to break off from the last installment and move forward to the next one. It follows Sunny and goes through her love triangle along with her trying to save Jayden's life. She took a lot more risks, which was weird because I would only expect from Rayne.

However, I loved the romance aspects of the book. Sunny is truly conflicted. You have a handsome and intelligent vampire boyfriend and then the sweetest and bravest guy. Even I couldn't decide who she should be with, sometimes I was rooting for Magnus and other times I was pulling for Jayden.

I think the only thing that bothered me about this book was the slang. I love Sunny and her POV, but I was getting tired of the Valley Girl talk. I'm a teenager and I hate that kind of talk. I'm not trying to be too hard since Mancusi switches between two twins, you should try to make them as opposite as possible since their personalities are, but it was hard to get over the slang. And, because of the slang, when she was trying to speak to elder vampires or to her centuries old boyfriend, it seemed a little juvenile and it was hard to think Magnus could bear it, let alone talk like that himself.

Characters: Sunny - I love Sunny! She's coming into her own as the books progress. The life she wanted isn't in reach anymore and she's aware of that. So, she'll do anything to adapt to the life she has now. After reading BT, I'm not sure whether or not she'll ever want to be part vampire like her sister.


Magnus - How can I describe him? I guess I have mixed feelings towards him. Sometimes he puts Sunny into account and does so much for her. But, he doesn't treat her like an equal. Slowly, he does start to see what he was doing and wants to fix it.


Jayden - He will always have a special part in my heart. I loved everything he said and did. He was never shy about telling Sunny how he felt and what he wanted with her, even after being turned down. I hope Jayden is in future books and the fire rages on between him and Sunny.


Cover: I like the cover. It is very simple, but pretty. I can't say much without giving away a lot of the plot, but the church windows are a nice touch. It does represent a good chunk of the book. And, I'm also guessing that the girl is Sunny by the blonde hair.


Overall Rating: I'm giving this book a three out of four. I had to take a nail polish away for the slang. I will say to please go read this book and the series. I feel like Mancusi does an incredible job with making a world of traditional vampires in truly modern times and creating romances with modern teens and centuries old vamps.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Rating* 3 stars
*Genre* Young Adult/Campy Vampire series/Twin sisters/Fae

*Rating*

Here’s a little ditty about Sunny and Magnus. 2 people doing the best they can. Magnus is the master vampire of the Blood Coven, while Sunny MacDonald is a Princess from the Fairyland realm of Sidhe Light Court who is trying to live a normal life in Las Vegas. Normal and Las Vegas? Right!

Throwing a fit after learning that Magnus is once again being called away to Japan at the insistence of the Consortium and its megalomaniac leader Pyrus, Sunny decides to use her newly found wings and flies away. She ends up discovering that her best friend Jayden and yes, someone she definitely loves a lot, has been turned into a vampire.

This encounter leads Sunny in acting out and demanding that Magnus help find Jayden a cure for his apparent unwanted vampirism. Once, not so long ago, Sunny was bitten by Magnus, (See Boys that Bite), and it was determined that they needed to find the Holy Grail in order to turn her back into a mortal.

Sunny, knowing the Grail is still out there, nags, and pushes Magnus to the point where he feels he has no choice but to help. Sunny is a character that you need to take with a large shot of Tequila, with a slice of lime, and salt chaser. She can be annoying and aggravating and above all, she has emotional detachment issues that appear to have not been solved after learning her father DIDN’T run away from her after all but was really a Fae guard who married the heir of the Fairland realm.

The story ends up in Japan where the former Night School Slayer named Corbin, who is now a vampire thanks to Rayne (See Night School for more information), has every intention of gaining his revenge on those he claims betrayed him; vampires and the Slayers.

For those who prefer Rayne to Sunny, well, she has had to go to a Blood Ford Clinic for her bloodlust and 12-step recovery program. Yes, she does appear in the story, but, Sunny is the key and the star of this book.

This entire series is like a box of cherries that you just can’t stop eating at one. You know the story makes absolutely no sense whatsoever at times, but you are afraid of stopping for fear that something humungous and interesting will happen and you will miss it.

For once, Sunny actually does something laudable in this book and nobody dies as a result of her actions. Rayne, however, gets the cliffhanger, and it appears the last book in the series as well.
Obviously, like that chip that you can’t just eat one of; I will be reading Soul Bound when it releases March 6th 2012.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book isn't my favorite in the series
but, it makes sense why it is there for the complete story.
Does Jayden stay a vampire?
Can Sunny save him or help him?
Does Magnus and Sunny stay together?
Is Sunny able to save the blood coven
and her sister?
What happens next...time for book 7 in the series.

[Amber Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this story it's in Sunny's view. She finally starts to show how she can be a hero in her own right more so then in previous books. I was happy Jayden was back but he had me on just as much of a roller coaster as Sunny. The ending was bittersweet and I shed a few tears. I liked the cameos of the different characters from the past. It's cool to see what they are up to. The vampire restaurant sounded awesome. I would love to visit a place like that and a cat cafe :) Gripping must read.

[Josi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book in the series focused on Sunny this time. Glad to see her take on more of Rayne's characteristics. She was more let's take care of this and less woe is me.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5

[Larissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Klappentext:
Dunkle Schatten scheinen drohend nach mir zu greifen und ich höre immer wieder seltsame katzenähnliche Schreie. Ich schlinge die Ame um mich und gehe schneller. Ein lautes Scheppern ertönt und ich erschrecke fast zu Tode. Ich fahre herum und bemerke eine Bewegung im Halbschatten. Dort hockt eine schemenhafte Gestalt, die nur ein Mensch sein kann.
"S-S-Sunny?", höre ich eine schwache, aber vertraute Stimme. "Bist du das wirklich?"
"Jayden?" Total erschrocken laufe ich auf die Stimme zu. Was um alles in der Welt macht ER hier? Abrupt bleibe ich vor der Gestalt am Boden stehen. Es ist ganz sicher Jayden - mein bester Freund in Vegas und vielleicht noch ein bisschen mehr. aber er sieht irgendwie ... nicht normal aus. Beängstigend mager, nur noch Haut und Knochen, die Augen schwarz und tief in den Höhlen, sein Mund blutverschmiert. Entsetzt stelle ich fest, dass er etwas Perlziges, Totes und halb Gegessenes in den Händen hält.
"Oh mein Gott! Was ist mit dir passiert?"
Mit angstverzerrten Augen schaut er zu mir hoch. "Sunny", wimmert er. "Du musst mir helfen. Ich glaube ... ich glaube, ich bin in einen Vampir verwandelt worden."

Sunny ist überglücklich, endlich wieder mit Magnus zusammen sein zu können. Trotzdem will ihr auch Jayden einfach nicht aus dem Kopf gehen. Schließlich hat er Sunny im Kampf gegen einen Vampir das Leben gerettet. Umso geschockter ist sie, als Jayden ihr plötzlich wieder über den Weg läuft und sie feststellen muss, dass ihr bester Freund von einem Vampir gebissen wurde. Sunny reist Magnus nach Japan hinterher, denn er ist der Einzige, der jetzt noch helfen kann. Aber Magnus hat gerade ganz andere Sorgen: Slayer Inc. holt zu einem neuen Schlag gegen das Vampirkonsortium aus. Alles deutet auf eine Verschwörung hin, bei der es diesmal um Leben und Tod geht.

Erster Satz:
Es gibt anscheinend eine Menge Leute auf dieser Welt, deren sehnlichster Wunsch es ist, sich von der Masse abzuheben.

Meine Meinung:

Buchgestaltung:
Der sechste Band ist passend zu den restlichen Bänden der Reihe gestaltet worden und zwar in diesem knallpink und rosa. Dazu kommt die blutige Schrift und die Fledermaus. Das buch fühlt sich total angenehm an, aber es ist sehr glatt und rutscht auf glatten Oberflächen sehr stark ;). Ist mir schon passiert.
Handlung:
Die Reihe, sowie dieser Band, dreht sich um das Leben von Sunshine und Rayne McDonald. Sie sind Zwillinge, die aber verschiedener nicht sein können. Während Sunny sich eher konservativ kleidet und benimmt, ist Rayne eine Gothicbraut und nicht auf den Mund gefallen. Über den eigentlichen Inhalt möchte ich nicht viel verraten, für Leute, die die vorherigen Bände noch nicht gelesen haben. Ich selbst habe den letzten also den fünften Band auch noch nicht gelesen, aber die Autorin gibt eine schöne, knappe Einleitung in die Handlung und geht darauf ein, was alles bisher so passiert ist. Das ist gut für Leser, die die Vorgeschichte nicht kennen. Aber auch für die Leser dieser Reihe ist diese Einleitung nicht langweilig, sondern frischt das Gedächtnis auf, wenn es vielleicht nicht mehr so parat ist.
Dieses Mal ist Jayden, Sunnys bester Freund in Vegas mit von der Partie. Sie trifft ihn in einer dreckigen Seitengasse, wo er sich gerade von einer Katze ernährt. Es stellt sich heraus, dass er zum Vampir gemacht worden ist. Sunny hat Schuldgefühle, denn er wurde damals von einem Vampir angegriffen, als er sie beschützt hat. Da sie ja auch mal für sechs Tage ein Vampir war, möchte sie ihm helfen und ihn mithilfe des heiligen Grals zurückverwandeln. Doch sie sind nicht die Einzigen, die auf der Suche nach dem Relikt sind, als sie in England bei dem Druidenorden ankommen, die den Gral beherbergen, sind fast alle umgebracht worden und der Gral fehlt. In der Zwischenzeit plant Slayer Inc., die Jägerzentrale, einen Schlag gegen die Vampire auszuführen. Deshalb muss Magnus als wichtiger Blutzirkelmeister nach Japan um dort zusammen mit dem Konsortium eine strategie zu entwickeln, wie sie den bevorstehenden Krieg zwischen Vampiren und Jägern verhindern können.
Die Geschichte ist spannend und unterhaltsam. Ein richtiger Pageturner. Meiner Meinung nach, sollte man sich unbedingt erst die vorigen Bände ansehen, denn dann versteht man alles gleich besser.
Teilweise war die Handlung etwas zu vorhersehbar, aber richtig tragisch war das nicht. Es gab trotzdem auch einige Überraschungen und Kehrtwendungen in der Handlung, sodass man bestens unterhalten wurde. Ich hatte das Buch innerhalb zwei Abende fertig gelesen, da mich die Charaktere und die Handlung gefesselt haben.
Charaktere:
Die Zwillingsschwestern Sunny und Rayne sind ein tolles Gespann! Sunny ist meistens eher die vernünftige, die erst überlegt, bevor sie handelt. Wohingegen Rayne die Impulsive ist, abe rauch die Verrückte. Beide sind mir sehr sympathisch und ich lese gerne die Geschichten aus ihrer Sicht. Wieder gab es eine Dreierbeziehung, zwischen Sunny, Magnus und Jayden. Aber ich muss sagen, dass es hier verständlicher und echter/realer herüberkam. Denn wenn man den vierten Band gelesen hat, mochte man dort schon Jayden, ebenso wie Magnus. Beide Charaktere haben ihren Reiz, aber auch ihre Sonderlichkeiten. Keiner von beiden ist der perfekte Partner, jeder ist für seine Art passend zu Sunny. Rayne war wieder herrlich mit ihren Sprüchen, die sie immer in de unpassendsten Momenten losgelassen hat. :)
Wer meiner Meinung nach etwas zu kurz gekommen ist, sind Jareth und Magnus. Jareth taucht leider nur sehr selten auf, von ihm hätte ich gern mehr erfahren. Magnus wirkt ein wenig blaß in diesem Band. Er scheint der nette, großzügige Freund zu sein, der alles für Sunny tun würde. Erst gegen das Ende hin hat er auch mal seine Meinung gesagt und ist zu seinen Ansichten gestanden, auch wenn es Sunny manchmal nicht passt. Manchmal wirkt er etwas "Edward"-mäßig, in der Art: Ja und Amen.
Sprache:
Mari Mancusi hat einen grandiosen Schreibstil, der vor Sarkasmus und Witz geradzu zu Funken versprüht. Das Buch ist aus der Sicht von Sunny und im Präsens geschrieben. Das einzige wirklich Negative an dem Buch, waren die Fehler der Übersetzerin. Denn durch das ganze Buch hat sich immerzu der gleiche Fehler geschlichen und zwar hat in einigen Sätzen immer dasselbe Wort gefehlt. Bsp.: "Ich habe meinen Flug nach Japan verpasst und das telefoniert mir dauernd hinterher."(S. 35) So gab es noch zig andere Sätze, in denen immer das gleiche Wort fehlte, am Ende stand statt dem Wort immer nur ein kleingeschriebenes S. Ich habe keine Ahnung warum das so ist. Das hat mich teilweise sehr geärgert, da ich solche Sachen schnell bemerke und wenn das dann auch noch an die zehn Mal bei 266 Seiten passiert, nervt das schon. Ich glaube das fehlende Wort lautet "Konsortium".

Mein Fazit:
Ein guter sechster Band der "Jungs zum Anbeißen"- Reihe. Spannend, lustig, romantisch und überraschend. Eine Fortsetzung wird es auf alle Fälle geben!

"Ach komm", sagte er schmeichelnd. "Ich dachte, Vampire wären heutzutage der Hit bei Schülerinnen."
Ich funkelte ihn an. "Nur wenn sie in der Sonne glitzern." (S. 12)

Zur Autorin:
Mari Mancusi hat sich in der Schule immer gewünscht, ein Vampir zu werden. Stattdessen ist sie in einem anderen blutsaugenden Metier gelandet, im Journalismus. Heute arbeitet sie als Nachrichtenjournalistin bei NBC und ist zweifache Emmy-Preisträgerin.
(Quelle: Arena)

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blood Ties picks up shortly after the last book ended. I love this series and each book is just as good if not better than the last one!

This book follows Sunny and is from her point of view. Sunny is back with Magnus and Rayne is back from vampire rehab for her blood addiction. They seem happy at first but then things change very quickly. Sunny finds Jayden but not in the condition that she was hoping for. His mortality is being threatened and Sunny makes the decision to help save Jayden before it's too late. At the same time Magnus is getting ready for a war against the Alpha's and the group of slayers that are trying to make new hybrid vampire faeries.

I enjoyed Sunny and Jayden and their story being told in this installment. I love Magnus and Sunny but it was nice to see what if anything would happen between Sunny and Jayden. I also loved how Rayne shows up and always has crazy ideas and situations that Sunny must deal with.

There was a lot going on in this one, it was just as suspenseful and fun as the previous books. The ending left us with quite a cliffhanger so I am looking forward to reading the next book to see what is going to happen next! If you haven't started this series I recommend reading it from the start. If you like vampires, slayers and faeries I think you will enjoy this book and series!

[Lidia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Me encanta esta saga de libros. Pero, esta es sin duda la entrega que menos me gusta. Si te cuesta leer el libro y pasar a la siguiente pagina (y no necesariamente por que tienes miedo de terminarla) entonces no es tu libro. Este sin duda no fue mi libro. Sunny, cariño mira que te defiendo mucho y soy muy empatica contigo, pero chica... ¿Qué tal si eres un poco honesta y admites no amar a Magnus? O maduras un poco. Las dos hermanas son egoístas a su manera, realmente lo son, pero Sunny me desespera más que Rayne. ¡Dios, Rayne ni si quiera es tan molesta y eso que es una perra!

No tengo más comentarios, no leí tooodo el libro. Salte hojas y diálogos enteros hasta los capítulos finales. Sufri con este libro, no en el buen sentido.

[Jassicca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes! Jayden back in the story. For a second, I thought that the two of them would be together, however, as much as I wanted him to be with Sunny, I'm glad they didn't because once I found out the truth, I switched my loyalty back to Magnus. Back then, Magnus vowed to put Sunny first in everything, and he did it, unlike Sunny, who couldn't keep her promise! Anyway, I'm glad that they finally resolved their trust issue, and sunny finally treated as his equal. However, their future wouldn't be the same anymore after breaking the rules, and I can't wait to find out more. Also, I'm curious about Corbin's plan. He managed to escape, didn't' he?

[Mx.Lucey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly this is my favorite book in the series so far. I love the Japan travel fun and that it's not as crazy a plot as usual. Sunny's point of view is a welcome change Espically considering the lack of HP references and the fun shapeshifting power she got due to becoming a fairy. I really am enjoying the fairy aspects more than the vampire ones right now. Boarding school turned evil is a fun concept that I want to see more of. I definitely am getting tired of Rayne's point of view though. The epilogue has a great cliffhanger that I'm excited to checkout though.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Blood Coven is hot on the trail of the rogue members of Slayer, Inc. Corban has escaped with important documents. It seems the rogues are one step ahead of them. Sunny has found Jayden in an alley – seems he has been at least partially turned and is struggling. Magnus is none to please at how involved Sunny is in Jayden’s care. The consortium is not pleased with Magnus and makes him step down. He has learned that the consortium had planned to exchange Rayne for peace with them. A lot of moving parts in this story that kept the story moving.

[Barbara Marie Warner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blood Ties: (A Blood Coven Vampire Novel Book 6)

Blood Ties: (A Blood Coven Vampire Novel Book 6) I love all the twists and turns these two sisters have had to face and overcome. This is just enough of love and romance to keep you hoping and the perfect amount of conflict to keep you on the edge of your seats. I listened to the audible book and read when I could, finished Definitely recommend this book / series

[Dorothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

With this being the 6th book in a series I don't want to say too much about the plot so I'm going to be keeping it simple. This isn't a masterpiece of a book it not going to change your life, but it a fun read if you like vampire books the whole series is and I love the wittiness of the two main characters. overall I enjoy this book a lot it fun, witty, and it light for a vampire book.

[Lara Ienco · Rating 5 out of 5]

ÉPICO.
IMPRESIONANTE.

Magnus: ¿Estás segura que quieres venir conmigo?, No va a ser una vida fácil, y definitivamente no una normal.
Sunny: Si, lo normal está sobrevalorado de todas formas...

Yo leyendo 😭😭😭😭😭

Y ese final que onda??? 😲

[Trina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This kinda felt like drama was being created to just have drama. Interesting but what the heck is going on? Like seriously I feel like all the rules keep being changed.

[Faye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4⭐
Age: Pg-13
Vamp, fae, High school , & mistaken identity.
Good Series
Mrs.C💋

[Melissa Nicole Vigil · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is becoming a favorite series of mine definitely going to have to reread it again