Amaranthine is a young adult paranormal about a 17-year-old high school girl named Crimson. Crimson is obsessed by vampires, and is a huge fan of a series of books about a vampire named Nicholae Alberic. She realizes that Nicholae is a real vampire and sets out to meet him, and in the process she finds out she possesses a gene that will make her very unique if she is turned.
Crimson is a pretty typical seventeen-year-old. She belongs to a little high school clique, she is in the band, she likes music and shopping, and can be a little self-absorbed at times. Nicholae’s character confused me sometimes. He is two hundred year old vampire, and one moment he seems much like a teen himself only to take on the personality of a more paternal figure the next. There are a lot of likeable supporting characters in this book; one of the stand-outs is Laramie. I guess I would describe Laramie as a mentor to Nicholae, he is an older vampire and quite intelligent. Laramie is a scientist of sorts, and he uses his knowledge to come up with things that could be beneficial to mortals, and to make the world a better place. He also plays a pivotal role in the story, as he confirms and gives an explanation for the gene that Crimson carries.
This is one of those books that ran hot and cold for me. The biggest problem I had was the romance between Crimson and Nicholae. The relationship basically began by them stalking each other, they meet, and immediately the undying love is professed. I wish a bond would have forged between the two that turned to love later on. As a reader, I kind of felt cheated. However, I took an interest in the part of the story about the Amarant gene. Although there was sufficient explanation about the gene, I would have loved to see Rigli delve deeper into that part of the story.
All in all, the concept of the story was really good, but it just needed to be a little better executed. I feel things will improve more as Rigli evolves as a writer. I am sure this story will still appeal to teen readers because they will relate to Crimson, and fall head over heels for Nichlolae!
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Amaranthine is a tale of the dark side of desire. Crimson Wilkinson is a seemingly normal high school senior who, bored with life, finds her kicks in reading a popular vampire series. But her boredom is well remedied when she becomes an active part in the very true vampire stories the world thought were fiction and falls in love with their author, Nicholae Albaric, the dangerously gorgeous and sweetly lonely vampire celebrity. The rush she once so longed for becomes a burden as Crimson discovers she has a rare gene that makes the carrier extremely powerful once they are made into a vampire, and she is targeted as the vampire community’s number-one most wanted, some who want to kill her before she can become a threat and others who want to use her powers to their own ends.
The Guardians of the Gate: Book One The Gate of Lake Forest is the first installment in Blackwelder’s YA Elf Romance series. What drew me in first about this book was that it was a romance told from a male’s perspective. Michael is such a likeable and REAL character that you almost seem to know him; as if he’s a neighbor, or a boy you grew up with. Evelyn’s emotions are so poignant and strong that you can’t help but to be drawn in by her. Evelyn is the new girl at school, different and so, a hot commodity. Michael finally gets up the gumption to ask her out and she agrees, after avoiding everyone. Blackwelder uses poetry to help the two young lovers express their feelings for each other, which reminded me of In Dreams Begin where poetry played a central role to the book.
Nicci Sefton’s Luxuria
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