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Blood Ties #2
Possession
My father always said fear was a weakness. Well, that's easy to say when you don't have to worry about vampire slayers or holy water. I hate fear, but undead life goes on. In the two months since I was attacked in the hospital morgue and turned into a vampire, I've killed my evil sire, Cyrus, fallen in love with my new sire, Nathan, and have even gotten used to drinking blood. Just when things are finally returning to normal—as normal as they can be when sunlight can kill you—Nathan becomes possessed. And then he slaughters an innocent human.
Now it's my job to find Nathan before the Voluntary Vampire Extinction Movement does, because they're just waiting for an excuse to terminate him—and anyone foolish enough to help him. But it gets worse. It turns out that Nathan's been possessed by one of the most powerful and wicked vampires alive—the Soul Eater. And who knows what vile plan he's concocted?
With the Soul Eater and my possessed sire on the loose, I have a lot to fear. Including being killed. Again.
381 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2007
71 people are currently reading
2302 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Armintrout
13 books482 followersJennifer Armintrout is a pseudonym for Jenny Trout aka Abigail Barnette.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 207 reviews
November 8, 2015
3.5 stars :D
Get possessed - Don't get staked - Fight for you life - AGAIN
Get possessed - Don't get staked - Fight for you life - AGAIN
August 30, 2010
♪♫♪Bad, bad, bad, bad boy, you make me feel so good
Bad, bad, bad, bad boy, you make me feel so good, knew you would
The way you hold me tight you get me so excited
You tell me oh , so right, my heart goes beat, beat, beat, beat, beat, beat. Bad Boy, Gloria Estefan
♪♫♪I'm a bad, bad, boy
And I'm gonna steal your love
Said I'm a bad, bad, boy
And I'm gonna steal your love
Come take me to your house
Then I'm gonna rip you off
Well I made my first kill
With the old town girl
She was the apple of her daddy's eye
Well that woman looked up at me
And I said honey we'll be
Together 'till the day I die
But I lied
I'm a bad, bad, boy Bad Boy, Nazareth
I honestly have no idea how the songs' tune goes, but I feel like singing, or rather make a point that BAD BOYS have so much appeal, despite them being bad boys.
When I read The Turning, Blood Ties #1, I was pro-CYRUS. Cyrus is a bad boy, or rather a bad vampire. He ate and killed humans, just for the fun of it. He hurt others, for the pleasure of it. But me, myself, being good natured was hoping, through the entire book that Cyrus would change and become a hero. In cases of historical romances, the rakes, when reformed are always the best of husbands. But my expectations where not met. Cyrus was a bloody bastard all through the first page up to his untimely death. Though bad boys have their appeal, a bad boy who cannot be tamed should be avoided like the plague. Thus, I've given the first book two stars.
But with Possession, Blood Ties #2, Jennifer Armintrout managed to make my wishes come true. She seemed like a fairy god mother who turned a fairy tale to reality and outdid herself in the process.
Spoilers ahead.Cyrus, is back. He’s been resurrected and he’s human once more. He gained his soul back. But he also gained his conscience back. He’s held captive by the vampire cult, Fang. And there’s also this female human whose life is in his hand. Once he dies, the girl would be useless and end up as the Fang’s dinner. But Cyrus, as human, has lost immortality, but gained so much (his soul and conscience and humanity), but could he add love to this list as well?
Simultaneously, Dr. Carrie Ames, is in search of Nathan, who is possessed by the Soul Eater. She asks for the help of Max, Nathan’s former colleague, but still a friend. They visit the Movement’s headquarters and learns from the Oracle that the Soul Eater is trying to be god. Carrie, after learning this, is off to hunt for Cyrus and tries to save Nathan’s soul as well. End of spoilers.
The Blood Ties series has managed to redeem itself before my very eyes. The book was entertaining, the plot well thought off. And unlike the first book, the characters, especially Cyrus, has become very loveable. And it also made me conclude that even the worst of bad boys, can still be tamed and possessed.
June 5, 2018
Είναι η δεύτερη φορά που το διαβάζω και αυτή τη φορά μου φάνηκε απλά καλό... Δε μπορώ να πω ότι με ενθουσίασε όπως την πρώτη... Θα συνεχίσω τη σειρά κάποια άλλη στιγμή!
November 18, 2019
Queen - per RFS
.
Il legame di sangue che unisce un vampiro al suo sire può essere così forte e doloroso? Jacob Seymour, il divoratore d’anime, riuscirà a completare il suo macabro rituale?
Le avventure di Carrie e Nathan non sono finite. Nel primo volume, Il bacio del Vampiro, li abbiamo lasciati che erano appena scampati al divoratore d’anime, e alla morte di Cyrus. La convivenza tra i due sfiorerà appena un briciolo di serenità e complicità che dovranno affrontare un’altra minaccia.
In questo secondo capitolo sono rimasta spiazzata dalla genialità della scrittrice, alcuni ruoli si invertiranno e il lettore si ritroverà a districarsi tra enigmi e suspense.
Alcuni protagonisti, già conosciuti nel corso del primo volume, si riproporranno alla nostra attenzione in modo diverso e imprevedibile. Nulla è scontato e più di una volta mi sono chiesta chi sono i buoni e chi i cattivi.
Le esperienze vissute dai protagonisti si svolgono separatamente: ogni capitolo ha un titolo e si passa da un racconto a un altro rendendo poco fluida la narrazione nonostante i racconti siano collegati l’uno all’altro.
La parte che mi è piaciuta di più è stata quella vissuta da Cyrus con la sua nuova compagna d’avventure “Topolina”.
“Tu non puoi amarmi”, lo interruppe con calma. Cyrus sentì il suo palmo sul viso: era caldo, ma non bruciava come avrebbe fatto se fosse stato ancora un vampiro. No, ora il tocco umano non era violento.
Questo sentimento è imprevisto sia per se stesso – che non si aspetta di provare questi sentimenti tipicamente umani – sia nel lettore che si trova a vedere questo personaggio sotto una luce completamente diversa.
Gli altri due personaggi sono il vampiro Max, amico di Nathan, che abbiamo già conosciuto e che si ripropone per aiutare il suo amico e Bella, un lupide. Si capisce che sono all’inizio di uno scontro-incontro che culminerà in un idillio che è solo all’inizio e che spero proseguirà nei due libri successivi.
La storia appena cominciata tra Nathan e Carrie – che poi sono i veri protagonisti – è vissuta più decentrata e deludente dal punto di vista amoroso ma ciò era inevitabile visto il passato a cui è ancora legato Nathan e l’amore per la prima moglie da cui deve ancora liberarsi.
“Non riesco a immaginare la mia vita senza di lei, ma ogni giorno mi sembra più probabile che mi venga strappata”.
Dico deludente non perché non mi sia piaciuta la loro storia, che comunque è intrecciata alle altre, ma perché mi aspettavo qualche scena tra i due più intima e coinvolgente.
Ma è evidente che ci aspettano altre avventure in futuro e spero avvenga questa unione.
L’ambientazione è enigmatica e devo dire che mi ha intimorita poiché la maggior parte del racconto si svolge nella Valle della Morte in Nevada. Un luogo quindi infausto sia per gli umani che per i vampiri, proprio per le alte temperature di giorno e l’ambiente desertico con chilometri di nulla assoluto, niente acqua e cibo e niente ripari per nascondersi dal sole.
Un crescendo di emozioni, suspense e sentimento. Lo consiglio.
.
Il legame di sangue che unisce un vampiro al suo sire può essere così forte e doloroso? Jacob Seymour, il divoratore d’anime, riuscirà a completare il suo macabro rituale?
Le avventure di Carrie e Nathan non sono finite. Nel primo volume, Il bacio del Vampiro, li abbiamo lasciati che erano appena scampati al divoratore d’anime, e alla morte di Cyrus. La convivenza tra i due sfiorerà appena un briciolo di serenità e complicità che dovranno affrontare un’altra minaccia.
In questo secondo capitolo sono rimasta spiazzata dalla genialità della scrittrice, alcuni ruoli si invertiranno e il lettore si ritroverà a districarsi tra enigmi e suspense.
Alcuni protagonisti, già conosciuti nel corso del primo volume, si riproporranno alla nostra attenzione in modo diverso e imprevedibile. Nulla è scontato e più di una volta mi sono chiesta chi sono i buoni e chi i cattivi.
Le esperienze vissute dai protagonisti si svolgono separatamente: ogni capitolo ha un titolo e si passa da un racconto a un altro rendendo poco fluida la narrazione nonostante i racconti siano collegati l’uno all’altro.
La parte che mi è piaciuta di più è stata quella vissuta da Cyrus con la sua nuova compagna d’avventure “Topolina”.
“Tu non puoi amarmi”, lo interruppe con calma. Cyrus sentì il suo palmo sul viso: era caldo, ma non bruciava come avrebbe fatto se fosse stato ancora un vampiro. No, ora il tocco umano non era violento.
Questo sentimento è imprevisto sia per se stesso – che non si aspetta di provare questi sentimenti tipicamente umani – sia nel lettore che si trova a vedere questo personaggio sotto una luce completamente diversa.
Gli altri due personaggi sono il vampiro Max, amico di Nathan, che abbiamo già conosciuto e che si ripropone per aiutare il suo amico e Bella, un lupide. Si capisce che sono all’inizio di uno scontro-incontro che culminerà in un idillio che è solo all’inizio e che spero proseguirà nei due libri successivi.
La storia appena cominciata tra Nathan e Carrie – che poi sono i veri protagonisti – è vissuta più decentrata e deludente dal punto di vista amoroso ma ciò era inevitabile visto il passato a cui è ancora legato Nathan e l’amore per la prima moglie da cui deve ancora liberarsi.
“Non riesco a immaginare la mia vita senza di lei, ma ogni giorno mi sembra più probabile che mi venga strappata”.
Dico deludente non perché non mi sia piaciuta la loro storia, che comunque è intrecciata alle altre, ma perché mi aspettavo qualche scena tra i due più intima e coinvolgente.
Ma è evidente che ci aspettano altre avventure in futuro e spero avvenga questa unione.
L’ambientazione è enigmatica e devo dire che mi ha intimorita poiché la maggior parte del racconto si svolge nella Valle della Morte in Nevada. Un luogo quindi infausto sia per gli umani che per i vampiri, proprio per le alte temperature di giorno e l’ambiente desertico con chilometri di nulla assoluto, niente acqua e cibo e niente ripari per nascondersi dal sole.
Un crescendo di emozioni, suspense e sentimento. Lo consiglio.
October 29, 2010
Meh. This series started with so much potential. Possession had a decent beginning and the writing and characters were consistent with The Turning, unfortunately the novel very quickly delved into the realms of paranormal soap opera. In a matter of days, people fall into the sort of lourve that makes them plead, “I’ll kill my own granny to save you! Your hemorrhoid pain is my pain! If you die then I will eat nothing but boogers until I also succumb, because not only can I not live without you, but I must suffer for every second that I am alive and you are dead!!!” Or, something like that. Maybe I’ve just been with my husband too long to remember the intense passion of new love? Nah ;) In addition to the proclamations of undying love between relative strangers, the cast of characters is fairly small. Much like a soap opera, they are so wrapped up in each other’s lives that we never get a chance to become exposed to much else that is occurring in the vampire world. In fact, the story takes a backseat to the drama as well. Unless, the drama was intended to be the story…
Either way, I am finished with this series. It’s a shame, because I do like the writing and the characters, especially Cyrus. But I was a bad, bad girl and peeked ahead at the reviews and recaps for the last two installments of this series and there appears to be nothing but more of the same. Had the drama been scaled back, relationships been allowed to build slowly, and the (apparently secondary) plot of the vamp world, the were world, The Movement and the Soul Eater been further explored; this would have been an awesome series. Unfortunately, as it is, it just isn’t my thing.
Either way, I am finished with this series. It’s a shame, because I do like the writing and the characters, especially Cyrus. But I was a bad, bad girl and peeked ahead at the reviews and recaps for the last two installments of this series and there appears to be nothing but more of the same. Had the drama been scaled back, relationships been allowed to build slowly, and the (apparently secondary) plot of the vamp world, the were world, The Movement and the Soul Eater been further explored; this would have been an awesome series. Unfortunately, as it is, it just isn’t my thing.
July 6, 2017
OMGGGGG NEXT VOLUME NOWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 26, 2010
"A Possessão" é o segundo livro da série "Laços de Sangue". Depois de um primeiro livro, "A Iniciação", muito bom e original, este segundo foi simplesmente impossível de largar. Uma narrativa cruel, mas apaixonada, com um ritmo estonteante, deixa-nos presos à leitura desde a primeira palavra à última.
Carrie anda com pesadelos. Quando acorda, Nathan está sentado a olhar para ela... O facto de Nathan andar a vigiar o sono dela é mau sinal. Nunca nada de bom advém daí. É como se ele conseguisse pressentir que algo de mal vai acontecer.
E não tiveram que esperar muito. Numa noite como tantas outras, quando Nathan vai trabalhar para a loja, Carrie deixa de sentir a sua ligação de sangue com Nathan. O pânico apodera-se dela e ela vai à procura dele saber o que aconteceu. O cenário com que se deparou parece irreal. Nathan está nu, cheio de símbolos gravados na própria pele e completamente irreconhecível. Ataca-a. Mas num momento de lucidez , larga-a e foge. Que raio se estará a passar?
Desde cedo nota-se uma clara evolução na narrativa de Jennifer Amintrout. Se no primeiro livro já a tinha achado consistente e forte, neste aparece mais madura, mais ousada e até mais sensual.
Personagens que no livro anterior não desempenharam papéis de grande destaque, aparecem agora como fundamentais, e outras que pensávamos extintas voltam para nos surpreender! (Quem são essas personagens? Não digo =P! Fica para quando lerem o livro. Descobrirão rapidamente de quem falo).
É um livro de emoções fortes. É impossível ficarmos indiferentes a tudo o que se vai passando. Grande parte dos acontecimentos envolvem uma entrega muito grande por parte de algumas personagens e é difícil não gostarmos de quase todas. Nem falo só de Carrie, que é a personagem principal, mas de outras que se juntam a ela nesta luta imparável contra o Devorador de Almas.
Confesso que gostava de falar mais sobre o livro, mas dada a sinopse, iria de certeza "spoilar" o livro. Mas gostei tanto, mas tanto dele, que estou aqui a conter-me para não vos dizer mais nada!
Por isso, e para acabar, vos digo, se gostaram do primeiro vão Amar este! Não percam muito tempo quando o virem nas lojas e devorem-no.
Jennifer Amintrout veio, assim, para ficar e conquistar todos os que a lerem. Uma leitura viciante, horripilante e muito, muito boa. Adorei.
Carrie anda com pesadelos. Quando acorda, Nathan está sentado a olhar para ela... O facto de Nathan andar a vigiar o sono dela é mau sinal. Nunca nada de bom advém daí. É como se ele conseguisse pressentir que algo de mal vai acontecer.
E não tiveram que esperar muito. Numa noite como tantas outras, quando Nathan vai trabalhar para a loja, Carrie deixa de sentir a sua ligação de sangue com Nathan. O pânico apodera-se dela e ela vai à procura dele saber o que aconteceu. O cenário com que se deparou parece irreal. Nathan está nu, cheio de símbolos gravados na própria pele e completamente irreconhecível. Ataca-a. Mas num momento de lucidez , larga-a e foge. Que raio se estará a passar?
Desde cedo nota-se uma clara evolução na narrativa de Jennifer Amintrout. Se no primeiro livro já a tinha achado consistente e forte, neste aparece mais madura, mais ousada e até mais sensual.
Personagens que no livro anterior não desempenharam papéis de grande destaque, aparecem agora como fundamentais, e outras que pensávamos extintas voltam para nos surpreender! (Quem são essas personagens? Não digo =P! Fica para quando lerem o livro. Descobrirão rapidamente de quem falo).
É um livro de emoções fortes. É impossível ficarmos indiferentes a tudo o que se vai passando. Grande parte dos acontecimentos envolvem uma entrega muito grande por parte de algumas personagens e é difícil não gostarmos de quase todas. Nem falo só de Carrie, que é a personagem principal, mas de outras que se juntam a ela nesta luta imparável contra o Devorador de Almas.
Confesso que gostava de falar mais sobre o livro, mas dada a sinopse, iria de certeza "spoilar" o livro. Mas gostei tanto, mas tanto dele, que estou aqui a conter-me para não vos dizer mais nada!
Por isso, e para acabar, vos digo, se gostaram do primeiro vão Amar este! Não percam muito tempo quando o virem nas lojas e devorem-no.
Jennifer Amintrout veio, assim, para ficar e conquistar todos os que a lerem. Uma leitura viciante, horripilante e muito, muito boa. Adorei.
December 30, 2010
Okay I didn't really like the first book in this series much but I already had the second book downloaded on audio so I figured I might as well listen to it. I guess I can't say it was a waste of time because I was driving while I listened to it, but I can say I won't be reading any more of these books.
In this book Cyrus is brought back to life as a human and Nathan runs around mad possessed by something. There you have the majority of the book. Many pages are spent on Cyrus angsting about how he feels guilty for all he did as an "evil" vampire and him wondering how to atone for it. Nathan runs around killing people; as he is insane. This book is primarily about Max and Cyrus. Max comes to help Carrie help Nathan. There is a lot of time spent on Max's and werewolf girl's relationship. There is a lot of time spent on Carrie and her desperate need for Nathan to be alright and Carrie and her desperate need for Cyrus to be alright.
You here about Max not wanting to fall in love, about Carrie not being in love with Cyrus but loving him, and about Carrie loving Nathan but Nathan loving his dead wife. There really is not much plot development. I think you could have condensed this book down to maybe a page and called it done.
There isn't very much gore or violence in this book. There are a couple brief fight scenes. The amount of action is minuscule. Carrie proves herself to be as much of a victim as ever, despite her own thoughts that she has changed so much since killing Cyrus. She is still whinny and incompetent (both emotionally and physically). Even the new female lead character the werewolf woman; despite being less whiny and more competent, ends up needing a man to help here out and constantly shows her "vulnerable" side. This whole book was too much of the swooning woman and big man coming to help me type. I didn't like it at all; I kind of wished that Cyrus would go crazy and wipe out the whole lot of them. Of course, he didn't, he was just as whinny and indecisive as everyone else in the book.
I would recommend skipping this series altogether and reading something worth your time.
In this book Cyrus is brought back to life as a human and Nathan runs around mad possessed by something. There you have the majority of the book. Many pages are spent on Cyrus angsting about how he feels guilty for all he did as an "evil" vampire and him wondering how to atone for it. Nathan runs around killing people; as he is insane. This book is primarily about Max and Cyrus. Max comes to help Carrie help Nathan. There is a lot of time spent on Max's and werewolf girl's relationship. There is a lot of time spent on Carrie and her desperate need for Nathan to be alright and Carrie and her desperate need for Cyrus to be alright.
You here about Max not wanting to fall in love, about Carrie not being in love with Cyrus but loving him, and about Carrie loving Nathan but Nathan loving his dead wife. There really is not much plot development. I think you could have condensed this book down to maybe a page and called it done.
There isn't very much gore or violence in this book. There are a couple brief fight scenes. The amount of action is minuscule. Carrie proves herself to be as much of a victim as ever, despite her own thoughts that she has changed so much since killing Cyrus. She is still whinny and incompetent (both emotionally and physically). Even the new female lead character the werewolf woman; despite being less whiny and more competent, ends up needing a man to help here out and constantly shows her "vulnerable" side. This whole book was too much of the swooning woman and big man coming to help me type. I didn't like it at all; I kind of wished that Cyrus would go crazy and wipe out the whole lot of them. Of course, he didn't, he was just as whinny and indecisive as everyone else in the book.
I would recommend skipping this series altogether and reading something worth your time.
August 12, 2013
This book had me hooked the moment I opened it up. Dr. Carrie was attacked by a former patient. While checking on her patient in the morgue, she was attacked by something "inhuman", and was turned into a vampire.
Flash forward to book two, The Possession, and the drama, lust and loyalty come into play. Something horrible takes hold of Carrie's sire Nathan and their good friend Max, has been hired to kill him. These are direct orders from The Movement. Max knows that he has a hard call to make. Go against The Movement to find and cure his best friend Nathan, or kill him to stop the madness. In walks their worst nightmare Bella, a werewolf also given orders to assassinate Nathan.
Carrie receives information that someone from her part has been reborn. She knows she must locate this being in order to help save Nathan. Carrie goes alone on this adventure. Will the Fangs come back to haunt her? With her love for Nathan, she will go through any extreme to save him. If this means facing the Fangs by her lonesome, then that is what she shall do.
Meanwhile, back in Michigan, Max and Bella have come to an understanding that Bella will not kill Nathan if she finds that he has been possessed. Seeing for herself, the terrible monster that has a hold of Nathan, Bella goes into Savior mode and looks for a cure to bring him back to his normal being.
Can Carrie still continue to love Nathan after all he has done? Even better question... can Nathan forgive himself and allow Carrie into his heart?
This is my first series of books by Mrs. Jennifer Armintrout. She is a very talented writer and author. If you are looking for action packed adventure, mixed with some romance, this is the series for you!
Flash forward to book two, The Possession, and the drama, lust and loyalty come into play. Something horrible takes hold of Carrie's sire Nathan and their good friend Max, has been hired to kill him. These are direct orders from The Movement. Max knows that he has a hard call to make. Go against The Movement to find and cure his best friend Nathan, or kill him to stop the madness. In walks their worst nightmare Bella, a werewolf also given orders to assassinate Nathan.
Carrie receives information that someone from her part has been reborn. She knows she must locate this being in order to help save Nathan. Carrie goes alone on this adventure. Will the Fangs come back to haunt her? With her love for Nathan, she will go through any extreme to save him. If this means facing the Fangs by her lonesome, then that is what she shall do.
Meanwhile, back in Michigan, Max and Bella have come to an understanding that Bella will not kill Nathan if she finds that he has been possessed. Seeing for herself, the terrible monster that has a hold of Nathan, Bella goes into Savior mode and looks for a cure to bring him back to his normal being.
Can Carrie still continue to love Nathan after all he has done? Even better question... can Nathan forgive himself and allow Carrie into his heart?
This is my first series of books by Mrs. Jennifer Armintrout. She is a very talented writer and author. If you are looking for action packed adventure, mixed with some romance, this is the series for you!
March 14, 2011
É mais uma série que defenitivamente vou continuar a seguir.
Tem uma história/enredo bastante criativos, e uma nova abordagem ao já vasto assunto Vampirico.
Tem uma história/enredo bastante criativos, e uma nova abordagem ao já vasto assunto Vampirico.
November 19, 2019
That moment you read the first book of a series, love it, then go to the next book and wish you never picked up the series. WARNING this book contains cheating (I wish someone told me before I picked up this book).
Cheating is cheating whether it's the Hero or the Heroine doing it. There are no excuses and frankly the reason in this book is sloppy at best and makes Carrie a liar & an irredeemable character.
My reasons for hating this book:
This was the tipping point for me, it made the heroine in my eyes an irredeemable character. Notice the page gaps between the events (a day had passed between her promise to the last event). The heroine lied and obviously cares very little for Nathan with the action she’s done. In Nathans time of need she abandoned him. Some of you might think “they weren’t in a committed relationship” but please refer back and realize they have been living together for the past 2 months, sleeping in the same bed, eating together, saying they love one another and being there for each other.
Other reasons I didn’t enjoy this book was because the pacing was slow and most scenes felt like filler than progressing the plot.
I’m not going to continue this series even though I really enjoyed the previous book.
Cheating is cheating whether it's the Hero or the Heroine doing it. There are no excuses and frankly the reason in this book is sloppy at best and makes Carrie a liar & an irredeemable character.
My reasons for hating this book:
This was the tipping point for me, it made the heroine in my eyes an irredeemable character. Notice the page gaps between the events (a day had passed between her promise to the last event). The heroine lied and obviously cares very little for Nathan with the action she’s done. In Nathans time of need she abandoned him. Some of you might think “they weren’t in a committed relationship” but please refer back and realize they have been living together for the past 2 months, sleeping in the same bed, eating together, saying they love one another and being there for each other.
Other reasons I didn’t enjoy this book was because the pacing was slow and most scenes felt like filler than progressing the plot.
I’m not going to continue this series even though I really enjoyed the previous book.
April 8, 2025
3.5 stars - Carrie saved Cyrus (who is now human) & Mouse died (pretty horribly at the hand or teeth of the Fangs). Max, Bella & Carrie have saved Nathan. Carrie has now left with Max. Let’s see where the next book goes.
April 11, 2011
Once again Armintrout allows no accommodations for a happily ever after. In fact, it seems even more distant than before. Although this story is overflowing with relationships, they are not the type that create a warm and fuzzy feeling. In fact, you're likely to feel disheartened by the conclusion of this story. If you have previously read "The Turning" then this isn't unexpected and I don't think that it will leave most readers too disappointed.
Overall I had a difficult time deciding what I should rate this story. The beginning was so uninteresting to me that there came a point where it was a grueling effort just to continue. It took me nearly three days to finish when I could have done so in one night. I can't honestly say that nothing was happening, it wasn't completely uneventful. It just simply did not hold my attention.
I think my first problem transpired with Nathan's bizarre disappearance. To put it plainly, I just didn't care that he was missing. May I be so bold as to blame this on Armintrout herself? Why yes, I think I will. Nathan has been kept distant from Carrie and by extension, the reader. At the conclusion of "The Turning", Nathan and Carrie settle down together, but not in a romantic way. They sleep in seperate rooms and any feelings they have toward one another are basically a result of the blood tie. He even goes so far as to put on his ancient wedding ring, reinforcing the wedge that he has placed between himself and Carrie.
When "Possession" begins, we find that their living arrangements are working out fairly well. We are even told that occasionally Nathan and Carrie are physically intimate with one another. Oddly, the intimacy is followed with waves of guilt and awkwardness, so it's easy to see why it doesn't happen often. It's also understandable why it's difficult for me to get behind the idea of these two as a couple. The author has made it nearly impossible for me to develop an emotional attachment to Nathan and Carrie collectively. So when he flees under mysterious circumstances, I found it hard to experience the same anguish or fear-inducing anxiety that Carrie does. Don't get me wrong, I understand that he is Carrie's sire and I don't dislike Nathan's character. The problem is simply that the entire book is based upon his disappearance and I wasn't emotionally invested enough to really become interested in whether he was retrieved or not.
My next problem was Cyrus, the shameless, demented vamp whose absence would have made the first book bland at best. He's back . . . as a human. Initially his feelings of repulsiveness and degradation toward his newly discovered humanity was comical. His internal musings toward the girl he demeaningly nicknamed "Mouse" was also amusing in a perverse way.
For the first half of the story, our disconcerted villian struggles with his emerging feelings of guilt, shame, caring, and eventually affection toward his actions and the little mouse herself. As a vampire he has had no regard or use for these feelings and always found them as a weakness in others. Now the villian has become the victim.
Personally, I found it inconceivable that Cyrus' emotional transition from vampire to human would be that extreme. The Cyrus that we were first introduced to was a homicidal maniac who had developed a penchant for raping and murdering adolescent girls. In a matter of days, he not only accepts these previously unknown feelings, but embraces them and becomes selfless, considerate, and trustworthy. No way, not that quickly and not just because he's suddenly human or fearful of his circumstances. I just wasn't buying that one. Fortunately, at a later point in the story when certain events came to pass, I understood the relevance in Cyrus' hasty transformation, and was able to brush aside my annoyance.
During my struggles throughout the beginning of this book, I silently prayed to the all-powerful literary gods that a miracle would occur that could make this story more intriguing. Thankfully my prayers were answered . . in the form of a testosterone-filled brothel stocked with a glorious array of enticing gentlemen who all aim to please ;)
In all seriousness, from the moment that we were introduced to Byron, the story seemed to come alive and I wasn't able to put it down. The brothel, Cyrus' extraction, Max and Bella, the disturbing realization that Carrie had feelings for Cyrus even with the lack of a blood tie, the attempt to cure Nathan, were all very interesting to me. I was grateful that I didn't just abandon this book within the first several chapters. I'm even eager to read the next one ;)
"Thinking sexually about a werewolf was practically beastiality. And if he were going to swing that way, he'd much rather do it with something that didn't talk as much as she did, like a goat or a pony."
Overall I had a difficult time deciding what I should rate this story. The beginning was so uninteresting to me that there came a point where it was a grueling effort just to continue. It took me nearly three days to finish when I could have done so in one night. I can't honestly say that nothing was happening, it wasn't completely uneventful. It just simply did not hold my attention.
I think my first problem transpired with Nathan's bizarre disappearance. To put it plainly, I just didn't care that he was missing. May I be so bold as to blame this on Armintrout herself? Why yes, I think I will. Nathan has been kept distant from Carrie and by extension, the reader. At the conclusion of "The Turning", Nathan and Carrie settle down together, but not in a romantic way. They sleep in seperate rooms and any feelings they have toward one another are basically a result of the blood tie. He even goes so far as to put on his ancient wedding ring, reinforcing the wedge that he has placed between himself and Carrie.
When "Possession" begins, we find that their living arrangements are working out fairly well. We are even told that occasionally Nathan and Carrie are physically intimate with one another. Oddly, the intimacy is followed with waves of guilt and awkwardness, so it's easy to see why it doesn't happen often. It's also understandable why it's difficult for me to get behind the idea of these two as a couple. The author has made it nearly impossible for me to develop an emotional attachment to Nathan and Carrie collectively. So when he flees under mysterious circumstances, I found it hard to experience the same anguish or fear-inducing anxiety that Carrie does. Don't get me wrong, I understand that he is Carrie's sire and I don't dislike Nathan's character. The problem is simply that the entire book is based upon his disappearance and I wasn't emotionally invested enough to really become interested in whether he was retrieved or not.
My next problem was Cyrus, the shameless, demented vamp whose absence would have made the first book bland at best. He's back . . . as a human. Initially his feelings of repulsiveness and degradation toward his newly discovered humanity was comical. His internal musings toward the girl he demeaningly nicknamed "Mouse" was also amusing in a perverse way.
For the first half of the story, our disconcerted villian struggles with his emerging feelings of guilt, shame, caring, and eventually affection toward his actions and the little mouse herself. As a vampire he has had no regard or use for these feelings and always found them as a weakness in others. Now the villian has become the victim.
Personally, I found it inconceivable that Cyrus' emotional transition from vampire to human would be that extreme. The Cyrus that we were first introduced to was a homicidal maniac who had developed a penchant for raping and murdering adolescent girls. In a matter of days, he not only accepts these previously unknown feelings, but embraces them and becomes selfless, considerate, and trustworthy. No way, not that quickly and not just because he's suddenly human or fearful of his circumstances. I just wasn't buying that one. Fortunately, at a later point in the story when certain events came to pass, I understood the relevance in Cyrus' hasty transformation, and was able to brush aside my annoyance.
During my struggles throughout the beginning of this book, I silently prayed to the all-powerful literary gods that a miracle would occur that could make this story more intriguing. Thankfully my prayers were answered . . in the form of a testosterone-filled brothel stocked with a glorious array of enticing gentlemen who all aim to please ;)
In all seriousness, from the moment that we were introduced to Byron, the story seemed to come alive and I wasn't able to put it down. The brothel, Cyrus' extraction, Max and Bella, the disturbing realization that Carrie had feelings for Cyrus even with the lack of a blood tie, the attempt to cure Nathan, were all very interesting to me. I was grateful that I didn't just abandon this book within the first several chapters. I'm even eager to read the next one ;)
"Thinking sexually about a werewolf was practically beastiality. And if he were going to swing that way, he'd much rather do it with something that didn't talk as much as she did, like a goat or a pony."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 14, 2015
Opinião aqui: http://www.diariodachris.com/2015/01/...
Quem me acompanha aqui mais atentamente ou no meu canal sabe que uma das séries que mais me surpreendeu nos últimos tempos foi a série “Laços de Sangue” da autora Jenifer Armintrout. É uma série de vampiros e, eu de vampiros apenas tinha lido a série Crepúsculo. Na altura tinha gostado mas, desde essa aí nunca mais tinha pegado numa história de vampiros. Quando peguei no primeiro livro da série “A Iniciação”, fiquei viciada e percebi que esta ficaria uma das minhas séries favoritas. Hoje trago-vos a minha opinião sobre o segundo, terceiro e quarto livro da série. Preferi fazer assim porque como são livros continuação de uma série não vos queria dar spoilers, principalmente para aqueles que não conhecem a série e que poderão ficar curiosos com a mesma. Como vou falar da continuação da série deixo-vos também o link para a minha opinião do primeiro livro, caso queiram saber do que trata a série e tudo aquilo que achei do primeiro livro.
Não vou falar em particular de cada um dos livros porque o mais pequeno pormenor que vos desse da história tornava-se facilmente num spoiler. O que acontece é que o desenrolar da história acontece apenas em alguns meses e portanto todos os acontecimentos são relevantes para a história.
Posso-vos adiantar que a escrita da autora é maravilhosa o que nos prende à narrativa não nos dando momentos mortos. Para além disso a criatividade da autora é excelente porque soube criar uma história sobre vampiros única com personagens únicos e principalmente sobre uma sociedade que não era de todo cliché ou batida. Existiram várias coisas que me prenderam a esta série e que me fizeram adorá-la ao máximo. Primeiramente a sociedade que a autora criou conquistou-me pelo seu modo complexo e ao mesmo tempo simples, porque ao mesmo tempo que a sociedade envolve vários tipos de vampiros, os mesmos entre si desenvolvem ligações no caso de serem criadores e iniciados, ligações essas que podem ser utilizadas para o bem entre os dois ou até para o mal caso a relação entre eles não seja das melhores. Além disso a sociedade envolve para além dos vampiros outras criaturas como os lobisomens e, mesmo entre estes a sociedade também é complexa ao ponto de existirem os puros e os não puros. No fundo é daquelas sociedades que são bem pensadas e bem criadas e das quais dá gosto ler e ir descobrindo ao longo dos livros. Outra das coisas que gostei de ver nesta série e nesta sociedade foi a relação que os vampiros iam criando com alguns humanos.
Para além da sociedade outra coisa que me fez apaixonar pela série foi a construção das personagens. Cada uma tem o seu lado bom e mau e não são daquelas personagens que gostem de esconder o seu lado mau. Não, pelo contrário. E, por isso tive momentos em que odiei e amei a mesma personagem em diversos momentos da trama. Isso fez com que eu gostasse ainda mais destes livros porque estava sempre à espera da próxima aventura dos personagens.
Por último existiu ainda outra coisa que me fez gostar ainda mais desta série, o romance. Não só o romance principal mas todos aqueles que foram aparecendo ao longo dos livros. Cada um deles teve um lugar de destaque na trama e cada um deles foi influente à sua maneira. Para mim o mais importante foi a forma como a autora os foi colocando, mas apaixonados, mais carnais. Em alguns momentos fugazes outros longos e imponentes. Para não falar que esta série é uma série mais adulta e por isso a mesma conteve momentos mais picantes que tornaram a trama mais intensa e divertida, mas não aconselhada a menores.
Quem me acompanha aqui mais atentamente ou no meu canal sabe que uma das séries que mais me surpreendeu nos últimos tempos foi a série “Laços de Sangue” da autora Jenifer Armintrout. É uma série de vampiros e, eu de vampiros apenas tinha lido a série Crepúsculo. Na altura tinha gostado mas, desde essa aí nunca mais tinha pegado numa história de vampiros. Quando peguei no primeiro livro da série “A Iniciação”, fiquei viciada e percebi que esta ficaria uma das minhas séries favoritas. Hoje trago-vos a minha opinião sobre o segundo, terceiro e quarto livro da série. Preferi fazer assim porque como são livros continuação de uma série não vos queria dar spoilers, principalmente para aqueles que não conhecem a série e que poderão ficar curiosos com a mesma. Como vou falar da continuação da série deixo-vos também o link para a minha opinião do primeiro livro, caso queiram saber do que trata a série e tudo aquilo que achei do primeiro livro.
Não vou falar em particular de cada um dos livros porque o mais pequeno pormenor que vos desse da história tornava-se facilmente num spoiler. O que acontece é que o desenrolar da história acontece apenas em alguns meses e portanto todos os acontecimentos são relevantes para a história.
Posso-vos adiantar que a escrita da autora é maravilhosa o que nos prende à narrativa não nos dando momentos mortos. Para além disso a criatividade da autora é excelente porque soube criar uma história sobre vampiros única com personagens únicos e principalmente sobre uma sociedade que não era de todo cliché ou batida. Existiram várias coisas que me prenderam a esta série e que me fizeram adorá-la ao máximo. Primeiramente a sociedade que a autora criou conquistou-me pelo seu modo complexo e ao mesmo tempo simples, porque ao mesmo tempo que a sociedade envolve vários tipos de vampiros, os mesmos entre si desenvolvem ligações no caso de serem criadores e iniciados, ligações essas que podem ser utilizadas para o bem entre os dois ou até para o mal caso a relação entre eles não seja das melhores. Além disso a sociedade envolve para além dos vampiros outras criaturas como os lobisomens e, mesmo entre estes a sociedade também é complexa ao ponto de existirem os puros e os não puros. No fundo é daquelas sociedades que são bem pensadas e bem criadas e das quais dá gosto ler e ir descobrindo ao longo dos livros. Outra das coisas que gostei de ver nesta série e nesta sociedade foi a relação que os vampiros iam criando com alguns humanos.
Para além da sociedade outra coisa que me fez apaixonar pela série foi a construção das personagens. Cada uma tem o seu lado bom e mau e não são daquelas personagens que gostem de esconder o seu lado mau. Não, pelo contrário. E, por isso tive momentos em que odiei e amei a mesma personagem em diversos momentos da trama. Isso fez com que eu gostasse ainda mais destes livros porque estava sempre à espera da próxima aventura dos personagens.
Por último existiu ainda outra coisa que me fez gostar ainda mais desta série, o romance. Não só o romance principal mas todos aqueles que foram aparecendo ao longo dos livros. Cada um deles teve um lugar de destaque na trama e cada um deles foi influente à sua maneira. Para mim o mais importante foi a forma como a autora os foi colocando, mas apaixonados, mais carnais. Em alguns momentos fugazes outros longos e imponentes. Para não falar que esta série é uma série mais adulta e por isso a mesma conteve momentos mais picantes que tornaram a trama mais intensa e divertida, mas não aconselhada a menores.
November 18, 2010
Synopsis: Cyrus is somehow brought back from the dead by his Soul Eater father, and is now human. He is forced to rely on a human girl who he names "Mouse" and they end up falling in love and doing the horizonal mamba. Thanks to Carrie, "Mouse" is left behind and killed which makes Cyrus want to kill Carrie all over again. Cyrus is the only character in the book that you truly want to root for, and that is just plain sad after everything that happened in the previous book.
Carrie, a former MD, has been a vampire now for 6 months and is having sire issues. With her new sire Nathan now possessed by the Soul Eater who wants all who he sired dead so that he can be some sort of God, she finds herself half crazied. Carrie then asks Max for assistance in finding Nathan before the Voluntary Vampire Extinction Movement kills him. Carrie flies to Spain where she meets with the general responsible for putting out the death warrants on wayward vampires and fails to convince him to save Nathan. Nathan is now designated for terminated by the VVEM. She meets a nasty, powerful and freaking psychotic vampire called the Oracle who gives her some wayward advise. Carrie ends up crying and generally being a basket case throughout this story, and it got on my last wayward nerve. She does the horizontal mamba with Cyrus, which you could see coming from page 1. She agrees to be possessed by Nathans' dead wife in order to break the Soul Eaters hold on him. When Nathan shows more concern for his dead wife, Carrie leaves for Chicago with Max, and Nathan doesn't really seem to care one way or the other...WELCOME TO DAYS OF OUR LIVES!!!!
Max, is actually a likeable, yet smooth operator in this book. He tries hard to keep Nathan from being killed by Bella only to do the, you guessed it, the horizonatal mamba with Bella and then having love issues because of what happened to his sire at the hands of an assassin. ::sigh::
As for Nathan? Uhm, let me see. He's possessed by his sire, the Soul Eater. He is mandated for death, read above. He kills random victims, and attacks Bella, the assassin the VVEM hires to kill Nathan, and almost kills her, Save for Max showing up and keeping her alive, she would have died. He ends up hurting the one person who truly loves him, but is still hung up on Cyrus for some stupid reason. He is still hung up after 70 years, on his dead wife, who, it seems, wanted to die afterall due to the cancer tearing apart her body, and didn't blame Nathan for what happened to her. Now, thanks to Nathans stupidity, he is alone again.
My opi: I totally agree that the love triangle between Carrie, Nathan, and Cyrus needs to end one way or the other. Preferrably with one killing the other. The I hate you, no I hate you more, needs to end, but of course it won't seing there's two more books in the series. Disappointment? Not having the Soul Eater show up except to manipulate Nathan. Max and Bella's love/hate relationship is fun to read, but it gets annoying at the same time. There was way to much emotional baggage from each of these characters, and I really wanted to stop reading and toss the book aside and not continue. The angst, and forlornness of Cyrus in the beginning, really got under my skin and it disturbed me that he is forced to rely on a young girl who watched a priest and sister get brutally killed. But I couldn't help wanting to see him confront his father and kill him for what he put Cyrus through. Didn't happen!
Carrie, a former MD, has been a vampire now for 6 months and is having sire issues. With her new sire Nathan now possessed by the Soul Eater who wants all who he sired dead so that he can be some sort of God, she finds herself half crazied. Carrie then asks Max for assistance in finding Nathan before the Voluntary Vampire Extinction Movement kills him. Carrie flies to Spain where she meets with the general responsible for putting out the death warrants on wayward vampires and fails to convince him to save Nathan. Nathan is now designated for terminated by the VVEM. She meets a nasty, powerful and freaking psychotic vampire called the Oracle who gives her some wayward advise. Carrie ends up crying and generally being a basket case throughout this story, and it got on my last wayward nerve. She does the horizontal mamba with Cyrus, which you could see coming from page 1. She agrees to be possessed by Nathans' dead wife in order to break the Soul Eaters hold on him. When Nathan shows more concern for his dead wife, Carrie leaves for Chicago with Max, and Nathan doesn't really seem to care one way or the other...WELCOME TO DAYS OF OUR LIVES!!!!
Max, is actually a likeable, yet smooth operator in this book. He tries hard to keep Nathan from being killed by Bella only to do the, you guessed it, the horizonatal mamba with Bella and then having love issues because of what happened to his sire at the hands of an assassin. ::sigh::
As for Nathan? Uhm, let me see. He's possessed by his sire, the Soul Eater. He is mandated for death, read above. He kills random victims, and attacks Bella, the assassin the VVEM hires to kill Nathan, and almost kills her, Save for Max showing up and keeping her alive, she would have died. He ends up hurting the one person who truly loves him, but is still hung up on Cyrus for some stupid reason. He is still hung up after 70 years, on his dead wife, who, it seems, wanted to die afterall due to the cancer tearing apart her body, and didn't blame Nathan for what happened to her. Now, thanks to Nathans stupidity, he is alone again.
My opi: I totally agree that the love triangle between Carrie, Nathan, and Cyrus needs to end one way or the other. Preferrably with one killing the other. The I hate you, no I hate you more, needs to end, but of course it won't seing there's two more books in the series. Disappointment? Not having the Soul Eater show up except to manipulate Nathan. Max and Bella's love/hate relationship is fun to read, but it gets annoying at the same time. There was way to much emotional baggage from each of these characters, and I really wanted to stop reading and toss the book aside and not continue. The angst, and forlornness of Cyrus in the beginning, really got under my skin and it disturbed me that he is forced to rely on a young girl who watched a priest and sister get brutally killed. But I couldn't help wanting to see him confront his father and kill him for what he put Cyrus through. Didn't happen!
September 21, 2014
When vampirehood finally seems calm and settled for Carrie Ames, her lover and sire gets possessed, or so she thinks. Nathan is out of control and even murders an innocent woman, which grants him a death order from the Vampire Execution Movement. When things seem bad enough, Carrie’s former sire is brought back to life as a human. These shocking events add up to a bigger plan; the Soul Eater and his desire to become a God. Can Carrie save both Nathan and Cyrus?
(Please be aware that this review may contain spoilers before reading further.)
From the first book I gathered this series wasn't going to be the best, or even on par, with others out there. I had hoped it would improve, but instead it traveled even further down that dark, foul smelling abyss. The first book was actually better.
My dislike of the heroine, Carrie, is official and solidified forever. She is selfish, whiny and a complete mess of a lead female. She was basically crying through the whole book. I wanted to give her a slap. She HAS to have a man at all times, be it Nathan or Cyrus, and is jealous when she discovers, or is reminded, they love other women.
In the first book I didn't care much for Cyrus as he was a rapist and child molester, but in this I found his story to be the most interesting. I thought he was actually gone for good, being killed and all, but being brought back human was a treat. He discovered he had changed and you get to see this through his thoughts and feelings. His relationship with ‘Mouse’ was my favourite part. She changed him, even brought back the man Cyrus wanted to be... deep down. He was not a monster anymore, just a human who had done terrible things in the past because of what he was turned into.
Of course, Carrie’s attraction to him flooded back again, which disgusted me in the first book. This time, it was just downright annoying. I blame her for what happened to Mouse, so I had hoped Cyrus would kill her. I knew better though, that that would not happen. The fact Carrie slept with Cyrus when Nathan needed her, well, that shows her real character.
I liked Bella, the new character that was introduced. As a werewolf, she had a lot of canine characteristics, which is new; normally werewolves in urban fantasy act purely as humans with a good sense of smell. She was intelligent and sexy and I loved her little nest of blankets. Her relationship with Max seemed a bit forced, though. It happened so quickly - do people even get to know each other before screwing in this world? The character, Max, was twisted some way by the writer. At first he hated Bella, then he loved her, all in a few days. He was a likable guy, but it was a bit silly.
Yes, sex was brought up a lot, at inappropriate times too. The main plot of Nathan being crazy, was cast aside for... drama? The Soul Eater didn't even make an appearance and there were no action.
I do enjoy hot, steamy sex scenes, but sometimes they can ruin a book, especially when the plot is dismissed repeatedly for the heroine to get her itch scratched.
It’s hard to read a book where you dislike the main character, but I might as well finish this short series.
© Red Lace 2011
(Please be aware that this review may contain spoilers before reading further.)
From the first book I gathered this series wasn't going to be the best, or even on par, with others out there. I had hoped it would improve, but instead it traveled even further down that dark, foul smelling abyss. The first book was actually better.
My dislike of the heroine, Carrie, is official and solidified forever. She is selfish, whiny and a complete mess of a lead female. She was basically crying through the whole book. I wanted to give her a slap. She HAS to have a man at all times, be it Nathan or Cyrus, and is jealous when she discovers, or is reminded, they love other women.
In the first book I didn't care much for Cyrus as he was a rapist and child molester, but in this I found his story to be the most interesting. I thought he was actually gone for good, being killed and all, but being brought back human was a treat. He discovered he had changed and you get to see this through his thoughts and feelings. His relationship with ‘Mouse’ was my favourite part. She changed him, even brought back the man Cyrus wanted to be... deep down. He was not a monster anymore, just a human who had done terrible things in the past because of what he was turned into.
Of course, Carrie’s attraction to him flooded back again, which disgusted me in the first book. This time, it was just downright annoying. I blame her for what happened to Mouse, so I had hoped Cyrus would kill her. I knew better though, that that would not happen. The fact Carrie slept with Cyrus when Nathan needed her, well, that shows her real character.
I liked Bella, the new character that was introduced. As a werewolf, she had a lot of canine characteristics, which is new; normally werewolves in urban fantasy act purely as humans with a good sense of smell. She was intelligent and sexy and I loved her little nest of blankets. Her relationship with Max seemed a bit forced, though. It happened so quickly - do people even get to know each other before screwing in this world? The character, Max, was twisted some way by the writer. At first he hated Bella, then he loved her, all in a few days. He was a likable guy, but it was a bit silly.
Yes, sex was brought up a lot, at inappropriate times too. The main plot of Nathan being crazy, was cast aside for... drama? The Soul Eater didn't even make an appearance and there were no action.
I do enjoy hot, steamy sex scenes, but sometimes they can ruin a book, especially when the plot is dismissed repeatedly for the heroine to get her itch scratched.
It’s hard to read a book where you dislike the main character, but I might as well finish this short series.
© Red Lace 2011
January 23, 2019
To read more reviews in this series and others, check out keikii eats books!
70 points/100 (3 ¾ stars/5)
After killing her sire, Carrie Ames has come to accept that she is a vampire. Just as things have returned to normal, her almost boyfriend Nathan Grant has become possessed. When Carrie turns to the major vampire organization for help, she is turned down and a kill issue for Nathan is ordered. And deep in the Mojave Desert, Cyrus has been resurrected for reasons unknown.
I really think that this series was supposed to be a standalone that was asked to be turned into a series. I feel like The Turning was a strangely complete story on its own. Possession just felt like it was adding onto a story that wasn't expected to be added onto. This isn't exactly a bad thing. It can be done well, and in fact this book is definitely better than the last one overall. This review isn't going to turn into a rant, for example. My biggest complaint is actually that absolutely nothing was completed during the course of this book. This didn't have a proper ending. It was just all pushed off further into the story.
The biggest improvement between The Turning and Possession is that I was able to emotionally connect to the story. I had so many feelings swirling around inside me, looking for a way out. I wanted to weep throughout the book, but something kept stopping me each time. Probably because the characters are still terrible people. Another big difference is that the sole perspective isn't Carrie Ames anymore. The author introduced more perspectives and more plotlines.
The most interesting perspective was the redemption of Cyrus. In the first book, he was the evil guy who was trying to put his daddy in a position of ultimate power. And then he died. Now, his dad has resurrected him and left him in the care of a human, because with the resurrection he has become human again. Cyrus falls in love with this human and decides his father can go fuck himself. It is quite touching, and definitely the most interesting part of the book.
Then there is the other story of Possession, which has to do with Carrie and Nathan and isn't at all interesting. Nathan has been taken out of the game because he has been possessed by something. So Carrie and one of Nathan's friends, Max, go off to get help from the Movement of Voluntary Extinction, since they are the biggest game around and they must know something. Of course they turn them down, because they don't care about preserving vampire life. Carrie tries to do as much as she can on her own, even with Max with her, but she is about as effective in Possession as she was in The Turning. Which means she hindered more than helped.
These two stories are connected because Cyrus' dad, the soul eater, is back, and now he wants to be a god. He is moving his chess pieces, like his son Cyrus and his fledgling Nathan, into place. As I said earlier, nothing really gets accomplished in this book. It is a whole lot of buildup for nothing. But, the story is getting more interesting. This series has improved.
70 points/100 (3 ¾ stars/5)
After killing her sire, Carrie Ames has come to accept that she is a vampire. Just as things have returned to normal, her almost boyfriend Nathan Grant has become possessed. When Carrie turns to the major vampire organization for help, she is turned down and a kill issue for Nathan is ordered. And deep in the Mojave Desert, Cyrus has been resurrected for reasons unknown.
I really think that this series was supposed to be a standalone that was asked to be turned into a series. I feel like The Turning was a strangely complete story on its own. Possession just felt like it was adding onto a story that wasn't expected to be added onto. This isn't exactly a bad thing. It can be done well, and in fact this book is definitely better than the last one overall. This review isn't going to turn into a rant, for example. My biggest complaint is actually that absolutely nothing was completed during the course of this book. This didn't have a proper ending. It was just all pushed off further into the story.
The biggest improvement between The Turning and Possession is that I was able to emotionally connect to the story. I had so many feelings swirling around inside me, looking for a way out. I wanted to weep throughout the book, but something kept stopping me each time. Probably because the characters are still terrible people. Another big difference is that the sole perspective isn't Carrie Ames anymore. The author introduced more perspectives and more plotlines.
The most interesting perspective was the redemption of Cyrus. In the first book, he was the evil guy who was trying to put his daddy in a position of ultimate power. And then he died. Now, his dad has resurrected him and left him in the care of a human, because with the resurrection he has become human again. Cyrus falls in love with this human and decides his father can go fuck himself. It is quite touching, and definitely the most interesting part of the book.
Then there is the other story of Possession, which has to do with Carrie and Nathan and isn't at all interesting. Nathan has been taken out of the game because he has been possessed by something. So Carrie and one of Nathan's friends, Max, go off to get help from the Movement of Voluntary Extinction, since they are the biggest game around and they must know something. Of course they turn them down, because they don't care about preserving vampire life. Carrie tries to do as much as she can on her own, even with Max with her, but she is about as effective in Possession as she was in The Turning. Which means she hindered more than helped.
These two stories are connected because Cyrus' dad, the soul eater, is back, and now he wants to be a god. He is moving his chess pieces, like his son Cyrus and his fledgling Nathan, into place. As I said earlier, nothing really gets accomplished in this book. It is a whole lot of buildup for nothing. But, the story is getting more interesting. This series has improved.
October 26, 2009
Wow! And now for something completely different....
The Possession, unlike its predecessor is a character study and it is very well done. Back again from The Turning (Blood Ties, Book 1) are Carrie, Nathan, Cyrus (yes, Cyrus) and Max. There have been a lot of complaints from other reviewers about the shift between Points of View in the book, but the view used here for Cyrus and Max allowed the author, Jennifer Armintrout, put us into their heads. Instead of getting just what the characters perceive about themselves, we really get to understand them in a way that Carrie's first person treatment doesn't allow.
The most appealing thread of the story follows Cyrus' personal transformation after his resurrection. He's human now and is initially ready to fall back into the evil and depravity that ruled his undead existence. From the previous book, we saw that along with his power, Cyrus had a vulnerability and neediness that made a somewhat sympathetic character despite the fact that he shouldn't have been at all likeable. The author puts us into Cyrus' head and exposes the thoughts that allow us to intimately view his journey toward recapturing his long lost humanity. We are made to understand the loss and seeking of love and approval that warped Cyrus in his previous life. We are privy to the beginning of his redemption because as he finally develops the ability to love, he finally gains the loves he has always sought.
A commonality between threads and characters in the Possession is the profound loss that most of them have experienced. They are all damaged and needy, looking for someone to fill the void of loneliness within them. None of them are healed here and even as Cyrus, Max and Carrie seem to have found the love that will heal them, it is stolen from them.
While the Possession carries the characters forward, it doesn't really move forward the background story. There is less of the scenes, just a few flash backs. that made the the Turning almost a horror story and only a few intimate scenes, some of which have nothing to do with love, so it is still not a romance. The Possession really just makes us truly understand the players and sets the stage for what it to come in the next book. I am anxious to read Ashes to Ashes (Blood Ties, Book 3)and see where Armintrout will take us next, for as different as the Possession was from the Turning, I just can't imagine what she has planned for Ashes to Ashes.
The Possession, unlike its predecessor is a character study and it is very well done. Back again from The Turning (Blood Ties, Book 1) are Carrie, Nathan, Cyrus (yes, Cyrus) and Max. There have been a lot of complaints from other reviewers about the shift between Points of View in the book, but the view used here for Cyrus and Max allowed the author, Jennifer Armintrout, put us into their heads. Instead of getting just what the characters perceive about themselves, we really get to understand them in a way that Carrie's first person treatment doesn't allow.
The most appealing thread of the story follows Cyrus' personal transformation after his resurrection. He's human now and is initially ready to fall back into the evil and depravity that ruled his undead existence. From the previous book, we saw that along with his power, Cyrus had a vulnerability and neediness that made a somewhat sympathetic character despite the fact that he shouldn't have been at all likeable. The author puts us into Cyrus' head and exposes the thoughts that allow us to intimately view his journey toward recapturing his long lost humanity. We are made to understand the loss and seeking of love and approval that warped Cyrus in his previous life. We are privy to the beginning of his redemption because as he finally develops the ability to love, he finally gains the loves he has always sought.
A commonality between threads and characters in the Possession is the profound loss that most of them have experienced. They are all damaged and needy, looking for someone to fill the void of loneliness within them. None of them are healed here and even as Cyrus, Max and Carrie seem to have found the love that will heal them, it is stolen from them.
While the Possession carries the characters forward, it doesn't really move forward the background story. There is less of the scenes, just a few flash backs. that made the the Turning almost a horror story and only a few intimate scenes, some of which have nothing to do with love, so it is still not a romance. The Possession really just makes us truly understand the players and sets the stage for what it to come in the next book. I am anxious to read Ashes to Ashes (Blood Ties, Book 3)and see where Armintrout will take us next, for as different as the Possession was from the Turning, I just can't imagine what she has planned for Ashes to Ashes.
April 13, 2015
Secondo capitolo della saga Blood Ties.
Ritroviamo Carrie e Nathan a distanza di poche settimane da ciò che successe al termine del primo capitolo.
La storia si apre con un nuovo ostacolo. Nathan infatti è posseduto. O meglio, è questo ciò che appare inizialmente.
Abbiamo la possibilità di visitare la sede del Movimento che si trova a Madrid e vedere come da quel momento tutto cambia nel libro.
Nathan è in pericolo, e il Divoratore di Anime è di nuovo in agguato per compiere un suo poano diabolico.
Il libro, questa volta tuttavia, non si concentra solamente su Carrie, bensì si svolge principalmente su tre piani spaziali. Viene introdotto e dato maggior spazio ad un personaggio che avevamo già visto nel primo libro, Max, e abbiamo così la possibilità di vedere come agisce e che tipo di personaggio è.
Allo stesso tempo troviamo ancora Cyrus che, nella sua nuova condizione, compie un vero e proprio processo di redenzione. O almeno ci prova dopo che conosce la Topolina.
Il libro di per sè non è stato malvagio, tuttavia non è stato come il primo. Si salva solamente per la fine. Le ultime pagine sono intense e risollevano un po' il libro che appare forse un poco piatto.
Finale amaro per la coppia Carrie Nathan non mi do per vinta!
Nathan è un personaggio particolare, che ancora una volta è costretto a confrontarsi con il suo passato e questa volta in un modo tutto nuovo.
Sarebbero tre stelline e mezzo ma mi sento buona e per questa volta ne metto quattro!
Speriamo nel terzo libro ora!
Ritroviamo Carrie e Nathan a distanza di poche settimane da ciò che successe al termine del primo capitolo.
La storia si apre con un nuovo ostacolo. Nathan infatti è posseduto. O meglio, è questo ciò che appare inizialmente.
Abbiamo la possibilità di visitare la sede del Movimento che si trova a Madrid e vedere come da quel momento tutto cambia nel libro.
Nathan è in pericolo, e il Divoratore di Anime è di nuovo in agguato per compiere un suo poano diabolico.
Il libro, questa volta tuttavia, non si concentra solamente su Carrie, bensì si svolge principalmente su tre piani spaziali. Viene introdotto e dato maggior spazio ad un personaggio che avevamo già visto nel primo libro, Max, e abbiamo così la possibilità di vedere come agisce e che tipo di personaggio è.
Allo stesso tempo troviamo ancora Cyrus che, nella sua nuova condizione, compie un vero e proprio processo di redenzione. O almeno ci prova dopo che conosce la Topolina.
Il libro di per sè non è stato malvagio, tuttavia non è stato come il primo. Si salva solamente per la fine. Le ultime pagine sono intense e risollevano un po' il libro che appare forse un poco piatto.
Finale amaro per la coppia Carrie Nathan non mi do per vinta!
Nathan è un personaggio particolare, che ancora una volta è costretto a confrontarsi con il suo passato e questa volta in un modo tutto nuovo.
Sarebbero tre stelline e mezzo ma mi sento buona e per questa volta ne metto quattro!
Speriamo nel terzo libro ora!
May 23, 2012
i thought that this book was great! I actually thought that possession flowed better and i really enjoyed seeing the story from other characters point of view. It was great to have more characters and to get to know them, and not just Carrie's perception of them. And I was glad that Carrie herself grew a little and unlike some other readers I do like Carrie. what do some people seriously expect of her? To be super emotionally strong and bulletproof? What you have to realise is that people are not perfect so the perfect character is therefore not perfect, a little flawed. And do not forget that as a human she didn't have the best ability to deal with her emotions. Her upbringing and the way her parents were definitely impacted on how she is as a person. But by no means do i think she is weak.
i liked the characters, hearing from Max's point of view was so funny and his scenes with Bella and the banter between them was hilarious. But hearing from Cyrus' point of view was almost heartbreaking. How he had to learn to deal with being human and dealing with all the repercussions that came with it. Being a victim instead of the victimiser, even though he's always slightly been a victim. Oh Mouse I am so so proud of you. *sniffle*
even though it was mostly dealing with emotions and their fallout and emotional growth i thought this book was perfect the way it was.
i liked the characters, hearing from Max's point of view was so funny and his scenes with Bella and the banter between them was hilarious. But hearing from Cyrus' point of view was almost heartbreaking. How he had to learn to deal with being human and dealing with all the repercussions that came with it. Being a victim instead of the victimiser, even though he's always slightly been a victim. Oh Mouse I am so so proud of you. *sniffle*
even though it was mostly dealing with emotions and their fallout and emotional growth i thought this book was perfect the way it was.
April 14, 2012
This one is harder to review. There were parts I liked and some I hated. The book moves away from being entirely vampire centric. We're introduced to lycans and another strain of werewolf. The 2 strains have been fighting forever. Nathan is somehow possessed by the soul eater and Carrie and pals are trying to find him.
******** SPOILERS BELOW THIS LINE *************
We find out that its not so much that he's possessed by the soul eater but the soul eater has put some kind of spell on Nathan that makes him re-live his worst memory over and over and over. Since, Cyrus and the soul eater forced Nathan to kill his wife (back in the 17-1800's), that's what he's reliving. So the only way to get rid of the spell is to have Carrie be a host for Nathan's wife's spirit so he can hear her forgive him. Needless to say, this leaves Carrie feeling very icky and pissed and less than loved so at the end of the book, Nathan is better and Carrie is leaving to go live with one of Nathan's assassin friends who lives in Chicago. Cyrus is in the book, having been brought back to life by the Soul Eater. He's not a very strong character at first but he'll grow on you, I promise. You just wait and see!! Read these books!! :)
******** SPOILERS BELOW THIS LINE *************
We find out that its not so much that he's possessed by the soul eater but the soul eater has put some kind of spell on Nathan that makes him re-live his worst memory over and over and over. Since, Cyrus and the soul eater forced Nathan to kill his wife (back in the 17-1800's), that's what he's reliving. So the only way to get rid of the spell is to have Carrie be a host for Nathan's wife's spirit so he can hear her forgive him. Needless to say, this leaves Carrie feeling very icky and pissed and less than loved so at the end of the book, Nathan is better and Carrie is leaving to go live with one of Nathan's assassin friends who lives in Chicago. Cyrus is in the book, having been brought back to life by the Soul Eater. He's not a very strong character at first but he'll grow on you, I promise. You just wait and see!! Read these books!! :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 19, 2012
Book Two in the Blood Ties Series and I want to really like this series, but keep feeling there is just something missing. I know exactly where that something is: the romance.
It's really not working for me, BUT the story still is. So, I'm in a difficult position. Read on because the story & plot is good and just hope the romance side starts to make sense OR give it up now. Blood Ties is on a precipice for me, teetering over the edge, but not quite completely lost.
The story this time included a possession, waking the dead and my favourite character inclusion so far; a werewolf. Oh and the making of a God. Super story, like I said, but where's that feel good feeling?
One more try to see if Armintrout can actually make the leads love each other in a way the reader deserves to see, but if we have to go back and forth between old sire and new sire with no one actually committing to Carrie - then I'm outta here. Give the girl a chance!
This one get's a downgrade from book one, because I am tiring of the love or lack thereof.
5/10: " Finished the book and it was above average,but I won't be seeking this author out again," on the NBRS.
It's really not working for me, BUT the story still is. So, I'm in a difficult position. Read on because the story & plot is good and just hope the romance side starts to make sense OR give it up now. Blood Ties is on a precipice for me, teetering over the edge, but not quite completely lost.
The story this time included a possession, waking the dead and my favourite character inclusion so far; a werewolf. Oh and the making of a God. Super story, like I said, but where's that feel good feeling?
One more try to see if Armintrout can actually make the leads love each other in a way the reader deserves to see, but if we have to go back and forth between old sire and new sire with no one actually committing to Carrie - then I'm outta here. Give the girl a chance!
This one get's a downgrade from book one, because I am tiring of the love or lack thereof.
5/10: " Finished the book and it was above average,
January 7, 2009
Yes, it is really cheesy, but I am a cheesy person.
I like cheese.
I like it because it is not predictable...people aren't perfect, relationships don't always end well, and it can be pretty damn violent.
I guess it fits into the romance novel category because of the sex, but it seems like something else to me. Vampire fiction...vamp-fic. Yup, that should be a category at the bookshop.
I like cheese.
I like it because it is not predictable...people aren't perfect, relationships don't always end well, and it can be pretty damn violent.
I guess it fits into the romance novel category because of the sex, but it seems like something else to me. Vampire fiction...vamp-fic. Yup, that should be a category at the bookshop.
July 30, 2012
I enjoyed it! I don't have much more to say.
I like Armintrout's writing style, I think she creates great dialogue between her characters. Actually, I think she creates great characters in general!
Is it a life changing read? Nah. But so what, not everything has to be.
I like Armintrout's writing style, I think she creates great dialogue between her characters. Actually, I think she creates great characters in general!
Is it a life changing read? Nah. But so what, not everything has to be.
June 15, 2008
I wasn't that impressed with this book, although I loved the first of the series. This books plot moved slower, and wasn't as interesting.
May 4, 2011
Possession changes perspectives between Carrie and Cyrus and Max during the book which can be a little confusing. The best part of the book is the change that Cyrus goes through during his captivity. His transformation from a brutal monster to a human is fascinating. The relationships between the characters are complicated and layered in ways that many authors don’t bother with.
(Im a spoiler(and 'spoiler' is just an understatement)!!..Beware)
Characters:
Cyrus/Simon Seymour: dead but got reincarnated by the soul eater and dahlia,human,carrie's first sire,being kept at a church by The Fangs,
long white-gold hair covered his shoulders,from England,truely cares for stacey,turned into a good guy,gave himself a haircut,twenty-seven when turned, lean and pale,doesnt know why or how he can feel carrie,did it with stacey,didnt want anyone to find stacey's body so told carrie to burn the church invluding the body down(it was suriously sad when carrie finds out he truely loved stacey but shes already gone),goes with carrie,blue eyes,stays in nolen's house with carrie..bella..max..and tied up nathan for awhile,did it with carrie(but stoped b/c of guilty feeling),during the ritual he headed to go kill his father,went to hospital with bella,went to live on his own after nathan's possession was over.
Jacob Seymour/The soul-eater: cyrus's dad,eats one vamp's soul per yr to satifie his metabolism for the year,spends most of the year sleeping in the coffin,wants to be a god,vampire,trying to eat all his fledging's souls,wants to take cyrus's soul(thats the only reason he had him raise from the dead).
Elsbeth: cyrus's dead wife,killed by the soul eater,loved truely by cyrus but didnt return it,auburn curls,delicate features.
Angie: wide shoulders,smoker,soul eater payed her to raise cyrus from the dead,vampire,killed by carrie.
'The Mouse'/Stacey Pickles: plain brown hair,paper-white skin,stays with cyrus in the church,human,best friends with Father Bart and Sister Helen(who are dead dead),long slender legs,brown eyes,an orphan,parents had both died,imfluenced cyrus into a good guy,valued by cyrus,Nineteen,did it with cyrus,killed by the fangs when the fangs found out cyrus was gone.
Jacob Seymour: Cyrus's father and Nathan's sire,cannibalized other vampires, consuming their blood and their souls to stay alive after years of maniacal acquisition of power had taken their toll on his metabolism,reincarnated cyrus,possessing nathan by showing nathan images of what nathan should regret causing nathan to do something he regrets.
Dahlia: powerful witch,got herself turned by a vamp at the NewYears party(last bk),was talking to bella(telling her guesses of where nathan might be),meets max again in this book,made him do her in the last book when he was sent to her room by cyrus's guards,had a vision involving Louden and Hudson and the virgin mary(hints bout where cyrus is).
Carrie: nathan's fledging,nathan's lover,vampire,turned at twenty-eight,goes to Madrid with max to tlk to the movement about what happened to nathan,kissed max when dreaming(he was trying to wake her up and she was dreaming about kissing cyrus),pale blond hair,strong-boned face,goes to find cyrus while max goes to find what happened to nathan,somehow got connections to cyrus's too,sneaked into the church and stole cyrus while stacey was showering,blue eyes,did it with cyrus(not cheating),while marianne's soul was in her during the ritual..carrie went in marianne as in carrie sees the night marianne dies through her eyes,broke up with nathan,goes to Chicago with max to spend time away from nathan.
Nathan: carrie's sire,carrie's lover,vampire,turned at thirty-two, Dark hair, gorgeous gray eyes, a body so toned and hard he looked like he'd been a statue of a Greek god in a past life,owns a bookstore,has sigils all over his hands,attacked a person/slashed their throat,movement wants him dead,possessed by the soul eater,was found in cemetary by max,concious sometimes mostly not,after the ritual the possessed-ness stoped,got mad and broke up with carrie,stays home.
Ziggy: died in last book,nathan's donor,like a son to nathan,died but got reincarnated by the soul eater into a vampire,gay.
Marianne Galbraith: nathan's dead wife,human,soul was called forth from the astral plane for a short time by bella,soul goes into carrie's body for a bit talking to nathan and forgiving him before leaving,wanted to die,had a diesease in her,Scottish lilt voice.
Max Harrison: part of the movement,vampire,short blond hair,helps find nathan,goes to Madrid with carrie to tlk to the movement about nathan,was sent to kill nathan by movement,goes to find what happened to nathan while carrie goes to find cyrus,likes B positive blood,had the best twenty minutes of his life with dahlia(last book),hates dahlia but at the same time enjoys the sexually active stuff,found nathan then lost him,goes on mission with bella to find nathan and fix him(if they could),has it with bella on nathan's kitchen floor,drugged nathan and cuffed him in his room,blue eyes,nathan's consent during the ritual,goes back to chicago with carrie.
Marcus: max's sire,died,killed by a assasin that used max to get to him.
Amanda: slender, friendly-looking vampire,flight attendant.
Miguel: matred',a handsome, haughty young man,vampire,front line at the movement.
Anne: works at front desk in the movement in spain,black hair, pale skin,vampire,lets carrie go see the oracle,broke her spine while in room with a agitated oracle.
General Breton: officer of the British Army,vampire,British voice, iron jaw,in his late-thirtys,long-wheat colored hair,long straight nose,stone-like gray eyes,sent a kill order,withdrew order of killing nathan from max and gave the task to some1 else.
Bella DeCesare: woman, tall and slender,gold eyes, black hair fell down her back in a perfect, waist-length braid,only assain that can travel commercials,hates max(and max hates her),has the task to kill nathan,left a little 'gift' on carrie's and max's jet so they can know she has a head start on the kill bill,attacked by nathan,saved by max,finds out nathan was possessed after nathan attacked her,goes on mission with max to find nathan and fix him,knows max is attracted to her,has it with max(if u know what i mean) on nathan's kitchen floor,drugged nathan and cuffed him in his room,called forth the spirits of the afterlife to release marianne's soul for awhile,took cyrus to hospital,goes back to spain.
The Oracle: a vampire, a really old one,knows everything,dangerous,can do telekinesis,bald head,slender limbs,unpredictable,three horns on head,is kept in a tank filled with blood,tells carrie cyrus is back,tells carrie to 'Seek the toothsome ones in the land of the dead.'(the toothsome ones are The Fangs and the land of the dead is Death Valley),told anne a long time ago anne's spine will break.
Ruby: waitress at a diner.
George Gordon/Lord Byron: British,biker carrie ment at the diner,writer,vampire,going to Death Valley with another biker for inspiration on a new book,staying at St. Anne's(where cyrus is being kept),helps carrie on updates about cyrus/when his buddy is arriving to get cyrus,helps carrie get to cyrus in exhange for him writing a book about her,getting a ride to the next town so the fangs cant find him since they'll know hes helping carrie.
Penny: woman who appeared to be in her forties, with puffy, bleached-blonde hair and lipstick far too light for her orangey tan,giving a ride to byron to the next town so he doesnt get killed.
March: short,curved woman with long, springy gray curls cascading over her shoulders,owns the brothel(where young pretty men let vampire womens feed of them for money..like donors),her sire was jacob seymour,keeps vamps hostage and murders them in their sleep,gave carrie supplies she'd need on her continuing trip and newspaper.
Evan: one of the donors at the brothel,gorgeous, with long blond hair and a tan that would make Icarus weep with jealousy,o positive,volunteers to give carrie blood,broad shoulders,human,tall,wanted to turn so took carrie's blood while she fainted but got caught by the physican.
FACTS:
-The Voluntary Vampire Extinction Movement was a harsh, totalitarian organization demanding the death of vampires who didn't live by their strict code.
-There are spells, called glamours, that make a person see what the caster wishes them to see.
-Safe rooms are rooms when a stranger goes in the movement building and vampires have 30 secs before the UV rays come on frying any vamp roaming the halls.
-It takes a collection of souls to become a god.
-Dark Night of the Soul goes way back. It started out as a spell to test the faith of a shaman or mystic. Basically, it forces them to live the most troubling, painful moments of their life over and over. The only thing that keeps them from going mad is the strength of their mind and their belief in the training they've received.Only faith would break the spell.
(Im a spoiler(and 'spoiler' is just an understatement)!!..Beware)
Characters:
Cyrus/Simon Seymour: dead but got reincarnated by the soul eater and dahlia,human,carrie's first sire,being kept at a church by The Fangs,
long white-gold hair covered his shoulders,from England,truely cares for stacey,turned into a good guy,gave himself a haircut,twenty-seven when turned, lean and pale,doesnt know why or how he can feel carrie,did it with stacey,didnt want anyone to find stacey's body so told carrie to burn the church invluding the body down(it was suriously sad when carrie finds out he truely loved stacey but shes already gone),goes with carrie,blue eyes,stays in nolen's house with carrie..bella..max..and tied up nathan for awhile,did it with carrie(but stoped b/c of guilty feeling),during the ritual he headed to go kill his father,went to hospital with bella,went to live on his own after nathan's possession was over.
Jacob Seymour/The soul-eater: cyrus's dad,eats one vamp's soul per yr to satifie his metabolism for the year,spends most of the year sleeping in the coffin,wants to be a god,vampire,trying to eat all his fledging's souls,wants to take cyrus's soul(thats the only reason he had him raise from the dead).
Elsbeth: cyrus's dead wife,killed by the soul eater,loved truely by cyrus but didnt return it,auburn curls,delicate features.
Angie: wide shoulders,smoker,soul eater payed her to raise cyrus from the dead,vampire,killed by carrie.
'The Mouse'/Stacey Pickles: plain brown hair,paper-white skin,stays with cyrus in the church,human,best friends with Father Bart and Sister Helen(who are dead dead),long slender legs,brown eyes,an orphan,parents had both died,imfluenced cyrus into a good guy,valued by cyrus,Nineteen,did it with cyrus,killed by the fangs when the fangs found out cyrus was gone.
Jacob Seymour: Cyrus's father and Nathan's sire,cannibalized other vampires, consuming their blood and their souls to stay alive after years of maniacal acquisition of power had taken their toll on his metabolism,reincarnated cyrus,possessing nathan by showing nathan images of what nathan should regret causing nathan to do something he regrets.
Dahlia: powerful witch,got herself turned by a vamp at the NewYears party(last bk),was talking to bella(telling her guesses of where nathan might be),meets max again in this book,made him do her in the last book when he was sent to her room by cyrus's guards,had a vision involving Louden and Hudson and the virgin mary(hints bout where cyrus is).
Carrie: nathan's fledging,nathan's lover,vampire,turned at twenty-eight,goes to Madrid with max to tlk to the movement about what happened to nathan,kissed max when dreaming(he was trying to wake her up and she was dreaming about kissing cyrus),pale blond hair,strong-boned face,goes to find cyrus while max goes to find what happened to nathan,somehow got connections to cyrus's too,sneaked into the church and stole cyrus while stacey was showering,blue eyes,did it with cyrus(not cheating),while marianne's soul was in her during the ritual..carrie went in marianne as in carrie sees the night marianne dies through her eyes,broke up with nathan,goes to Chicago with max to spend time away from nathan.
Nathan: carrie's sire,carrie's lover,vampire,turned at thirty-two, Dark hair, gorgeous gray eyes, a body so toned and hard he looked like he'd been a statue of a Greek god in a past life,owns a bookstore,has sigils all over his hands,attacked a person/slashed their throat,movement wants him dead,possessed by the soul eater,was found in cemetary by max,concious sometimes mostly not,after the ritual the possessed-ness stoped,got mad and broke up with carrie,stays home.
Ziggy: died in last book,nathan's donor,like a son to nathan,died but got reincarnated by the soul eater into a vampire,gay.
Marianne Galbraith: nathan's dead wife,human,soul was called forth from the astral plane for a short time by bella,soul goes into carrie's body for a bit talking to nathan and forgiving him before leaving,wanted to die,had a diesease in her,Scottish lilt voice.
Max Harrison: part of the movement,vampire,short blond hair,helps find nathan,goes to Madrid with carrie to tlk to the movement about nathan,was sent to kill nathan by movement,goes to find what happened to nathan while carrie goes to find cyrus,likes B positive blood,had the best twenty minutes of his life with dahlia(last book),hates dahlia but at the same time enjoys the sexually active stuff,found nathan then lost him,goes on mission with bella to find nathan and fix him(if they could),has it with bella on nathan's kitchen floor,drugged nathan and cuffed him in his room,blue eyes,nathan's consent during the ritual,goes back to chicago with carrie.
Marcus: max's sire,died,killed by a assasin that used max to get to him.
Amanda: slender, friendly-looking vampire,flight attendant.
Miguel: matred',a handsome, haughty young man,vampire,front line at the movement.
Anne: works at front desk in the movement in spain,black hair, pale skin,vampire,lets carrie go see the oracle,broke her spine while in room with a agitated oracle.
General Breton: officer of the British Army,vampire,British voice, iron jaw,in his late-thirtys,long-wheat colored hair,long straight nose,stone-like gray eyes,sent a kill order,withdrew order of killing nathan from max and gave the task to some1 else.
Bella DeCesare: woman, tall and slender,gold eyes, black hair fell down her back in a perfect, waist-length braid,only assain that can travel commercials,hates max(and max hates her),has the task to kill nathan,left a little 'gift' on carrie's and max's jet so they can know she has a head start on the kill bill,attacked by nathan,saved by max,finds out nathan was possessed after nathan attacked her,goes on mission with max to find nathan and fix him,knows max is attracted to her,has it with max(if u know what i mean) on nathan's kitchen floor,drugged nathan and cuffed him in his room,called forth the spirits of the afterlife to release marianne's soul for awhile,took cyrus to hospital,goes back to spain.
The Oracle: a vampire, a really old one,knows everything,dangerous,can do telekinesis,bald head,slender limbs,unpredictable,three horns on head,is kept in a tank filled with blood,tells carrie cyrus is back,tells carrie to 'Seek the toothsome ones in the land of the dead.'(the toothsome ones are The Fangs and the land of the dead is Death Valley),told anne a long time ago anne's spine will break.
Ruby: waitress at a diner.
George Gordon/Lord Byron: British,biker carrie ment at the diner,writer,vampire,going to Death Valley with another biker for inspiration on a new book,staying at St. Anne's(where cyrus is being kept),helps carrie on updates about cyrus/when his buddy is arriving to get cyrus,helps carrie get to cyrus in exhange for him writing a book about her,getting a ride to the next town so the fangs cant find him since they'll know hes helping carrie.
Penny: woman who appeared to be in her forties, with puffy, bleached-blonde hair and lipstick far too light for her orangey tan,giving a ride to byron to the next town so he doesnt get killed.
March: short,curved woman with long, springy gray curls cascading over her shoulders,owns the brothel(where young pretty men let vampire womens feed of them for money..like donors),her sire was jacob seymour,keeps vamps hostage and murders them in their sleep,gave carrie supplies she'd need on her continuing trip and newspaper.
Evan: one of the donors at the brothel,gorgeous, with long blond hair and a tan that would make Icarus weep with jealousy,o positive,volunteers to give carrie blood,broad shoulders,human,tall,wanted to turn so took carrie's blood while she fainted but got caught by the physican.
FACTS:
-The Voluntary Vampire Extinction Movement was a harsh, totalitarian organization demanding the death of vampires who didn't live by their strict code.
-There are spells, called glamours, that make a person see what the caster wishes them to see.
-Safe rooms are rooms when a stranger goes in the movement building and vampires have 30 secs before the UV rays come on frying any vamp roaming the halls.
-It takes a collection of souls to become a god.
-Dark Night of the Soul goes way back. It started out as a spell to test the faith of a shaman or mystic. Basically, it forces them to live the most troubling, painful moments of their life over and over. The only thing that keeps them from going mad is the strength of their mind and their belief in the training they've received.Only faith would break the spell.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 13, 2015
Romance and Fantasy for Cosmopolitan Girls
“Innamorata di un vampiro” è il secondo libro della saga di Jennifer Armintrout, dedicata ai signori della notte. Titolo originale “Possession” e vi posso assicurare che questo rende molto meglio l’idea. Mi è totalmente oscuro il modo in cui le case editrici italiane scelgano i titoli per la pubblicazione nel nostro paese.
Nel primo libro della serie “Il bacio del vampiro”, abbiamo conosciuto gli esseri immaginati dalla Armintrout come sanguigni e capaci di ogni tipo di nefandezze che la loro natura sovrannaturale amplifica: crudeltà e brama di sangue li contraddistinguono, portandoli ad incarnare esattamente le creature che nell’immaginario collettivo di tutti sono marchiate a sangue con il nome di VAMPIRI.
In questo secondo libro l’autrice da spazio anche a licantropi ed esseri umani, infatti nonostante tutta la storia sia incentrata su Nathan, vittima delle macchinazioni del Divoratore di anime, i personaggi che animano le pagine sono altri. Nathan rimarrà sempre un essere che si muove ai margini del racconto pur essendone la colonna portante.
Carrie, dopo essere finalmente scesa a patti con la sua nuova natura sovrannaturale, divide una vita tranquilla con Nathan del quale si è scoperta follemente innamorata, tuttavia la loro tranquillità dura poco. Nathan viene posseduto da un mostro che lo costringe a girare assatanato per la città uccidendo giovani femmine umane. Sola e senza l’appoggio di nessuno Carrie, dopo essere stata aggredita da Nathan è costretta a telefonare a Max, uno dei pochi altri vampiri di cui è certa di potersi fidare.
Mi si rizzarono i capelli sulla nuca. La cosa che si nascondeva nell'ombra emise un grugnito. La pendola batté le ore. Sussultai. La creatura spiccò un balzo verso di me.
Max e Carrie si mettono subito in moto per cercare di aiutare l’amico e amante ma la questione si rivela molto più complicata di quanto avessero pensato, infatti come se non bastasse l'essere diventato una creatura malvagia, sulla testa di Nathan pende una condanna a morte emessa dal “Movimento” un ente che si preoccupa dell’identità morale dei vampiri e provvede ad eliminare dalla faccia della terra quelli che non rispettano le regole e uccidono gli umani.
A questo punto la narrazione prosegue dividendosi in tre filoni paralleli: quello di Carrie, quello di Max e quello di Cyrus. Si, perché Cyrus, che era stato pugnalato al petto da Carrie nel libro precedente, viene richiamato alla vita tramite un rituale magico e tenuto prigioniero in una sperduta Chiesa nel deserto dalle Zanne, i vampiri motociclisti. Il divoratore di anime ha dei progetti su di lui: anzi ha dei progetti che riguardano tutta la specie.
Rispetto al libro precedente è interessante vedere come in questo i ruoli appaiano invertiti. Nathan, che stava dalla parte dei buoni, viene trasformato in un mostro e così rimane per buona parte del racconto, mentre Cyrus, che era crudele e spietato, viene resuscitato in forma umana e come tale si riappropria dei sentimenti e degli scrupoli che aveva bandito dalla propria anima il giorno in cui uccise il proprio fratello per prenderne il posto e servire il padre.
Durante i giorni della sua prigionia, Cyrus ha il tempo di riflettere e scandagliare a fondo la propria anima e, nonostante all’inizio rifugga da quello che sente dentro al cuore, ben presto si arrenderà ai sentimenti che la sua compagna di prigionia riesce a suscitargli: suo malgrado si arrenderà all’amore.
Come aveva potuto godere del dolore di altre donne come lei? Come aveva potuto provare piacere a uccidere quando ora si sentiva in colpa solo per qualche goccia di sangue virginale? Quei giorni di crudeltà e indifferenza erano finiti. Ora tutto ciò che contava era la donna al suo fianco, che era solida e reale e lo amava pur avendo paura di lui. Come un folle che continui a tenere la mano sul fuoco e si stupisca del bruciore. Cyrus si affidò ancora una volta alla debole speranza che stava fiorendo nella sua anima. Questa volta sarà diverso, si disse. Doveva essere così. Nella sua debole condizione umana, non sarebbe sopravvissuto altrimenti. Ma si stava prendendo in giro. Nemmeno se avesse avuto la forza di un dio sarebbe sopravvissuto se avesse perso quella donna.
Max, dopo un fallimentare tentativo di convincere il Movimento a dare un'altra opportunità a Natahan, rientra in città per mettersi alle calcagna di Bella, la lupa incaricata dal capo dell’organizzazione di scovare Nathan e cancellarlo dalla faccia della terra. Tenere sotto controllo la lupa è l’unico modo che ha per non perdere il contatto con il suo amico e salvarlo dalle sgrinfie dell’agguerrita femmina. Le cose però non vanno come dovrebbero andare e la situazione si ribalta, invece che salvare Nathan da Bella dovrà rassegnarsi e salvare Bella da Nathan. Prendersi cura della femmina gravemente ferita lo aiuta a rendersi conto che, nonostante la natura animale, lei è una donna con tutti gli attributi al punto giusto e la situazione tra di loro si surriscalda non di poco. I pregiudizi però, sono duri a morire e quando il peggior nemico della felicità risiede in noi stessi, le cose si fanno parecchio complicate.
Max trasse un sospiro di frustrazione e la raggiunse. «Vuoi che ti porti?» I suoi occhi dorati si allargarono, poi si restrinsero per la collera. «Assolutamente no!» Peccato. Sarebbe stato divertente averla in spalla, con le gambe avvolte intorno ai fianchi. «Oh, per l'amor del cielo!» imprecò ad alta voce. Pensare di fare del sesso con una lupa mannara era praticamente bestiale. E se proprio avesse voluto provare, di sicuro avrebbe scelto qualcuno che non parlasse tanto come lei, tipo una capra o un pony. Alleata o meno, continuava a dargli sui nervi.
Carrie, dopo un pericoloso incontro con l’Oracolo della razza, si mette sulle tracce di Cyrus e, con l’aiuto non propriamente disinteressato di un certo George Gordon, al secolo Lord Byron, poeta e politico inglese (L’autrice lo presenta come scrittore, ma in realtà fu più un poeta.), riesce a rintracciarlo nella vecchia Chiesa nel deserto. In breve si rende conto che l’uomo che si trova di fronte non ha più niente a che vedere con il suo vecchio Sire. Questo nuovo maschio che ragiona col cuore è una sorpresa per lei anche se, in passato non era stata mai totalmente convinta che l’attrazione che provava per lui fosse solo frutto del legame di sangue.
«Tu mi hai ferito, Carrie. Credevi che non ti amassi. Era così. Credevo di amarti, ma ora so che mi sbagliavo. In ogni caso tenevo molto a te; anche adesso tengo molto a te.» …………….. «Tu mi hai spezzato il cuore, Carrie.» Mi fissò negli occhi e, per la prima volta, non vidi altro che onestà in quella profondità azzurro chiara. Si piegò lentamente verso di me, con quella grazia felina che non era stata intaccata dalla morte né dalla resurrezione. Prima che potessi pensare razionalmente - e ci sarebbe voluto un bel po', considerando la completa bizzarria del momento - Cyrus mi baciò. …………… Anche se erano passati due mesi, e per la maggior parte di quel tempo lui era stato morto, il mio corpo rispose al suo.
L’intreccio dei sentimenti non vieta al destino di fare il suo corso e i nostri eroi dovranno faticare parecchio per sciogliere l’enigma che è alla base della possessione di Nathan.
Il libro è scorrevole e la lettura piacevole, interessante è l’uso di due diversi stili di narrazione da parte della Armintrout. La storia di Carrie viene raccontata in prima persona mentre le parti che riguardano Max e Cyrus vengono narrate dall’autore. Il passaggio tra uno stile e l'altro è ben gestito e rende la lettura gradevole. La trama è un po’ meno interessante di quella del libro precedente, le scene di sesso sono moderate e, a mio parere, non trascendenziali. Tutto sommato, comunque, l’effetto generale del libro merita tre stelle. L’epilogo lascia molte cose in sospeso, cose che si dipaneranno nel prossimo libro della serie Blood Ties “Cuore di Vampiro”, ma questa è un'altra storia.
“Innamorata di un vampiro” è il secondo libro della saga di Jennifer Armintrout, dedicata ai signori della notte. Titolo originale “Possession” e vi posso assicurare che questo rende molto meglio l’idea. Mi è totalmente oscuro il modo in cui le case editrici italiane scelgano i titoli per la pubblicazione nel nostro paese.
Nel primo libro della serie “Il bacio del vampiro”, abbiamo conosciuto gli esseri immaginati dalla Armintrout come sanguigni e capaci di ogni tipo di nefandezze che la loro natura sovrannaturale amplifica: crudeltà e brama di sangue li contraddistinguono, portandoli ad incarnare esattamente le creature che nell’immaginario collettivo di tutti sono marchiate a sangue con il nome di VAMPIRI.
In questo secondo libro l’autrice da spazio anche a licantropi ed esseri umani, infatti nonostante tutta la storia sia incentrata su Nathan, vittima delle macchinazioni del Divoratore di anime, i personaggi che animano le pagine sono altri. Nathan rimarrà sempre un essere che si muove ai margini del racconto pur essendone la colonna portante.
Carrie, dopo essere finalmente scesa a patti con la sua nuova natura sovrannaturale, divide una vita tranquilla con Nathan del quale si è scoperta follemente innamorata, tuttavia la loro tranquillità dura poco. Nathan viene posseduto da un mostro che lo costringe a girare assatanato per la città uccidendo giovani femmine umane. Sola e senza l’appoggio di nessuno Carrie, dopo essere stata aggredita da Nathan è costretta a telefonare a Max, uno dei pochi altri vampiri di cui è certa di potersi fidare.
Mi si rizzarono i capelli sulla nuca. La cosa che si nascondeva nell'ombra emise un grugnito. La pendola batté le ore. Sussultai. La creatura spiccò un balzo verso di me.
Max e Carrie si mettono subito in moto per cercare di aiutare l’amico e amante ma la questione si rivela molto più complicata di quanto avessero pensato, infatti come se non bastasse l'essere diventato una creatura malvagia, sulla testa di Nathan pende una condanna a morte emessa dal “Movimento” un ente che si preoccupa dell’identità morale dei vampiri e provvede ad eliminare dalla faccia della terra quelli che non rispettano le regole e uccidono gli umani.
A questo punto la narrazione prosegue dividendosi in tre filoni paralleli: quello di Carrie, quello di Max e quello di Cyrus. Si, perché Cyrus, che era stato pugnalato al petto da Carrie nel libro precedente, viene richiamato alla vita tramite un rituale magico e tenuto prigioniero in una sperduta Chiesa nel deserto dalle Zanne, i vampiri motociclisti. Il divoratore di anime ha dei progetti su di lui: anzi ha dei progetti che riguardano tutta la specie.
Rispetto al libro precedente è interessante vedere come in questo i ruoli appaiano invertiti. Nathan, che stava dalla parte dei buoni, viene trasformato in un mostro e così rimane per buona parte del racconto, mentre Cyrus, che era crudele e spietato, viene resuscitato in forma umana e come tale si riappropria dei sentimenti e degli scrupoli che aveva bandito dalla propria anima il giorno in cui uccise il proprio fratello per prenderne il posto e servire il padre.
Durante i giorni della sua prigionia, Cyrus ha il tempo di riflettere e scandagliare a fondo la propria anima e, nonostante all’inizio rifugga da quello che sente dentro al cuore, ben presto si arrenderà ai sentimenti che la sua compagna di prigionia riesce a suscitargli: suo malgrado si arrenderà all’amore.
Come aveva potuto godere del dolore di altre donne come lei? Come aveva potuto provare piacere a uccidere quando ora si sentiva in colpa solo per qualche goccia di sangue virginale? Quei giorni di crudeltà e indifferenza erano finiti. Ora tutto ciò che contava era la donna al suo fianco, che era solida e reale e lo amava pur avendo paura di lui. Come un folle che continui a tenere la mano sul fuoco e si stupisca del bruciore. Cyrus si affidò ancora una volta alla debole speranza che stava fiorendo nella sua anima. Questa volta sarà diverso, si disse. Doveva essere così. Nella sua debole condizione umana, non sarebbe sopravvissuto altrimenti. Ma si stava prendendo in giro. Nemmeno se avesse avuto la forza di un dio sarebbe sopravvissuto se avesse perso quella donna.
Max, dopo un fallimentare tentativo di convincere il Movimento a dare un'altra opportunità a Natahan, rientra in città per mettersi alle calcagna di Bella, la lupa incaricata dal capo dell’organizzazione di scovare Nathan e cancellarlo dalla faccia della terra. Tenere sotto controllo la lupa è l’unico modo che ha per non perdere il contatto con il suo amico e salvarlo dalle sgrinfie dell’agguerrita femmina. Le cose però non vanno come dovrebbero andare e la situazione si ribalta, invece che salvare Nathan da Bella dovrà rassegnarsi e salvare Bella da Nathan. Prendersi cura della femmina gravemente ferita lo aiuta a rendersi conto che, nonostante la natura animale, lei è una donna con tutti gli attributi al punto giusto e la situazione tra di loro si surriscalda non di poco. I pregiudizi però, sono duri a morire e quando il peggior nemico della felicità risiede in noi stessi, le cose si fanno parecchio complicate.
Max trasse un sospiro di frustrazione e la raggiunse. «Vuoi che ti porti?» I suoi occhi dorati si allargarono, poi si restrinsero per la collera. «Assolutamente no!» Peccato. Sarebbe stato divertente averla in spalla, con le gambe avvolte intorno ai fianchi. «Oh, per l'amor del cielo!» imprecò ad alta voce. Pensare di fare del sesso con una lupa mannara era praticamente bestiale. E se proprio avesse voluto provare, di sicuro avrebbe scelto qualcuno che non parlasse tanto come lei, tipo una capra o un pony. Alleata o meno, continuava a dargli sui nervi.
Carrie, dopo un pericoloso incontro con l’Oracolo della razza, si mette sulle tracce di Cyrus e, con l’aiuto non propriamente disinteressato di un certo George Gordon, al secolo Lord Byron, poeta e politico inglese (L’autrice lo presenta come scrittore, ma in realtà fu più un poeta.), riesce a rintracciarlo nella vecchia Chiesa nel deserto. In breve si rende conto che l’uomo che si trova di fronte non ha più niente a che vedere con il suo vecchio Sire. Questo nuovo maschio che ragiona col cuore è una sorpresa per lei anche se, in passato non era stata mai totalmente convinta che l’attrazione che provava per lui fosse solo frutto del legame di sangue.
«Tu mi hai ferito, Carrie. Credevi che non ti amassi. Era così. Credevo di amarti, ma ora so che mi sbagliavo. In ogni caso tenevo molto a te; anche adesso tengo molto a te.» …………….. «Tu mi hai spezzato il cuore, Carrie.» Mi fissò negli occhi e, per la prima volta, non vidi altro che onestà in quella profondità azzurro chiara. Si piegò lentamente verso di me, con quella grazia felina che non era stata intaccata dalla morte né dalla resurrezione. Prima che potessi pensare razionalmente - e ci sarebbe voluto un bel po', considerando la completa bizzarria del momento - Cyrus mi baciò. …………… Anche se erano passati due mesi, e per la maggior parte di quel tempo lui era stato morto, il mio corpo rispose al suo.
L’intreccio dei sentimenti non vieta al destino di fare il suo corso e i nostri eroi dovranno faticare parecchio per sciogliere l’enigma che è alla base della possessione di Nathan.
Il libro è scorrevole e la lettura piacevole, interessante è l’uso di due diversi stili di narrazione da parte della Armintrout. La storia di Carrie viene raccontata in prima persona mentre le parti che riguardano Max e Cyrus vengono narrate dall’autore. Il passaggio tra uno stile e l'altro è ben gestito e rende la lettura gradevole. La trama è un po’ meno interessante di quella del libro precedente, le scene di sesso sono moderate e, a mio parere, non trascendenziali. Tutto sommato, comunque, l’effetto generale del libro merita tre stelle. L’epilogo lascia molte cose in sospeso, cose che si dipaneranno nel prossimo libro della serie Blood Ties “Cuore di Vampiro”, ma questa è un'altra storia.
May 4, 2017
As far as I know there are 2 types of book...
1 - one that is brand new to you that you've never read before, whether the outcome be that you love it or hate it.
2 - the favourites. the ones you can read over and over again and never tire of. you know the story inside out and it's like a comfy blanket.
right?
wrong.
there's a frustrating third.
one where you've read it before and you know the storyline in the back of your head but you need to keep reading it to fill in any small blanks you may have forgot.
That was this one for me. It felt like a bit of a chore to have to get through even though the actual storyline isn't that bad. I just knew I had to plough through it in order to carry on to book 3.
SO! We start this book lifting up where book one left. Cyrus was dead. Nathan and Carrie were kind of a couple....more on Carries side than Nathan.
The action happens early on, Carrie feeling it through the blood tie. Nathans pain and anguish. Encountering him in the book store, he's ....bluntly - feral and runs off literally into the night.
Carrie calls on Max who we briefly met at the end of book one and now becomes one of the steady characters in the book. it's hard not to like Max!
They have no clue what's wrong with Nathan so fly to Madrid to the Movement to try to get help....only to be given a kill order for Nathan.
While max loads up on weapons Carrie talks to the 'receptionist ' (who basically a retired assassin) and takes her to the Oracle. A very old vampire they have to keep sedated due to her powers.
the Oracle talks to Carries mind with cryptic words before all hell breaks loose....the kill order is given to a werewolf called Bella and Max and Carrie sent home.
There is alot in this book going on.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟SPOILER ALERT 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Cyrus is brought back from the dead. The Oracle gives Carrie clues where to find him. He's your average day human and Carrie finds herself in a position where she's liking this Cyrus....a bit too much.
The Soul Eater is trying to become a God.
So Carrie and Max think the 3 things are connected (Nathan, Cyrus and The Soul Eater).
While max is in Nathans apartment trying to read through books and books to find out what's happening with Nathan, Bella mistakes him for Nathan and almost kills him.
The pair have an uneasy truce when max rescues her from an attack from Nathan and helps her recover.....alot.
The problem with Nathan is something much more close to home than is realised but it is connected to the Soul Eater.
To bring him back, Carrie needs to release control of her body to a spirit with no guarantees she'll get it back.
And no guarantees that Nathan will accept her after.
And no guarantees that he will love her.
However, Cyrus......he has already shown carrie how much he loves to be needed and wants to be loved. And Carrie needs those things after trying so long for Nathan to admit them....
She could be making more than one or two fatal errors in the next book to come (which I'm so happy to say I hadn't read at all!!!)
1 - one that is brand new to you that you've never read before, whether the outcome be that you love it or hate it.
2 - the favourites. the ones you can read over and over again and never tire of. you know the story inside out and it's like a comfy blanket.
right?
wrong.
there's a frustrating third.
one where you've read it before and you know the storyline in the back of your head but you need to keep reading it to fill in any small blanks you may have forgot.
That was this one for me. It felt like a bit of a chore to have to get through even though the actual storyline isn't that bad. I just knew I had to plough through it in order to carry on to book 3.
SO! We start this book lifting up where book one left. Cyrus was dead. Nathan and Carrie were kind of a couple....more on Carries side than Nathan.
The action happens early on, Carrie feeling it through the blood tie. Nathans pain and anguish. Encountering him in the book store, he's ....bluntly - feral and runs off literally into the night.
Carrie calls on Max who we briefly met at the end of book one and now becomes one of the steady characters in the book. it's hard not to like Max!
They have no clue what's wrong with Nathan so fly to Madrid to the Movement to try to get help....only to be given a kill order for Nathan.
While max loads up on weapons Carrie talks to the 'receptionist ' (who basically a retired assassin) and takes her to the Oracle. A very old vampire they have to keep sedated due to her powers.
the Oracle talks to Carries mind with cryptic words before all hell breaks loose....the kill order is given to a werewolf called Bella and Max and Carrie sent home.
There is alot in this book going on.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟SPOILER ALERT 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Cyrus is brought back from the dead. The Oracle gives Carrie clues where to find him. He's your average day human and Carrie finds herself in a position where she's liking this Cyrus....a bit too much.
The Soul Eater is trying to become a God.
So Carrie and Max think the 3 things are connected (Nathan, Cyrus and The Soul Eater).
While max is in Nathans apartment trying to read through books and books to find out what's happening with Nathan, Bella mistakes him for Nathan and almost kills him.
The pair have an uneasy truce when max rescues her from an attack from Nathan and helps her recover.....alot.
The problem with Nathan is something much more close to home than is realised but it is connected to the Soul Eater.
To bring him back, Carrie needs to release control of her body to a spirit with no guarantees she'll get it back.
And no guarantees that Nathan will accept her after.
And no guarantees that he will love her.
However, Cyrus......he has already shown carrie how much he loves to be needed and wants to be loved. And Carrie needs those things after trying so long for Nathan to admit them....
She could be making more than one or two fatal errors in the next book to come (which I'm so happy to say I hadn't read at all!!!)
November 25, 2020
Possession is the second Book in the Blood Ties series and ir continues following Carrie’s life as a vampire. This time with some surprises since her sire is not the same anymore and her old sire is human now and the Soul Eater is still out there and he is planning something.
So this change in roles brings more focus on Cyrus story and it also changes his personality almost completely. He is not a cold blooded killer anymore and he starts feeling guilt when trying to torture someone else.
On Carrie’s side everything looked fine until Nathan got possessed and now the Movement wants him dead.
This second book goes around this new mission of saving Nathan from the movement and understand what is possessing him. Carrie counts with Max’s help and another new character is introduced too (a werewolf that works for the Movement).
I really enjoyed the book once again. I liked the change of personality that being human brought to Cyrus, I liked the introduction of new characters and I really liked that Nathan’s guilt towards his past was finally confronted (it was getting repetitive).
I still think Carrie is a bit immature about her feelings for Cyrus and even about her feelings for Nathan sometimes and I really have no idea how this will turn out in the end of the series.
All in all it is another good book in this series. I will mention again that this book has some sexual moments but I think it is less than the first book - I think it is always important to mention this in case some readers are sensitive to that.
Really recommend for the vampire lovers, this is still my favourite vampire series so far.
So this change in roles brings more focus on Cyrus story and it also changes his personality almost completely. He is not a cold blooded killer anymore and he starts feeling guilt when trying to torture someone else.
On Carrie’s side everything looked fine until Nathan got possessed and now the Movement wants him dead.
This second book goes around this new mission of saving Nathan from the movement and understand what is possessing him. Carrie counts with Max’s help and another new character is introduced too (a werewolf that works for the Movement).
I really enjoyed the book once again. I liked the change of personality that being human brought to Cyrus, I liked the introduction of new characters and I really liked that Nathan’s guilt towards his past was finally confronted (it was getting repetitive).
I still think Carrie is a bit immature about her feelings for Cyrus and even about her feelings for Nathan sometimes and I really have no idea how this will turn out in the end of the series.
All in all it is another good book in this series. I will mention again that this book has some sexual moments but I think it is less than the first book - I think it is always important to mention this in case some readers are sensitive to that.
Really recommend for the vampire lovers, this is still my favourite vampire series so far.
December 22, 2020
First of all let me start by saying I only finished this grotesque book because I have a need to finish what I start.
Now, how can one write so much about rape? I have never read a book that had so many sexual assaults. I experienced, for the first time, complete and utter embarrassment for a character. As Carrie repeated Nathan's rape story, to people who didn't need to hear it, I was shocked, embarrassed and angry. Like, saying it once, in book one, was enough. Noooo Jennifer Armintrout had to keep repeating it. I closed the book and nearly threw it when Cyrus was telling Ziggy all about it. And then Ziggy decides Cyrus "isn't so bad"?! How is it that Cyrus can sexually assault nearly everyone he comes into contact with, yet everyone (expect Nathan) fall for him?
This book was so unrealistic (even for a paranormal book). Cyrus gets to be redeemed after 700 years of raping and killing and torture? Yeah, no!
Carrie- what can be said about Dr. Dummy? She knew what Cyrus did to the man she "loved" yet...still had sex with him. Defended him. Rescued him. And offered to assist his new human self?!
I just can't!
I have been a fan of Jennifer Armintrout, good thing this series was not the first I read from her, or else I never would have read another!
Now, how can one write so much about rape? I have never read a book that had so many sexual assaults. I experienced, for the first time, complete and utter embarrassment for a character. As Carrie repeated Nathan's rape story, to people who didn't need to hear it, I was shocked, embarrassed and angry. Like, saying it once, in book one, was enough. Noooo Jennifer Armintrout had to keep repeating it. I closed the book and nearly threw it when Cyrus was telling Ziggy all about it. And then Ziggy decides Cyrus "isn't so bad"?! How is it that Cyrus can sexually assault nearly everyone he comes into contact with, yet everyone (expect Nathan) fall for him?
This book was so unrealistic (even for a paranormal book). Cyrus gets to be redeemed after 700 years of raping and killing and torture? Yeah, no!
Carrie- what can be said about Dr. Dummy? She knew what Cyrus did to the man she "loved" yet...still had sex with him. Defended him. Rescued him. And offered to assist his new human self?!
I just can't!
I have been a fan of Jennifer Armintrout, good thing this series was not the first I read from her, or else I never would have read another!
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