Sunday, February 12, 2012

Vampire Shift (Kiera Hudson Series Book One) by Tim O'Rourke - Review


Lately, I’ve hit a bit of a slump in finding books that appealed to me. I’ve been staring books that I end up stopping because they don’t grab me, I don’t feel I can relate, it’s poorly written or all of the above. I recently read an article about Tim O’Rourke and how his books are said to rival Stephanie Meyer’s work. Needless to say, I was pretty intrigued and decided to check out Vampire Shift, the first in the Kiera Hudson series by Tim O’Rourke. The cover alone drew me in and after I began reading, I simply couldn’t put the book down.

Vampire Shift follows a 20-year-old Kiera who just graduated from the police academy. Upon graduation, she volunteers to be stationed in the small English town of The Ragged Cove. This costal town has a bad reputation for the number of murders that have been occurring over the past few years. Once she arrives in the town, she thinks that she may have gotten herself into a very strange situation. With her special gift of sight, she is a very thorough policewoman and she sees clues that no one else seems to be able to see. After her run-in with a vampire at her second crime scene, Kiera begins to question her fellow policemen and her own past. Complete with crucifixes, graveyards and holy water, this story will definitely have you guessing!

I really loved reading this book. First and foremost, this was a very well written novel. O’Rourke did not over do his descriptions or introductions into his own, different vampire world. He gave you as a reader just enough to understand what was going on, but not enough to keep you from trying to figure out the mystery behind this little, seaside town and its' inhabitants. Also, O’Rourke didn’t overplay the romance in this novel. Make no mistake, there are some very hunky men and a great romance in the book, but the story is about just that, the story. Vampire Shift plays most heavily on the mystery surrounding Kiera and the other characters and I really enjoyed this change of pace.

As an older reader of young adult fiction, I was pleased to read about a more mature character. Kierea wasn’t a 16-year-old high school student struggling with what to do with her life; she had a job and lived on her own. It was different to read a paranormal romance book where I could place myself in the main character's shoes.

O’Rourke’s own personal take on vampires was especially refreshing to read as most writers as of late are taking up the same story as the vampires in Twilight. After all, vampires do drink human blood so they’re supposed to seem a little scary! In O'Rourke's Vampire Shift, he shows readers once again to never count a self-published author out!

8 out of 10
eBook only No longer eBook only!

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