~ BOOK REVIEW ~ Veiled ~ by Stacey Rourke
Title:
Veiled
Author: Stacey
Rourke
Genre: Urban
Fantasy
Cover Designer: Wicked Book
Covers
Hosted by: Lady Amber’s
PR
Blurb:
Political propaganda would have us believe vampires are
our friends. Fanged teddy bears misunderstood thanks to archaic lore. Activists
picket for them to be welcomed into our
society.
They claim vamps don't
kill.
They preach we are
safe.
They ... are dead
wrong.
One year ago a hive slaughtered my family and left me
for dead. Found by a team of scientists with their own agenda, I was forged
into an unstoppable weapon.
I possess their strength, with none of their
weaknesses.
I can move among them free from their crippling
hunger.
I am their greatest threat.
Armed with this arsenal, vengeance will feed my desire
to penetrate the seedy underbelly of their fetishized lifestyle and expose them
for the monsters they truly are.
My Review:
5 out of 5 Stars
My brain still feels like a bouncy ball, bouncing back and forth
in my brain after reading this! My one recommendation while reading this? NEVER
think you have ANYTHING figured out! This
is a hard review to write, because just about everything I want to say is a spoiler,
but I will do my best, starting with saying this was some excellent
writing. This is not your typical
vampire story – which is nearly impossible to say these days, with how many
vampire books are out there.
In this story, there is no black and white – no CLEAR good and
bad. The author does a great job keeping
you guessing. In this day in age
especially, the easiest thing to constantly question is HUMAN nature, and this
story raises a lot of questions about both human and vampire nature. This is a story of survival of the fittest,
who really is the fittest, and who really is the bad guy – and again, not only as
a group (humans or vampires), but also down to the individual, and what an
individual would do when put in several different pressing situations.
And then there’s the center of our story, Vinx. Although she’s forced into the middle of this
fight under horrible circumstances, she chooses to keep fighting – and keep
questioning. I think my bouncy ball
brain is nothing like what hers was going through in this entire book. But it’s truly what makes her great in this
story. She refuses to accept anything
anyone tells her without proof, no matter how much she does or doesn’t want to
believe it. She’s tough, she’s definitely
got a sense of humor that I love, and she never stops asking questions. I think I may have a new idol.
I devoured this book in just a few days, hoping to get the answers
to the questions that continued to build.
However, the further I got into the book, and the more questions I had,
I knew this wasn’t going to be a single book – there would be at least a
second. And when I got to the end? SO
MANY MORE QUESTIONS! Very little, if any, answers at the end – and I wasn’t
even mad! I thought it was a great
ending, setting up the next book perfectly – and oh boy, is the next one going
to be HUGE! I can’t wait!
RONE Award Winner for Best YA
Paranormal Work of 2012 for Embrace, a Gryphon Series
Novel
Young Adult and Teen Reader voted Author of the Year
2012
Turning Pages Magazine Winner for Best YA book of 2013
& Best Teen Book of
2013
Stacey Rourke is the author of the award winning YA
Gryphon Series, the chillingly suspenseful Legends Saga, and the romantic
comedy Adapted for Film. She lives in Michigan with her husband, two beautiful
daughters, and two giant dogs. She loves to travel, has an unhealthy shoe
addiction, and considers herself blessed to make a career out of talking to the
imaginary people that live in her
head.
or on Twitter or instagram at
Rourkewrites.
Buy
Link: Amazon: http://amzn.to/2AoWg2E
“Comparing us to aberrant
criminals? How do you justify making such a bold
leap?”
“With centuries of murders,
torture, and feedings!” he exploded, hopping in his seat as if suppressing the
urge to leap onto the tabletop and douse me with holy water. “All of these vile
acts have been committed under the teachings of your demonic demi-god, Vlad
Draculesti. Your immortal Lord
Impaler.”
One corner of my mouth tugged
back in a knowing smirk. “And no one has ever killed, maimed, or committed
genocide in the name of
Christ?”
“It’s a sorry argument to use
our history against us!”
“Yes, it is!” I vehemently
agreed. “And yet that is exactly what humans subject us to. You fault us for
the mistakes our kind has made in the past, mocking our deity without truly
understanding his teachings. Meanwhile, you fetishize our culture and use it in
your foreplay. Statistically speaking, human on human deaths outweigh
vampire-on-human deaths twenty-three hundred to one. And why is that? Because
humans take their passions too far, while when we pair with a human we focus on
building a lasting relationship built on trust, safety, and
security.”
“Humans you keep around for
feeding and screwing!” my opponent hollered, spittle bubbling in the corners of
his mouth. “You’re vicious
killers!”
“My apologies to our viewers for
that use of inappropriate language,” the prim and poised moderator stated into
the camera before fixing her critical gaze on the frothing conservative. “Mayor
Donaldson, I again ask you to control these outbursts or we will have no choice
but to conclude our debate.”
Before his mouth could open to
protest further, I leaned in and caught him with my narrowed gaze. “Show me
proof. Where is the recorded documentation of these crimes you’re accusing us
of? I tell you what, while you hunt to find that, I will wander into any
costume shop or Halloween store and snag a set of fangs and a gothic cape that
misrepresent us as night prowling fiends. The so-called facts you are basing
your viewpoint on are myths formulated by your own kind to make us these
legendary creatures that go bump in the night. Thank you, for granting me more
power than I can fathom. That said, you should know I can’t turn into a bat, I
spend as much time in front of the mirror as the next gal, and I enjoy a few
extra shakes of garlic on my pasta. I’m not a monster, Mayor Donaldson. I am a
vampire citizen who wants the same rights you take for
granted.”
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