Title: Call of the Vampire (#1)
Series: Vanderlind Castle
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Release Date: March 18, 2013
ISBN: 1482669285
Authors website: gaylatwist.blogspot.com
Kindle was very adamant about selecting this read for me. I even added it to my TBR list. The book cover just didn't do it for me and the synopsis wasn't too appealing for me either. But the good reviews outweighed the negative ones, so I gave it a shot.
Aurora is a young seventeen year old girl who is easily persuaded by her heedless best friend, Blossom. One day, Blossom wheedles Aurora to crash a party at the exclusive and captivating Vanderlind Castle and this is where the girls meet both the cad and Aurora's confused love interest.
From the beginning I thought the characters names were all off and it really irked me. Aurora, although a very beautiful name, just seemed like it should belong to an older woman. Say, a deceased aunt? Jessie, a boy of noble blood, is such common name; more like a nickname. And Blossom? I know the ditzy friend should have a low-key name. But blossom means something to grow in a healthy manner and Blossom (the bff) definitely is not a healthy choice for Aurora. The names are all wrong. I believe that names are a large part of a story. They carry a weighted meaning for each character and I don't think this amateur author thought this through. I think she picked names that were pretty and not in connection for a story that should be dark and mysterious.
Other reviews stated this was a fresh new storyline and the characters were so likable. I disagree. Completely. It read like the Twilight series. A whiny teenager not being able to function because her crush doesn't show up to her bedroom. The Bishops are the oldest vampire family who keep their secret sacred - read: Voltori. And there really isn't any connection that caught between Aurora and Jessie. I never felt those sparks between them. Nothing ever happened between them to create a bond other than Aurora's likeness to her dead Aunt Colette, rather, Lettie (another terrible nick/name). And she thought it was alright when Jessie kept calling her by his past loves name after a kiss or embrace. Uhh, no. Aurora was such a pushover.
Then there's the element of this book being so preachy (again!, Twilight-esque). When I started reading things like you should never do this, my mom told me not to do that, my mom knows what she's talking about, my mom put me in self-defence classes, my mom... *turns off Kindle* I started thinking this was a book targeted for junior high kids, not high school to college. I believe the author could have gone around the mini sermons and maybe elaborated more on the story at hand.
This novella was sparse in story-line information, connections between characters, character building, and nonsensical ramblings about Jessie's gray eyes, porcelain skin and statuesque body (another Twilight reference), and Aurora's very short and deficient dreams.
I really want to read the second book in the series. Yes, you read that statement correctly. Mainly just to see if Ms. Twist can redeem herself and her story.
But the book cover isn't even cohesive to the story. The girl pictured on the cover is the complete opposite of what Twist described within the book. And the castle from book one to book two isn't even the same! The author should have put a little more effort in making this series presentable and more enjoyable.
I'm really not anti-author! I think bringing an idea to life and taking the time to write is amazing! I wish I had the time and chance to do that with my own personal stories. My review is not an attack on the author personally. Instead, I think it's the execution of the whole package. I'm sure the author will develop her composition skills and find her true voice.
Rated 1/5 owls
Vanderlind Castle Series:
