Book review + GIVEAWAY - Witchblood by Emma Mills

Title: Witchblood  

 Author:  Emma Mills

Series:  Witchblood #1

Published:   9 January 2011

Length: Recieved as e-book, so no idea. Less than 75000 words though. 

Warnings: Vampires, supernatural beings, drink and drug references, violence 13+

Source:  Author, as part of book tour

Other info: Emma lives in Manchester

Summary : When Jess steals a glance at a gorgeous guy in a Manchester nightclub, little does she realise how he is going to change her life…or should that be death? Yet, the vampire clan could never have predicted what they were taking on.
With Luke pronounced ‘off-limits’ and the blood of a vampire simmering in Jess’s body, can she forget the love of her life and move on? If not, she will risk exposing the entire Northern vampire clan to untold dangers, in order to live her life the way she wants.
Can Jess be sure that Luke is all he appears to be? Will she succumb to the attraction she desperately tries not to feel for Daniel? And why does she still crave a packet of crisps more than a tasty teenage boy’s blood?

Review: Jessica is violently attacked by a girl gang, and is then left for dead.  But somehow she is saved. Turns out she's become a vampire, under the care of Daniel and Eva. She has to learn how to deal with her new found status, her place in Vampire society, and of course the new diet. But as well as the powers that come with being a vampire, she has others. She's also a witch, somehow, with no way of formally learning to control these powers. And there may be more to this than she thinks...

This is a book set in England! Yay! Sorry, I just like books set in England, because I can relate a bit more, and understand a few more cultural references and so on. The concept was interesting, and could have gone either terribly, or well. Luckily, this one went the latter way.

From the start, I was hooked. I was promised it would be a quick read owing to the fact it's quite short. But it's not just that. Jessica's narration and the amount of stuff that actually happens mean you can easily speed through it, and still get a good idea of everything that's happening.

The characterisation was good. The older vampires seem to have adjusted well to modern life, and Jessica is adjusting to existance as a vampire as well as you'd expect.

The romance between Jessica and Daniel was inevitable, but quite nice to watch develop. And then there was the introduction of a kind of love triangle, which was also inevitable but I personally could have done without. Nothing against this book in particular, it's just I can do without love triangles in everything.

The final revelation about Luke was quite unexpected, and it made me wish we'd seen a little more of him throughout the bulk of the book  to properly get to know him.

I think that Eva was my favourite character. The way she handled things, and the fact that she survived the French Revolution just made me like her.

Of the supernaturals in this, I have to say that I like the vampires best. That is only because the other two races don't get enough coverage. But I'm sure that I'll love the witches once we get to know them.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to a quick read which is setting the stage for some really amazing things to come. Can't wait for the sequel, Witchcraft.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website | 

And now for a giveaway.....

Emma Mills has very kindly said she'll give one lucky winner a free copy of Witchblood.

It'll be a PDF, .epub or kindle file, and is therefore open internationally.
Giveaway open to anyone over 13, or under 13 with parent's permission.
Giveaway closes 21 February 2011, 2359 GMT
Following DB&T is not required (but is nice), but follow Emma's blog for an extra entry (+1)
Spreading the word would also be nice.  Tweet for +2 entries, and leave link to tweet in comment.

To enter, leave a comment with your total amount of entries blog address, or some other way to comment, such as  broken email (like deathbooksandtea at gmail dot com).

Good luck xxx