3.5 stars
This was a good book, though I did have a few problems with it. Some of the events seemed a bit forced, and some where a bit anticlimatic. You can definitely tell this book was meant as more of an intro into the series then a daring series beginner. It came across as being more like a glossary at times with a bit of action, giving you background and other important info that will be useful to remember for future books. Even the conflicts were set up to be fully resolved in later books and the ending was ambiguous, which did make me want to really read book 2. Also, the pacing was odd to me. There would be all this info and set-up and then BAM! All of a sudden there's a huge plot twist that I never saw coming and didn't fit into the story. It felt a bit like the author finished the book and then thought, "hmmm, not enough action, what can I throw in to make this more interesting? I know!" And while the writing isn't superb and at times it feels like an info dump that you want to skip, it still was a good story. With a bit more organization and more balanced dialogue and action instead of info dumps, this could have been a great book.
My dislikes aside, this was an interesting book and this series does show promise. I did enjoy this story, and while it isn't going down as one of my favorite vamp books, it still offers a different take on vampires (and no, they don't sparkle) as well as including other mythological creatures that I hope to see and learn more about in future books. I would recommend this story to others as the author definitely shows promise and for all of you tired of the Twilight craze, this is a refreshingly different take on teen vamps.
Also, I'd like to add a little shout-out that I'm sincerely rooting for my boys T and J to get together, I think they'd make a great couple. And if you want to know exactly who I'm talking about, read the book.