TEEN: Crusade 1: The Cursed Ones - Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie

Release Date: 03/02/11

BOOK BLURB:

The Cursed Ones, or vampires, have made their presence known to mankind. They promised to help bring peace to the world but then declared war on humanity. The identity of their leader is unknown. Most people are too afraid or unwillingly to take a stand against them. Others, like eighteen-year-old Jenn Leitner, train secretly to become vampire fighters and risk everything in the process. Alongside her is fellow Hunter, Antonio de la Cruz. But Antonio has a secret - he is a vampire fighting on the side of humanity. Jenn must battle with her hatred of all things vampire, and her love for Antonio. For together only they can bring light into the darkness the vampires have drawn over the face of the planet...


REVIEW:

Having felt a little cheated with the least book that I read by these two authors (Dark Secrets 3) I was a little apprehensive to start a new series. I shouldn’t have been but you know when that little niggle has wormed its way between your shoulder blades that makes you wonder if it’s worth spending out for? Well that had been there for some time and unfortunately it had put me off starting this title.

Afterwards when I looked back, I can understand why it was there but did feel a little silly when I started this title and was pleasantly surprised as elements that I’d liked from the two authors writing styles came flooding back with some great characters, some interesting premises and a kick ass plotline that blew my expectations away. I really wondered why I’d delayed and with most of my niggles soothed away by the authors writing I suddenly rediscovered with a crash why I’d come to doubt them.

Whilst the concept and majority of the book felt like reinvention to a certain degree, when the principle heroine collapsed in the third act (mentally and physically) I suddenly remembered why I’d been put off the authors as this sequence felt more like a way to pad out an idea that was only half baked. Yes that top part was gooey, delicious and full of all sorts of wonder but the rest, not so much, just a big mess that needed more time before being taken out of the oven.

That said there is still a lot of interest to be had within but the authors really need to find a serious fix for the principle heroine and one that will allow the readers to see why she was suddenly given a lot of responsibility after the meltdown that felt like it would go on forever. While I do have problems with this book, I am prepared to give these two another crack of the whip provided that the next release in this series fixes a lot of the problems to do with our heroine. If they don’t then it’s pretty much the last book by them I’ll read.