Title: Velvet
Author: Temple West
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication Date: May 2015
Genre: Young Adult Fiction/Paranormal
Series or Stand Alone: Series, Book One
Synopsis can be found here.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Review:
Dude.
So this is what Twilight should have been.
Debut author Temple West’s vampire danger story is filled with likeable characters, danger, mystery likeable characters and (wait for it!) a PLOT. That’s right friends.
Caitlin’s mom has just died forcing her to move in with an aunt, uncle and cousin she barely knows. And of course, she meets a mysterious gorgeous neighbor who happens to be a vampire. And… her bodyguard.
I loved Caitlin. She has trouble dealing with her grief, lashing out and just trying to make it through the day. Despite her not so cheery attitude, she still manages to grab some friends. She’s talented too. And not in the “oh I’m amazing look at me.” She sews! (I do too) and knits! (same here) and embroiders! (not so much) But that’s what I love about her. She’s different. She makes things with her hands, she’s creative. She wants to be a designer. I’m not just saying it because I also really like the lost art of crafting, but I really appreciated how different she is from other heroines out there. She is not special, or particularly pretty. She’s normal, likes to sew and is going through a really hard time. (One note: I do wish there was a little more sewing/crafting mentioned in the book towards the end when she gets back into it. There doesn’t seem to be enough only a scene or two to further.)
Anyway, so Caitlin is cool and I would have probably been her friend.
Then we get to Adrian, hot vampire extraordinaire. What’s not to love about a super strong bodyguard vampire who likes humans even though he’s forbidden to get attached. Adrian is far from perfect and yes, he is a bit lurky. But he does have a valid reason (His demon father is after Caitlin and can disguise himself as anyone.) He is her bodyguard. He does allow her to have a life without him. And he’s a secret nerd! Really, Adrian is trying to get a handle on all of his new emotions without letting on that he might be feeling them to his crazy vampire family.
Oh yeah, did I mention them? They’re like crazy. I love it.
Listen, I know the YA lit world is overrun by vampire paranormal romances. But TRUST ME. Velvet is fun and very entertaining with snappy dialogue, awesome characters and some solid teen angst.
I have an ARC but I’ve already pre-ordered my finished copy on Amazon. I want it sitting on my shelf with my favorites. I’ve already started recommending it to my friends.
Ms. West, please write fast. That ending kinda killed me.
Rating 9 Ridiculously Awesome like Cookies and Ice Cream
Kimberly majored in Songwriting and currently works full time in the music industry. When she's not listening to music, knitting or writing, you can find her outside reading her favorite genres: Young Adult, Adult Fiction, Mystery, and Romance.