Book Review: Blood Warrior

Blood Warrior

Author: H.D. Gordon

Publish Date: September 2011

Publisher: Self Publish

When her home is attacked by murderous vampires, 17-year-old Alexa is forced to leave her mother for dead in order to save her sister. She soon learns that she is the last known member of an elite race of supernatural Warriors, and is thrust into a world full of vampires and werewolves who all seem to regard her as some sort of savior. Meanwhile, Alexa battles a monster within herself that seeks to gain control; a monster that seeks blood.

The hidden city she finds herself in appears perfect, but Alexa's instincts tell her that all is not right within its walls. When she is asked to attend a school of fighters, whose exams consist of gladiator-style competitions, she must decide who she can trust among the smiling faces. And, when she meets Kayden, a vampire she feels undeniably drawn to, she must decide if she can trust herself. (Goodreads)

I think I’ve said it before, vampire books are a dime a dozen now a days. It’s really difficult to get one to stand out among the rest. I want to thank Nicole for bringing this one to my attention as I probably wouldn’t have caught it otherwise.

The locale is really basic. Or at least that’s what’s given at first.  A house, and a school is really all that’s seen for a few chapters. There’s no impression of big city, but there isn’t an impression of small town.  The impression I got was completely normal and I’m pretty sure that’s how the author wanted it to come across in comparison to the main environment Two Rivers.  

Two Rivers is a huge extravagant city in between two rivers (thus the name).  As I was reading it I found it to be slightly gaudy and tackless with it’s luxury.  It’s very apparent that the city is supposed to be easy living and the characters that live there reflect it for the most part. 

The main character Alexa is nothing to sneeze at. She’s strong, agile, and has some impressive fighting skills. However, she has flaws as well. She’s quick to anger, overprotective and a little destructive. Not the norm for a heroine, but it works for her, which is impressive. 

I’m still struggling with the overall plot of the story. There are a bunch of sub plots that run through it; some are dealt with in this book some are left hanging. I’m pretty sure one of the ones left hanging is the real plot but all the plots seem rather important to complete tell the story. I could be wrong though. 

Overall it was a decent read. It’s fast paced from page one and continues that pace throughout the book. There no pausing in what’s happening to take interest in something else and one action almost always has an instant reaction/consequence that keeps everything moving. 

My biggest beef, is the vampires in daylight thing. Understandably some of them cannot travel in the daylight - I will not spoil why - and others are completely okay with it, which grates on my true to vampire nature. It had both scenarios in one book. 

I would recommend this for all lover of vampire books however, I would take into account: if you are a diehard vampires cannot walk in sunlight fan, you may not want to read this. If you love your vampires no matter the flavor, this book is certainly for you. 

My Rating: