Pretty When She Dies #1
Pretty When She Dies
by Rhiannon Frater
Published November 24th 2008
Synopsis:
Amaliya wakes under the forest floor, disoriented, famished and confused. She digs out of the shallow grave and realizes she is hungry...
... in a new, horrific, unimaginable way...
Sating her great hunger, she discovers that she is now a vampire, the bloodthirsty creature of legend. She has no choice but to flee from her old life and travels across Texas. Her new hunger spurs her to leave a wake of death and blood behind her as she struggles with her new nature.
All the while, her creator is watching. He is ancient, he is powerful, and what's worse is that he's a necromancer. He has the power to force the dead to do his bidding. Amaliya realizes she is but a pawn in a twisted game, and her only hope for survival is to seek out one of her own kind.
But if Amaliya finds another vampire, will it mean her salvation... or her death?
PURCHASE:
-B&N
A_TiffyFit's Review: A truly satisfying vampire novel, one of the few I've ever read that I can say that about. This book opens with the most amazing scene, straight out of a horror novel, of someone climbing out of her grave. But, it's from her perspective, second by second, and the fear and confusion she feels as she struggles is utterly palpable. This is what I like about good vampire novels: it's bloody, it's vicious, sucking blood can be erotic (as you assume for vampires anyway), they have powers, they have human emotions, they have to come to grips with themselves. I love strong female characters who are also insecure at times and feminine. This novel had it all.
It kept me turning the pages to see what happened next, what she will discover about herself, and if her horrifying monster of a maker will capture her and torture her or if she will defeat him. I adored her grandmother, Innocente, and her cousin, Sergio, and I was so happy that she had at least SOME family who loved her unconditionally. The epilogue was satisfying and I could happily stop reading here, despite knowing that it is a series. Duh, I'm not going to though. When you have an author who can keep you turning the pages, you read on!
It kept me turning the pages to see what happened next, what she will discover about herself, and if her horrifying monster of a maker will capture her and torture her or if she will defeat him. I adored her grandmother, Innocente, and her cousin, Sergio, and I was so happy that she had at least SOME family who loved her unconditionally. The epilogue was satisfying and I could happily stop reading here, despite knowing that it is a series. Duh, I'm not going to though. When you have an author who can keep you turning the pages, you read on!
Pretty When She Dies #2
Pretty When She Kills
by Rhiannon Frater
Published September 5th 2012
Synopsis:
Amaliya Vezorak never believed in happy endings…
When Amaliya harnessed her necromancer powers to defeat her greatest enemy, she believed she had finally found a happy ending with Cian, her lover and the master of Austin. That happiness is short-lived when the vampire ruling over San Antonio attempts a takeover of Austin in order to capture Amaliya and use her power for his own devices.
To make matters worse, Samantha, Cian’s ex-fiancée, is seeing ghosts, the untested vampire hunters of Austin are running scared as a supernatural war looms, a mysterious man is hunting Amaliya with the help of her one time lover, Pete, and Rachoń, the Summoner’s favorite progeny, appears to be out for revenge.
When Amaliya’s grandmother, a powerful medium, experiences terrible visions that reveal there is another 8necromancer vampire and she is crying out for help, Amaliya realizes happy endings do not come easily…
PURCHASE:
-B&N
A_TiffyFit's Review:
I LOVE the progress in this novel. I was ranting to myself about what a total whiny selfish bitch Samantha is, but I really love how she ended up developing. The references to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and her Scooby Gang, the World of Warcraft, and other pop culture references make this seem so much more real. Amaliya's powers grow in this book, and so do the forces against them. The history of Cian and other vamps are interesting to read as this unfolds. The first book ended on such a happy note with no cliffhanger. I TOLD you I could have happily stopped reading right then and there, but these characters draw you in and make you want to continue. And I'm so glad I could!
I think one of my favorite aspects of this novel is the connection between people. Cian, although no longer engaged to Samantha, still cares for her. Amaliya, despite her dipshit father & stepmonster/cousin, has family (Innocente & Sergio) who love and care for her deeply. Then there's Jeff and Bexley and Alexia and all the other scoobies slowly coming together and forming bonds. There are a lot of different players and yet the focus remains the same, without having a ton of plot points to read.
I LOVE the progress in this novel. I was ranting to myself about what a total whiny selfish bitch Samantha is, but I really love how she ended up developing. The references to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and her Scooby Gang, the World of Warcraft, and other pop culture references make this seem so much more real. Amaliya's powers grow in this book, and so do the forces against them. The history of Cian and other vamps are interesting to read as this unfolds. The first book ended on such a happy note with no cliffhanger. I TOLD you I could have happily stopped reading right then and there, but these characters draw you in and make you want to continue. And I'm so glad I could!
I think one of my favorite aspects of this novel is the connection between people. Cian, although no longer engaged to Samantha, still cares for her. Amaliya, despite her dipshit father & stepmonster/cousin, has family (Innocente & Sergio) who love and care for her deeply. Then there's Jeff and Bexley and Alexia and all the other scoobies slowly coming together and forming bonds. There are a lot of different players and yet the focus remains the same, without having a ton of plot points to read.
Pretty When She Dies #3
Pretty When She Destroys
by Rhiannon Frater
Publication date: August 27th 2013
Amaliya Vezorak always believed she was destined to live a failed life in obscurity until she was brutally murdered by an ancient vampire named The Summoner and reborn as a powerful vampire necromancer. Now it is up to her to save the world…
A_TiffyFit's Review:
I don't know how to say this without sounding like a schmoe, so I'm just gonna say it: You guys should TOTALLY be jealous of me for being on this tour and getting an eARC of this book. The story's movement, the development of the characters, the solidifying of the Scooby Gang is just ... awesome. Tons of action, lots of love, and a heap of bad-assery made this a fun, page-turning read.
I was really hating on Samantha in the books. I found her petty, vindictive, selfish, and self-centered. Really, Ms Frater, you wrote her so well, I despised her. And yet in this novel she BLOSSOMS. From clashing to good, bonded friends, I loved her interactions with Amaliya, Jeff, Cian, etc. Total firecracker.
I love Amaliya's development, too. She flies by the seat of her pants, makes it up as she goes along, and is a true survivor with a huge heart that she hides behind black, hard rock clothing. Eduardo was SUCH a creeper; I knew something was wrong with him and I was right. Just wait til you read it...he's creeptacular.
Evil drips evil, the good guys are a conglomerate of people firmly muddled in the gray area, a cast of strong female characters with men who support them, tons of action and a fast-moving plot, and non-sparkly, deliciously dark vampires and other supernaturals. All three are now on my re-readable list. A completely enjoyable series. This third book doesn't come out til the end of August. I suggest you snatch up all three at once, prepare snacks and drinks, and shut out the world and get lost in the world of Amaliya, who is just so Pretty When She Dies, Kills, and Destroys.
I don't know how to say this without sounding like a schmoe, so I'm just gonna say it: You guys should TOTALLY be jealous of me for being on this tour and getting an eARC of this book. The story's movement, the development of the characters, the solidifying of the Scooby Gang is just ... awesome. Tons of action, lots of love, and a heap of bad-assery made this a fun, page-turning read.
I was really hating on Samantha in the books. I found her petty, vindictive, selfish, and self-centered. Really, Ms Frater, you wrote her so well, I despised her. And yet in this novel she BLOSSOMS. From clashing to good, bonded friends, I loved her interactions with Amaliya, Jeff, Cian, etc. Total firecracker.
I love Amaliya's development, too. She flies by the seat of her pants, makes it up as she goes along, and is a true survivor with a huge heart that she hides behind black, hard rock clothing. Eduardo was SUCH a creeper; I knew something was wrong with him and I was right. Just wait til you read it...he's creeptacular.
Evil drips evil, the good guys are a conglomerate of people firmly muddled in the gray area, a cast of strong female characters with men who support them, tons of action and a fast-moving plot, and non-sparkly, deliciously dark vampires and other supernaturals. All three are now on my re-readable list. A completely enjoyable series. This third book doesn't come out til the end of August. I suggest you snatch up all three at once, prepare snacks and drinks, and shut out the world and get lost in the world of Amaliya, who is just so Pretty When She Dies, Kills, and Destroys.
AUTHOR BIO:
Rhiannon Frater is the award-winning author of the As the World Dies trilogy (The First Days, Fighting to Survive, Siege,) and the author of three other books: the vampire novels Pretty When She Dies and The Tale of the Vampire Bride and the young-adult zombie novel The Living Dead Boy and the Zombie Hunters. Inspired to independently produce her work from the urging of her fans, she published The First Days in late 2008 and quickly gathered a cult following. She won the Dead Letter Award back-to-back for both The First Days and Fighting to Survive, the former of which the Harrisburg Book Examiner called ‘one of the best zombie books of the decade.’ Rhiannon is currently represented by Hannah Gordon of the Foundry + Literary Media agency. You may contact her by sending an email to rhiannonfrater@gmail.com.
Author Links:
Website: http://www.rhiannonfrater.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rhiannon.frater
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rhiannonfrater
