Out for Blood by Alyxandra Harvey

Series: The Drake Chronicles, Book Three

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Format: Paperback

Published: 2010

Number of Pages: 304
Book: For Review From Bloomsbury*

Genre: Dark Romance, Action, Fantasy, YA

“Tell me about the Drake brothers.  Are they as yummy as everyone says?”

“Totally.”  I didn’t even have to think about that one.  “It was like being in a room full of Johnny Depps.”

Hunter Wild, vampire hunter and star pupil at a top secret slayer academy, has a crush on a guy called Quinn.  He’s tall, dark and very handsome.  He’s also a vampire, and one of the infamous Drake brothers at that.

As if forbidden love wasn’t bad enough, something strange is happening at the Helios-Ra academy.  Vampire attacks are increasing, students are mysteriously falling ill and the teachers are completely clueless.  It’s up to Hunter and her friends to put things right... that is, if she can get a certain immortal out of her head long enough to think about anything else.

Review:

This book is told from two perspectives, like the previous two, and it worked perfectly once again.  Quinn is the Drake man of the story, and his love interest and main focus of the tale is Hunter Wild, a girl from a line of legendary Helios-Ra slayers.

I remember Quinn from previous snippets of previous books, and always wrote him off as a bit too much of a womaniser and a little... selfish, I guess is the word I’d use.  But from his first chapter I realised just how wrong I was: he was (like all his brothers) unbelievably protective of Solange, his baby sister, totally hot and so sweet it was untrue.  And I swear he had me laughing from his more or less his first line.  I actually had to hide my face in a pillow to keep from waking the house up (it was so addictive I couldn’t stop reading: I kept going past midnight).

But, amazing a character as he undeniably is, he’s overshadowed by Hunter.  She’s everything you want in a heroine: strong-willed, funny, totally independent and really compassionate.  And I love the fact that she’s so committed to her duty, yet absolutely thrilled at the treaty between the Drakes and the hunters.  I also love her name, it completely suits her.  But mostly I like how she’s smart enough and brave enough to deal with the difficult subjects, and how she doesn’t need saving, even though she’s a human.

I’m undecided who my favourite couple is – the previous two are in it, and there’s this scene with Lucy that had me crying with laughter – but these one is definitely another winner.  How Alyxandra manages to create such brilliant people and such a brilliant world still manages to entrance me: I just love all of them, and can’t wait to see who the next book’s about, and to know more about all the “yummy” Drake boys.

And even better about this book: although I saw a couple of the twists coming, there were ones I didn’t and a major one at the end which I definitely didn’t expect.  It kept me guessing, laughing, addicted and reading.  The only bad thing: it ended far too soon... and I have to wait a year until the next one.  I’m certain it will absolutely be worth the wait though, and will be all the better for it: good things come to those that wait, right?

Star Rating:

5 Out of 5

Read This Book If You Liked:

The Drake Chronicles: My Love Lies Bleeding and Blood Feud by Alyxandra Harvey

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

House of Night by P. C. and Kristin Cast


Challenges It's Taking Part In:
100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)
A-Z Reading Challenge (Hosted by Book Junky)
Horror and Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)
The Vampire Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Parajunkee's View)
Off the Shelf Challenge (Hosted by BA Reading Challenges)

Happy Reading

Megan

*This book was recieved from Bloomsbury in exchange for an honest review