I was introduced to The Fang Chronicles by a friend, so what better an opportunity to sink my teeth into some paranormal tales, and share my thoughts!
The Fang Chronicles so far are:
Amy's Story
Emily's Story
Zenya's Story and
Mandy's Story
Read on for my reviews and ratings for these story's.
Amy's Story
Blurb
Amy is hot on a story as she tries to discover what life is like for teenage girls living on the street. When her disguise almost gets her killed, she’s saved by one of New York’s most eligible bachelors. His private life is filled with secrets and his story sparks Amy’s interest. Discovering the truth lands her in a world of vampires and werewolves that she never dreamed existed. She also didn't dreamed she could truly love a man or vampire but Marcus shows her the light. Now the two must fight the one person who can destroy their chance at love. With the help of Marcus’ clan of werewolves the war begins.
Review
Hmm where to start with D’Elen’s paranormal tale.
I love the world that D’Elen has created. The detail that has been provided in this story really lets me capture a sense of what this world of the ‘beastkind’ was like.
I am coming to realise that I like my books to have substantial length to them, which then allows such depth of description to take centre stage, and I can see in my minds eye, the world the author is depicting. Amy’s story is not overly lengthy, but D’Elen has managed to start this series with a detailed picture of this world. I only hope it continues to develop in the follow up stories.
So in Amy’s story, we have Marcus, the vampire who is the Master of a pack of wolves, whose Alpha is Ivan, or Alba, Ivan’s wife/mate – who, we all know, wears the proverbial pants in that relationship! Amy is the human, that stumbles across this world by chance – or pure stupidity if you ask me, but anything for a story right? Amy is a journalist who does some undercover work for a story, and is saved from sure death by Marcus. Alba senses something in Amy and ultimately save’s Amy’s life from being taken by Marcus, when he would do anything to protect his families secrets.
Without giving away the story in too much detail, Amy becomes involved in Marcus’ world, and falls in love with Marcus. As with all good romance stories, this love is reciprocated, but not without obstacles. This story is filled with historical tales, paranormal abilities, sex, hatred, violence, and a need for revenge, or to avenge! Unfortunately due to the brevity of the story, it all happens so fast. But, I can’t wait to read the next books in the series!
Having said all of that, there are things about the writing that irked me. I truly get distracted by editorial errors. Now I did read this as an ARC version and it is very possible that the published version does not contain these errors, however, in the version I read – they sort of drove me a bit batty! I do feel for author’s who have editors, and things still get missed, repeatedly, it’s my pet hate, but I won’t harp on it!
I also found that I was distracted by the POV changing mid paragraph. Again – this may have been an editing flaw. Often times, something started as a POV but ended up being generic narrative, or there was a conversation that drifted to be generic narrative, mid reply.
Additionally, I struggled with the language. Ok so let me preface with, I understand the need for centuries old Vampires and Wolves to speak in the Queens proper English (even if I can’t, LOL). I do – it would not be real otherwise… but… I found the book read like a lesson in full sentences. Particularly, when it came to Amy or the younger wolves. Generalising, people don’t speak the way we would write, so when there are conversations that are spoken as they are written, they prevent me from living the moment with the character. I hope this makes some sense as I don’t want to focus too much on this as a negative as I did enjoy the basis of this story, and the world that has been created.
I would give Amy’s story a 3/5. There was so much that happened in this book, and happened so fast, that it felt a little rushed. A longer tale, with more opportunity to explore the character relationships in even more depth would have had me rating this higher!
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Emily's Story
Blurb
After a werewolf savagely rapes Carolynn, she hides her tormented secret below the basement stairs for nineteen years.
Emily’s entire universe was the caged room in the cellar. She knew little kindness and received only enough food to stay alive. She understood nothing of the world above stairs. She would have died in the room of her childhood, but her world changed the day she could take no more. Her life began the day she killed her mother.
Brandt the alpha of the Northern Pack has loved the same woman for hundreds of years. Each day his heart breaks slowly because she does not return his love. Having no will to live, he invites death through challenges for alpha.
Brandt’s life changes when he hunts a feral werewolf for killing a human. Delivering death to the beautiful white she-wolf is his job but one bite of her sweet blood alters his heart and now he must tame the woman who has never known love.
Warning: Blood, death, violence, vampires, hot werewolves and hot sex! The perfect paranormal romance.
Review
In this story we meet Brandt and his pack of wolves. This clan is led by Cheri the vampire who Brandt had loved, and who broke his heart when she left him for his father.
The story begins with Brandt in turmoil and his pack suffering with their leaders uncertainty.
We also meet Emily, poor Emily who lived her entire life held hostage by her human mother. Emily is 19 and is found by Brandt and his pack after she escapes. Emily has no knowledge of what she is.
With one taste of Emily’s blood, Brandt claims her as mate. What unfolds is the story of Brandt’s taming of Emily and their mating bond growing.
Underlying this love story is the brewing war that is about to explode between the beastkind cats and the wolves. This side of the story links the characters in Amy’s story, and introduces us to the characters in the future stories.
The story captures the elements of love, sex, power, violence, friendship, acceptance, and nurturing. The journey keeps you interested to know where is goes, and the ending makes your heart squeeze just a little bit for Emily and Brandt.
As with Amy’s story, there are elements that I thought could have been further explained with a longer story. There were editorial errors that distracted me, particularly when names of characters are incorrect. The POV issue was improved from Amy’s story, but still distracted me, it appeared that rather than the POV changing mid-sentence this time, it was mid paragraph. This confused me as I tried to follow whose POV I was reading!
I personally enjoyed Amy’s story a little more than Emily’s but Emily’s set the scene for Zenya’s story perfectly. As I have said previously I do like the world that D’Elen has created, and will continue on this journey with the Fang Chronicles to see how it grows.
Zenya's Story
Blurb
With a beastkind war on the horizon, and his entire pack wiped out by the southern lion pride, Nicolas longs for death after months of daily torture at the hands of his enemies.
Zenya, a werecat, rescued by wolves, places herself in danger’s way because Nicolas’s dark eyes haunt her dreams. They’re natural enemies but their beasts have other ideas.
Add in a one-armed teenage hellion, a blind female with a heart of gold, and a deadly vampire with a boyish face, and Nicolas just might have a new clan.
Misfit cats, crazy wolves, and a special miracle combine with danger, love, and revenge in Zenya’s Story.
Review
With Zenya's story - everything seems to hot up, the cover, the action, the sex....
Up until this point D’Elen has been setting the scene, introducing us to the world of beastkind and the politics that govern their existence. Each story has had a reasonably slow build to this point.
Individually (if you read my other reviews, you will see this) these books have been lacking something. The premise of the story has been good, but individually there was something about them that wasn’t grabbing me. That was rectified in Zenya’s story. All the pieces started to fit, the linking of past characters became evident, and their relationships and politics became more understood.
Book 1 – Amy’s story, introduces us to the love story of Amy and Marcus, but also their pairing as vampires and how they rule over their region/clan.
Book 2 – Emily’s story, introduces us to Emily and Brandt, and their wolf’s claiming of each other. This story also introduces us to the genetics of the beastkind and how packs are able to reproduce. This love story revolves around two alphas and how they lead their pack.
We have met Zenya in the proceeding stories, and we have briefly met Nicolas, but with the climax of Emily’s story – never did we think Nicolas would be making a featured return.
Nicolas is a wolf, who has been taken hostage by the cats. Zenya is a cat who has been cast as a traitor to the wolf pack she had been involved with. And so begins the story of Zenya and Nicolas…
This story is one filled with adventure, drama, love and inner beauty. This is about overcoming obstacles and facing challenges put before us with grace and strength and integrity. The love story with Zenya and Nicolas is probably my favourite so far, because of their diversity of character and attitudes. Ultimately, though this story is about reclaiming your life, taking revenge and moving forward with strength and courage.
The rules of beastkind change in this story – for a number of reasons, and it is these changes that make the idea of Mandy’s story so appealing. I cannot wait to see where D’Elen takes the Chronicles.
As for the writing, it is evident that D’Elen has been on her own journey, her growth is clear in Zenya’s story, the story was intriguing, and each turn of events captured humour, raw emotion and compassion. This story kept me gripped, and wanting to know more. The editing and POV errors of the past stories did not stand out as much for me in this – so if they were there, the storytelling kept my interest this time! Well done D’Elen, you have slowly built this world and these characters existence and I have come to the point where I don’t want to wait anymore – I need to know what happens next… clearly war is upon us – and its time for these good guys to kick arse for good!
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and finally..... for now
Mandy's Story
Blurb
Mandy’s Story is a standalone, humorous and little bit kinky side story to the Fang Chronicles series.
Every beastkind knows you don’t mess with a Kodiak bear—everyone that is except Mandy, the wolf-pack Alpha’s sister. When Mandy hears whispers that the bad attitude bear, Honey, has chosen a mate, she takes matters into her own hands because her wolf decided months before that Honey was hers. If drugging, kidnapping, and making him live in a feral cage won’t work she’s planning to give Honey a little bad attitude of her own.
The bear clan is ferocious, deadly, and their fighting skills coveted by other beastkind. With war on the horizon, Honey has little time for games or courting much less more than a few grunts of acknowledgement to a young she-wolf who seems to be everywhere he looks. When he wakes up in a feral cage at the hands of that same exasperating she-wolf… all bets are off.
If anyone thought bears and wolves don’t mix, they’ve never seen Mandy on a mission. She refuses to give into the sexy he-bear when he tries to seduce her out of her tight little assets and himself out of the cage she’s locked him in. Two can play that game and in the end Honey will learn, they both need to win, or else
Review
Ok so in a nut shell, Mandy is Emily’s ½ sister. Mandy is a she-wolf, she is young, and she has spunk! Honey is a he-bear, his brother Korep was killed in Zenya’s story – so we learnt about Honey in that story, and how much emotion he feels, and his loyalties. Mandy’s story is about her and Honey, and how they claim each other as mates.
I enjoyed Mandy’s story, but it almost seemed like a bit of a filler story. There wasn’t TOO much drama – well there was some, don’t get me wrong, but the general tone of this story was much more fun. It was feisty, loving, fun spirited, and a journey of discovery as the different kinds learn to relate together. Mandy’s story was a great joiner to fill in the gaps before the next Fang Chronicle, and the impending war that is coming.
So like I said – I enjoyed this story – I loved the humour, the spunk, the sass and the love that was felt through Mandy’s journey, but I did miss the real drama and fight for life that D’Elen has described so well previously.
The writing in this story continues to develop nicely, D’Elen will master it all as the Chronicles continue. I am not excited at waiting until Fall 2014 for the next chapter, but I will wait with baited breath to see what happens next – seriously… Victoria needs to get her cats arses kicked so bad – and I can’t wait for these guys to make it happen!
Oh, and I can’t forget – Honey and Mandy = great sex…. Oh Honey!
Another fun 4 star read!
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