Official Review: Under A Blood Moon by Michael Andrews

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[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Under A Blood Moon" by Michael Andrews.]

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Under A Blood Moon by Michael Andrews is book one in a series about teenage vampire Alex Hayden. When he meets Detective Harry Shepherd, both of them are determined to find out what troubles the other, and they team up to stop the pack of vampires that are attempting to form an army.

Admittedly I'm a little hesitant when it comes to vampire stories these days. My standards are set pretty high, and to come into contact with anything that sparkles would not go over very well. And I won't get into another rant about Department 19 because it's still a sore subject and I try not to relive it as much as I can possibly prevent it.

That being said, the author does a nice job here. I found the lore to be pretty... not standard, per se... old skool? I'll go with that. It's been a while since I've seen a vampire turn into a bat. And that's a good thing (see previous paragraph). And it's not to say that the author doesn't bring in his own touch as well, and weaves it nicely into legend.

The writing style and I hit it off pretty quickly. I think I've mentioned before in previous reviews that I like fast-paced stories. I want to get to where we have to go without being bogged down by a ridiculous amount of detail. A good story requires balance, and the author here does a very good job of balancing showing and telling.

Alex is forever stuck in the body of a teenager, and the author does a great job of portraying that frustration. The rest of the vampires and Detective Shepherd are also nicely written, and the character development is on. They have their own personalities, these characters aren't just cutouts standing there chewing the scenery.

The plot is well done, and again the pacing is one that I enjoy. The author goes into enough backstory and keeps it relevant enough that you know what happened but doesn't go into it so deeply that it overshadows the present. It also sets itself up nicely for the rest of the series, and leaves you wanting to know what's going to happen in book two.

It's an enjoyable read, and definitely worth picking up if you're a fan of vampires but are hesitant like myself to jump into anything in that genre. I definitely recommend it and give it a 3 out of 4 stars.

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