Blood Debt - Book one of the Touched Series

[Caz1+]

I love fantasy series although I have read a few recently which have been pretty poor and just seem to be cashing in on the werewolves/vampire big sellers. I wanted something new, something different, something to capture my attention once again. So while browsing amazon I came across a new series called Touched by Nancy Straight. This is about Centaurs so still well within the fantasy genre although something I have not read before.

The book revolves around the main character Camille a young girl who in her mothers last breaths finds out her fathers name. Camille locates her long lost father and finds out the family secret, she is a Centauride from a powerful family.

Follow Camille on her journey through the new rules she must follow, the family she never knew, the handsome Centaur that captures her attention and the danger that she now finds her self in.

From page one I was hooked and look forward to getting started on the second book in the series Centaur legacy.

I don't think this will be another big block buster seller like Twilight although really very few books are. It is however a great read which I recommend to fantasy fans who want something a little bit new and different.

Enjoy

[Pwyrdan]

This is an intense, romantic, action-filled story with many mysteries and twists woven in. I never felt the pace lag, but time and again I felt the protagonist, Camille, was inconsistent. She is supposed to be a young adult, 22, with a job, her own apartment and friends, but ends up acting like a young teen. I understand the desire for a family is her motive, but her choices and reactions just struck me as strange. Her step mother’s revelations were quickly accepted, with no “my world is upside down” phase. She accepts their oppressive marriage traditions with barely a snarky comment. I would be gone! She is rude and threatens someone’s life, but shows more contrariness than real emotional strength. And finally, she quickly adapts to being kidnapped and even finds the house “fascinating.” Her rebellions seem to be impulsive, we don’t figure out what is going on in her mind. And she is so resistant to the idea of marriage, it seems almost neurotic. She is young, but not that young. When I married, my husband was 22 and in her situation, working class, low income, but not repulsed by the idea of settling down when he found the One. Her attitude just comes off as selfish and uncaring. Not to mention she does a horrible job of explaining human reasoning to her family and new friends. Her love interest sounds very attractive and passionate, but otherwise somewhat lacking in any kind of personality. I wish he’d been fleshed out more. I feel the strongest characters were some of the secondary ones - Daniel, the Grandmother, Bianca. If Kyle and Gretchen had been worked on more, they might be on that list.

The atmosphere of the book changes pretty drastically. At first, it seems to be a fairly mundane situation - meeting unknown family - that quickly veers from normal. As I said, Camille accepts this with surprising alacrity, though we are shouting, “God, no, what are you thinking!?” After a time of this brooding sense of doom, to which she seems all but oblivious, it turns into a V. C. Andrews novel with such overwhelming horror that I began to hope she would commit suicide, just for a respite. When the “murders” happened, I totally believed it. I was wondering just what kind of book this person was trying to write! It had definitely gone off the beaten path. But then, through no effort of her own, the happy ending was quickly accomplished, with more mysteries and fascinating adventures ahead. All rather sudden, but definitely a relief.

As for editing, there are some interesting grammatical errors, nothing that can’t be deciphered. Example: “Just because the pilots think we’re Mr. and Mrs., I’m still single.” She’s single because someone thinks she’s married? It would make more sense to say, “Even though the pilots think, etc.” But it’s minor stuff, and doesn’t detract from the story.

So what is my final analysis of the book? Hard for me to say. I was drawn into the story, didn’t think of putting it down, wanted to know more, but was also slightly annoyed the whole time. It is probably just a matter of my personal preference, so if you have the slightest interest in a story about superhumans decended from Greek myth, do go check it out. The things I griped about may not bother you at all.

[kio]

Thanks, this one sounds worth a try.