(Blog Tour) Book Review and Giveaway: Out for Blood

Out for Blood by Alyxandra Harvey

Description and cover art courtesy of Goodreads.

I received an ARC of Out For Blood from the publisher, Bloomsbury, as part of the Out for Blood Blog Tour.

Publication Date: 21 December 2010

Description
Hunter Wild is the youngest in a long line of elite vampire hunters, a legacy that is both a blessing and a curse at the secret Helios-Ra Academy, where she excels at just about everything. Thanks to her friendship with Kieran Black, Hunter receives a special invitation to attend the coronation of Helena Drake, and for the first time, she sees the difference between vampires that must be hunted and vampires that can become friends—or even more. When students at the academy fall victim to a mysterious illness, Hunter suspects they are under attack from within. She will need someone she can trust to help her save the future of Helios-Ra . . . help that shockingly comes in the form of Quinn Drake, a drop-dead gorgeous vampire. Who said senior year would be easy?


MY THOUGHTS

The Tweet
A funny and engaging story of the romance between a vampire hunter and a vampire, against the backdrop of danger from an unknown enemy.

What Worked (for me)
After reading the first two books in the Drake Chronicles series, I was very excited to read Out For Blood. And I wasn't disappointed. The third book in the series is just as engaging as the previous novels, with the addition of new characters, a look into the famous (or infamous) Helios-Ra Academy, and of course a great romance.

In Out For Blood, the story centers around Hunter Wild, a human attending the Helios-Ra Academy, a training ground for vampire hunters, and Quinn Drake, one of the many sons of the new vampire queen, Helena Drake. I liked how the author, Alyxandra Harvey, focused on the story of Hunter and Quinn, but still continued the stories of the other characters introduced in the first two books.

I also liked the mix of drama and romance in Out For Blood. Harvey created a nice balance between action scenes and romantic interludes. There was also the perfect amount of hilarious dialogue and comedic scenes to relieve the tension of the drama and make the characters believable and realistic.

Overall
Harvey has created well developed characters in all three of her books and the story of Hunter and Quinn is interesting and pulled me into the world of the Drake family and the people in their lives.

MY RATING IS 4 STARS


As a special surprise to my blog readers, Bloomsbury has provided me with a link to a preview (one month earlier than it will be released to the public) of Alyxandra Harvey's next novel, Haunting Violet, due out in June 2011. Haunting Violet, a departure from the Drake Chronicles, is a Victorian ghost story. To check out the excerpt, click here.

Also, if you post a comment below with your thoughts on either my review or Out for Blood itself, you will be entered into a drawing to win your own copy of Out for Blood. Please include your email address in your comment. Drawing is open to those with a US MAILING ADDRESS only. Contest will close on 3 January 2011 and the winner will be announced here, on the blog, on 5 January 2011. ONE ENTRY PER PERSON. Winner will receive prize directly from the publisher. GOOD LUCK!


For more information on Out for Blood, check out these links on Facebook:

The Drake Chronicles
Alyxandra Harvey
Bloomsbury Teens