alexiachantel's review
4.0
Wow what a fresh new take on a vampire novel! Loved the heroine with her snarky remarks and quick wit. She seems shallow but deep down she is just a wounded woman, and seems she has met the perfect person to help her finally heal! The hero of the story isn’t without his own trials, but put him together with Zara and you get some serious sparks.
A quick read that will have you marking this series as a definite “To Read”.
A quick read that will have you marking this series as a definite “To Read”.
maggiel1993's review
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
heregrim's review
3.0
An interesting take on the Vampire story. I particularly liked the "gestation" period of 10 years before the human is reborn as a vampire. The story wasn't mind blowing, but I found myself enjoying the lives of Zara, Nate and James and although the twists were very normal for this type of story the unique way that Skyla twists the character types and then ties those into a well worn plot make this a new story. Good first book.
brokebybooks's review
3.0
I won a free paperback copy from a giveaway curtesy of JC’s Book Haven. (Over 3 years ago. Christ, I’m so behind.)
I laughed for almost 5 mins after reading the last page. Totally psyched me out. Go Zara!
Yeah, Zara is not a nice person. She’s selfish, self-centered, vain, greedy, and a ruthless killer. Yet I loved rolling with her every moment. She reminds me (a bit) of Gin from the Elemental Assassin series. But Zara is way more towards black than white on the grey scale.
Bloodlines is all about the action, snark, drama, and sex. It doesn’t let up. Or quit. Several main people beside our couple bit the dust and I was honestly surprised. I didn’t guess who was behind it all or what they were doing with vampires.
It’s a bit hard when the magic system is so different. It revolves around witches, warlocks and demons. I wonder how werewolves work in this realm. There’s one conversation involving one so we know they exist here but that’s it. Is it a variation of these vamps?
It’s the standard urban paranormal done so well with different world building. I will absolutely continue the series.
I laughed for almost 5 mins after reading the last page. Totally psyched me out. Go Zara!
Yeah, Zara is not a nice person. She’s selfish, self-centered, vain, greedy, and a ruthless killer. Yet I loved rolling with her every moment. She reminds me (a bit) of Gin from the Elemental Assassin series. But Zara is way more towards black than white on the grey scale.
Bloodlines is all about the action, snark, drama, and sex. It doesn’t let up. Or quit. Several main people beside our couple bit the dust and I was honestly surprised. I didn’t guess who was behind it all or what they were doing with vampires.
It’s a bit hard when the magic system is so different. It revolves around witches, warlocks and demons. I wonder how werewolves work in this realm. There’s one conversation involving one so we know they exist here but that’s it. Is it a variation of these vamps?
It’s the standard urban paranormal done so well with different world building. I will absolutely continue the series.
errantdreams's review
5.0
After reading Skyla Dawn Cameron’s urban fantasy Blood Ties, I had to go back and start on one of her other series. I started in with Bloodlines (Demons of Oblivion Book 1). Zara Lain is a 300-year-old vampire who was “turned” when she was 17. She’s a delightful wish-fulfillment badass who is capable of taking down bad guys with more than a little snark along the way. Her old friend Mishka (a witch) sometimes passes on assassination contracts to her, and she has a new one: Mishka’s parents want the head of a rival coven killed. Mishka promises an additional $10 million if Zara will kill sexy, brooding Nathan Gregory, the target’s son, at the same time. She infiltrates a big party hoping to kill both of her targets and steal anything that isn’t nailed down. Not all goes as planned, and soon there are entire covens being massacred and vampires being kidnapped. Zara has to take what help she can–from an annoying flirt of a vampire (Jamie), to a demonologist who’s a fan of hers (Peter), and even Mishka’s mother (Heaven). Oh, yeah–and sexy, brooding warlock Nate.
Zara is the poster child for an unlikable protagonist who nonetheless remains perfectly engaging. She’s almost entirely narcissistic, sarcastic as hell, and totally, utterly tactless. She got into thieving–followed by assassination–because after 300 years she got a bit bored. It takes a long time for Nate and the others to worm any trace of empathy or sympathy out of her. She’s all sass and very nearly does not give a whit about anyone other than herself.
Nate and Jamie are fun. Jamie flirts shamelessly with Zara while Nate refuses to take any interest in her (despite her shamelessly flirting with him–but then, he is a recent widow). Nate and Jamie end up bickering so much I half expected them to end up in bed together! The two vamps and a warlock make a fun triangle.
Zara is a violent narcissist who has no problem killing people for money, or because she got a little hungry, or because they got in her way. I’m sure that won’t be every reader’s cup of tea, but I had fun with her. There are rumors of Armageddon, so I’m looking forward to seeing if that goes anywhere in later books. In particular, I thought that the plot revolving around the vampires who are being kidnapped was original and fascinating.
Content note for sex and child death.
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2020/07/review-bloodlines-skyla-dawn-cameron/
Zara is the poster child for an unlikable protagonist who nonetheless remains perfectly engaging. She’s almost entirely narcissistic, sarcastic as hell, and totally, utterly tactless. She got into thieving–followed by assassination–because after 300 years she got a bit bored. It takes a long time for Nate and the others to worm any trace of empathy or sympathy out of her. She’s all sass and very nearly does not give a whit about anyone other than herself.
Nate and Jamie are fun. Jamie flirts shamelessly with Zara while Nate refuses to take any interest in her (despite her shamelessly flirting with him–but then, he is a recent widow). Nate and Jamie end up bickering so much I half expected them to end up in bed together! The two vamps and a warlock make a fun triangle.
Zara is a violent narcissist who has no problem killing people for money, or because she got a little hungry, or because they got in her way. I’m sure that won’t be every reader’s cup of tea, but I had fun with her. There are rumors of Armageddon, so I’m looking forward to seeing if that goes anywhere in later books. In particular, I thought that the plot revolving around the vampires who are being kidnapped was original and fascinating.
Content note for sex and child death.
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2020/07/review-bloodlines-skyla-dawn-cameron/
mcummings's review
4.0
Really enjoyed this. The main character is a snarky kick-ass vampire. There was a good balance of action and banter!
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