sambrooke's review
5.0
What. The. Fork?!
I have no clue what to think after reading The Scene. Seriously, I’m at a loss for words. Are vampires real? Or are they just wannabe vamps that are extra hard to kill for some completely plausible reason? I don’t know. I just don’t know.
For starters, this is not your typical paranormal vamp read.
Going into this I thought I was getting on a murder mystery train. A nonparanormal murder mystery train. But that’s not what happened.
I guess I was wrong? Because that ending did not scream normal to me. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that the vamps are as real as mundanes (as Cyrus oh so eloquently called Dylan at one point). I suppose I’m in a state of confusion.
The story follows Dylan Hart, journalist extraordinaire with a penchant for trouble, as she investigates a string of murders, all pointing to “vampire attacks”. Each victim was found drained of blood through incisions in the neck and thigh.
Now, obviously this is just a madman embracing his inner fictional vampire . . . right?!? Well, I don’t have the answer for that, but I will when I read the sequel after I finish this review. I have a few theories though which I’ll get into soon.
Dylan and her BFF Tatum get right down to it and do some expert sleuthing at Embrace, a vampiric club, after Dylan’s botched attempt to get some answers from a Dracula impersonator. Some stuff happens, hallucinogens are consumed, yada yada yada and weird shite happens after that.
Expect the unexpected.
Now I need to get some things off my chest.
Cyrus
Um who is Cyrus? Or maybe I should rephrase that: what is Cyrus?
I know he said he wasn’t a vampire, but what’s with that whole eye contact thing he has going on with Dylan. She’s always avoiding his eyes, but when she meets them, it’s like BAM! Either Cyrus has a pair of captivating as hell eyes or he’s got some vampy thing going on where they suck humans in to make them go lax. Easier prey that way.
Still, Cyrus repeatedly denies being a vampire, but then he goes and says some weird stuff like this:
“Just because man obtained the use of light, does not mean the darkness is not waiting for them in the shadows.”
I mean, kinda suspicious.
Also, I have mixed feelings towards Cyrus. One second I’m all, gimme gimme more gimme more gimme gimme more and the next I’m like bye bye bye bye. He frustrates me because I can’t tell who he is and his personality is a complete mystery.
I swear, if he doesn’t stop acting like Malcolm’s lackey and acts like he doesn’t have a mind of his own I will find a way to step into this book to personally give him a good shakedown. I need to understand!!!
Mike
I’m not sure how I feel about Mike. At first I was like, “ooh, possible love interest,” and then I wrote him off. After getting the cold hard facts about their (Mike and Dylan’s) failed relationship, I jumped off that boat and swam back to shore. It’s just not in the stars.
Honestly, I hope Dylan doesn’t get with Mike or Cyrus because they’re just not all that. Yes I like them, but I need to see them interact more before I decide on anything. So as an FYI, don’t expect any romantic relationships from this book because they don’t happen. There’s some couple angst, but that’s it.
Tatum
Tatum is the Daphne to Dylan’s Velma and they make the perfect team . . . when they’re being honest that is. But I’m not spilling the beans, so that’s something you’ll find if you decide to read this fantastic book. Unless you’ve already read it, then you know what I’m talking about. FOMO people. If you don’t read it now, get ready to miss out.
Getting back to Tatum, she’s another fun character that has some serious mood swings. Her face can get eerily calm at times. It’s quite frightening. I, for one, would not want to be at the receiving end. She also has a nasty right hook which Cyrus knows about firsthand. Now that scene was hilarious. Loved it.
Anywho, she’s quite a character and I’m still not sure about that whole bloodletting scene, but, well, stuff happens, I guess.
And that leaves us with Dylan.
Dylan
“Ex-boyfriends, dead girls, and vampires, oh, my!”
Let’s get straight to the point, Dylan is the comedic relief. She actually made me laugh a few times which was awesome, but sucked because it was midnight and I was trying to be quiet. But alas, that didn’t happen.
Dylan is a real, sarcastic, insecure girl who never bs’s the audience. She doesn’t try to fake anything which would be hard for her since she has no filter.
Awkward moments happen. You get second hand embarrassment. Completely normal. That’s the beauty of it. You’re not getting a perfect heroine, but one with as many flaws as the rest of us. She’s a real person.
My Two Cents
Go ahead and give The Scene a whirl. It’s a lot of fun and I hear it only gets better, so you don’t have anything to lose in theory.
This is perfect for anyone looking for a light read with a badass heroine who doesn’t need a man to get the dirty work done and still manages to keep the humor levels up.
Also if you’re in to murder mysteries then you’ll have a lot of fun trying to crack this one because you literally won’t see it coming. I know I didn’t.
“The mass media has portrayed vampires as acceptable beings in pop-culture as of late. Why wouldn’t someone believe themselves to be a blood-sucking-fiend-from-beyond-the-grave? They would only be accepted into society with open arms and pocketbooks anyway. No stakes. No hammers. Just lusty babes and all the blood they can drink.”
The honest truth. Tatum hit the target with this.
I have no clue what to think after reading The Scene. Seriously, I’m at a loss for words. Are vampires real? Or are they just wannabe vamps that are extra hard to kill for some completely plausible reason? I don’t know. I just don’t know.
For starters, this is not your typical paranormal vamp read.
Going into this I thought I was getting on a murder mystery train. A nonparanormal murder mystery train. But that’s not what happened.
I guess I was wrong? Because that ending did not scream normal to me. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that the vamps are as real as mundanes (as Cyrus oh so eloquently called Dylan at one point). I suppose I’m in a state of confusion.
The story follows Dylan Hart, journalist extraordinaire with a penchant for trouble, as she investigates a string of murders, all pointing to “vampire attacks”. Each victim was found drained of blood through incisions in the neck and thigh.
Now, obviously this is just a madman embracing his inner fictional vampire . . . right?!? Well, I don’t have the answer for that, but I will when I read the sequel after I finish this review. I have a few theories though which I’ll get into soon.
Dylan and her BFF Tatum get right down to it and do some expert sleuthing at Embrace, a vampiric club, after Dylan’s botched attempt to get some answers from a Dracula impersonator. Some stuff happens, hallucinogens are consumed, yada yada yada and weird shite happens after that.
Expect the unexpected.
Now I need to get some things off my chest.
Cyrus
Um who is Cyrus? Or maybe I should rephrase that: what is Cyrus?
I know he said he wasn’t a vampire, but what’s with that whole eye contact thing he has going on with Dylan. She’s always avoiding his eyes, but when she meets them, it’s like BAM! Either Cyrus has a pair of captivating as hell eyes or he’s got some vampy thing going on where they suck humans in to make them go lax. Easier prey that way.
Still, Cyrus repeatedly denies being a vampire, but then he goes and says some weird stuff like this:
“Just because man obtained the use of light, does not mean the darkness is not waiting for them in the shadows.”
I mean, kinda suspicious.
Also, I have mixed feelings towards Cyrus. One second I’m all, gimme gimme more gimme more gimme gimme more and the next I’m like bye bye bye bye. He frustrates me because I can’t tell who he is and his personality is a complete mystery.
I swear, if he doesn’t stop acting like Malcolm’s lackey and acts like he doesn’t have a mind of his own I will find a way to step into this book to personally give him a good shakedown. I need to understand!!!
Mike
I’m not sure how I feel about Mike. At first I was like, “ooh, possible love interest,” and then I wrote him off. After getting the cold hard facts about their (Mike and Dylan’s) failed relationship, I jumped off that boat and swam back to shore. It’s just not in the stars.
Honestly, I hope Dylan doesn’t get with Mike or Cyrus because they’re just not all that. Yes I like them, but I need to see them interact more before I decide on anything. So as an FYI, don’t expect any romantic relationships from this book because they don’t happen. There’s some couple angst, but that’s it.
Tatum
Tatum is the Daphne to Dylan’s Velma and they make the perfect team . . . when they’re being honest that is. But I’m not spilling the beans, so that’s something you’ll find if you decide to read this fantastic book. Unless you’ve already read it, then you know what I’m talking about. FOMO people. If you don’t read it now, get ready to miss out.
Getting back to Tatum, she’s another fun character that has some serious mood swings. Her face can get eerily calm at times. It’s quite frightening. I, for one, would not want to be at the receiving end. She also has a nasty right hook which Cyrus knows about firsthand. Now that scene was hilarious. Loved it.
Anywho, she’s quite a character and I’m still not sure about that whole bloodletting scene, but, well, stuff happens, I guess.
And that leaves us with Dylan.
Dylan
“Ex-boyfriends, dead girls, and vampires, oh, my!”
Let’s get straight to the point, Dylan is the comedic relief. She actually made me laugh a few times which was awesome, but sucked because it was midnight and I was trying to be quiet. But alas, that didn’t happen.
Dylan is a real, sarcastic, insecure girl who never bs’s the audience. She doesn’t try to fake anything which would be hard for her since she has no filter.
Awkward moments happen. You get second hand embarrassment. Completely normal. That’s the beauty of it. You’re not getting a perfect heroine, but one with as many flaws as the rest of us. She’s a real person.
My Two Cents
Go ahead and give The Scene a whirl. It’s a lot of fun and I hear it only gets better, so you don’t have anything to lose in theory.
This is perfect for anyone looking for a light read with a badass heroine who doesn’t need a man to get the dirty work done and still manages to keep the humor levels up.
Also if you’re in to murder mysteries then you’ll have a lot of fun trying to crack this one because you literally won’t see it coming. I know I didn’t.
“The mass media has portrayed vampires as acceptable beings in pop-culture as of late. Why wouldn’t someone believe themselves to be a blood-sucking-fiend-from-beyond-the-grave? They would only be accepted into society with open arms and pocketbooks anyway. No stakes. No hammers. Just lusty babes and all the blood they can drink.”
The honest truth. Tatum hit the target with this.
lorijo's review
5.0
Dylan Hart is amazing! I could not put this book down..read it and Endless Night in one day :)
suleika's review
4.0
Cool story! Very entertaining. Really liked Dylan, she was a super fun character. I also liked her best friend Tatum, I loved their friendship. The story is well written and it has a very nice flow, it won't bore you, there is always something going on, lots of action. When it came to the love interest I was confused and still am, I don't know if I want Mike (the detective) or Cyrus (the very mysterious model). Maybe I like both, they were both interesting in their own ways. I'm still wondering what Cyrus is hiding... I know he is hiding something.
What I loved about the story is that I am still intrigued as to whether the vampires were real or not, I really was left wondering, it was all very mysterious and the author ended it perfectly. I also loved that Dylan kicks @ss when she needs to. She is a strong character and not just in the sense of kicking butt but also in the emotional way.
For mature audiences but only because of language, there are no explicit sex scenes in this story.
If you like mysteries and lots of action in your books then this is definitely the one to get, it is also very entertaining plus it has vampires... or not ;)
What I loved about the story is that I am still intrigued as to whether the vampires were real or not, I really was left wondering, it was all very mysterious and the author ended it perfectly. I also loved that Dylan kicks @ss when she needs to. She is a strong character and not just in the sense of kicking butt but also in the emotional way.
For mature audiences but only because of language, there are no explicit sex scenes in this story.
If you like mysteries and lots of action in your books then this is definitely the one to get, it is also very entertaining plus it has vampires... or not ;)
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