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sonyakdr's review against another edition
4.0
Different. In a good way. A quick, enjoyable read. Looking forward to reading the next book.
tee_m's review against another edition
1.0
This was also written in First person present tense. While it was better written than the last book I read (whose title I am forgetting), it definitely didn’t wow me, or interest me or really produce anything other than apathy, after the first chapter.
The MC (already forgot her name) was a bounty hunter turned Vampire. The book actually starts with her attack and rape (which the author tried to make seem like it wasn’t rape in a rather offensive and illogical manner). It was really stupid.
Then of course as a vampire the MC had to adjust to her new life and kill the moron that changed her while avoiding being hunted by a third party group. For a bounty hunter, the MC was not very intuitive when it came to handling herself in danger.
The rest of this review is my personal preference, which I hope you take with a grain of salt.
That said, I hate how vampires were characterized in this book and the stuff that went unexplained. Vampires walked in daylight as a result of evolution? Huh! The dead evolving thing is breaking my brains.
The MC (already forgot her name) was a bounty hunter turned Vampire. The book actually starts with her attack and rape (which the author tried to make seem like it wasn’t rape in a rather offensive and illogical manner). It was really stupid.
Then of course as a vampire the MC had to adjust to her new life and kill the moron that changed her while avoiding being hunted by a third party group. For a bounty hunter, the MC was not very intuitive when it came to handling herself in danger.
The rest of this review is my personal preference, which I hope you take with a grain of salt.
That said, I hate how vampires were characterized in this book and the stuff that went unexplained. Vampires walked in daylight as a result of evolution? Huh! The dead evolving thing is breaking my brains.
kims_book_korner's review against another edition
5.0
This was an awesome first book in this series. This story starts off hitting the ground running. There was no slow buildup. The reader follows Anna as she is drawn violently into the world of vampires. As she struggles to understand what is going on, she doesn’t know who to trust. Her best friend comes up kissing and she will do anything to find him. There are many twists and dead ends. Throw in a fatal attraction and the stage is set. The reader keeps guessing who is behind everything that has happened to Anna. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this series!
tishmisc's review against another edition
3.0
This is a super fun read! Anna Strong is turned into a vampire and must learn to use her new gifts wisely. It's not brilliantly written, but there is some good action and sex, and I liked Anna as a heroine. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
docrobreads's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
aunt_t's review against another edition
4.0
A unique take on vampire lore that I found quite enjoyable.
amym84's review against another edition
3.0
Jeanne C Stein was an author that popped up on my recommendations list in Amazon and upon looking into her books, I discovered The Becoming, Book 1 in the Anna Strong Chronicles.
Anna is a bounty hunter, she's pretty good at her job, but one night things go terribly wrong. Anna and her partner David are tracking a man they assume will be no problem to bring in. Once the confrontation starts, however, Anna realizes that something isn't right about the man. Then he takes out her partner and attacks Anna. Anna wakes up in the hospital after having been assaulted and with a fuzy memory of events. She's almost promptly sent home, to the irritation of her partner. Anna soon discovers that besides being violently assaulted that night she was also turned into a vampire. Now Anna has to learn how to reconcile her old life with this new revelation.
What really got to me was how, it seemed, Anna took everything in stride. A LOT of stuff happened to her and while she acknowledges that fact, she shows very little emotion about it. It felt like she was numb through a lot of the story. The book takes place probably over the course of about a week so everything to Anna should still be relatively new, yet it doesn't take long for Anna to become accustomed to her new way of life. I wish that Stein would have used this entire first book for Anna to begin to understand her new powers. Instead, almost immediately, Anna picks up things about her power in the blink of an eye. We are given the explanation that Anna is strong and will only get stronger. I don't think there's anything wrong with being a little vulnerable. Especially when your world is turned upside down. I wish Stein would have explored that more in Anna's case because without that vulnerability, she seemed cold.
I will say that as predictable as the plot kinda / sorta was, Stein did a good job of twisting things around until you weren't sure your instincts were correct. Anna, being thrust into this new vampire world, is obligated with blind trust. She needs to learn the ins and outs of vampirism from somewhere and Dr. Avery steps into that spot. But Anna doesn't know him at all, and that's kind of a recurring theme of the book. Who can / should Anna trust? Can she really trust anyone?
This book has a clear beginning and a clear ending. The main storyline involving Anna's attacker is figured out by the end, but Stein makes sure to intriduce things that are as of yet unexplained. I really wish that we saw more of Max, Anna's human boyfriend who was working under cover with the DEA. Stein definitely dangles the possibility that he knows more about the world than Anna thought, but that is something the readers will find out as the series goes I suspect.
The series has promise, for me there were just standard first-book things that went wrong. I'm hopeful that since we've been introduced to the world, Stein can focus more on the characters. This was a very quick read if you're looking for something to pick up and finish in a couple of days.
Anna is a bounty hunter, she's pretty good at her job, but one night things go terribly wrong. Anna and her partner David are tracking a man they assume will be no problem to bring in. Once the confrontation starts, however, Anna realizes that something isn't right about the man. Then he takes out her partner and attacks Anna. Anna wakes up in the hospital after having been assaulted and with a fuzy memory of events. She's almost promptly sent home, to the irritation of her partner. Anna soon discovers that besides being violently assaulted that night she was also turned into a vampire. Now Anna has to learn how to reconcile her old life with this new revelation.
What really got to me was how, it seemed, Anna took everything in stride. A LOT of stuff happened to her and while she acknowledges that fact, she shows very little emotion about it. It felt like she was numb through a lot of the story. The book takes place probably over the course of about a week so everything to Anna should still be relatively new, yet it doesn't take long for Anna to become accustomed to her new way of life. I wish that Stein would have used this entire first book for Anna to begin to understand her new powers. Instead, almost immediately, Anna picks up things about her power in the blink of an eye. We are given the explanation that Anna is strong and will only get stronger. I don't think there's anything wrong with being a little vulnerable. Especially when your world is turned upside down. I wish Stein would have explored that more in Anna's case because without that vulnerability, she seemed cold.
I will say that as predictable as the plot kinda / sorta was, Stein did a good job of twisting things around until you weren't sure your instincts were correct. Anna, being thrust into this new vampire world, is obligated with blind trust. She needs to learn the ins and outs of vampirism from somewhere and Dr. Avery steps into that spot. But Anna doesn't know him at all, and that's kind of a recurring theme of the book. Who can / should Anna trust? Can she really trust anyone?
This book has a clear beginning and a clear ending. The main storyline involving Anna's attacker is figured out by the end, but Stein makes sure to intriduce things that are as of yet unexplained. I really wish that we saw more of Max, Anna's human boyfriend who was working under cover with the DEA. Stein definitely dangles the possibility that he knows more about the world than Anna thought, but that is something the readers will find out as the series goes I suspect.
The series has promise, for me there were just standard first-book things that went wrong. I'm hopeful that since we've been introduced to the world, Stein can focus more on the characters. This was a very quick read if you're looking for something to pick up and finish in a couple of days.
mitabird's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
July 2021 - 3 stars
Feb 2007 - 4 stars
Feb 2007 - 4 stars
bookishoutsider's review
3.0
First book of the year! Good enough to make me want to read the next one but it was like reading a mashup of other vamp novels like AH and TB.
brownbetty's review
2.0
I gave this book two stars because it was not actually technically flawed, and if you suspect there is a 'but' coming up, you are correct!
Anna, the protagonist, is made a vampire when she bites her rapist back. Then, she is possessed by some sort of vampiric rapturous lust, which Anna, the book, and Avery, the vampire who helps her cope with her new status all feel means that it was not rape. "It's frightening you because you realize you were a participant, not a victim."
I'm sorry, I whited out with rage for a moment. I can't even.
In addition to this, as if more were required, Anna is not a very likable protagonist. She mopes about her feelings for Avery, and compares them to her feelings for her boyfriend, Max. Frankly, as the reader, I saw no evidence of any feelings, unless lust is a feeling, and perhaps she should be more worried about the fact that she is having sex with Avery and the implications this has for her supposedly monogamous relationship with Max?
Anna, the protagonist, is made a vampire when she bites her rapist back. Then, she is possessed by some sort of vampiric rapturous lust, which Anna, the book, and Avery, the vampire who helps her cope with her new status all feel means that it was not rape. "It's frightening you because you realize you were a participant, not a victim."
I'm sorry, I whited out with rage for a moment. I can't even.
In addition to this, as if more were required, Anna is not a very likable protagonist. She mopes about her feelings for Avery, and compares them to her feelings for her boyfriend, Max. Frankly, as the reader, I saw no evidence of any feelings, unless lust is a feeling, and perhaps she should be more worried about the fact that she is having sex with Avery and the implications this has for her supposedly monogamous relationship with Max?