snarkymotherreader's review
4.0
Xan Marcelles isn’t your typical vampire. He has the big fangs and the big attitude, but he’s far from the sparkly, eternally young, vapid rich guy we’ve come to associate with blood-drinkers. Think Peter Steele before drugs started taking their toll.
In Traitors, the newest novella in the Crooked Fang series by Carrie Clevenger, Xan finds himself on a road trip to Texas to hunt down and dispatch a group of vampires. No questions asked. Along for the ride is Nin, the nesferata, and the strange but inevitable pull of their pseudo-relationship.
The other members of Crooked Fang are absent for this short as is, for the majority, Pale Rider itself. Instead we’re treated with watching Xan squirm under Nin’s flirtation and the burgeoning hope of happiness for our wayward vamp.
The action is light in Traitors with the main focus being Xan’s ties to an ancient vamp who still pulls his strings. The inevitable fight scene was much tamer than I expected but it concluded the story nicely. Xan had to come to terms with the fact that he’s no longer the complete Billy Badass he once was and that his time serving his bloodline is far from over.
In Traitors, the newest novella in the Crooked Fang series by Carrie Clevenger, Xan finds himself on a road trip to Texas to hunt down and dispatch a group of vampires. No questions asked. Along for the ride is Nin, the nesferata, and the strange but inevitable pull of their pseudo-relationship.
The other members of Crooked Fang are absent for this short as is, for the majority, Pale Rider itself. Instead we’re treated with watching Xan squirm under Nin’s flirtation and the burgeoning hope of happiness for our wayward vamp.
The action is light in Traitors with the main focus being Xan’s ties to an ancient vamp who still pulls his strings. The inevitable fight scene was much tamer than I expected but it concluded the story nicely. Xan had to come to terms with the fact that he’s no longer the complete Billy Badass he once was and that his time serving his bloodline is far from over.
suzjustsuz's review
4.0
I blazed through this novella, enjoyed at the least as much as I enjoyed the first book in the series if not more (probably more) and then promptly neglected to write the review. I'm sorry Carrie, you deserve better!
This was a great story! It gave us a bit better glimpse into Xan's past and made me wonder more about his history as a vamp. By the time I finished with the story I realized that Xan spends a bit of time avoiding himself when he's confronted with emotions and situations he doesn't want to deal with. He doesn't look too closely at them and because of that we don't get to see too closely either. Still, Clevenger adeptly gives us a peek into what Xan isn't dealing with without giving away all the goods and leaves us wanting more of Xan so we can be there when he deals.
Xan is a very likeable vampire, but he's not fluffy by a long shot. I'm starting to warm up to Nin, too, and that surprises me a bit.
It was a good taste of the Crooked Fang world that brought it all back, made the questions I had from book 1 jump to the front of my mind again, and left me hoping for the next installment in the series so I can see where it all goes.
That's what these novellas between books is for, right? Mission accomplished!
This was a great story! It gave us a bit better glimpse into Xan's past and made me wonder more about his history as a vamp. By the time I finished with the story I realized that Xan spends a bit of time avoiding himself when he's confronted with emotions and situations he doesn't want to deal with. He doesn't look too closely at them and because of that we don't get to see too closely either. Still, Clevenger adeptly gives us a peek into what Xan isn't dealing with without giving away all the goods and leaves us wanting more of Xan so we can be there when he deals.
Xan is a very likeable vampire, but he's not fluffy by a long shot. I'm starting to warm up to Nin, too, and that surprises me a bit.
It was a good taste of the Crooked Fang world that brought it all back, made the questions I had from book 1 jump to the front of my mind again, and left me hoping for the next installment in the series so I can see where it all goes.
That's what these novellas between books is for, right? Mission accomplished!
bookertsfarm's review
3.0
Great novella follow up to Crooked Fang. I think this story was a vast improvement on the first installment. I love Nin and Xan together. However, I am now wondering if I missed something major in the first book as there is still a murder unsolved...did I overlook something? Guess I will have to wait for the next installment.
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