nkinner's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent
This was an excellent 3rd installment. I want to instantly read the next one. They keep you interested the whole way through.
This was an excellent 3rd installment. I want to instantly read the next one. They keep you interested the whole way through.
cancourtneyread's review against another edition
4.0
I LOVE HOW QUICK SHE COMES OUT WITH THESE BOOKS!!! No year long wait for me. I could kiss you Bella!
dragon_lion64's review against another edition
3.0
A Castle of Sand
By Bella Forrest
A Shade of Vampire #3
There has been so much that has happened in this series that a quick recap is impossible. I hope I can summarize the last two books without getting too long winded.
Sofia has gone through a lot since she and her best friend Ben were abducted from a beach in Cancun. They were taken to an island called the Shade that is run by vampires who have human slaves and treat all humans as disposable. The island has a protection spell on it that keeps it hidden from humans and keeps it eternally dark. She fell in love with the prince of the Shade, Derek Novak, who is not much better than the other cruel vampires who live there but she is able to keep him calm and he treats her well. Even though he is in love with her…or maybe because he is in love with her, he allows Ben and her to escape the island. Derek was afraid he’d end up physically hurting Sofia if she stayed.
Once a vampire tastes the blood of a human, he becomes addicted to that particular human’s blood and usually ends up killing the human within a few days by draining them dry because vampires lose control. There were at least two times that Derek was able to stop himself from killing someone because he kept thinking about how Sofia would feel about it, not because he cared about the humans’ lives. So I have to call bullshit on the theory that vampires can’t control themselves from killing the humans. I don’t know if it was the authors intention for the reader to wonder or if she just didn’t think about it but I did question it. I wondered if vampires were incapable of feeling remorse for human lives or if they had become numb or immune to it over the years because they were allowed to just kill the humans with no consequences. If they didn’t have a constant supply of humans, would they have become a little more careful? Did becoming a vampire instantly take away any humanity that was there?
I went a little off course with that last paragraph. I’ll get back on track.
Once Sofia left the island, the darkness started taking over Derek. The darkness almost seems as if it is a separate entity. He bites and becomes addicted to the blood of one of his harem girls, Ashley, who is also one of Sofia’s friends. He slept with the cruel and evil Claudia too. I personally thought he was a loser pig at this point. His twin sister, Vivienne, tells him he needs to get Sofia back before the darkness takes him over. Vivienne is a seer.
Ben decides that he is in love with Sofia and they decide to date which ends up not working because Sofia is in love with Derek. Ben wants to join the hunters, an organized group of vampire hunters, to get revenge on Claudia, the cruel vampire who tortured him while he was on the Shade.
Vivienne visits Sofia and gives her some of her memories which shows Sofia how to get back to the Shade along with a lot of other disturbing memories. They both passed out and the hunters took Vivienne away. Sofia decides to return to the Shade and Ben decides to join the hunters.
Liana, one of the vampires, tells Derek that she thinks the hunters have Vivienne because she was supposed to check in and never did. Derek slapped her and knocked her to the floor. He’s such a gem! Then he decides that Sofia is the cause of Vivienne’s loss so he wants to hurt Sofia by hurting her friend. He finds Ashley and straddles her hips. He starts to drain her dry but stops when Sofia walks in. He grabbed Sofia and slammed her up against the wall. Ashley tried to defend Sofia so she went to go stake him but Sofia moved in front of the stake and was stabbed in the shoulder. Derek then gets all remorseful and tells Sofia he’ll win her back.
Ben discovers that the leader of the hunters is Sofia’s father, Aiden Claremont, who goes by the alias of Reuben.
Lucas, Derek’s brother, sought sanctuary with Borys Maslen, his family’s enemy. He sent a message with Natalie Borgia, an independent rogue vampire who is like a liaison between vampire covens, to his father to let him know that Sofia is to blame for his betrayal and the capture of Vivienne. When Lucas reaches the Oasis, Borys Maslen and his coven’s huge underground hideout, he tells him why he had to leave the Shade. Upon hearing Sofia’s name, Borys becomes enraged and beats the crap out of Lucas. He yells, “How dare your brother lay a hand upon her! She was mine! The Claremont girl is mine! Then a female vampire who looks just like Sofia comes into sight and tells Lucas that she is Sofia’s mother, Camilla Claremont, who calls herself Ingrid Maslen now. She apparently promised Sofia to Borys.
That makes four men who are obsessed with Sofia. Ben, Lucas, Derek and Borys. It’s starting to be a little much for me.
That’s where the last book ended.
In this book, Derek’s father, Gregor has returned to the Shade and has taken over his kingly duties even though everyone knows that Derek is way more powerful. Gregor hates Sofia and immediately starts causing problems. He undoes the law that Derek had made to stop all teenage abductions and send three girls to Derek’s penthouse. He tries to have Derek arrested but no one would dare to actually go after him.
Derek is told that once a Migrate, a human who was not born on the island, has been there for a year, they have to either be turned into a vampire or sent to the Catacombs, the slave quarters, to be assigned work. Most Migrates don’t survive a year. Sofia and two of the girls decide to be sent to the Catacombs but Ashley decides to be turned.
Sofia believes that her relationship with Derek is temporary like a sandcastle because he is a vampire and she is a human. She worries that she is aging while he remains the same. Are you kidding me? She’s just turning 18. Who worries about aging at that age? Ridiculous!
Ben goes on his first mission as a hunter and isn’t so sure he can kill vampires if they are innocent.
Claudia finds out that Ben is no longer on the island. She sends a message to Lucas to tell him to find Ben to use against Sofia.
Gregor ambushes Derek and has Felix and his men shoot him with tranquilizers.
Sofia goes to the Catacombs and Gavin, another one of Claudia’s victims, introduces her to a few other slaves who are planning a revolt. Somehow, Gregor finds out and has them arrested. He orders them all to receive 50 lashes in the town square. No human could ever survive that.
As some of the events happened in this book, I wondered if Derek was an idiot. He kept allowing Claudia to do all kinds of horrible things and go against him. He knows Gregor is gunning for him yet he doesn’t have guards with him or Sofia at all times. It drives me nuts.
I can’t really go into the rest of the book without spoiling it but there was a lot more that happened. Borys and Sofia’s crazy mom are still a huge threat and so are Claudia and Lucas. There are also the hunters out looking for the Shade or any vampire coven’s hideout.
I devoured this book in no time at all. I’m off to read the next one.
www.paranormalromanceslut.com
By Bella Forrest
A Shade of Vampire #3
There has been so much that has happened in this series that a quick recap is impossible. I hope I can summarize the last two books without getting too long winded.
Sofia has gone through a lot since she and her best friend Ben were abducted from a beach in Cancun. They were taken to an island called the Shade that is run by vampires who have human slaves and treat all humans as disposable. The island has a protection spell on it that keeps it hidden from humans and keeps it eternally dark. She fell in love with the prince of the Shade, Derek Novak, who is not much better than the other cruel vampires who live there but she is able to keep him calm and he treats her well. Even though he is in love with her…or maybe because he is in love with her, he allows Ben and her to escape the island. Derek was afraid he’d end up physically hurting Sofia if she stayed.
Once a vampire tastes the blood of a human, he becomes addicted to that particular human’s blood and usually ends up killing the human within a few days by draining them dry because vampires lose control. There were at least two times that Derek was able to stop himself from killing someone because he kept thinking about how Sofia would feel about it, not because he cared about the humans’ lives. So I have to call bullshit on the theory that vampires can’t control themselves from killing the humans. I don’t know if it was the authors intention for the reader to wonder or if she just didn’t think about it but I did question it. I wondered if vampires were incapable of feeling remorse for human lives or if they had become numb or immune to it over the years because they were allowed to just kill the humans with no consequences. If they didn’t have a constant supply of humans, would they have become a little more careful? Did becoming a vampire instantly take away any humanity that was there?
I went a little off course with that last paragraph. I’ll get back on track.
Once Sofia left the island, the darkness started taking over Derek. The darkness almost seems as if it is a separate entity. He bites and becomes addicted to the blood of one of his harem girls, Ashley, who is also one of Sofia’s friends. He slept with the cruel and evil Claudia too. I personally thought he was a loser pig at this point. His twin sister, Vivienne, tells him he needs to get Sofia back before the darkness takes him over. Vivienne is a seer.
Ben decides that he is in love with Sofia and they decide to date which ends up not working because Sofia is in love with Derek. Ben wants to join the hunters, an organized group of vampire hunters, to get revenge on Claudia, the cruel vampire who tortured him while he was on the Shade.
Vivienne visits Sofia and gives her some of her memories which shows Sofia how to get back to the Shade along with a lot of other disturbing memories. They both passed out and the hunters took Vivienne away. Sofia decides to return to the Shade and Ben decides to join the hunters.
Liana, one of the vampires, tells Derek that she thinks the hunters have Vivienne because she was supposed to check in and never did. Derek slapped her and knocked her to the floor. He’s such a gem! Then he decides that Sofia is the cause of Vivienne’s loss so he wants to hurt Sofia by hurting her friend. He finds Ashley and straddles her hips. He starts to drain her dry but stops when Sofia walks in. He grabbed Sofia and slammed her up against the wall. Ashley tried to defend Sofia so she went to go stake him but Sofia moved in front of the stake and was stabbed in the shoulder. Derek then gets all remorseful and tells Sofia he’ll win her back.
Ben discovers that the leader of the hunters is Sofia’s father, Aiden Claremont, who goes by the alias of Reuben.
Lucas, Derek’s brother, sought sanctuary with Borys Maslen, his family’s enemy. He sent a message with Natalie Borgia, an independent rogue vampire who is like a liaison between vampire covens, to his father to let him know that Sofia is to blame for his betrayal and the capture of Vivienne. When Lucas reaches the Oasis, Borys Maslen and his coven’s huge underground hideout, he tells him why he had to leave the Shade. Upon hearing Sofia’s name, Borys becomes enraged and beats the crap out of Lucas. He yells, “How dare your brother lay a hand upon her! She was mine! The Claremont girl is mine! Then a female vampire who looks just like Sofia comes into sight and tells Lucas that she is Sofia’s mother, Camilla Claremont, who calls herself Ingrid Maslen now. She apparently promised Sofia to Borys.
That makes four men who are obsessed with Sofia. Ben, Lucas, Derek and Borys. It’s starting to be a little much for me.
That’s where the last book ended.
In this book, Derek’s father, Gregor has returned to the Shade and has taken over his kingly duties even though everyone knows that Derek is way more powerful. Gregor hates Sofia and immediately starts causing problems. He undoes the law that Derek had made to stop all teenage abductions and send three girls to Derek’s penthouse. He tries to have Derek arrested but no one would dare to actually go after him.
Derek is told that once a Migrate, a human who was not born on the island, has been there for a year, they have to either be turned into a vampire or sent to the Catacombs, the slave quarters, to be assigned work. Most Migrates don’t survive a year. Sofia and two of the girls decide to be sent to the Catacombs but Ashley decides to be turned.
Sofia believes that her relationship with Derek is temporary like a sandcastle because he is a vampire and she is a human. She worries that she is aging while he remains the same. Are you kidding me? She’s just turning 18. Who worries about aging at that age? Ridiculous!
Ben goes on his first mission as a hunter and isn’t so sure he can kill vampires if they are innocent.
Claudia finds out that Ben is no longer on the island. She sends a message to Lucas to tell him to find Ben to use against Sofia.
Gregor ambushes Derek and has Felix and his men shoot him with tranquilizers.
Sofia goes to the Catacombs and Gavin, another one of Claudia’s victims, introduces her to a few other slaves who are planning a revolt. Somehow, Gregor finds out and has them arrested. He orders them all to receive 50 lashes in the town square. No human could ever survive that.
As some of the events happened in this book, I wondered if Derek was an idiot. He kept allowing Claudia to do all kinds of horrible things and go against him. He knows Gregor is gunning for him yet he doesn’t have guards with him or Sofia at all times. It drives me nuts.
I can’t really go into the rest of the book without spoiling it but there was a lot more that happened. Borys and Sofia’s crazy mom are still a huge threat and so are Claudia and Lucas. There are also the hunters out looking for the Shade or any vampire coven’s hideout.
I devoured this book in no time at all. I’m off to read the next one.
www.paranormalromanceslut.com
sheereads0045's review against another edition
4.0
Finally, I'm done reading A CASTLE OF SAND, I survived.. Lol.. I didn't expected that I would finish the whole book.
A Castle of Sand is the 3rd book of Bella Forrest in A Shade of Vampire series. The story continues with Sofia and Derek facing complications on their relationship since Gregor Novak returned to The Shade as a king. They both faced a lot of struggle here, but it showed how their love for each other got stronger. Although I admit that at some chapters of the book I hated Sofia. I got annoyed at her for always turning down and hurting Derek. But also I liked her guts to stand up for The Naturals that residing at The Shade, showing how tough and brave she is. But I hope she thought thoroughly what she is getting into when she set her foot back to The Shade. Understand that there are some things that she cannot forcefully change just because Derek loves her.
The book got so many revelations tho. About Ingrid Maslen, Aiden Claremont and Sofia's childhood memories which I think is one of the things I truly waited on this book to read.
A Castle of Sand lived up to my expectations. The story got more darker and bloody. The only thing that I really don't like about this A Shade of Vampire series was the constant shift of view points on every chapters. Making too much expositions out of other characters view. I wish Ms. Bella would avoid doing this on her future works coz the view pont shifts makes it harder for us, the readers, to focus on the main character. It is DISTRACTING and it tends to kill the interest of the readers. Hope she writes the story with only one view point. I still like the story, giving it a four star.
Recommendations? Well, I'll recommend it to those readers whose interested on vampire romance who doesn't mind the VIEW POINT SHIFTS. If you can tolerate being distracted with too many shifts, you can go with this book.
A Castle of Sand is the 3rd book of Bella Forrest in A Shade of Vampire series. The story continues with Sofia and Derek facing complications on their relationship since Gregor Novak returned to The Shade as a king. They both faced a lot of struggle here, but it showed how their love for each other got stronger. Although I admit that at some chapters of the book I hated Sofia. I got annoyed at her for always turning down and hurting Derek. But also I liked her guts to stand up for The Naturals that residing at The Shade, showing how tough and brave she is. But I hope she thought thoroughly what she is getting into when she set her foot back to The Shade. Understand that there are some things that she cannot forcefully change just because Derek loves her.
The book got so many revelations tho. About Ingrid Maslen, Aiden Claremont and Sofia's childhood memories which I think is one of the things I truly waited on this book to read.
A Castle of Sand lived up to my expectations. The story got more darker and bloody. The only thing that I really don't like about this A Shade of Vampire series was the constant shift of view points on every chapters. Making too much expositions out of other characters view. I wish Ms. Bella would avoid doing this on her future works coz the view pont shifts makes it harder for us, the readers, to focus on the main character. It is DISTRACTING and it tends to kill the interest of the readers. Hope she writes the story with only one view point. I still like the story, giving it a four star.
Recommendations? Well, I'll recommend it to those readers whose interested on vampire romance who doesn't mind the VIEW POINT SHIFTS. If you can tolerate being distracted with too many shifts, you can go with this book.
meganmreads's review against another edition
5.0
Review originally published at Love, Literature, Art, and Reason Book Review Blog
Bella Forrest has done it again! I love this series! A Castle of Sand was amazing and the story just keeps building and getting more complex. If I thought there was nowhere left for the story to go, I was definitely wrong, because I can’t get enough. The plot is incredibly interesting and completely unpredictable. I’m already waiting impatiently for the next installment.
I’m amazed by the character growth in A Castle of Sand, especially characters like Ben and Claudia. None of the characters in A Shade of Vampire series stay stagnant. They all grow and change in their own ways. Sofia really grew in A Castle of Sand. While she was struggling with her uncertainty of the future and her place in The Shade next to Derek’s side, she wasn’t afraid to stand up for herself and the issues she cared about. She has moments of weakness, but she’s never a spineless heroine in love with a vampire and I totally admire that about her. Derek grew as a person, too, standing up to his father and attempting to do the right thing. His moments of weakness were few and far between and Sofia really was his anchor. Seeing the two of them compliment each other so well was awesome.
The conflict in A Castle of Sand was great. Tensions between the Naturals of the island and the vampires were high, especially vampires that were loyal to Derek’s father. The blood supply was running low and something had to be done. Sofia’s past was important in A Castle of Sand as various groups, both human and vampire, were looking for her as a part of their game. Ben became a vampire hunter and integrated himself into that community. Lucas became more dangerous than ever after aligning himself with enemies. Sofia wasn’t safe on her own island due to Derek’s father.
I didn’t know how A Castle of Sand would end or what would happen to the characters I cared about. It was an edge-of-my-seat read the entire time. I was worried about Sofia’s safety and also worried about her future with Derek, while also worrying about the entire future of the Shade. It was nerve-wracking!
I can’t wait to read more of the series and I highly recommend it. It’s a wonderful YA vampire paranormal romance series that is high in both romance and paranormal action and plot, appealing to every part of me. I can’t get enough of these books.
Bella Forrest has done it again! I love this series! A Castle of Sand was amazing and the story just keeps building and getting more complex. If I thought there was nowhere left for the story to go, I was definitely wrong, because I can’t get enough. The plot is incredibly interesting and completely unpredictable. I’m already waiting impatiently for the next installment.
I’m amazed by the character growth in A Castle of Sand, especially characters like Ben and Claudia. None of the characters in A Shade of Vampire series stay stagnant. They all grow and change in their own ways. Sofia really grew in A Castle of Sand. While she was struggling with her uncertainty of the future and her place in The Shade next to Derek’s side, she wasn’t afraid to stand up for herself and the issues she cared about. She has moments of weakness, but she’s never a spineless heroine in love with a vampire and I totally admire that about her. Derek grew as a person, too, standing up to his father and attempting to do the right thing. His moments of weakness were few and far between and Sofia really was his anchor. Seeing the two of them compliment each other so well was awesome.
The conflict in A Castle of Sand was great. Tensions between the Naturals of the island and the vampires were high, especially vampires that were loyal to Derek’s father. The blood supply was running low and something had to be done. Sofia’s past was important in A Castle of Sand as various groups, both human and vampire, were looking for her as a part of their game. Ben became a vampire hunter and integrated himself into that community. Lucas became more dangerous than ever after aligning himself with enemies. Sofia wasn’t safe on her own island due to Derek’s father.
I didn’t know how A Castle of Sand would end or what would happen to the characters I cared about. It was an edge-of-my-seat read the entire time. I was worried about Sofia’s safety and also worried about her future with Derek, while also worrying about the entire future of the Shade. It was nerve-wracking!
I can’t wait to read more of the series and I highly recommend it. It’s a wonderful YA vampire paranormal romance series that is high in both romance and paranormal action and plot, appealing to every part of me. I can’t get enough of these books.
woolyj's review against another edition
3.0
I like the story of Derek and Sophia. A very easy to read series that doesn't need any thinking about it. I like the characters and not knowing who will still live and who is going to die. Ok storyline and worth reading if you want something very easy.
kdawg2009's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
5.0
readingwithemmett's review against another edition
5.0
"Let the sandcastle collapse. In its place, I will build a fortress— one that the waves of nature and time could never destroy."
The best book in this series so far! I can't seem to get enough of this series. This was a very well written book with many great twists to the story. I loved how the characters developed through out the book.
The best book in this series so far! I can't seem to get enough of this series. This was a very well written book with many great twists to the story. I loved how the characters developed through out the book.
raven168's review against another edition
3.0
Sophia is 18 now so can I hope that she'll finally grow the fuck up yet? Her constant self-righteous martyr attitude has been grating on my nerves since the beginning. I'm just so tired of her. I'm also tired of everybody and their uncle loving her.
Lucas, having fled to the Oasis, is finding his stay there nothing like he anticipated. Borus likes to beat the crap out of him, he's pretty much a prisoner not allowed to go anywhere, and if he cannot find a way to get Sophia there he's probably gonna die. So he figures he has one chance and thinks he knows exactly who can help him.
Ben surprised me so much in this book. Having joined the hunters, he's anxious to go on his first mission and start getting his revenge. Probably because he knows the leader, he's moved up faster than anyone else though he also apparently has the skill to back that up. When he's finally sent out on his first mission, it doesn't go at all like he was expecting. More importantly he doesn't feel the way he thought he would after killing vampires and it forces him to reconsider how he has been thinking this whole time. And then a message arrives from Lucas. Ben is suspicious, obviously, but it seems the only way to get Sophia back. I can't even tell you how shocked I was with all of his following decisions.
It having been a year since Sophia was taken, she now faces a choice. She can stay with Derek if she chooses to become a vampire, or she remains human and goes to live in the catacombs. Despite Derek's desires, she wants to stay human. So Derek has half of a level cleared out to make a home for her. She learns more about the naturals and starts working as well. Unfortunately, this distance between her and Derek just makes things harder. But it's also the safest place for her.
With Gregor's return The Shade, Derek has a lot to deal with. His father hates Sophia and makes it no secret he wants to destroy her. Gregor has also overturned some of Derek had decreed. The fight for power between the two of them is subtle until the point where Derek has had enough and lashes out, taking the title of King. When Gregor manages to capture Sophia, Derek does something unthinkable. But what was even more shocking to everyone there is the number of Elite willing to follow his example. Dividing them even more.
The story finally started to pick up a bit toward the end when Sophia and Ben are kidnapped and taken to the Oasis. Sophia finally comes face to face with her mother who is quite clearly insane and cruel. What Borus has in store for Sophia is horrible, but there's nothing she can do to fight him. Her only hope is that Derek can some how save her like he did Vivienne. Ben is full of even more surprises though. And it's thanks to him that Derek and Sophia manage to make it out of there alive. They may make it out of there, but they are not free. Sophia's father has decided to take them all back to hunter headquarters. The most dangerous place for Derek to go.
We learn some interesting things this time around about Sophia and her family. Which was nice. I was also happy that Derek and Sophia have finally gotten some more confidence in the love they have for each other. While I don't really get what Derek sees in her, it's really annoying to have Sophia constantly doubting and second guessing Derek's love for her. Maybe now we can move past that.
Lucas, having fled to the Oasis, is finding his stay there nothing like he anticipated. Borus likes to beat the crap out of him, he's pretty much a prisoner not allowed to go anywhere, and if he cannot find a way to get Sophia there he's probably gonna die. So he figures he has one chance and thinks he knows exactly who can help him.
Ben surprised me so much in this book. Having joined the hunters, he's anxious to go on his first mission and start getting his revenge. Probably because he knows the leader, he's moved up faster than anyone else though he also apparently has the skill to back that up. When he's finally sent out on his first mission, it doesn't go at all like he was expecting. More importantly he doesn't feel the way he thought he would after killing vampires and it forces him to reconsider how he has been thinking this whole time. And then a message arrives from Lucas. Ben is suspicious, obviously, but it seems the only way to get Sophia back. I can't even tell you how shocked I was with all of his following decisions.
It having been a year since Sophia was taken, she now faces a choice. She can stay with Derek if she chooses to become a vampire, or she remains human and goes to live in the catacombs. Despite Derek's desires, she wants to stay human. So Derek has half of a level cleared out to make a home for her. She learns more about the naturals and starts working as well. Unfortunately, this distance between her and Derek just makes things harder. But it's also the safest place for her.
With Gregor's return The Shade, Derek has a lot to deal with. His father hates Sophia and makes it no secret he wants to destroy her. Gregor has also overturned some of Derek had decreed. The fight for power between the two of them is subtle until the point where Derek has had enough and lashes out, taking the title of King. When Gregor manages to capture Sophia, Derek does something unthinkable. But what was even more shocking to everyone there is the number of Elite willing to follow his example. Dividing them even more.
The story finally started to pick up a bit toward the end when Sophia and Ben are kidnapped and taken to the Oasis. Sophia finally comes face to face with her mother who is quite clearly insane and cruel. What Borus has in store for Sophia is horrible, but there's nothing she can do to fight him. Her only hope is that Derek can some how save her like he did Vivienne. Ben is full of even more surprises though. And it's thanks to him that Derek and Sophia manage to make it out of there alive. They may make it out of there, but they are not free. Sophia's father has decided to take them all back to hunter headquarters. The most dangerous place for Derek to go.
We learn some interesting things this time around about Sophia and her family. Which was nice. I was also happy that Derek and Sophia have finally gotten some more confidence in the love they have for each other. While I don't really get what Derek sees in her, it's really annoying to have Sophia constantly doubting and second guessing Derek's love for her. Maybe now we can move past that.