Slayers, Vampires, and Paranormal Fantasy that Represents!!!

 

Image copied from Goodreads

I received a copy of this novel in my book box from the RSJ Virtual Romance Book Convention I attended this past summer. When I read the blurb on the inside cover and saw that Sign of the Slayer was comped as being Full Metal Alchemist meets Vampire Diaries I was instantly intrigued. Most paranormal romances with vampires geared towards young adults that I've read have been compared to cult classics like Buffy the Vampire Slayer or the Twilight series. So, it was hard saving this Sharina Harris novel for Spooky Season. 

As soon as the leaves on the trees started to change, I was ready to crack the cover and delve in to see how this book could be anything like its comp titles. I was not disappointed. From the very first page main character Raven jumps off the page, her voice as clear as a bell as she begins narrating her story. She opens by asking if it is possible for a person to "take part in photosynthesis" (Harris). An interesting question since we know that Raven is about to meet up with vampires at some point, creatures who are severely allergic to sunlight. From there we see and hear Raven's interactions with her friends and fellow band geeks on what seems like a typical Friday Night Lights football game in the Texas town she lives in. However, in the midst of what seems like a mundane high schooler's evening Harris weaves in moments of suspense and some spine-tingling moments for Raven that had me, as the reader, sitting on the edge of my seat. We're also given hints that all may not be as it seems with Raven either, as she tells us that she lives with her grandmother after both her parents were killed and that at some point in her life Raven got in trouble because she has a violent temper she has to keep under tight control. All clues that build tension before tragedy strikes and Raven suddenly  comes into her powers as a vampire slayer in the wake of a violent and gruesome attack. One that causes her to lose everyone she loves.

From that moment on we are whisked into another world with Raven. One where she has to learn to utilize her newfound strength and supernatural gifts all while figuring out what a clan of vampires was doing in rural Texas in the first place. Along the way Raven is forced to team up with the mysteriously sexy boy who helped save her, only to find out that he is one of the very monsters she's vowed to herself to exterminate. Not only is Khamari a vampire, he's a vampire prince and next in line for the throne as king to his clan. What follows is a slow-burn romance and urban fantasy that is hard to put down. I enjoyed every moment of it. I can also see where the comps it was compared to come in as well. The complex world of vampire politics and supernaturals that Harris has created is very much reminiscent of Vampire Diaries. While Khamari's desire to save his brother in the story at any cost, bears hallmarks to Full Metal Alchemist. Other things I appreciated about this novel were the pop culture references Harris included that would appeal to an adult audience but that young adult readers wouldn't necessarily get. The author cleverly works them in by having the vampires reference them only to have their attempts at humor or levity go right over Raven's head. I also loved the fact that Raven, Khamari and most of the main cast of characters in this novel are all people of color. Seeing representation like this in young adult fiction is always a joy, especially in fantasy fiction. 

All in all I highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys young adult paranormal romance or urban fantasy with a diverse cast of characters, slayer academies and vampires. I look forward to seeing what Sharina Harris cooks up next in the sequel for this series.

Enemies-to-Lovers Romance in a Haunted Castle...Umm...Yes, please!!

 

Image copied from Goodreads

If I Stopped Haunting You is the first paranormal romance that I've read by Colby Wilkens. It is a spicy and entertaining enemies-to-lovers romance with plenty of paranormal touches that are often fun nods to horror classics such as Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House. It also features Native American main characters who are each writers in their own right and delves into the struggles to get published if you are a BIPOC novelist.

The enemies-to-lovers trope between the main characters, Penelope and Neil, opens with them at a horror writer's convention where each are author panelists. The two have been pitted against one another by traditional publishers as "the competition" in large part because there are still abysmally few Native writers who have managed to successfully break into traditional publishing. Both Neil and Pen are novelists who who have each struggled to tell their authentic stories because the publishing world still seems to want to whitewash their experiences or promote negative stereotypes about their people. Penelope accuses Neil of selling out at the convention and when Neil responds to her accusation, he so infuriates her that she throws a book at him. Months later, they are horrified to find they will be stuck with each other at a writing retreat they both agreed to attend in a haunted castle in part to overcome the writer's block each are facing after the horror convention fiasco.

Despite the fact that Pen and Neil start out as rivals in the story, they've both secretly admired one another too. Neil has admired Pen for being brave and not letting any publisher coerce her into telling her stories differently from how she wants to write them. Pen admired Neil's earlier work and looked up to him as a role model she could aspire to be like as a writer until she felt he sold out to achieve traditional publishing success. But as they are holed up together for the writing retreat at a haunted castle in the Scottish Highlands, they slowly begin to understand each other more fully and their attraction begins to transform their animosity into passion of a different kind. As for the ghost story, the hauntings in the castle are introduced in creepy and fun ways such as the feel of cold fingers grazing one's neck, names whispered in one's ear, and the compulsion of Pen to want to open that door in the forbidden and spooky west wing they've been told to stay away from. It lends a bit of mystery to the story, as well, that made me want to keep reading to figure out how they would resolve whatever was keeping these spirits trapped in the castle. All in all I recommend this book for fans of the enemies-to-lovers trope who also like a bit of paranormal suspense mixed in with their romance. It is a fun, spicy and slightly spooky read. 

I want to thank both NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me the chance to read this free eARC in exchange for this honest review. If I Stopped Haunting You will be available for purchase everywhere books are sold on October 15th.

Stay tuned for my next spooky season review in a couple of weeks of Sign of the Slayer by Sharina Harris, a young adult paranormal romance. The image and book blurb below are both copied from Goodreads.

Full Metal Alchemist meets Vampire Diaries in this fun and clever dark  academia series…

High school is supposed to be about studying, socializing, and marching- band practice. Not fighting vampires. Then one night flipped my world  inside out―now, my life sucks. But it isn’t all bad. I’m at a slayer academy, learning things like the real origin of vamps and how to make  serious weapons out of thin air.

 Every last one of them will pay for what they did. I’m doing great.

Until I come face-to-face with the actual vampire prince…and I’m not sure of anything anymore. Vampires are supposed to be soul-sucking demons. But Khamari is…something else. He’s intelligent and reasonable―and he seems to know things about me that could change everything.

He’s also hiding something big, even from his own kind. And when a threat from an ancient evil is so extreme that a vampire will team up with a slayer to take it down, it isn’t just my need for revenge that’s at stake anymore.

It’s the whole damn world.