Nicole Hadaway

Original review here: http://offbeatvagabond.blogspot.com/2013/04/xpresso-book-tours-presents-indie-bo...

Release is a story that follows a woman named Miranda. She and her friends, Rose and Vanessa, help rescue children bound for concentration camps. The kids have been left behind or in hiding. Since it is during World War II, they must be careful or the children will be killed. But Miranda and her friends can take care of themselves just fine. Miranda is a vampire who cares about humankind. Rose is a werewolf and Vanessa is a demon. They do what they can to survive, but they also help those who need it especially during such a terrible time. A doctor named Ben helps to move the children to a priest that helps them. He works for the SS, but it is a front to help the kids. While working with the women, he can't help but think that the women are different. They are bother trying to survive in this hellish world with the Nazis on their back. They will do what they must to help each other.

Well this is a different take on a vampire tale. World War II, the Holocaust, Hilter, the SS with vampires and werewolves. I know that may sound like a strange read, but Hadaway handled this beautifully. I was so invested in this story. I really liked Miranda. She is a vampire and must do what she can to survive, but she wasn't a monster. I loved that even though she was born a vampire, she cares about humanity. I loved that vampires are born in this world. Things we know about them aren't accurate. Same for werewolves. I really liked Rose. She hated that she was a werewolf. She hated herself and her parents for making her what she was. She was born a werewolf. I loved that Hadaway did something different with the vampire and werewolf mythology. That it was a curse because their ancestor made a deal with a demon. We also had Vanessa. I wasn't sure about her. She was a demon and it was obvious that she was. But she had some nice moments...surprisingly. This was quite interesting.

I loved this story. Hadaway did such an incredible job with weaving in the history with the paranormal. This story does a great job of really presenting humanity vs. inhumanity. There may be actual supernatural creatures, but they are not the real monsters. I love that we got a lot of real things that did take place during the Holocaust. I loved that Hadaway added such great backgrounds for the supes as well. She added very interesting religious aspects to their stories especially with Rose the werewolf. That is definitely new. I loved the relationship between Ben and Miranda. Although I didn't like that once he saw Rose get a little furry, he sort of bolted. I thought something would have sparked between them.

I know you all are familiar with this piece of history. Hadaway did a great job really putting us in the middle of it all. The mix of paranormal and history is amazing. There was definitely a lot of work put into this. There are a lot of characters to love and hate, but they all add so much to the story and even some of the history. Release is a complex read with many layers that blend well put together in the end. I really enjoyed this. This is my first read from Hadaway and I intend to read more from her. Definitely check this out.… (altro)

When I first saw the blurb for Release via Giselle's book tour emails, I was immediately intrigued and knew I had to sign up to be part of the tour. I have a huge interest in literature that deals with World War II and, more specifically, the Holocaust, because while the tales from the camps are brutal and heartbreaking, and make you question just how evil individuals can be, the stories of survival and strength that are shared with the readers really touch me in a way I can't put into words. Admittedly I was a little concerned about the mix of history from this terrible time period and the paranormal twists promised by the summary, but in the end I'm happy to report that said nervousness was unfounded. Ms. Hadaway really handled this entire book with a deft touch, and I ultimately came away all the more glad that I was able to experience her story.

I want to give major props for the depth of research that clearly went into crafting this book. Not only are the details from the war itself handled extremely well, but the background of the demons and the other supernatural beings - including the history of the original fallen angels - and the inclusion of the old time religions really helped ground the book in the "real" world, even though the main character is decidedly paranormal. I also found this trio of paranormal girls to be quite fascinating; each has their own, unique personality and back story, which made them feel extremely real and helped the reader connect with the story. I think that my favorite was Rose, simply because of her emotional journey and the way she slowly came to terms with who and what she was. I liked reading from her viewpoint quite a bit.

Miranda and Ben's romance was well done, and I appreciated that it wasn't the usual insta-love variety that you often find in paranormal tales. I liked that it took time for them to come to really trust each other, and the way Ben was slowly incorporated into the group's dynamics. The author introduces a lot of characters in this book, from Miranda's brother, Cray, to Cray's friend, Denny, to Gertrude and Helen and Father Ott, but it never felt overwhelming or confusing at any time. All were important to the book's eventual climax and I can understand their inclusion. It may have been better to stick with just one narrator, though, because at times we had multiple point of view switches in one chapter. This didn't bother me too much, but I know not everyone likes multiple narrators so wanted to mention it all the same.

My one complaint is that this book is very dialogue-heavy. Sometimes it's better to just sum up a conversation instead of having the character speak it word for word, and there were times when I felt the dialogue slowed the story down. Part of this is because Ben didn't know about Hell and the fallen angels like the others did, nor did the reader, so that information had to be told in some form, but I just feel like perhaps dialogue wasn't always the best way to impart what everyone needed to know, if that makes sense.

All in all I found Release to be a very engrossing and compelling read. The research alone that went into creating this book is absolutely first rate, and combined with some well-written characters, is nothing short of intriguing. If you like historicals with a paranormal flair, definitely pick this one up! I'd highly recommend it.

A copy of this book was provided via Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.… (altro)