Luanne Bennett

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Bloodlust Blues

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book! I voluntarily leave this review!

Bloodlust Blues has many plot points, leading to a complex web of activities. While a complex plot can be engaging, the different strands have to hint at one another or start to come together sooner. Many characters come and go, sparking new conflicts and mysteries before resolving the previous ones. But the atmosphere was well developed, showing the town of Crimson as a smaller town, yet large enough for fresh faces to pop in and out of the narrative.

Charlie as a character is a determined woman, willing to put herself on the line for the betterment of others. She has a good heart and a group of friends willing to follow her lead and assist where needed. But she is trying to run a covert business on the side selling vampire blood and doesn’t seem to be the best at keeping a secret. Though the choices she makes lead to conflicts surrounding the business and creates some well deserved action sequences.

However, there is also a moment where a female is nearly assaulted and the writing downplays what happened. Even going so far as to have a male character snickering at the mention of it occurring, yet the female is obviously distraught. This felt wrong to read and while that may have been the intention to churn up emotion in readers, Charlie also brushes it off which seems against the character that was so carefully created. She removes the offender from her bar but has little emotional response or offer of help for the woman who was involved.

Bloodlust Blues hits the mark on urban fantasy and supernatural elements, but the emotional side of the story is lacking. Two many plots and too little character development. And to not address the full wrongness of what occurred during the assault was shocking.… (altro)

There are a few intriguing original ideas here and there but they are buried under a mountain of mediocrity and tired clichées so deep they will probably never see the light of day again.
The second book doesn't feel as formulaic as this one but it doesn't improve in overall quality either.

The author tried to include a trans woman as the best friend of the MC in an attempt to be inclusive and stuff I guess?
But the person acts so stereotypical it comes across more like a caricature than a genuine attempt.
And let me be clear here. I am not even on board with the whole LGBTQ insanity. I just believe in "live and let live" and that we should strive for equal opportunity. And despite my dislike of the politicized movement itself, I feel offended on behalf of trans women everywhere.
While I think mentioning this aspect is important, I didn't include it in my overall rating.

The problem that annoyed me the most was willful ignorance by lots of characters as a plot-device.
In some instances, this manifests as outright TSTL.

I liked that the book didn't shy away from killing people off under various circumstances. No unlikely rescues out of thin air or absurd coincidences to save the day at the last moment. There is still a certain sense of plot armor for the main protagonists though.… (altro)

The book reads more like a YA romance with hints at other genres, complete with a love triangle that really doesn't go anywhere. I feel like the writer couldn't decide what type of story she wanted to write, so smashed all of them into a single story. It's a New Age romance. No it's a fantasy. Fantasy Romance. No wait it's Young Adult Fantasy with Romance. It's an Urban Fantasy. It's all over the place. There's a magical mystery but it's vague and almost inconsequential until the last few chapters.

While the actual theft of the amulet is done early on in the first few chapters and in a very vague way and the book does work through this mystery, it felt like an after thought to the romance angle. Honestly, the entire book felt like it was written from the wrong point of view (POV) because things don't happen around the main character. She's kept isolated as the other characters act. We find things out through telling -- until the last five chapters. Even then, the last few chapters feel like a deus ex machina just so the writer could actually get to a solution. In fact, only one scene from earlier in the book seems to pay off in the finale.

Worse, through all this, the character is supposed to be in her early to mid twenties, but she frequently acts like she's a preteen or teenager. Yes, she can drink, but she throws tantrums, sneaks around without thinking about the consequences, and generally acts like a little spoiled snot.

I don't recommend this book to others.… (altro)

I found the description of the book intriguing. I find urban fantasy to be a very interesting genre, the mix of magic and modern world blended together. The book started good, with Alex Kelley arriving in New York, where years ago her mother was murdered and she abruptly together with her mother's best friend Ava left without telling anyone. What really happened all those years ago? Alex feel watching when she comes to the town, like everyone around her is watching her every move. Is she just being paranoid?

I think the first part of the book was the best when Alex was in the dark. Then, she meets Greer Sinclair and for me, the story just didn't work after that. Suddenly the story turned new adult, with Alex being attracted to Greer and jealous of other women. And, it didn't take a long time for them to sleep together. Now, for some readers is this fine, they want this and like reading stories with lots of passion and sex. I don't. I like when everything moves along at a slower pace between two characters. And, I just don't like the alpha male stereotype. Rich, sexy and rough. A man that sees a woman as a possession. Which of course happens when Constantine enters the story and suddenly there are two sexy men after Alex. Sorry, this is just not my thing. I wanted a mystery story with magic elements, but I just couldn't find my interest on the same level after around 31% of the book.

The Amulet Thief is just not for me, I like urban fantasy, but the story just never turned out to be as interesting as I hoped it to be. I just couldn't muster much interest in Alex hunt for the amulet that her mother left for her that then went missing. And, frankly this "let's keep Alex in the dark about her past" was just annoying. Sometimes it's just better to sit down and have it all out. Not being all mysterious and cryptic. On the plus side, the book was easy to read. I just wish the story had been better, and the characters less stereotypical.

I want to thank the TBConFB for providing me with a free copy for an honest review! … (altro)