#BookReview Sinner by @bchorpenning #TuesdayBookBlog #RBRT #Vampires

Title: Sinner: Sinners & Saints Book 1

Author: Blakely Chorpenning

Category: NA/Mature YA 16+/Paranormal

My Rating: 5 Star

Book Blurb:

“The only difference between the saint and the sinner is that every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.” ~Oscar Wilde

SINNER IS A GRITTY, CAMPY RIDE THROUGH THE HEART OF OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DARKNESS.

Alice’s life is spiralling out of control. After an accident leads to a tainted blood transfusion, Alice descends into the supernatural world of vampires, addicted to blood, destined to sin. Only, that’s her second largest problem. The first might kill her for real.

With no sire or formal keeper, Alice is among the feral vampires, marked by white eyes and the ability to live without drinking blood, unless the cravings prevail. Caught between old rivals, Alice doesn’t know what she wants to be, a sinner or a saint. Wolf, an enigmatic firecracker, has the power to make Alice embrace her troubles as strengths, no matter if she is wicked or kind. But Gesick cools Alice’s anxiety, accepting the paranormal activity surrounding her presence.

Will Alice choose Wolf, a woman with little standing in her way, or Gesick, a man who knows a little something about temptation?

Triggers: Addiction/Overdose, Anxiety/OCD, Grief/Depression

(*Please remember that Alice & her world are fictional. Her actions aren’t to be emulated. She is, after all, a vampire.*)

My Review:

I’m a sucker for a vampire story (no pun intended!), so when I spotted Sinner on the RBRT list I jumped at the chance to read it.

The book blurb assures us that the main character, Alice, is a vampire without a sire, but the book begins with her journey toward becoming a member of the undead. Wow! I can’t remember any other vampire book I’ve read going into such fabulous detail about the transition from human to vamp. It’s well written – I almost wrote well researched before remembering this is fiction, yes it’s that good!! You are pulled along the path of fear and terror as Alice throws up her internal organs and struggles to understand what’s happening.

Aside from the transformation, we all know to be developing there’s a dark menace that haunts our mc. Alice can’t be left in the dark, something is lurking in the darkness, and this pulls the reader between two distinct threats.

We get introduced to the first group of vampires who help Alice as much as she will allow. A quirky bunch of vampires with stories of their own. I liked them all, and was Team Gesick for most of the novel! Swiftly we’re torn from the sanctuary of this small group to the turmoil, excitement, and terror of Wolf and her group of less than orthodox vampires.

I didn’t like Wolf (Team Gesick all the way here), but Chorpenning has written a complex character which allows you to hate her yet still feel drawn to the dark side. You can understand why Alice is attracted to her world.

There are references to drugs and overdosing, cutting, addiction, and anxiety, but it’s beautifully done and managed. I like books and authors that don’t shy away from the tough topics, especially when writing for a young adult audience.

Sinner finishes off in a neat and tidy way while leaving a couple of threads for more stories in the series. Who is Pope, what hold does he have over the vampires? Will Alice do what she promised? These were a few of my unanswered questions (possibly to be answered in book 2), but they didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book.

I look forward to reading more from this author.

I read and reviewed Sinner on behalf of Rosie Amber’s Book Review Team #RBRT

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