This book was alright. The author is new and her writing style is a little drawn out. Very similar to the House of Night series by PC and Kristen Cast. It is a good book, not really a good vampire book because it doesn't go much into that detail. Also, the main character is supposed to be somewhat psychic, and you only see her use those powers at the beginning of the book. It could have been more than what it was. We will see if she redeems herself in the second installment. Okay, technically it's the first book of the year I DIDN'T finish and wouldn't be reviewing at all (I didn't count it) except I know this would be something various members of the flist might read. Heck some might even like it. I mean I thought oooo, vampires with a FEMALE lead, oooo, St Augustine, a city in FL I actually liked, ooo she works for a ghost tour.I like quirky heroines but Francesca is too quirky and quickly strays into Mary Sue land. SHe surfs. She's psychic sort of. She was put into a coffin underground for 200 years (in Florida...I'm pretty sure the water table would have gotten her long before she was saved). Vampires are now protected and have to have a sponser, whom Cesa lives with while she's getting a 200 year update on her knowledge. She's obsessed about her bad hair to the point it was getting annoying.During her two ghost tours, Cesca meets up with Shalimar (named for her perfume overdose) and the Jag Queens, the newlyweds (French, who later ask her to join them in a threesome), Gomer and Stony who turns out to want to kill all vampires AND humans who befriend them. Frankly Cesca handles Stony badly and the newlyweds too. This is when we learn she's a 200+ year old virgin and wants to lose it but missed her chance with the love of her life back in the day, Triton, a magical shape shifter (who somehow she expects is still alive and well being a paranormal romance you know she's right). The next day the exact same tour group is back (because that'll happen) and she manages to irritate the French couple by being unreceptive and after Stony gets out of hand again Gomer (and his gun) walk her home.About the third or fourth chapter, things get really trite and predictable. THe French bride washes into Cesca and her surfing buddies (and I keep trying to remember even seeing surfers in St Aug when I lived there) with bite marks on her and a bullet to her head. This is about the same time, Cesca tells the cops stridently her name is Cess-ka not Ches-ka and I give up. (it IS ches-ka. It's Italian. I checked with friend who live in Italy since I hadn't had to speak Italian since my great granny passed 30 years ago.) What really put me off is the Mary Sue quality of Cesca and worse, she's a quailing female. Nothing puts me off faster than that. Here she is a vampire with super senses, speed and strength and she acts like a scaredy cat.This is when I quit. I gave it a second star out of the consideration romance isn't my genre (the library had that word covered up by their stickers and I didn't see it until I opened the inside cover).
What do You think about Szalone Życie Wampira (2011)?
Far, far better than I expected. Hopefully the follow up novel will be this good.
—ameer2294
