Bloodspell

An Amazing Read!!!!

I seriously loved this book... It was worth ever penny. I couldn't believe how amazing it was. :) Seriously buy this book!!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Could be better

I read the sample and thought it was good, but after I bought it and started reading, it just wasn't as intriguing as the beginning. I just got really bored with it and stopped reading.

I'll put this out there up front. It took me a while to get to r

I'll put this out there up front. It took me a while to get to read Amalie Howard's Bloodspell. I picked up Bloodspell a few months ago but hadn't put it on the read-next list yet. I haven't read a supernatural story in a while and I wasn't looking to read one right now but… as things like this go sometimes I found myself without a book, ready to leave the front door on vacation for Florida when I saw Bloodspell on my shelf and it called to me. I love when that happens. From the first page this story grabbed me and did not let me go until I closed the book on the plane ride home.

Here are the reasons: 1) Victoria, the protagonist is a strong female character that can get business done. You will care for her immediately because of her strengths and her vulnerabilities. She is one kick-ass warrior. 2) Christian (talk about a star crossed lover) as her partner is a creation that toys with vampire lore enough not only to make him unique but a good fit for Victoria. Victoria doesn't need him but when they're together there are fireworks of all kinds. 3) This narrative moves. It is not kinetic - it is highly compelling. 4) Amalie Howard is a good storyteller and a nuanced writer who knows her material, knows how to draw us in as readers, and clearly cares about her characters - therefore we do. 5) I loved the backstory of Victoria's family and the connections that are brought forward to the present in the narrative as a riddle for both the protagonist and the reader to discover together. They are beautifully woven into the story from beginning to end. I'm a history buff and Ms. Howard's authenticity for the period pieces, and for the scenes in Europe rang true.

I just noticed that Ms. Howard's sequeal Bloodcraft is on deck for 2013. I'm not going to wait for a last minute selection to pick it up.

Very fun

Bloodspell is a fun book to read. Although not the most original of stories, it is written in an interesting manner that keeps the reader engaged until the very end.
Victoria, the protagonist, is a complex young woman who is struggling with her identity and with the powers she appears to possess. Throughout the novel, we see her mature, learning and accepting who she is, and becoming a much stronger person. For me, that is an example of a well crafted character: when he or she actually progresses with the book¿s pages. Christian, Victoria¿s love interest, is a bit more one-dimensional. He is the classic vampire, with the classic angst that comes with being one, which disappoints a bit. Despite that, their interactions are captivating, and we can¿t help but root for the two of them to work it out.
One thing that really struck me was how well-written the fight sequence at the end was. There is a nice sense of pacing, with lots of tension to keep readers turning pages as quickly as possible. These types of scenes are not easy to write, so I was happily surprised by its execution.
If you like lots of romance along with your paranormal beasties, then this one is definitely for you.

Amazing paranormal ride!

Review by April: Amalie Howard proves that there can be a new and unique twist to the ever-popular vampire/witch theme so prevalent in today¿s Young Adult genre.

Strange things are beginning to happen to Victoria (Tori) Warrick and after a mysterious illness lands her in the hospital for a lengthy stay, she transfer to a new school to hopefully begin a new life. That life is beyond anything she could imagine and not in a good way.

On her 17th birthday, Tori is given a gift from her deceased Grandmother via her Aunt Holly. The gift contains an old journal as well as powerful amulet tucked within an intricately carved wooden box. The journal tells a dark and haunting story of a long ago ancestor. Within these aged pages, Tori will find answers, as well as more disturbing questions to discover who she really is and what her destiny holds.

Within Tori blood, boils a curse and all-consuming power that she must learn to control, before it overtakes and controls her. Add to this realization the appearance of a mysterious and darkly handsome stranger and Tori will be in for the physical and emotional fight of her life.

Christian is a vampire and any type of relationship with a witch is strictly forbidden. However, the powerful pull and chemistry between Tori and Christian is impossible to ignore. Once Christian discovers who Tori is and exactly what her blood is capable of, he knows that he will stop at nothing to keep her safe ¿ just as her enemies will stop at nothing to take her blood for their own.

Bloodspell is an amazing paranormal ride that grabbed me from the beginning and filled me with surprises and eagerness to fly through the pages to discover what was going to happen next. I loved the characterization of both Tori and Christian. They are both remarkably strong, courageous and brilliant. The story truly never had a lull in action and was filled with twist and turns. What made Bloodspell different than many other stories within this genre? It was darker and though it had the ¿forbidden love¿ theme to it, it was not the main plot of the story. There were no mushy ¿woe is me¿ types of thoughts throughout and the characters are incredibly mature, which kicks the story up another notch. In addition, the idea that blood can hold such powerful magic is intriguing, as well as the fact that this curse (or blessing) is carried on through the maternal blood line.

Readers will find themselves swept away within the complex, intricate and massively incredible and enjoyable story, Bloodspell, crafted by an amazingly talented author. Amalie Howard will blow minds with her debut work, which plays out like a veteran author¿s works. She definitely has an amazing future ahead of her and I can¿t wait to read what she releases next! I highly recommend Bloodspell to lovers of the paranormal ¿ young adult or not.

Favorite Quote: This is a special birthday for Warrick women. It marks both an end and a beginning, the end of what we know and the beginning of what we are to become. Don¿t fear it. Embrace it. You are a Warrick.

Live To Read

Victoria is one of the fiercest female characters I have come across. I loved her controlled (most of the time), dangerous nature. She doesn't hold much back when she really gets going. The reader will find her easy to connect to and very likable.



Christian, the potential love interest, is fun to read about. He has a past that could possibly change his relationship with Victoria. However, their, sometimes telepathic, kissing will convince the reader that their relationship and commitment to each other is real. The reader will be rooting for them throughout the story.



Victoria is an outcast, the reader first meets her during a scene where she is being picked on and manhandled by an obnoxious school bully. When Victoria is mad, her powerful blood leads her to attack...she is happy in the pain and damage that ensues. Victoria tries her best to control her inner nature, but her control is not always as strong as she hopes. She desires to learn more about her powerful blood, her search leads her to a source that states she will be hunted for her powers...she must either relinquish her powers or die. She doesn't like either of those options and decides to try to control her powers on her own. The story takes off from there.



The events of this story were fast-paced and intriguing, the reader will always be learning new tidbits of information having to do with Victoria's powers or past. This book is truly dark, the author portrays the evil characters in such a way that the reader will believe that they are evil. The ending will leave the reader wanting more (luckily, there is a sequel). This book is highly recommended to young adult/teen readers.

Terrific YA paranormal/urban fantasy

Victoria was more or less a normal girl - her parents were killed when she was nine and she has subsequently lived with a woman she calls Aunt Holly, who was a very close friend of her grandmother. She is attending a private prep school in a small town in Maine called St. Xavier's when she turns 17 - and everything changes. She discovers that she is the latest in a line of powerful witches, whose main strength lies in their blood. When she transfers to a different school for her senior year, she meets and handsome and enigmatic Christian Devereaux - their attraction is immediate. Their love is forbidden. Will she gain control of her blood magic, or will it control her? And will she and Christian be able to overcome centuries of mistrust and hatred to allow their love to grow, or will the inevitable problems arising from their differences drive them apart?

This debut novel from Amalie Howard is a really amazing book. I was absolutely enthralled by the story as I was reading it. The struggles that Victoria goes through trying to maintain her equilibrium and control her magic, while at the same time dealing with school and friends and all sorts of normal teenage problems spoke volumes about her personal strength. The only thing that drove me nuts was that the whole relationship with Christian was filled with misunderstandings and tantrums - you know the sort. As Buffy said - Love makes you do the wacky - and Victoria and Christian are definitely doing the wacky all the time through the book. It got old by the 3rd argument about the same thing. But then I don't have a lot of patience with romance stuff; I think most people wouldn't have a problem with it, because it is pretty typical romance fare. Fortunately for me, there is plenty of action and plot and character development to keep my mind active. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and can highly recommend it to folks who enjoy paranormal/fantasy/vampires and witches and werewolves ohmy! Give it a read - and I hope to see many more books by this talented author in the future.

A hauntingly beautiful story with something for all readers.

Bloodspell by Amalie Howard was the beautiful but haunting tale of Victoria and Christian.The imagery that Amalie Howard created using powerful and descriptive words went a long way to helping me visualize what was happening to each of the characters which isn't an easy thing to accomplish.I thought it was a little sad that despite everything Victoria and Christian went through there would always be something preventing them from being together 100 percent. Bloodspell starts off at a fast pace and doesn't slow down once.A couple of my favorite parts of Bloodspell are the masquerade ball scene and the battle scene because I love books that have a good fight between the good and bad guys.It just makes things all the more interesting for me.The Bloodspell was another thing I really liked because for me books and music go hand in hand. I highly recommend this book and I bet anything that you will not be disappointed at all.

Highly Recommended

Victoria - Tori - was an outcast at her school. She never really thought much about it. But what she didn't know then was that there was more to it. On her seventeenth birthday, her aunt Holly gave her a gift from her grandmother. The journal inside it held her family's history and secret. She found out that she was a strong witch just like her ancestors. She struggled to accept this reality, even coming to the point that she intentionally stayed away from the journal and kept herself busy so that she would not think about it.

I have read novels about vampires and witches loathing each other but nothing comes close to Bloodspell. The history between vampires and witches that Howard weaved was captivating and heart-wrenching. I enjoyed reading about Tori's ancestry. The journal itself generated so much intrigue that it has become one of the things that I looked forward to.

Tori's blood was dangerous, craving spilled blood, death and sacrifice. It sang of dark desires and dark pleasures, infusing Tori with its evil nature. Not wanting to be like her ancestor, she struggled to control the blood, to prove that she was the master. I found Tori very human despite her gifts. She had that careful, sincere and concerned spark inside her that never vanished even as she embraced her powers. She sided with caution and refused to give in to her blood.

Tori and Christian's relationship was a difficult one. Aside from it being forbidden, both of them were experiencing the strain between them as they both struggled to control their inner demons. Their moments together were so sweet that they made me smile. But at other times, I was gripping the book, emotionally aching from their problems. Christian craved Tori's blood and he had to reign in the beast inside him, to make sure that he never slipped whenever they were together. Tori knew that her blood wanted to kill - even Christian - and took precautions too.

The action in Bloodspell was written well. It was as savage, inhuman and magical as the characters. I loved how the scenes reflected the true nature of vampires and witches. The aftermath of the fight scenes were also shown. During these scenes, the emotions of the characters, particularly Tori's, were explored. Tori often felt disgust and fear as she remembered her joy at killing and winning. She was still vulnerable inside even though she was strong. The drawbacks of being a witch was as great as her power.

Bloodspell is a captivating tale of forbidden love bloodlust and danger. Deliciously dark, fast paced and beautifully written, this novel will get the attention of paranormal romance readers. I highly recommend this! This reminded me of Vampire Diaries (the TV series) when it comes to suspense, action and unpredictability.

Fresh take on the story! Lacked a little something though

I enjoyed this new take of the supernatural world filled with danger and romance! Amalie Howard's Bloodspell showed me a brand new take on a world full of vampires and witches and what is forbidden by the laws. I initially expected it to be all about witches, but was pleasantly surprised that it mixes with vampires!

Bloodspell started off slow and got more interesting when I learned more about Victoria and her abilities. Howard knows how to intertwine the supernatural with the feelings of a normal everyday girl. Tori is overwhelmed and doesn't want what she was born with. I think that Tori was easy to relate to on the level of unexpectedly finding friendship and love in a new place. She's unsure of everything when she finds out her family history turns out to be bizarre and dangerous and Tori has to learn to overcome to darkness she possesses. I loved that Tori had a dark side, no not evil, but something she had to overcome within herself.

Christian was definitely attractive at points in the story. I didn't like him most of the time. He acts as though he owns Tori, although his real intentions were just to protect her from the other vampires seeking Le Sang Noir. Their relationship is essentially forbidden and can result in death and exile-something unbearable for both of them. The romance to me was bitter-sweet because at times I just didn't like Christian.

On the other hand though I loved the fantasy world. I loved the vampire council and Lucian (Christian angry brother). I most of all loved the complicated relationship that Tori and Christian have. They are true to each other although everyone else wants them apart.

Read this book! It is a good summer read for those paranormal romance lovers. I think you will like the new things Amalie Howard has incorporated into the supernatural/vampire-witch world.

A blood curse with a mind of it's own

I received this book as an ARC for review through the publicist and I was extremely excited to dive into it after reading the synopsis. Also, I absolutely fell in love with the cover of this book. I think it's so gorgeous, one of the best I've seen so far this year! I loved the characters in this book. Victoria "Tori" Warrick finds out on her 17th birthday that she is a witch. Not just any witch, an extremely powerful one for which a prophecy foretold was coming. A revelation such as this would be enough to overwhelm anyone and at first Tori is extremely resistant to using her new-found powers. Throughout the book we really see her grow and mature, slowly embracing the magic that was handed down to her from her ancestors. I really enjoyed seeing her become more confident and she certainly was a great deal stronger than she gave herself credit for. Christian Devereux is a bit of a mystery at the beginning but we quickly learn more about who and what he is. Tori and Christian are drawn to each other almost immediately and I liked how their relationship developed slowly. It turns me off when a book has it's main characters profess their love for each other within the first couple chapters, so I was glad that this book wasn't like that. Their relationship grew slowly which made it very believable; you couldn't help but want them to be happy together. You'll see as you read the book though that Tori and Christian's won't come easily (and that's all I'm saying about that!). All of the supporting characters added a lot of depth and mystery to the story, especially Tori's friend Gabriel, and Christian's brother, Lucian. I think you'll definitely see why I loved the characters so much when you read the book. I liked the author's writing style; it really sucked me in and I had trouble putting this book down! The only real complaint I had was that within the same chapter, even within a few paragraphs, the point of view would change from Tori, to Chrstian, and then to Gabriel. It got a little confusing at times. I prefer when a book sticks with one character for a chapter, or at least uses a page break before moving on to another character. I can say though that at least you get a good idea of what everyone's thinking at a specific moment in time when you jump around to different characters; you aren't left wondering what the other person was thinking/feeling at that intense part of the book. I found this book to have a unique storyline, despite the fact that it involves the usual supernatural creatures. Tori's having inherited the "black blood" from her ancestors and the fact that the blood kind of had a mind of it's own was really interesting. My favorite part of the entire book was the ending. I can't even describe how amazing it was, it had my blood pounding and I refused to put the book down until I finished it. It stayed with me for awhile after I had flipped the last page. Definitely the most intense scene I've read in a long time! To finish out my review, I'd like to share one of my favorite quotes from the book: "A wise friend once told me 'you are who you are.'" Victoria traced a line from the scar on the corner of his eyebrow across his cheekbone. "I know what you are, but I also know who you are too. And the 'who' is the part that defines us." Overall I really enjoyed this book. The characters were amazing and several scenes had me on the edge of my seat, desperate to find out what happened next.

Victoria's AWESOME!!

I can't stand reading a book with wimpy characters that you just want to grab by the shoulders and shake some sense in to them. Bloodspell isn't that type of book -- AT ALL.

Instead, the main character is real, and strong. Even if she doesn't know it at first. I LOVE Victoria. Love love love her. I sort of want to be her best friend, or I REALLY want to be her best friend.

This book is a super fun read, so fresh and unique. The author has created a winner here.
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