Blood Lust (Preternaturals, #1)

by Zoe Winters

I'm kind of at a loss to figure out what to write. I first read this back in 2013 and it really impressed me. I found it highly original and a very creative take on the paranormal species that usually populate the genre. I hadn't really read anything like it before and I enjoyed it. And rereading it, I still think it's a unique twist on the genre - the problem is I'm not sure what else it was I liked about this book.

None of the characters really interacted or got to know each other. I think the passage of time was more than what it seemed, but it felt fast. Too fast. Which is something you kind of have to overlook with most novels these days, so fair enough.

Greta and Dayne are the first couple that are introduced. I didn't mind either character. But I also didn't really love them. The romance between them was beset by her heat cycles and his wavering over whether or not he was bad. Dayne mainly thought about sex and wanting her and Greta wavered between wanting him and thinking he would kill her. My biggest issue with Greta was how all over the place she was. She was a bit whiny and she couldn't seem to make up her mind - but she was in heat I guess. So the plot is pretty much they jump into bed with each other. There's a tiny bit of action at the end and a lot of dancing around each other but nothing much really happens. There are hints at love and permanency but it's not explicitly stated. Which makes the novel better for it. Love declarations often sound ridiculous when the characters have just met.

The second couple are Anthony and Charlee. I enjoyed Charlee's humour and personality in the first novella. In the second, I just felt sorry for her. Leading on from Kept, Anthony was high and accidentally wiped her memories of well everything. Anthony feels guilty but he's definitely more of a realistic vampire than human friendly. I did like that Charlee's default personality was rational and willing to question, I just hated pretty much everything else. It was all over the place. Charlee was all over the place. She was attracted to him. She liked him. She's terrified of him. She hates him. It was a rollercoaster. What's worse, she had no idea what she was thinking. Every time she did get herself sorted, he kept influencing her emotions. I'm seven years older than I was when I first read this and although I don't think I've ever supported abusive relationships, this felt a lot more horrifying. Maybe because I've seen how often it happens. Before they were just words on a page.

The last couple are Jane and Cole. I think I may have liked this one least. Cole is okay, sort of a nothing character. Jane was a tough cookie. She's survived a lot but frankly I didn't like her. She just rubbed me the wrong way and it really annoyed me when she leaves the den the second she gets the code. She knows why she has to wait and that she's in danger and that she can't fight a werewolf and she literally runs headlong into it. Yes, I know lots of heroines are TSTL but it drives me nuts.

The sex is all pretty tame, a lot of it is kept "off page". The first novella had the least amount of action but the other two had more. I rated five stars back in 2013. Today I feel it's more a 3 star read. Maybe 2.5. I didn't hate it but I struggled to read it through and the romance isn't as all consuming as I remember it. That said, it is a creative twist on the paranormal genre and does stand out from the pack with the world building. Best to just read and make up your own mind.