Pretty When She Dies: Review

Review:

It’s a comforting feeling to have an author you trust so implicitly that you have no doubts when you pick up their book that you are going to enjoy every sentence. I used to be a huge fan of vampire novels, but over the last few years that interest has waned. I’m happy to say that Rhiannon Frater’s Pretty When She Dies reminded me of why I used to love reading about vampires.

Amaliya wakes up buried beneath the forest floor. She has no idea who she is, or how she was buried, or more importantly, why she is still alive. When she crawls out, covered in dirt and blood, it all starts to come back to her. She had gone for coffee with her Psychology professor and he’d bitten her. Dirty, disoriented and hungry for blood, Amaliya has no idea where to go or what to do. After feeding on a fraternity full of drunken college students, she sets off for home. The problem is, her family doesn’t want her. Eventually, she arrives in Austin and finds herself under the care of Austin’s vampire king, Cian. But someone has followed her. Someone who knows who and what she is. Someone who wants to destroy her and settle an old debt with Cian.

What most intrigued me about this particular book was the way Ms. Frater included necromancy into the story. Amaliya’s maker is not only an ancient vampire, he can also control the dead and uses them to do his bidding. It was like a mashup of two of my favorite things — hot, sexy vampires and zombies. Win and win.

As always, the characters in this book are relatable and completely unforgettable. I loved Amaliya. She was vulnerable yet tough, dangerous yet sympathetic. I really felt for her as she struggled to deal with who and what she was. Cian is also an awesome male lead, and I enjoyed watching he and Amaliya’s relationship blossom. I will say, the sex scenes are nothing short of page-burning.

I think one of my favorite characters was Amaliya’s grandmother. She’s a little spitfire and always made me laugh whenever she was in a scene.

I’m on the blog tour for the second installment, Pretty When She Kills on October 3. I can’t wait to dive in and see what happens with Cian and Amaliya next.