3 out of 4 stars
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This is a review of Chasing the Red Queen: Blood Fang, Sault Ste. Marie by Karen Glista which is a vampire romance novel with a unique story/plot. In the story, the reader meets the main character, Donja Bellanger who is a descendant of the Ojibwe tribe of the Durent Clan. After the death of her father, she starts to hide behind the gothic style of makeup and clothes. Donja has a little brother, Frankie who she adores. They will be moving away from the only home that they have ever known and their Grandmother, Anna. She tries to endure the reality that she is moving her senior year of high school to a completely different city because her mother is getting married. She will have a new stepsister, Makayla who is completely different from her style and she will need to learn to find her place in this new family dynamic. This will not be the greatest challenge she is going to face when there is a sadistic killer on the loose, hunting women in Sault Ste. Marie which is the new city she is living in. Secrets of her family lineage and past will bring a whole new perspective on her life, especially when she grabs the attention of the supernatural world. She will be drawn to Torin Mancini, a detective in the human world and an Iridescent to the supernatural world. He uses his job and abilities to solve the crimes that are supernatural so that their secrets will remain hidden from humans. Donja turns to Torin when she realizes her life and her family is in danger, and the only way to stay safe may be to sacrifice the very thing that she is trying to protect.
There were many things that I enjoyed about this novel. I love reading the Sci-fi/Fantasy genre so the book caught my attention. The characters were unique and the author accurately conveyed the struggle of being a teenager, growing up, separating from friends/boyfriends, problems within a family, dealing with mental health issues, and facing the world. I think that this was important because even though it is fantasy, it makes the story seem realistic. I was also fascinated by how the author used Chippewa/Ojibwa spiritual beliefs and rituals throughout the story. The information is accurate that they did live in Canada and the Northern United States, around the Great Lakes. I really liked how Sault Ste. Marie is a real place and that the author describes the area. It made me want to take a vacation to visit the sights and scenery that the author vividly describes. There are many things that are so interesting and unique about the story that I was able to enjoy it immensely.
There are a few things within the story that I disliked. The brutality, sadism, violence, rape, mutilation, and some other atrocities that were throughout the book was difficult to read. At times through the story, the author got very descriptive of very gory and sensitive subjects which made me not want to read parts of the book. I definitely think that this is a novel for adults and it should probably not be read by anyone under the 18 years old age limit. There are also love/sexual scenes which also makes me think that this is for adults.
I think for adult readers who are looking for a book similar to the Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyers or Fifty Shades Series by E.L. James this is a book that you will want to read. It has a unique story and a different kind of vampire. It's similar to Twilight because it has Native American stories/culture throughout, and are a different kind of vampire. The vampires in this book are called Iridescent and it's an immortal spirit. They can walk in daylight and drink blood. They also have mates which gave a similarity to Twilight. It is also similar to the Fifty Shades series because of the upper class (rich people) feeling and the love scenes that got quite intense. It's also similar because of the struggles of being in a relationship with someone so different. Throughout both, the reader sees the inner struggle of the characters, especially the male leads (Torin from Chasing the Red Queen, Christian from Fifty Shades) with the events of their past. I think any adult reader who wants to read a vampire fantasy novel should give this book a chance, particularly if a reader is trying to find a unique vampire novel.
I rate this book a 3 out of 4 stars. I give the book this rating because the book seemed professionally edited. I found a couple of spelling mistakes but no grammatical errors. I gave it this rating because I downloaded it multiple times on many apps, followed the directions on the website on what to do and still I had chapters missing. I missed chapters from Memoires to Mental Misfits and had to buy the story online. I would recommend the author fix the spelling of the title Memoires and to put the definition of Soo at the beginning of the book because I initially thought it was a spelling error until it is later described in the story. I also gave it this rating because I felt that there should have been a warning for the adult content of the book in the summary. It took me by surprise which made me unprepared for some of the scenes. Otherwise, I am delighted to find a unique and interesting vampire story with Native American culture that reminded me of the Twilight Saga.
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Chasing The Red Queen
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