Official Review: A Warrior's Nightmare by Denna Holm

Misael Carlos · Post by **Misael Carlos** » 10 Sep 2018, 06:57

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Warrior's Nightmare" by Denna Holm.]

2 out of 4 stars

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A Warrior's Nightmare by Denna Holm is a story of paranormal love found amidst danger as Earth becomes a battleground for hunters and rouge wolf shapeshifters. Nethaniel comes from the planet Laizahlia, an advanced civilization of wolf shapeshifters called Lycaeonians and vampires called Laizahlians. He is on his first trip off world with his father and is shaken when he meets a human mate. Half-suspecting that she is also a wolf shapeshifter, he seeks to find the truth about her lineage even as he assists his father in tracking and capturing the rouges which escaped from their planet. In a single kiss, his own wolf recognizes his mate within her, and he knows for certain she is his true mate. Nethaniel could not wait to claim Jessica, but is she ready to surrender her heart to someone entirely different from the men in her planet?

Even as a child, Jessica knew she was different from the rest. When she meets a mysterious man, she could not understand her strange attraction to the golden-eyed stranger; there is a strong, unnatural magnetism between them. She is on the wildest ride of her life as she understands her true bloodline and discovers love in the process. But before she could build a life with Nethaniel, they must defeat an evil rogue intent to kill anyone who stands in his way of ruling a powerful pack.

What I liked about the novel was the shifting points of view of the different characters, which allowed the reader to dig into their innermost thoughts and desires. The author also was able to create an interesting world of vampires and wolves where rouges infect people and turn them into hybrids. These hybrids turn half-human, half beasts which crave blood and kill anybody to satisfy their hunger. The author was very good in making the reader visualize the terror every victim felt at the hands of the rogues. The gore scenes were graphic, and I cringed at the descriptions of each sadistic torture of the infected humans. The maleficent rouge Naijan was cunning and extremely sadistic: readers will hate him. I could not help comparing him to real-life people obsessed with power and would do anything to advance their career, regardless of who they hurt in the process. I was impatient to know how he would be punished by the hunter. He was that hateful.

On the downside, I found the first half of the novel a bit boring because of the slow pacing. Some scenes were drawn out too long, and the unnecessary detailing lost the narratives' readability. I was expecting something unique about the species in Laizahlia, since stories about wolf shapeshifters and vampires are many: I was disappointed because there was nothing extraordinary. The breathing ritual of bonding was new, but other than that, the rest were common. I could not help noticing the similarity of author's writing style to authors who are into this genre. Truth be told, while reading this novel, I would be reminded of such similarities at various points.

I give this novel 2 out of 4 stars. I did not give a 3 because of the following reasons: I felt the author could have presented a fresh take about wolf shapeshifters to make the novel more appealing and interesting, and there were scenes that were unnecessarily detailed that made such moments dragging. I did not give a 1 because despite its flaws, it has a nice plot, there were suspenseful moments, and the grammatical errors were minimal.

Those who like science fiction and paranormal romance mixed with suspense and horror will like this novel. This is also for mature readers because of the gore, graphic violence and sexual situations so if you are squeamish about these materials, you should skip this one.

******
A Warrior's Nightmare
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Bianka Walter · Post by **Bianka Walter** » 11 Sep 2018, 07:48

Vampire and werewolves have been done over and over in the past. It's so important, when embarking on writing a book, to ensure that your premise is unique. Otherwise, it's just another Twilight. I'm sorry this one didn't deliver more.
Great review!

kfwilson6 · Post by **kfwilson6** » 12 Sep 2018, 15:37

Vampires and werewolves and the whole mating with humans is very overdone. I've read some really good takes on this, but this does not sound like one of them. Even the storyline really didn't interest me that much. Good review though.

Emi_Review · Post by **Emi_Review** » 12 Sep 2018, 16:45

Most of my favourite teenage books were supernatural romances such as this so I agree that this trope is overdone and for a novel to stand out, it really needs to be taken in a different direction or seen from a new perspective. I think we're so ingrained to mythology and fairytales that we often forget that we can create new lore. I liked the idea of the rogues and the breathing ritual, that sounds more original. Although I like this genre, I think I'll pass on this one as I've read too many books like it. Thank you for the review.

Kate S · Post by **Kate S** » 14 Sep 2018, 23:56

As I read the plot summary for this story, I couldn't help but think, "Werewolves? Jacob. Vampires? Okay, they have the Cullens. Human mate? Alright, so they have imprinting and Bella. Human-hybrids? There's Renesmee!" This was all subconscious too; my mind immediately made the associations without thinking about it. This is what happens when a genre (vampires/werewolves) are overdone. The newer, less popular ones will always be compared to the older, more mainstream books like Twilight and Vampire Diaries. This is why innovation would greatly reduce the amount of cultural baggage we carry from series to series. Besides the breathing ritual, it sounds like it follows the same plot as any other werewolf, vampire, and human story. If people are into that though, that's cool. We all have our favorite genres and sub-genres that we binge. I appreciate you rating it a 2 and recognizing some other people might enjoy it. Me? I might give it a go if I'm ever in a vampire/werewolf mood again.

Misael Carlos · Post by **Misael Carlos** » 15 Sep 2018, 04:43

Kate S wrote: ↑14 Sep 2018, 23:56 As I read the plot summary for this story, I couldn't help but think, "Werewolves? Jacob. Vampires? Okay, they have the Cullens. Human mate? Alright, so they have imprinting and Bella. Human-hybrids? There's Renesmee!" This was all subconscious too; my mind immediately made the associations without thinking about it. This is what happens when a genre (vampires/werewolves) are overdone. The newer, less popular ones will always be compared to the older, more mainstream books like Twilight and Vampire Diaries. This is why innovation would greatly reduce the amount of cultural baggage we carry from series to series. Besides the breathing ritual, it sounds like it follows the same plot as any other werewolf, vampire, and human story. If people are into that though, that's cool. We all have our favorite genres and sub-genres that we binge. I appreciate you rating it a 2 and recognizing some other people might enjoy it. Me? I might give it a go if I'm ever in a vampire/werewolf mood again.

I appreciate your comments! I had a blast reading it, you are so knowledgeable on the genre, your observation entertaining and full of insight and straightforwardness. Thank you! Happy reading to us!

Misael Carlos · Post by **Misael Carlos** » 15 Sep 2018, 04:46

Emi_Review wrote: ↑12 Sep 2018, 16:45 Most of my favourite teenage books were supernatural romances such as this so I agree that this trope is overdone and for a novel to stand out, it really needs to be taken in a different direction or seen from a new perspective. I think we're so ingrained to mythology and fairytales that we often forget that we can create new lore. I liked the idea of the rogues and the breathing ritual, that sounds more original. Although I like this genre, I think I'll pass on this one as I've read too many books like it. Thank you for the review.

You are so right about the "we can create new lore." Come to think of it, there is yet a new one. All the releases about this genre are all common.

Misael Carlos · Post by **Misael Carlos** » 15 Sep 2018, 04:47

kfwilson6 wrote: ↑12 Sep 2018, 15:37 Vampires and werewolves and the whole mating with humans is very overdone. I've read some really good takes on this, but this does not sound like one of them. Even the storyline really didn't interest me that much. Good review though.

Thank you for the comments. Happy reading to us!

Misael Carlos · Post by **Misael Carlos** » 15 Sep 2018, 04:47

Bianka Walter wrote: ↑11 Sep 2018, 07:48 Vampire and werewolves have been done over and over in the past. It's so important, when embarking on writing a book, to ensure that your premise is unique. Otherwise, it's just another Twilight. I'm sorry this one didn't deliver more.
Great review!

Thank you for the comment! Happy reading to us!