Fresh Blood

November 28, 2022
Arend’s sexy, dark academia-tinged debut skirts the line between adult and YA fantasy to follow a group of 18-year-old vampires enrolled in an elite prep school “nestled in a valley high up in the Swiss Alps.” Dillon Halloran has no idea that he is a dhampir—half human, half vampire—until, at the request of a mother he’s never met, he’s sent to the prestigious VAMPS academy. The only dhampir ever admitted to VAMPS, Dillon struggles to adjust to life among his superhuman and supernaturally beautiful classmates. It’s an uphill battle: Dillon knows nothing of his vampire mother beyond that she came from a powerful bloodline, and he himself has never consumed human blood, meaning his vampire side lies dormant. When Dillon is unexpectedly chosen to assume the leadership position of Vampire Elect for his class, he faces opposition both within the academy and without as enemies plot first to oust him from his position—and then to kill him by framing him for a capital offense. Dillon works well as an everyman point of entry into Arend’s dark world of temptation, desire, and, of course, hunger. Fans of non-horror vampire stories and Olivie Blake’s The Atlas Six should put this on their radar.

December 1, 2022

DEBUT Hidden in the Swiss Alps lies the most prestigious and selective academy for vampires, VAMPS, where powerful and wealthy vampire families send their children. Dillon Halloran has just been selected to attend, but he's a dhampir: half human and half vampire. He is the first dhampir to ever attend VAMPS. This makes him not only an outsider, but puts him at a huge disadvantage because he was raised as a human and never knew his vampire mother. Despite only being half vampire, upon entry to the school, his blood is found to be extremely powerful. This makes life dangerous for him, as many want access to his blood. Dillon is forced to reckon with his vampire side while trying to fit in and survive the school. VERDICT Arend creates an exciting world of civilized vampires that hold power and weight even inside the human hierarchy. It's an alluring and fast-paced read for fans of The Atlas Six, A Deadly Education, and True Blood.--Leigh Verburg

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2022
Arend's debut is the coming-of-age story of the modern vampire elite, particularly Dillon Halloran, the first dhampir--half human, half vampire--to attend the exclusive vampire finishing academy, VAMPS. The school trains young vampires to hone their abilities and control their bloodlust in order to integrate in the upper echelons of human society. Dillon's inclusion immediately upsets several snobbish vampires and their parents, an attitude that is further aggravated by Dillon's selection as the year's Vampire Elect through a unanimous selection at the traditional, blind blood tasting. Dillon, raised in rural Ireland by his human father, is out of touch with both vampire culture and technology, relying on his new friends to bring him up to speed. As he adjusts to his vampiric abilities, it becomes increasingly obvious that he has enemies inside and outside the school. Arend's story is a refreshing take on vampires, making the young vampires work for what are assumed to be their natural abilities and questioning which of those abilities a mere dhampir will have.

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