![Risen (Blood Eternal) by [Gibsen, Cole]](https://i0.wp.com/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51X9vLtbe-L.jpg?w=1180&ssl=1)
Cole Gibsen
Entangled Teen
March 27, 2018
Fans of Vampire Diaries and Twilight will be thirsting for this latest vampire addiction…
My aunt has been kidnapped by vampires, and it’s up to me to save her. Only…I had no idea vampires existed. None. Nada. I’m more of a reader than a fighter, and even though I’d been wishing to escape my boring existence in the middle of nowhere, I’d give anything to have it back now if it meant my aunt was safe.
Then there’s the vampire Sebastian, who seems slightly nicer than most of the bloodsuckers I’ve run into so far. Yes, he’s the hottest being I’ve ever come across, but there’s no way I can trust him. He swears he’s helping me get answers, but there’s more to his story. Now I’m a key pawn in a raging vampire war, and I need to pick the right ally.
But my chances of surviving this war are slim at best, when the side I choose might be the one that wants me dead the most.
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SASCHA DARLINGTON’S REVIEW
A few years back when it seemed every novel you picked up had a vampire in it, I read the sub-genre voraciously. But like most fads in which people jump on the bandwagon in the middle or the end, the quality dipped and so did my enthusiasm. Unless it’s written by an author I already know and like, a vampire story has to sound very, very intriguing for me to pick it up. There was something about the blurb to Risen that intrigued me enough to give it a go, and I’m glad I did.
Firstly, Risen is well written. It has one of those opening scenes that’s percolating with mystery and tension. The same tension is pretty relentless throughout the novel, which I do enjoy especially in an action/mystery novel.
Cole Gibsen’s world of vampires is a different take, which I liked. Some are gruesome and terrifying; others are beautiful and blend in, but can still be terrifying. Because–Vampires!
Most of the characters are multi-dimensional and compelling. And the reader feels for Charlie who is suddenly catapulted into a world she didn’t know existed and into politics that are confounding. And there are secrets about herself that Charlie has not been privy to, until now.
The only complaint I have is one that arises fairly often. Risen ends on a big old cliffhanger. I literally swished the last page expecting more because I didn’t have that sense of prose winding down, which you normally feel when a book is leaning towards a cliffhanger. Nope, I expected more, and there was nothing.
Ah, well. Waiting on book two.
If you’re a fan of young adult paranormal, you might give this one a try. The vampires don’t sparkle. At least not yet.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
rating: 
4 out of 5 butterflies
-Excerpt-
“Don’t say it like that, Charlie. I wanted to protect you.” She tugs on the edge of my cardigan, pulling me toward her. “I love you. You’re the most important thing in my life, do you understand?”
There’s a desperation in her eyes that tightens my throat. Swallowing hard, I nod.
She lets go of me with a sigh. “Maybe I took it too far.” She sweeps her dreadlocks over her shoulder and twists them tightly. “All I’ve ever wanted was to keep you safe.”
Safe. The world spirals, cold and slippery, down my spine. “What are you so afraid of?”
She opens her mouth only to shut it again.
Jax growls.
We turn as he claws at the door.
“The only thing there is to be afraid of,” she whispers. “The monsters.”
—
About Cole Gibsen:
Growing up, Cole Gibsen couldn’t decide what she loved more—dogs or books. Rather than choose, she decided to devote her life to both! Dog trainer (wrangler) by day and author by night, she’s the author of more than ten books
with more on the way. www.colegibsen.com
Author Links:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram
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