Emoji Review by Rebecca Dixon
I just finished reading The Vampire Debt Book 1 of the Shadow World series by Ali Winters! And I have to say, this relatively less-known book is pretty dang good 👏🏻 !
So first off, I was actually looking for a book that is less known in the Paranormal Romance genre that has great ratings. I had thought this was a modern day PRN, but boy, I did not expect the book that I ended up reading 😲! Everything was a surprise 🤗, including the Romance Fantasy genre!
OK! So this story is about a young woman (21 yrs old) who lives in sort of similar world to our world, but it feels like its set during an older time where chamber pots and horses 🐴/carriages are the order of the day! The FMC has to provide 🥘 for her family (even her deadbeat gambling 🎲 father 😡) and at the same time, avoid the vampires 🩸 who have a “claiming” of the humans every year. One thing leads to another and before she knows it, a debt 💰 from her father has to be paid to a handsome vampire 🧛♂️ and you guessed it… the debt to be paid is of the breathing 🌬 variety!
So if you love Romance Fantasy and ACOTAR, this is going to have some serious ACOTAR vibes for you! From the get go, I was thinking ACOTAR ACOTAR ACOTAR (but totally in a great way!) Picture T taking N away instead of F… and this is THAT book 😲! Except this MMC is waaaaaaay better than T. Not only that, but it’s plainly written. Hey…hold up there ✋🏻. That isn’t a BAD thing. That is a FANTASTIC 🤩 thing! I LOVE books where an author just lays it ALL OUT THERE like a straight shooter 🏹 and you know EXACTLY what you are reading word for word, sentence after sentence, paragraph after paragraph! No mental gymnastics 🤸♀️ needed folks! Just put the car 🚙 into auto and go! LOVE THAT 💜💜💜!
But wait ✋🏻! Just as I was knee-deep into the ACOTAR vibes (that are practically GUSHING 🌊 from this book,) it does a sharp right turn ➡️ into Beauty & the Beast land! But it’s even BETTER 🙌🏻 because the enemies-to-lovers vibe has more animosity 😡 and some pretty great romantic angst 🥵! This is a SLOW BURN, but it still has some definite heat 🔥! On top of that, you think a talking candlestick 🕯or clock 🕰 is cool?! JUST WAIT until you meet a certain little talking fuzzy guy! I am super excited to see where that specific plotline goes… the world building element on that alone is pretty intriguing 😍!
So book 1 having ACOTAR and Beauty and the Beast vibes is pretty awesome 🤩, right? Well guess what!!! There’s one more 😳! Throw in a little Bram Stoker’s Dracula 🧛♂️ and that’ll do the trick! The classic vampire feels in this book are sooooo refreshing 💨 after reading TONS of series (after series 😆) with a modern day twist (after twist 😆) on the classic vampire tale. But this book takes us back to the roots 🦷! It IS a classic vampire tale! Think hallways with dark corners and handsome vampires that “Vant To Suck Your Blood 🩸 !” Ok not really that cliche, just joking 😂. But! There really is some GREAT dialogue that reminds you of a more romantic 🥰 time like Mr Darcy & Elizabeth Bennett or Count Dracula & Mina! And some of the scenes where there are hot breaths on crooks of necks… oui veh… HOT🥵🥵🥵🔥🔥🔥!
So although I was in the market for a less known (but great) series when I picked up this book, it still really did surprise me about the direction the book took and how much I loved 💜 the head nods to some of my favorite stories! It really was ACOTAR meets Beauty and the Beast meets Bram’s Stoker’s Dracula …and I just loved that! I’m super excited for Book 2!
So if you are in the mood this October 🎃 for a classic vamp 🧛♂️ story with an enemies-to-lovers vibe AND some great tributes to some fantastic stories, this might be the book you feel indebted to …for hooking you 😁!
