Review: Oxford Blood by Georgiana Derwent



Oxford Blood (The Cavaliers, #1)
Genre: YA Paranormal
Released: October 17th, 2012
Publisher: Createspace
Pages: 312
My Rating: 4 Stars

Synopsis

"A Tale of the Posh, the Privileged and the Paranormal...

The Cavaliers are the most elite society at Oxford University - rich, powerful, and beautiful. No one realises that they are no ordinary students, but a group of aristocratic vampires from the English Civil War. For four hundred years they have groomed the most promising students to run the government, police, and finance in the way the vampires wish, granting them eternal life in return for absolute obedience.

"When Harriet French arrives at Oxford University from her working class northern state school, she’s prepared for a culture shock, but not to become embroiled in the Cavaliers’ scheming and bloodlust. Harriet thought she'd be busy enough juggling her demanding tutor, new friends, and the murky world of student politics. But now, she must find the rebel vampire who is killing off the members, stop the Cavaliers from orchestrating a massacre of the year’s most beautiful and successful students, and defy the Society to be with the man of her dreams.

Oxford Blood is a British, adult, paranormal romance. It's a tale with vampires that aren't afraid to kill and a heroine who's not afraid of sex or her own ambition."

What I liked

I was amazed by the setting in Oxford and how well the author described every little detail. Thanks to that I was able to dig into this book even more, and everything just became more realistic. 
I enjoyed the story line very much. I wasn't sure at first, because it was "just another vampire book", but it surprised me, big times! 
The book itself was a little predictable, however I really like the way the author was revealing the mystery. From the first page it kept me hanging, wanting more information all the time.
I was not surprised by the turn of events with Harriet and Tom. They are both greatly developed characters, and also their relationship is sweet. 
Now I know this might sound surprising, but I actually liked George, because this character was developed in depth. I love the passage from his life during Civil War. I'm pretty sure that after what he did in book one, we will hear about him awful lot in sequel too.

What I didn't like

I was surprised by Harriet's relationship with her mom. I just couldn't understand how she'd still love her even though her mother abandoned her, lied to her and pretty much bought her love with various presents all the time. I suppose that it would help, if their relationship was developed a bit more.
I also wished that Harriet and Tom's relationship was mentioned more. Sometimes I felt like, there isn't enough of it. The same goes for Harriet's friends, at some points in the book it felt as she has none friends.
My last problem was the cover. I'm a sucker for pretty and modern covers. I'm not saying is ugly (it's not ugly, I would never say that. It's just not for me I guess. :) ), but It really wouldn't convince me to buy this book.

Overall Thought

The plot was great, absolutely unique twist on vampire story. The book flowed nicely, revealing the mystery slowly. It's an easy, thrilling and intriguing read, that keeps you wanting more even after you turn the last page.
I enjoyed the book very much, and I'm reading the sequel right now.


I'd like to thank to Georgiana Derwent for gifting me this book in exchange for an honest review.


2 comments

  1. Great review! This sounds like an interesting read! I'm not yet jaded with vampire stories, so I'm glad that you enjoyed this one! I'll have to check it out!

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    Replies
    1. It's pretty good read. Hope you'll enjoy it too :)

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