Pretty when she dies review

Hello all! I've been in away in the land that is known as Minnesota. I had no Internet (besides what's on my phone), and this made me a sad panda. But I'm back now with Internet and a book/author review(s). I know I said I'd put up a part two of Dark Shadows. and I will....at some point.

While I was in Minnesota I had A LOT of time to read. I mean A LOT. I was there for three weeks and damn near went through 4 books a day. Such things happen when one wakes at the buttcrack of dawn. There were several books I read which stuck in my mind.

I've had Pretty When She Dies by Rhiannon Frater on my kindle for years. By years I mean 4 or 5. I kept telling myself I'd get around to it, but I never did until a couple of weeks ago. BAD MEGGLES!

Amaliya wakes up to find herself buried in a shallow grave in the middle of nowhere, alone and VERY hungry. The last thing she remembers is being killed by her hot college professor. Who turns out to be the most feared vampire/necromancer in history.

Somehow Amaliya finds her way back to her college dorm room. There is makes the decision to skip down and find other's of her kind. But before she can do any of that, she must satisfy her hunger, and regular food isn't cutting it. It just so happens there is a frat party in a nearby building. With her hunger in full force (and having never fed before), she kills everyone at the party, but she manages to cover her tracks so nothing is lead back to her. Now she knows she really needs to skip town.

After a series of unfortunate events, Amaliya makes it to Austin Texas. Where, not only will she find her own kind, but also the master of Austin.

Enter Cian. Vampire master of Austin. It also turns out he was made by the same vampire who made Amaliya, only Cian's death was centuries ago. Cian is more than willing to deny his vampire side. He is about to marry Samantha, his human girlfriend. He loves her because Sam makes him actually feel human and not like a monster. Sam is aware of Cian's vampirisim, and is determined to show him that he can be a good man.

Cian runs in to Amalyia at a bar, saving her from a wannabe vampire. After leading Amaliya outside, Cian knocks her out and drags her back to his underground hideout. By now Amaliya has been reported as missing (by the school.), and word of the frat orgy massacre has already reached every media outlet. Cian knows of Amalyia's involvement in the killings, but is determined to help her rather than kill her like he knows should be done.

She reminds him that he actually is a vampire, which is better all around. Because he does have a city to manage and protect.

The two take on the ancient vampire/necromancer several times and fail. But during these failed attempts Amalyia learns she has the abilities of a necromancer as well.


I'm not going to give away the ending since it is rather epic. There is some hot sex in this book. Also some massive amounts of violence. To which I say:THANK GOD! In a world where we now have loving and sparkly vampires it's refreshing to read about ACTUAL vampires.

The story itself is very well done and has a bit of everything. Sex, love, violence, drama and yes ZOMBIES! Who could ask for more in a vampire novel.

Frater has a gift for words. She can describe people and surroundings enough to allow your brain to paint a picture, but not so much that you're bored stiff. She makes characters believable and you find yourself connecting to a lot of the characters. I loved Amalyia's grandmother. She is a spitfire who actually ends up saving the day. Amalyia's cousin and grandmother are actually the only two family members of hers that don't judge Amalyia 5 ways to sunday, and do everything they can to build up her confidence.

Amalyia has depth, which I tend to enjoy in a female character. She's trying so hard to be a tough as nails kind of chick. But on the inside she's conflicted, scared and wants to please people. This stems from her broken family and her need of her father's approval. Something she will never get.

I almost forgot to mention Roberto. This is Cian's right hand man. He's a bit of an ass, but he only wants to protect Cian from harm. Roberto doesn't approve of Sam, and the banter between the two is pretty funny. Once Amalyia comes in to the picture, Roberto and Sam find a common ground and do everything the can to get Amalyia away from Cian.

I really didn't dislike much about this book. Sometimes descriptions went on a bit longer than necessary, but otherwise I thought it was damn near a perfect vampire book.

I was excited she continued Amalyia's story in Pretty when she kills. I haven't read the second book yet, but as soon as I do it will be posted here.

As soon as this is posted I'll be working on my second review. Laters and happy reading!