The Vanquished by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Pages: 384pgs

The Story

Jenn and the Salamancan hunters are on the brink of the final battle against the deadliest Cursed Ones. But the team is still reeling from Eriko's death and internal bickering threatens to drive them further apart. Jenn knows she needs to rally her team and lead the charge into battle, but her concentration is shattered. She's torn between her love for Antonio, and her hate for the bloodthirsty vampire he's become. Jenn wants to believe in his humanity, but she's slowly losing her faith, and with new Resistance fighter Noah on the scene, her heart as well.With the final battle imminent, and all hope fading fast, is Jenn and Antonio's love strong enough to overcome the darkest evil?

The Review

To put it simply for you . . . I simply loved this series from the get-go! While I was completely hooked on the first book, The Cursed Ones, and may have thought the sequel, The Damned, didn't quite live up to my very high expectations, but with all things said and done, I can say in all confidence that the third and final installment of the Crusade trilogy, THE VANQUISHED, sure doesn't disappoint its readers and is a grand conclusion to the series.

Apart from the unique storytelling, mythology and the awesome fast, non-stop action written by two very fabulous authors, Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie, I think what I had loved most about this series is the fact that I found every single one of the characters so fascinating - especially the main characters, Jenn and Antonio, whose forbidden human-and-vampire romance centers around the entire plot. I will admit, I mostly read this series for Jenn and Antonio only but unlike most YA series we do get several points-of-view from some good guy and bad guy characters alike, making this series so worth while my time. Now without revealing too much of the book, just wait until you read the ending for this trilogy . . . it's such an unexpected one but a pleasant one at that. *pumps fists in the air*

Overall, THE VANQUISHED is even more intense, romantic, and is very evolved in plot and character depth than its previous predecessors and I enjoyed it immensely. If you haven't yet had the pleasure of reading this series than I would highly recommend you do so soon. It's quite an addictive read once you start from the very beginning of the trilogy!

The Rating

4 1/2 / 5 stars

The Cursed Ones by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguié

Release Day: February 3rd, 2011

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children Books

Pages: 480pgs

The Story

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The ultimate battle. The ultimate love.

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For the past two years, Jenn has lived and trained at Spain's Sacred Heart Academy Against the Cursed Ones. She is among the few who have pledged to defend humanity or die trying. But the vampires are gaining power, and the battle has only just begun. Forced to return home after death takes a member of her family, Jenn discovers that San Francisco is now a vampire strong-hold.

As a lone hunter apart from her team, Jenn is isolated and at risk. She craves the company of her fighting partner, Antonio; his protection, his reassurance, his touch. But a relationship with Antonio comes with its own dangers, and the more they share of themselves, the more Jenn stands to lose. Then Jenn is betrayed by one who was once bound to protect her, causing her to doubt all she has held as true. To survive, Jenn must find the courage to trust herself - and her heart.

The Review

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Lately I've been picky over vampire books - especially in the young adult book department - and it's not as if I'm tired of them (cause I still love vampires in fiction), it's just because not many authors write anything new about them. They sparkle, they turn to ash, they get staked, they become evil . . . there's nothing different. However, since I was already a fan of Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie's previous WICKED books I was pleasantly surprised with THE CURSED ONES since both of the authors offered something a little bit different with vampires and vampire hunters. I guess, in a sense, it sort of had this historical edge to the setting . . . when actually it's set in our own futuristic world.

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THE CURSED ONES takes readers into a believeable apocalyptic future, with vampires stepping out of the shadows and everyone who is human believes they are offering peace in their existence, when really . . . they want to take over the world. *rolls eyes* While this story seems cliche, but it's a good read and an interesting one at that. The main heroine, Jenn, is apart of a vampire hunting team in a small town in Spain. Within this team you have a vampire, a werewolf, a witch, and some annoying brats, and while the world building was very strong at times - including the religion and the history behind the story, but THE CURSED ONES has quite a lot of flaws. Some can be overlooked while others can't . . .

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For example: When I read the summary of the book and saw a promised romance, I didn't see anything worthy of my attention. Jenn and another hunter named Antonio are in love, or so it suggests, but while I love Antonio a lot because he is the protective guy that all of us will love overtime . . . but like most guys, he has relationship and blood-lusting "issues" everytime he's around Jenn. And before you say anything . . . YES he's a vampire. Who isn't nowadays?

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Another problem of mine was the length of the chapters - cause they are very long - and not to the mention the switching of MANY character points of view. Over the last few years, I've come to love the 3rd POV but it was a bit annoying in this case and it can get pretty confusing. None the less, the story is filled with some fun action-packed adventures and the authors wrote a great take on vampires and those who hunt them. The Hunters. But be warned . . . the story does take time to get into, but by the time you reach the second half of the novel, it does become quite engaging and leaves you guessing on what's going to happen next!

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The Rating

3 1/2 /5 stars