Review: Bloodspell

Bloodspell by Amalie Howard was a great start to my Bout of Books challenge for May 12- May 15.  My goal is to read 3 books this week so this is book number one.  This young adult urban fantasy has been on my TBR for a couple of months and I'm glad I finally picked it up.

Synopsis from Amazon:
The spell was simple... ''Cruentus Protectum'' (''Defend the Blood'')

But what do you do if your blood is your enemy?

Victoria Warrick has always known she was different. An outcast at school, she is no stranger to adversity. But when she receives an old journal for her seventeenth birthday, nothing prepares her for the dark secrets it holds--much less one that reveals she's a witch with unimaginable power.

What's more, when she meets the dazzling but enigmatic Christian Devereux, she has no idea how much her life is about to change. Enemies will hunt her. Friends will turn on her. The terrible curse that makes her blood run black will stop at nothing to control her. And Christian has a sinister secret of his own...

Without knowing whom to trust, can Victoria survive her blood's deadly desires? Or will she lose everything, including herself?

My Review:

Victoria was a fabulous character.  She wasn't really your typical teenager to begin with and truly, I found her to be a bit boring at the start.  Once she realizes that she is a witch, the reader is able to see that, although terrified, she is also incredibly strong and this mental and emotional strength only grows as the story progresses.  Her journey from being a nobody to being a witch with unimaginable power was creative and interesting to read.  I thought she was a refreshing female lead.  Christian was strong as a male lead as well. He was good looking but wasn't made out to be a perfect male specimen as many male vampire leads seem to be these days.  He was the stronger of the two as the relationship began but by the end of the book, she was the more powerful one and this was refreshing also because we usually see the male vampire as the dominant when it comes to power and strength.

The main story revolves around her discovery about who she really is and her growth as she learns her new role in the world.  Her struggle with the power of the blood that runs through her veins is engrossing and the many action scenes kept me on the edge of my seat.  Was there romance between Victoria and Christian? Absolutely! But it was kept more in the background.  It was definitely enough to make you swoon a bit but not so much that it took away from the story.

One character I hope to see more of is Angie.  She was very unlikable at the beginning but slowly opened up to Victoria and became what was probably her one true friend.  Her power to see auras around people was interesting and also has a lot of potential to add more to the continuing story.

There were a few times when I felt that deja vu, reminding me of other popular vampire stories, but this was an engaging, sometimes dark story that kept me turning the pages and leaves me waiting for the second book, Bloodcraft, which comes out in late 2014.  If you like witches and vampires and the paranormal in general, this book won't let you down.