A Dream Within A Dream: Risen Blog Tour: Review, Excerpt + Giveaway

Risen (Blood Eternal #1)
Author: Cole Gibsen
Genre: YA Paranormal
Release Date: March 27, 2018
Publisher: Entangled Teen

Description:

Fans of Vampire Diaries and Twilight will be thirsting for this latest vampire addiction…
My aunt has been kidnapped by vampires, and it’s up to me to save her. Only…I had no idea vampires existed. None. Nada. I’m more of a reader than a fighter, and even though I’d been wishing to escape my boring existence in the middle of nowhere, I’d give anything to have it back now if it meant my aunt was safe.

Then there’s the vampire Sebastian, who seems slightly nicer than most of the bloodsuckers I’ve run into so far. Yes, he’s the hottest being I’ve ever come across, but there’s no way I can trust him. He swears he’s helping me get answers, but there’s more to his story. Now I’m a key pawn in a raging vampire war, and I need to pick the right ally.

But my chances of surviving this war are slim at best, when the side I choose might be the one that wants me dead the most.

“Don’t say it like that, Charlie. I wanted to protect you.” She tugs on the edge of my cardigan, pulling me toward her. “I love you. You’re the most important thing in my life, do you understand?”

There’s a desperation in her eyes that tightens my throat. Swallowing hard, I nod.

She lets go of me with a sigh. “Maybe I took it too far.” She sweeps her dreadlocks over her shoulder and twists them tightly. “All I’ve ever wanted was to keep you safe.”

Safe. The world spirals, cold and slippery, down my spine. “What are you so afraid of?”

She opens her mouth only to shut it again.

Jax growls.

We turn as he claws at the door.

“The only thing there is to be afraid of,” she whispers. “The monsters.”

Risen is a new young adult paranormal novel full of warring vampire clans, family secrets, and (obviously) romance. The description says that it's perfect for fans of Twilight, and I definitely agree. I personally loved the Twilight series and I really enjoyed this book. They do have quite a few things in common in an overall sense, but the author wove in some new aspects to give the vampire/human romance a breath of fresh air. Some readers might find it too similar to others novels out there, but I personally like this type of story and I know a lot of other readers will feel the same way.

I liked Charlie - the main character - a lot and really enjoyed getting to know her throughout the book. The author wrote the story in the first person point of view, from Charlie's perspective, so the reader gets a personal connection with her right from the beginning. I personally love the first person because of how well we get to know the narrator, and this was no different. I liked knowing her hopes and dreams, fears, memories, insecurities, and everything in between. She was realistic and easy to identify with - complete with flaws and positive traits like loyalty to those she loves, determination, strength she doesn't know she has, and so many others. I obviously really liked watching the romance between her and Sebastian unfold, although it kind of felt like it happened really quick. Almost like it didn't have time to realistically happen. That's just my opinion though. I was obviously rooting for them the entire time and cheering them on. This is rumored to be the first in a series, and I really hope it is. I'd love to get to know Charlie, Sebastian, and some of the secondary characters better and also to see where the author would take us next. I definitely recommend this one for fans of YA paranormal, fantasy, vampire fiction, romance, and as mentioned above - fans of the Twilight series.

Growing up, Cole Gibsen couldn’t decide what she loved more—dogs or books. Rather than choose, she decided to devote her life to both! Dog trainer (wrangler) by day and author by night, she’s the author of more than ten books with more on the way.