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Kindred (The Kindred, #1)

What do you do when the one you love is also you worst enemy? Trapped in a destiny she does not want, Cassie finds herself lost and adrift, until he walks into her life, turning it upside down and awakening her in ways that she never dreamed possible.

Cassie is stunned and devastated to learn that she belongs to a long line of vampire slayers known as The Hunters. A murderous rampage by a group of elder vampires has left the Hunter line decimated and the remaining Hunters scattered around the world. With her friends Chris and Melissa’s aid, Cassie struggles to rid the world of the monsters that murdered her parents. Though Cassie knows it is her fate, she chafes against her heritage, and is resentful of the shortened lifespan that has been placed upon her by the circumstances of birth. Struggling to get through every day, Cassie finds herself simply going through the motions of living. That is, until Devon arrives. Tall, dark, and mysterious his arrival turns the school, and Cassie’s life, upside down. Fighting against her fierce attraction to him, and the chaos he represents in her carefully ordered days, she is irresistibly drawn to him. Though worried that what she truly is will place Devon in danger, she is unable to fight her feelings for him. He is the one light, and the only source of hope she has in a world that revolves around death and fear. What she does not know is that Devon has some dark secrets of his own, secrets even more frightening and dangerous than hers. Secrets that threaten to tear them apart forever.

Book 1 of 5

This is a young adult fictional story that includes some language, violence, and mild sexual situations. Recommended for ages fifteen and up.

Blurb and cover from Goodreads

5 out of 5 stars

I am a raving fanatic of the author’s other vampire series, The Captive, as demonstrated by my gushing reviews and numerous random mentions. While waiting for the finale of The Captive, I needed something to keep me occupied, so decided to give The Kindred a shot. While I detected a number of similarities, there were many differences and it is quite clear that the two series are unrelated. I gobbled up the four published books over a single four-day marathon and I am now yearning for the fifth and final!

The plot:

Quick, concise, and clean, this storyline is to-the-point and moves along swiftly. It was interesting to see the dual perspective of Devon and Cassie as they each harbored their secrets with no idea who or what the other was. There were a number of intense fight scenes that were icing on the cake for me, in addition to plenty of “aww” moments worthy of re-reading.

The characters:

Cassie is a caring, selfless girl who wants to do the right thing, but can be a bit hot-headed when provoked. She is strong, determined, but reluctantly accepts her duty as a Hunter and the short lifespan that comes with it. She has no plans for children, romance, college, or a future of any kind because she believes she won’t live to see it. Then enters Devon and he becomes something she wants to live for, but at the same time wants to protect him from her lifestyle.

Unbeknownst to Cassie, Devon has been immersed in the world of vampirism since the early fourteenth century and gleefully partook in the debaucheries typical of his kind until just over a hundred and fifty years ago. Devon senses an immediate connection to Cassie, but tries to stay away at first because he believes that she is blissfully ignorant of the world of vampires. Devon has a certain amount of self-loathing and regret coupled with a desire for redemption that I found very compelling. His asceticism and how he puts Cassie first made for a memorable and empathetic character.

The villain here was in hiding until the end, so I shan’t discuss him/her for fear of spoilers!

There were other characters, including Chris, Cassie’s best friend; Melissa, another Hunter girl; Lily, Cassie’s grandmother; and Luther, the man responsible for training and mentoring Cassie, Chris, and Melissa in their roles as Hunters. The other characters had less screen time than Cassie and Devon, but the author still manages to make them multi-dimensional and layered.

As I said, I sprinted over to the Kindle Store immediately after finishing this to snap up the next book. I highly recommend this series to fans of Upper YA Paranormal Romance, Vampire Romance, and people who like their love stories seasoned with fight scenes and mystery.

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