Review: Blood Law by Jeannie Holmes

Title: Blood Law
Author: Jeannie Holmes
Series: Alexandra Sabian #1
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: 07/06/10
Reviewed by: Sara
But the Book:

Summary:

To stop a vampire killer, she’ll have to slay her own demons first.

A provocative and savvy vampire, Alexandra Sabian moves to the sleepy hamlet of Jefferson, Mississippi -- population 6,000, nearly one-half vampires -- to escape the demons lurking in her past. As an Enforcer for the Federal Bureau of Preternatural Investigation (FBPI), Alex must maintain the uneasy peace between her kind and humans, including Jefferson’s bigoted sheriff, who’d be happy to see all vampires banished from town. Then really dead vamps start turning up -- beheaded, crucified, and defanged -- killed in the same gruesome manner that Alex’s father was murdered decades ago. For Alex, the professional has become way too personal.

Things get even more complicated when the FBPI sends in some unnervingly sexy backup: Alex’s one-time mentor, lover, and fiancé, Varik Baudelaire. Still stinging from the betrayal that ended their short-lived engagement, Alex is determined not to give in to the temptation that soon threatens to short-circuit her investigation.Like it or not, though, as the body count grows, and the public panic level rises, Varik may be her only hope to stop a relentless killer who’s got his own score to settle, and his own bloody past to put right.

Plot: 4.5 Stars
Some of my favorite paranormal novels involve the supernatural creatures being out to the general public. This novel does a great job of explaining how the vampires came out to the humans in between the action. And as much as they frustrate and aggravate me, I also enjoy when novels include religious groups that rally against the supernatural. The investigation that the novel centers around was a wild goose chase of epic proportions. Even with the different points of view used in the novel, I was still thrown for a loop when the bad guy was found due to the epic twists and turns throughout the novel.

Pace: 4.5 Stars
Sometimes switching between a number of points of view can be a bit confusing, but this novel employed it very well. There were certain scenes that Alex was not present for that brought the novel together, and it allowed the reader to get into the minds of more characters and learn the motivations behind their actions. It also helped move the novel along. Any time Alex seemed to hit a wall in her investigation or the story would slow down a bit, the point of view would switch and get the pace going again. The mystery of this novel involved so many players, so many pieces, and a number of twists and turns. Without the different points of view, some clues wouldn't have come to light and some of the scenes would've been confusing. This novel was definitely one of the best examples of multiple points of view (three or more) that I have read in a while.

Characters: 4 Stars
Alex was a very interesting character. She dealt with the humans that were less than enthusiatic towards vampires very diplomatically (even when I would've punched them in the face). I wish we could've seen more of her brother and mother. Alex deals with her past and her father's death throughout the book, and I would've liked to learn a bit more about her surviving family members as well. The intereactions between Alex and Varik were pretty volitile, and I can't wait to see what their relationship turns into in the next novel. There were also a number of local human police officers that Alex dealt with throughout the novel, some more helpful than others. What could've easily been a jumbled mess of characters, was actually a great cast of supporting characters. The author did a great job making sure they were all unique and stood apart from each other, even if they weren't all likeable.

Cover: 4.5 Stars
The composition of this cover is what makes it stand out. I've never seen a cover with such an interesting angle used. Most covers either involve a cover model facing the reader or facing away from the reader. This is the first cover I've ever seen in which the cover model looks as if she is standing over the reader. When looking at this novel, I got a feeling like I was laying on the ground and the cover model was standing over me, almost like I was a part of a crime scene. The mix of blood splatter, lightning, and a police badge made the background very interesting. The cover model was a fantastic representation of Alexandra with her striking read hair. And the skull detail on the belt was a nice touch (even if the character never specifically wore the belt). It made you wonder if the cover model was a human or a vampire before reading the back of the book.

Overall: 4.5 Stars

Disclosure: I bought this novel for my own reading pleasure.