Author: Amanda Hocking
Summary: Read Goodreads Synopsis
Source: Purchased E-book
Buy: Amazon ~*~ Barnes & Noble
My Thoughts:
The first I ever heard of Amanda Hocking was on a friend’s Facebook page. He was talking about the book he was writing and how he wants to publish it. One of his friend’s posted a link to an article about e-book publishing and how Amanda made it into a success. I read the article and was instantly inspired and excited. Inspired for my own writing career and excited to check out a new writer of young adult fiction. My Blood Approves is a book about vampires (to put it simply). Even though it has comparisons to Twilight, it does stand in a league of its own.
Alice meets Jack when he prevents a dangerous circumstance from happening to her and her friend Jane (that was pretty vague, but why should I give away all the details?). Anyways, Alice and Jack begin to spend time together, and it all seems very platonic. She enjoys being around him, but she finds she isn’t attracted to Jack like everyone else seems to be.
It took some time for the story to progress. For some it may have seemed boring but I thought it was nice to get into Alice’s mind, see who she is and how she thinks and what she likes. Not only that but a story can’t give all the details out too soon. Once it got to the moment of truth, it got even better. The relationship between Alice and Jack was a great friendship, and then that friendship grew. He introduces her to his family--Mae, Ezra, and Peter--and they become like her own family (I love friends that feel like family).
Of course, the story isn’t without it’s complications and conflicts. There is a love triangle brewing for Alice between Jack and Peter. It's an unexplainable attraction for Peter, since she barely gets to know him. We don’t learn too much about Peter in My Blood Approves either. So I don’t know what to think of him just yet (in other words, as of right now, I’m Team Jack).
The first book in this series ends well, and leaves you wanting more. I loved the characters. Mae is so sweet and motherly, and Milo is a great brother to Alice. I also appreciate the references to pop culture. I’m big on old school things (I love the 80’s!) and find that it has become part of my life. Not to mention, she chose the titles for the books in the My Blood Approves series from an E.E. Cummings poem. That is beyond awesome (he’s my favorite poet). Hocking is a great storyteller. She adds a lot of herself in her stories and I find that totally cool. My Blood Approves is definitely a great read. I have the second book in the series, Fate, awaiting to be read.
My Rating:
Exceptional... Stay up until at least 1 AM!
~Jessica
Do you still have the link to the ebook article? I'd love to read it! Exceptional is a great recommendation for a book. I'll have to check it out. Thanks for the cool review.
ReplyDeleteYep! Here's the article: http://www.businessinsider.com/amanda-hocking-2011-2
ReplyDeleteMy cousin who's an avid reader, too brought up this book to me and I'd never heard of it! Being the book blogger and all, I was surprised. I looked it up on Goodreads and it seems pretty good, and this review just reinforces that! I'll definitely have to check it out now! Great review!!
ReplyDeleteI know, it's so weird, I heard of it first back in mid-April, but she'd been selling her books for a year by then. Her books have been making their rounds more frequently in recent times on the blogs I follow. Glad to add a good book to your TBR pile. ^_^
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link Jess. Was a great article and really thought provoking for us writers. I'm about to query my first agent and am scared out of my wits but this article really gave me some perspective.
ReplyDelete