Category: Young Adult/Teen Publisher: Createspace
ISBN-10: 1463632517
Type: Fiction
Copyright: June 17, 2011
ISBN-13: 9781463632519
A vampire tries to return to his old life after becoming human again, but he still has to fight werewolves to save the world.
They don't call him Jackpot for nothing.
Seventeen-year-old Jack always beats the odds... at least until now. When a werewolf tried to kill him ten years ago, vampires saved his life. At first he was grateful. Then he realized he couldn't go home to his brother, couldn't return to his old life. Humans can become vampires; vampires can't become mortal again, but somehow Jack gets lucky. Like a cat, he always lands on his feet. He wakes up one morning without fangs, and the sunlight doesn't set him on fire. This is it, his dream, only it's real this time. What could possibly go wrong?
Enter a pretty hunter with dark secrets, a brother who wants to stake him just to be on the safe side, and a psychotic werewolf. Now we have a party.
Excerpt
Jack cracked his eyes a slit. His hand rested comfortably on the pillow beside his head. Light streamed through the open curtains and rested on his unprotected skin. His eyes widened as the truth dawned on him.
With a yelp, he jerked his hand out of the light and dove under the covers. Sunlight and vampires did not mix. Any second now he would burst into flames, and it would all be over. Where was he anyway? He searched his recent memories.
An amused voice spoke from the doorway.
“It’s okay,” Silver said. “You’re fine. I opened the curtains this morning, but I watched your skin carefully for any signs of burning. The sunlight can’t hurt you anymore.”
He struggled to breathe through the suffocating covers and mumbled, “What are you talking about?”
“You’re not a vampire.”
“What?” Oh yeah, she’d lost her mind. Or maybe this was a trick to get him to commit suicide. She was the enemy after all, albeit a beautiful one.
She yanked the covers off the bed and him with one quick sliding motion like a magician revealing his final trick. Silver was fully dressed, hair combed, and eyes sparkling. She flashed him a quick grin. “You don’t need to hide from the sun. You are no more a vampire than I am. See?” She motioned to the window. “You aren’t catching fire or exploding. Isn’t that enough evidence for you?”
He crawled to the edge of the mattress in wonder and stared at the beauty known as dawn. Tears blurred his vision for a moment. Incredible. It had been too long since he’d seen golden sunlight. He’d forgotten how breathtaking a sunrise could be. Logic argued with his physical senses. He pushed his fingers beneath his upper lip, felt the gums. No telltale bumps beneath the skin. He jumped off the bed and grabbed Silver, pressed his face against her throat as he tried to smell her blood. Nothing.
She giggled.
He released her and went to the window. Before he had the chance to change his mind, he thrust the glass pane up and stuck his hand outside. The most amazing warmth caressed his skin. A cool breeze wafted inside, stirring the hair against his neck. His eyes closed, and he savored the sweet moment. He ducked his head and leaned out the window. It didn’t hurt. It didn’t burn.
“I can’t believe it.” The words floated out with his pent-up breath. “I must be dreaming.”
Hard knuckles rapped on the bedroom door. Jack jumped and hit his head on the window sill. Pain shot through his skull. No, this wasn’t a dream. Definitely not. His hand went to the back of his head, and he absently checked for blood. Since he wasn’t alone, he bit his tongue instead of cursing.
“Silver, are you up yet?” The deep, masculine voice penetrated the closed door.
She turned panicked eyes to Jack and whispered. “It’s my dad. He can’t find you here. He’ll drive a stake through your heart.”
“I’m not a vampire anymore. Remember?”
“Trust me, that won’t matter. In fact it might make things worse.” She looked at him like he was dumber than dirt. “You’re a boy, and you’re in my bedroom. He’s going to kill you.”
Professional Reviews
Cubicle Blindness.blogspot..com
Here is a book that introduces us to a mixture of different creatures in one story. The main character Jack the vampire, who turns human after only a handful of vampire years. The love interest Silver who's got powers of her own. The introduction of werewolves that set Jack free from his Vampire life. There is a mention of Faery and a new kind of creature the Wraith.
I for one love a story that introduces several types of species that interact. I love the twists that can happen in that kind of a story, but have yet to see one in which a vampire becomes human again. An all new twist leads to an all new kind of story! Not only does Jack rehumanize but he does it within the lifetime he would have still been alive if he had not changed. So, although older now, he gets to reconnect with his still human brother. But this leads to some interesting revelations when he decides to go back to school. Will he be recognized and if so what does that mean for him?
I found this story hugely entertaining. I read through it in no time as the twists keep rolling in, new people introduced and very intense and entertaining relationships happening. I also found the relationship between Silver and Jack very real, almost relatable (as it can be in a supernatural story) And Jersey was one of my favorite bad guys that I have read about in a long time. I never found a slow or boring moment in the whole book, very fast paced, original story that would make a fantastic summer read.
