My Blood Approves

I read this only because I am fascinated by Amanda Hocking's story: she self-published ebooks to Amazon and Barnes & Noble and made a million+ dollars. She's scored a traditional publishing deal, and I think there's even talk of a film. So I didn't read this because it's my kind of book. I didn't expect to enjoy it. But I also did not expect just how bad it was going to be.

Guys, there's a reason that Hocking couldn't find a publisher for this book. And if her writing is consistent, there's a reason she couldn't find a publisher for any of her books until they made a million dollars on their own. I understand why she sold so many: they're priced at only 99 cents. I understand why so many people would buy a book at that price. What I show more absolutely do not understand is how people actually became fans because My Blood Approves is just bad, people.

I don't want to be mean because I am actually impressed with Hocking's diligence and productiveness. She's written a lot of books, and she's only a few years older than me. She's making a living doing what she loves, and there's something to be said for that. Amanda Hocking's story is super inspirational. But the fact remains: this book isn't good, and this review is more of a reaction to the fact that My Blood Approves has a bloody criminal 3.85 rating.

This book is Twilight with less plot and no werewolves. Literally. I was so flabbergasted by how identical this book is to Twilight that I began making a list of shared traits and used it as a bookmark. (For the record, I think Twilight is stupid and poorly written, too, but it's not this bad.)

1. The main character, Alice, is a generally self-loathing, completely unremarkable, and excessively clumsy high school girl. The book is written in first person, from her point of view, and her most common refrain is essentially "I'm not worthy!" Does this sound familiar? It should because Alice and Bella Swan are pretty much the same weak-willed pathetic person.

2. The obsession with cars. What is with the name-dropping of "cool" cars in these vampire romance novels? The cars are more well-rounded and present characters in this book than the people.

3. The scene where Alice cuts herself because she's a klutz, and the vampire freaks out.

4. In spite of her total average lameness, Alice (like Bella) is preternaturally chosen and special. Bella is the only one whose thoughts are hidden from Edward. Alice is the only one who doesn't react to Jack like a drunk and horny schoolgirl. Both apparently have magic heroin blood.

5. EdwardJack lives with his vampire family in a giant house in the woods. They're not actually family. (There's a lame and obvious joke made about "blood relatives".) They move every few years so people won't notice they don't age.

6. EdwardJack is a bit of a stalker, and BellaAlice has no problem with him creeping into her bedroom at night. Even though they've JUST MET.

7. BellaAlice is treated like a child by the vampires. Her will (what little there is) is completely ignored. She becomes an object, for all intents and purposes, even though there's some very faint talk of it all being her choice. And she's perfectly ok with letting them treat her like that.

8. Alice has one straw friend, Jane, for whom she seems to have nothing but contempt, leading the reader to wonder why they're friends at all. It's completely inexplicable. At one point, when it becomes clear that Jane might have repeatedly been the victim of vampires without knowing it, Alice thinks something like, "Well, it serves that whore right!" Such a sweetheart, huh? No wonder everyone is in love with her.

9. Alice lives with her mom, who is a single parent and barely present. But unlike Charlie, who might be the most sympathetic character in Twilight, her mom's inconsistently characterized and sort of a bitch. She does love her little brother, who acts like Alice's parent and,incidentally, is outed as gay by Vampire Jack in a completely bizarre attempt to make this book socially relevant. But she repeatedly mentions how the vampire family is totally worth leaving her own behind.

10. Like I mentioned, this book has less plot than Twilight. Whereas the latter at least makes a feeble effort in the last 75 pages, literally all of My Blood Approves is spent on the lame and repetitive conversations Alice has with the vampires about who they are and her relationship to them. The fact that Alice takes most of the book to figure out that these OBVIOUS VAMPIRES are in fact vampires is really frustrating and poorly planned (especially since it's written on the back of the book). NOTHING HAPPENS.

11. Like Twilight, this book throws out traditional vampire lore in favor of its own weak, incoherent mythology, which doesn't make any real sense and is presumably done to indulge the author.

Also, and these aren't part of the list: I got really tired of the name-dropping of movies, tv shows, and bands. I don't need to know exactly what they're listening to every time they get in the car. I'd be much happier if that attention to detail instead showed up in the character development (and I don't mean in the characters' wardrobes -- how many times do I need to read that Jack is wearing Dickies? THE ANSWER IS MAYBE ONCE).

And finally -- the most painful of all -- the supposedly British character, advising Alice on where the "lou" is. I guess I could be extra charitable and assume it's a typo, but I fear that it's infinitely more likely that that's how the author thought it was spelled. Do your research, people. show less

My Blood Approves By Amanda Hocking was a serious downer compared to Hollowland. I was expecting a similar book despite its cringeworthy title. I was sadly disappointed.
I can generally tell by the first few sentences whether or not I'm going to like a book. I ignored my first impulse to shut off the book and go watch My Little Pony, and I'm sad that I didn't. I'm sure that what Pinkie Pie was doing was waaay more exciting.
That's my biggest issue with this book. Other than its much too Twilight-esque storyline, nothing really happens for the whole book. There's the exciting rescue at the beginning (almost an actionable case of plagiarism to the twilight series) and then 80,000 words of nothing. The main character, Alice, goes out with show more her new guy friend, Jack, (the one who saved her) then she sleeps all day, then she goes out, sleeps. They don't even do anything that exciting on their little excursions. They go to a concert and hang out in a park.
It takes the majority of the book to even get to the point of the book. The great vampire reveal is done in a creepy "room for one more" sort of way, only there isn't. Alice wants to be with boyish savior, Jack, but because of some weird chemistry thing she is biologically attached to Peter, the asshole who lives in his mancave down the hall in their mansion. The entire vampire family is beholden to this chemical link, and they all have to accept that she belongs to Peter.
I'm going to repeat that. She belongs to the asshole brother of the guy she likes, no matter what she wants. Not only in a freaky vampire culture way, but in a physical way. After she meets him, the feelings she has for Jack, her younger brother and her life melt away into mindless adoration of Peter.
And people complained about Twilight. At least it was subtle .
The scene that sits in my brain (searing like a cigarette burn) is that of Alice trying to seduce Jack (even though Peter has every right o kill them both) by biting her lip hard enough to make it bleed in rivers down her face. Anything sexy in that is lost on me. Blech!
Most things I'm willing to forgive at only $1.00, but this was just bad. I don' t even want to give it props for being a fast read. It was just horrible.
Skip this series if you have functioning brain cells or wish to retain them for future use.

next Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi show less

This book is the first in the My Blood Approves series available electronically by Amanda Hocking: http://amandahocking.blogspot.com/. I found this book as a recommendation on Amazon.com for the types of books I usually like to read. It is by an indie author and available through Kindle, so I was intrigued. Once I started reading, this book got me more excited about a vampire series in a long time. I liked the characters, the plot, the obstacles that come about, and how they are resolved, or not. I finished the book feeling very satisfied and ready to download the next book in the series.

Amanda Hocking has given an account of how many times her stories have been rejected by publishers. Of course, that is nothing new we hear from authors show more as their careers takes off. After reading this book, I am even more in love with electronic outlets that indie authors are able to get their work out to readers. My Blood Approves is one of those books that should be read by fantasy and young adult fans. Shame on those publishers! I highly recommend this book and look forward to more works by Ms. Hocking. show less

Kind of similar to every other YA vampire book series, but I still read them quickly and really enjoyed the story!

I bought this book because I appreciate Amanda's stories. I like her plots and admire the fact that she publishes all on her own. However, since a certain vampire series I've had a hard time reading vampire books. To be frank, I can't blame that series alone, I read a few more series after that one and I don't know if it's the lore, but of all the vampire books I've read only one wasn't sissy. I digress ...

My Blood Approves is not like the other vampire books I've read, it has an interesting storyline, but my cynicism to this genre has clouded my views. Here are a few things I did not like about this book:
+ From the description of the book we know that Jack is a vampire. Yet, the protagonist does not learn this until the book was over show more 50% complete. As a reader who already knows what's going to happen it's a bit frustrating to spend half of the book waiting for the lead to figure this out.
+ There were a few instances of telling instead of showing, and a few things we were told that didn't seem necessary to move the story along. I think a good editor would have helped in minimizing those a bit.

On the other hand, there are a few things I loved about the book:
+ The idea that your heart feels one way while your being feels another way is interesting and I'm curious to see how this is resolved.
+ I like that the idea of being a vampire isn't glamourous, that there are consequences.

So overall this was a good book, but I think it had greater potential. I'm probably going to read the rest of the series, however, this is my last vampire series for the year. show less

Alice doesn't lead a very exciting life. She lives in a small apartment with her mom (who's always working and never sees Alice) and her younger brother, with whom she has little in common. In school, she's overshadowed by her best friend, Jane, a gutsy and flirtatious extrovert. Things change when Alice and Jane run into trouble one weekend and are saved by a handsome young man named Jack. Jane instantly falls for him, but he seems more interested in a friendship with Alice. The more time Alice spends with Jack, the more she feels drawn to him, even though some of his behavior is unusual. When he takes her home to meet his family, an odd thing happens. The instant she sees his brother Peter, she's hit by an attraction she never thought show more possible. Alice is confused: she's fallen in love with Jack, but she can't explain her physical reaction to Peter. Fortunately, Jack and Peter know exactly what is going on, and the realization carries consequences Alice can't even begin to comprehend. As her life hangs in the balance, Alice is left to wonder: how much can one girl face?

I don't think it's a spoiler to mention that this is a book about vampires. (The title gives it away, right?) As such, it's very rare to find a truly unique take on the subject in what's become and overpopulated genre since the Twilight saga. If you're a fan of Twilight, you will notice many similar issues in this first book. Alice's blood is intoxicating to Peter and Jack, and there's the combination of danger and lust that's so appealing to today's paranormal YA readers. In many ways, Alice is a typical teenager with a single parent, much like Bella. Also like Bella, she is "special" to Jack's family, attracting them (via her blood) in a way other humans do not. Jack's family is likable and in many ways, mirrors the Cullens of Twilight. His "mom" is a nurturing form of Esme, and his "dad" is a wise and responsible patriarch.

However, for all its similarities, there are considerable differences as well. For one thing, Alice feels a great amount of responsibility toward her brother Milo. Her relationship with him is an integral part of the book, and one of the most enjoyable. There are plenty of twists and turns that are unpredictable. There are some editing mistakes, but they are easily overlooked. The writing style is easy and entertaining, and the pacing is good. I really enjoyed reading it and am looking forward to the rest of the series. show less

I’m going to start off with the most obvious thing to say about this book… it’s about vampires. The totally rad Amanda Hocking has brought us yet another riveting tale of mythical creatures and this time, it’s the blood sucking variety. I started reading this after I had already finished the Trylle Series by Miss Hocking and I have to say that I was a little apprehensive. It takes a really, really great and unique vampire story to get me to love it… and she did it!

This first book in the My Blood Approves series starts out with our main character, Alice and her friend Jane as they attempt to get into a club that they are clearly too young to gain admittance. After leaving the club, a group of guys start taunting them and soon show more the taunting takes a sharp turn towards violence. Just in the nick of time, a hansom stranger pulls up and gets them to leave the girls alone. Jack is friendly and sweet and Jane is clearly into him so Annie leaves him alone. Because of this, it is very surprising when Jack texts Annie and asks her to start hanging out. Annie goes to Jack’s house and meets his family who immediately fall in love with her, except Jack’s brother Peter. Peter has some serious issues with Annie that borders on violence. Annie can’t figure out why it bothers her so much and why she is strangely attracted to Peter…

I know what you’re thinking when you all read my little synopsis… Twilight-y! That was my first thought as well. I cannot stress enough how disappointed I was that this book was turning into Twilight two-point-o. It was tragic! How could Amanda Hocking do this to me! But as I read further, I began to see the differences and I started to like it…dare I say…more than Twilight?

This book was really, really great. Typical of Hocking’s style, I felt a rollercoaster of emotions while reading this book. I fell in love with all of the characters, even Peter… well mostly Peter. Why do I always go for the bad boy you’re not supposed to like? God only knows, but it’s my curse! I loved Peter. I may be saying this because I’ve read all the other books in the series already, but he is definitely my favorite character.

While the setting and characters do feel a little Twilighty at times, the mood that Hocking sets is very unique unto itself. There are always going to be similar themes in vampire novels, how different can you make vampires? But the thing I liked most about this book was Annie’s character. She was strong in a way that a lot of female characters are not. She really listens to her heart throughout the whole book and is always true to herself and her ideals. Sometimes, this gets her into a little bit of trouble because she is so headstrong, but aren’t we all?

Overall, I loved this book as well as the series! I will try and post the reviews for the other books too. I hate to be all fan-girly over Amanda Hocking… again, but really and truly she’s great! All of her books are so fun to read and are unique. If you haven’t read any of them yet, definitely check them out!

8 out of 10

Happy Reading!

-Allison
review brought to you by imabibliophobic.blogspot.com show less