The City Beneath by Melody Johnson
Contemporary vampire, urban fantasy. Series book 1.
Cassidy is a journalist. She witnesses a horrific scene where bodies appear to have been killed by wild animals. She finds one victim still breathing but must convince the paramedic that can’t find a pulse that he still lives. Turns out he didn’t have a pulse since he was a vampire. So starts a nightmare for Cassidy as she gets involved with master vampire Dominic and a war from a vampire rebellion.

Bloody and controversy between vampires has Cassidy attacked again and again. Someone always seems to be biting, bleeding, staking or tearing pieces off a body. Cassidy has her own powers but it’s a fight to survive. She’s a Nightblood and it’s a whole new world.

This wasn’t what I expected. Much darker and bloody and vicious and in the middle of wars. I have the next book in the series but I’m not sure. My taste these days is for lighter and uplifting. This is not a romance but does have considerable world building and a female that doesn’t give up or in. ( )

This book had good potential, but unfortunately it lacked the depth to win me over. It was just an okay read for me. I often felt like I was watching television or reading a screen play instead of a novel. I was being told what was happening, without enough detail to make me feel like I was part of the story. A bit like I was watching through a window. I could not connect with the characters.

There was a bit of a love triangle, but we really don't know anything about Dominic or Ian, other than superficial information. I did not understand Cassidy's continuing relationship with Ian, as it was apparent to me that he was only interested in killing vampires, no matter the fallout. I felt like, despite wanting to turn her, Dominic truly cared about her. However, I would have liked much more back story on these gentlemen. Dominic is a 500 year old vampire, there is so much room there to write a compelling character, and we just don't have it in this book.

The book is written from Cassidy's point of view... yet the details of her life are vague or glossed over. Outside of her work, we are only briefly told about how she received her injury, the death of her parents, and quickly meet her brother, Nathan. She also appears to have some sort of sexual hangup or issue that is mentioned during an encounter with Ian, but we never learn what is or the reasons behind it. Like I said before, there is just not enough depth.

I know all I have said so far sounds negative, but it was not a bad read. It just did not hold my interest as much as I would have liked. There are some interesting things. The vampires are not your normal unflawed beautiful characters. Rather they can appear beautiful if they are well-fed, but they also transform into gruesome creatures that look somewhat like gargoyles. So that was a new take on this fictional species. And while the vampires were humans before they turned, not all humans can become a vampire. Only special humans, such as Cassidy and Ian, which are called night bloods. Only their DNA can accept the mutation. This is not a novel idea, but its not used as often as other paranormal tropes. I will read the next book in the series to see where it goes... but I really hope the love triangle doesn't continue because I just didn't buy the relationship with Ian Walker.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )