Title-Dahlia
Series-Blood Crave Book # 1
By- Christina Channelle
Publication Date- December 21,2012
Genre- YA Paranormal
What would you do if your dreams were more than just dreams?
When you knew in the depths of your soul that you were unlike the rest?
For seventeen-year-old Dahlia Winters, this is her truth. Her coping mechanism is to simply forget and deny the strangeness that is her life. Orphaned, her past remains a mystery. Now residing with a foster family, she finally feels normal--or attempts to. Yet, dreams continue to torment her. Not only consumed by visions of miraculously healing wounds, but of a lust for something she should never naturally crave.
Then a green-eyed stranger enters her life echoing her inner thoughts and voicing warnings about others wanting to harm her. He knows things about her that no one should possibly know, and he awakens her in ways she never expected.
This leads Dahlia to discover who she really is, for she is more than justhuman. With this newfound knowledge, and the elements suddenly fighting against her, she finds it hard to trust anyone. And as she finally awakens and comes to grips with the power she possesses, she fights to stay alive.
Before the world, as she knows it, ceases to exist.
I
was five when I knew something was different about me.
My
first memory.
I
had no recollection of who my parents were or what they even looked like. All I
knew was that I was alone at the orphanage, disconnected from the outside
world. I picture it even now, almost like an oil painting: the thick bristles
of the paintbrush created the bright blue sky as it connected to the shockingly
white snow. The snow blanketed everything around me, as if protecting me, the
green forest displayed at every angle.
The
orphanage was out of place in such a nature-infused environment. A large, two-story
building, its windows seemed to cover almost every surface. I remembered the
brightness of the sun as it hit my sleepy face through one of those many
windows. It would instantly warm my body, greeting me to yet another day.
Vines
covered old gray bricks as they coursed over the external surface of the
orphanage. I had nightmares about those same vines making their way into my
room as I slept. They’d appear ominously as their shadows pounded against the
walls, taunting me as a storm brewed on outside. Venturing toward my bed, the
vines would slither across my body, trapping me in place. One would wrap around
my neck, squeezing tightly, as I struggled for air. Rendered frozen, the
feeling of fear would take hold, bubbling up deep inside my chest. And as I
felt the burning pain in my throat, a thought would flash through my mind of
this moment being my last. It never was, though, as I would instantly wake up.
I
always did have a wild imagination.
To
chase away the terror, I would stand before my windowpane the morning after.
Sighing in relief, my eyes would be drawn to the vast forest off in the
distance. It surrounded the orphanage, like a gatekeeper, the leaves of the
trees bristling in irritation. The wind blew right through those tall
structures, whistling, as my ears picked up the all too familiar sound.
I
somehow found myself standing directly in front of that very forest. My memory
was hazy on exactly how I got there but I recalled waking up, after one of my
many dreams, to the feeling of immense hunger as my body stirred in discomfort.
Then
suddenly I was at the foot of the forest.
I
would not describe the sensation as simple hunger. I would almost describe it
as a feeling of starvation, like there was some essential component my body was
missing. Whatever it was, this need was so powerful I was weak in the knees
with the pain; my belly contracted and released, contracted and released,
continually. Food provided temporary relief for me, but there was always this
presence in the corner of my mind as my brain searched for the one thing my
body craved.
I
ignored that nagging voice in my head, the one whispering for the one thing I
needed. It was something unfathomable yet inherent. I paid it no attention and
just openly stared at the forest beckoning me. Taking shallow breaths, the cool
air blew in and out between my cold, chapped lips.
It
was at that exact moment I realized the forest isolated me from everything and
everyone outside of its confines—almost like a hungry bird circling its prey.
Even young, my instincts picked up on that, immediately telling me something.
Eyes
were watching me.
I pretty much listen to the
same music for all three books in the Blood Crave Series as it’s whatever song
happens to be playing on my iPod at the time :) If I had to separate them by
book, it would probably look like this:
Dahlia:
Help, I’m Alive - Metric
Bring Me to Life -
Evanescence
Iris - The Goo Goo Dolls
Tragic Kingdom - No Doubt
How to Save a Life - The
Fray
One Life - Hedley
Apologize - OneRepublic
& Timbaland
Love the Way You Lie -
Eminem ft. Rihanna
Not Afraid - Eminem
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Title-Fallen Tears
Series-Blood Crave # 1.5
By- Christina Channelle
Genre- YA Paranormal
Publication Date- January 25, 2013
We left off from DAHLIA with only a name--a name that is the next piece to the puzzle. A name that will eventually, "lead us to him." But before we delve into the continuation of the Blood Crave Series, let's answer the question that's been on all our minds.
Who is Rowan?
This 21,000 word novella answers that question, and of how Rowan has come to know the vampire with pitch-black eyes.
He
looks like a demon warrior.
That was the first thought that
crossed twelve-year-old Rowan Miller’s mind as her eyes caught sight of the
dark, foreboding figure standing before her.
Eyes closed, she had been lying on
the cold, wet grass. Water slowly seeped through her already chilled body while
her dark, curly locks surrounded her head like a halo. Her hands felt like
blocks of ice as she squeezed them into fists, then switched to rubbing her
fingers together. She hoped she could get them warm—if only a little bit. The
night had been cruel, both rain and the harshness of the wind taunting Rowan
where she lay, as if mirroring the two feelings consuming her.
Anger.
Sadness.
She tried conjuring up more
blissful memories from her past. The feeling of hot sand between her toes as
she raised her head to the intensely bright sun; the sound of sweet laughter
erupting from her friends as she attempted to mimic their English teacher’s
penguin-like gait; the overwhelming taste of hot fudge sundae after a long bike
ride on a warm summer day.
The look of adoration on her
father’s face as he applauded vigorously during her dance recital.
These memories briefly pierced her
mind but it was difficult to forget her reality. These thoughts provided only a
weak mirage to where she really was.
As it happened, she was alone in
the dark, seeking shelter underneath a bridge from the harsh weather.
Rowan wrapped her arms tightly
around herself, trying her best to forget the fact that she was chilled to the
bone. The whirling sound of the wind continued on as the rain pounded all
around her.
She tried forgetting the fact that
she couldn’t keep her teeth from chattering, or that her body wouldn’t stop
shaking. The fact that her stomach was in so much pain—empty because her last
meal had been twenty-four hours prior. It had been half of a sandwich left
behind on a restaurant table by someone. They had gotten up to go to the
washroom when she quickly snatched the food.
As the rain persisted, Rowan tried
to forget that she was all alone in this world.
That was what she had been thinking
when she suddenly felt she was no
longer alone. It was a new kind of presence, bringing an even deeper chill to
the already cold air.
Rowan instantly stilled where she
rested, her body on high alert. The streets had been unkind to her and she
quickly learned it was necessary to be cautious at all times.
For the past three months, she’d
been on her own, struggling to manage life on the streets since her father
passed. It wasn’t easy, especially at such a young age, but she had quickly
grown up in that time. Running away from a system that she truly detested,
she’d fled to this unknown city, hoping it would be better than the emotional
abuse she received at the numerous foster homes where she had stayed.
Anything was better than that.
Bringing her mind back to the
present, her eyes opened to reveal a man standing by her feet. Although the
night was dark, she instantly locked gazes with his equally dark eyes as he
stared down at her in complete and utter silence. A lingering stillness
overtook the two as they continued to stare at one another, Rowan’s eyes slowly
widening with fright.
Her body silently shook, racing
with thoughts of how to escape. But as she tried to get up her body wouldn’t—or
rather couldn’t—move. It was as if his eyes had somehow cast a spell on her and
she was literally frozen to the spot. Her mind struggled against her immobile
body with no success. It carried on like that, this stillness, until he finally
spoke.
“I too, am alone in this world.”
Fallen Tears:
You Found Me - The Fray
Don’t Speak - No Doubt
Broken Strings - James
Morrison & Nelly Furtado
Heart Attack - Trey Songz
Stay - Rihanna ft. Mikky
Ekko
Sail - AWOLNATION
Numb/Encore - Eminem
Rolling in the Deep - Adele
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Title- Rowan
Series- Blood Crave Series # 2
By- Christina Channelle
Publication Date- April 1, 2013
Genre- YA Paranormal
Dark. Night. Death.
Things Rowan has been trying to avoid for the many years since she was first turned. Her choice: to sleep away the darkness; it beats having to deal with the craziness of life. Or rather, death. However soon after awakening, she stumbles upon a lone figure whose presence is shrouded with mystery.
She assists him in his search for answers making it even more difficult for Rowan to forget her past. She realizes she can’t hide forever as she is literally being sucked back into her chaotic world: a world where both fallen angels and vampires exist, manifested on earth as lapsus and lamia.
Not particularly … friendly with one another.
Rowan struggles to resist her hunger as a demon vampire while dealing with unwanted desires for a fallen angel from the past: a relationship that could only spell trouble. Not to mention the unresolved feelings she still has for a loved one from long ago.
While all of this is happening, they must all seek the hidden evil that hunts them—for there’s an ancient fighting to wake up and destroy everything Rowan holds dear.
Boys were too easy—a pretty face
and they were hooked. Internally, she rolled her eyes at his response. She
could tell he no longer thought of being lost.
Frankly, it was quite pathetic.
Putting on an apologetic face, she
frowned, stepping forward. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t hurt you, did I?” She
brushed a hand against his upper arm for added effect and knew he worked out
from the bulge felt beneath his clothes. She felt the shiver vibrate through
his body from her contact.
Hook, line and sinker.
She rather enjoyed this game of cat
and mouse. It gave her something to do and, to be honest, it was rather
refreshing. Mind control wasn’t as entertaining and she didn’t do it unless
needed.
“No. Um, no, you didn’t. I’m fine.”
His voice pierced through Rowan’s thoughts, sounding slightly off centered,
almost like a pubescent boy. It didn’t match his physique at all. She watched
him swallow deeply, clearing his throat. Rowan bit her lip, trying to hide the
smirk forming on her face.
She instantly let go of his arm,
eyes widening. “Well, then. Now that I know you’re fine….” She took a step
back, smiling as she slowly walked away. She accentuated her stride, allowing
her hips to sway gently back and forth when—
“Wait!” She paused in mid-stride,
her smirk quickly forming again. Smothering her smile, she changed her
expression to one of apologetic sincerity. Hands clasped together, she turned
to face him, watching as he jogged over. He stopped, only mere inches away from
her.
“What’s your name?” he murmured.
Her candy having dissolved, Rowan
chose to suck on her tongue instead for the lingering taste, then gave her
upper lip a quick swipe. She watched his blue eyes flicker to her mouth as he
followed her movements. She slowly exhaled, her breath filling his nostrils
before finally answering.
“Rowan.”
He continued to watch her mouth,
not saying a word. He sure was slow. Although aroused, which was easily seen by
his dilated eyes, his quick, shallow breaths, the way he looked at her, he
didn’t make a move. Rowan was sure if he had his way, they’d be staring at each
other all night long.
That was so not happening.
Impatient, she pursed her lips,
deciding to take things into her own hands. He was definitely not the pursuer.
Taking a closer step to him, she brushed herself firmly against him, feeling
his body stiffen. Slowly moving her mouth toward the shell of his right ear,
she whispered something any guy would love to hear. Her devious smile locked in
place, eyes glinting wickedly.
“Would you like to have some fun?”
Rowan:
Teeth - Lady Gaga
New Divide - Linkin Park
Secrets - One Republic
Shiver - Shawn Desman
Angel of Mine - Monica
Shake It Out - Florence +
The Machine
Sunday Morning - No Doubt
Tonight - John Legend
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Help, I’m Alive - Metric
Bring Me to Life -
Evanescence
Iris - The Goo Goo Dolls
Tragic Kingdom - No Doubt
How to Save a Life - The
Fray
One Life - Hedley
You Found Me - The Fray
Don’t Speak - No Doubt
Broken Strings - James
Morrison & Nelly Furtado
Heart Attack - Trey Songz
Stay - Rihanna ft. Mikky
Ekko
Sail - AWOLNATION
Teeth - Lady Gaga
New Divide - Linkin Park
Secrets - One Republic
Shiver - Shawn Desman
Angel of Mine - Monica
Shake It Out - Florence +
The Machine
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Reviewed by Melissa:
Dahlia Review:
Dahlia is the first book in the blood crave series. It introduces us to dahlia winters; a young orphan girl who for some reason has never felt completely comfortable in her own skin and can't seem to remember much of anything from her past. She has always felt like someone or something has kept an ever present eye on her. She remained at the orphanage until she was a teen, then fate finally intervened and finally brought her a foster family. Just as her new family begins to slowly break down her walls she's built up , strange things begin to happen. Her mind seems to be playing tricks on her as she sees and hears people there one minute and vanished the next , as well as her injuries miraculously healing on their own. Finally a handsome green eyed stranger ( aka Grayson) arrives and begins to fill in the missing pieces from her past. He tells her or her birth, her insatiable need for blood, the scar that trail down her back, and how she is able to heal so quickly; she is immoral. After this revelation she is warned that her impending date with destiny will be fatal unless she can figure out who to trust and where to hide in time. Who will she turn to and are they trustworthy?
I gave this book 4 stars.
It was a good start to the series, but a bit slow paced for me. I loved how the author really described everything in vivid detail creating a brilliant world in my mind as I read, but at times it became too much as she would describe every little detail in depth about everything. Once the story picked up pace I really got into it falling in love with dahlia all the way to the end where I was pleasantly surprised and left wanting more. This book is a must read for all fans of ya paranormal trust me you won't be disappointed.
Fallen Tears Review:
Fallen tears is a short novella that fills in the gaps between Dahlia and Rowan books one and two in the blood crave series. Rowan is an orphan abandoned by everyone until at age 12 a mysterious man named Kaji ( who we later find out is a vampire ) comes along. Her takes her in rescuing her from her former life of a runaway and raising her as his own. Until age 19 when Rowan has a run in with a fallen angel (lapses). After kaji must make her a vampire to save her life. Now that she has transitioned everything is different including feeling. Will their relationship stay the same or will new feelings emerge now that she is no longer a human in need of protecting?
I give this book 3 stars
This novella is a bit slow paced like Rowan but once I got into the flow of it I was hooked. I love the world creating the only problem I had with this book besides the grammar errors was how quickly the relationships seemed to change. I felt like I would have been happier if more went into the building of the romantic relationships. All in all this is yet another good ya read and a great companion read to Rowan.
Rowan Review:
Rowan is the second book in the blood crave series, it follows dahlia (book 1) and fallen tears (novella).
Rowan is the story of a young vampire struggling to hold onto her humanity since her transition into a vampire. She separates herself from the world banishing herself to endless slumber until something awakens her. She is forced to make a choice that leads her back into a world full of fallen angels and vamps at odds with one another. Not only is she awakened but her heart is as well leading her to seek out Remy the fallen angel from her past that she can't seem to forget. She is conflicted by her feelings for another though a savior of sorts from her past that left her in her time of need. She must figure out her feelings as her past savior returns to try and protect her from the looming evil entity hot on her trail. Who will be the one to get her heart or at least what's left of it?
I give this book 4 stars
As the series has progressed the stories seem to flow much better even though this book is still a little slow for my taste it is my favorite by far of the series. It's packed full of paranormal activity but at the heart of this story is a love story where a choice must be made. You Will be pleasantly surprised by the ending and may just fall in love with Rowan like I did. I also recommend if you love this book fallen tears is a must to help fill in Rowan s past .if you love ya and paranormal I suggest you check this series out.
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A dreamer, Christina Channelle holds two degrees in health sciences but has always had a passion for writing. You will find her reading other young adult novels, or typing up a new story on her computer. When not writing, Christina spends her free time at the movies, listening to music, or eating sushi. She’s a reality TV junkie and has a close relationship with many characters on TV that have been a topic of many heated discussions among friends. She resides in Ontario, Canada.
