A vampire story with a twist. The book wasn't too bad, interesting characters, like the romance between Dean and Mindy and an interesting concept. It would a been a solid four star rating for me if it wasn't for the direction the story took. Mindy and Dean's relationship took some time to get started, when it did he tries keeping her at a distance for her safety, and in the end they didn't have that much time together before everything went to crap. The ending was depressing, not sure if the story is going to get any easier for me to read with the way the book ended, it was just too sad. Oh yeah, in more than half the book we heard from Mindy's POV and later back and forth from Dean's POV. Dean's POV was the same in tone as Mindy's there was not much variation from Mindy's POV for me except that Dean comes across as a lot older, like a grown man and not a high school kid. Dean's nickname for Mindy was Lina, from her middle name Melina, and he was always "my Lina", it was a bit off-putting since by then the secret of who he his was revealed and it didn't make any sense for him to have the narrator voice written for him.

Shane, the villain of the story, I actually like him in the few interactions he had with Mindy.

The paranormal part wasn't too bad but the romance was a let down. ( )

Read the full review at Witchmag's Boekenplank

It took me a while to get in the story. But once I was in, the story got better with every page I turned, till a truly amazing finale. And then there was a dumbfounding cliffhanger, which made me yearn for the next book. Unfortunately I haven’t gotten to buy the next book yet…

The way everything built up to the grande finale was also good. Slowly but surely every piece of the puzzle is revealed. Hints are dropped and it’s up to you to put them together, the right way. Boy I was lead astray quite often. Finding the right path again made it much more fun to read this one ^^

Though, one thing that bothered me while reading was that, suddenly, near the end of the story, it’s told through Dean’s perspective. And I didn’t see why this was necessary. Not that it was horrible or boring to read, but I had gotten used to Mindy and reading Dean’s mind, I just didn’t see the advantage.

Another thing that kinda bothered me was Mindy’s relationship with Marcus. He just went in her bathroom, just as she was finished showering. Even if he’s a good friend, I just don’t see me doing it with my very good male friends. Unless he’s gay, which I started to believe when I read he’s only got two girl friends (I know this is kinda a prejudice….). But this is contradicted somewhere further in the story. Even now I don’t know what they are and what Marcus is… It’s kind of an enigma ;)

The switch from Dean ignoring Mindy to Dean acknowledging Mindy was quite sudden. And it seemed without reason. Was it just because he looked at her? That’s a bit hard to believe, since he spend years ignoring her. Because he’s had enough? There really are no signs for his sudden change and that bothered me quite a lot. People don’t change on one’s own accord. Usually something else is the trigger. And how Mindy reacted when she experienced something quite traumatizing was a little strange. She just doesn’t speak about it and it’s kind off forgotten later on. That’s not how you cope with things like that. It’s just not possible to function normally after what happened….

Furthermore it looked like at times some sentences were missing . How is it otherwise possible that Shane and Dean are sitting calmly next to each other after a fight? What did I miss?

Conclusion

4 HEARTS. A great book to read, even with some minus points. But those didn’t make the story worse, on the contrary, they made the story more charming to me. The end… I don’t have words for this ending, it was that good. It’s so unlike most stories I’ve read, an end that makes you want to read the next book as soon as possible ^^ ( )

This is an author not afraid to think outside he box and take a leap. Captivated will grab readers right from the Prologue, and not allow you a breath til the very end. The romance is hot, and the headache is palpable. Be ready to laugh and cry in this whirlwind story that will deny reads their simple happily ever after. The drastic conclusion left me in a uproar, and in despair for the characters of the intense read. I'm anxious to see just where D. Apodaca will take this story from here. Congratulations on such a beautiful book, and truly amazing story. BOOKWHISPERER RECOMMEND!!!!!!!!!! ( )

I had never heard of this book until I came across it on facebook. I know they say don't judge a book by it's cover, but when it actually comes to books most of us do. The cover is what makes us pick it up in the first place. The cover of this book is mysterious, aside from the title and authors name, a beautiful face... which makes you want to find out what's awaiting you inside.

I was so curious to find out what this book was about that I got in contact with the author and asked to do a review. I didn't want to read anything about this book because I wanted to be surprised in case the author said yes I could review it. Obviously she did otherwise you wouldn't be reading this. :) I was so excited when she said yes and I finally got to read it!!! Not only is the book extraordinary, the author is as well!!! She was kind enough to let me review her book and keep in contact while awaiting my review. For me, I don't just enjoy a good book... I also enjoy a sweet author!!!

I myself wasn't expecting to get sucked in at the PROLOGUE but it happened!! I was completely sucked in!!! I started reading it one night after putting my little girl to bed and couldn't stop! I had to make myself put it down and even when I did I would pick it up and think to myself "one more chapter" eventually that turned into reading all but 4 before I really set it down at 7am to try and get some sleep! I was completely bewitched by this book, fully under it's spell!!!

This isn't your average "boy loves girl, girl loves boy and lets throw in some vampires" kinda story. There are so many twists and turns which makes you NEED to know what's gonna happen next. You can make guesses about who and what people are or who's the good guy and who's the bad guy, but you don't really know for sure until you read it.

The way this book made me actually feel when I read it was unique! When I read parts of the book that were about how Mindy felt about Dean it took me back. It was like I knew exactly what and how she felt. I knew the feeling of hoping that you see them in class or out and about. Doing things to "accidentally" run into them. Even sneaking looks through the corner of your eye just get a glimpse at them. The butterflies, the shyness, and the electricity. It was amazing!

All the characters in the book are wonderful! Some more mysterious than others but all in all I loved reading about each and every one of them, from Mindy's best friends to the bad guys, they were all truly remarkable!!

I have to admit though, the ending made me so mad because I didn't want it to stop on such an intense moment!!! It really leaves you wanting more!!! I CAN NOT wait until the next book!!! I have to know what happens!!

I really recommend this book to anyone who loves Young Adult books!!!! I loved it so much that I'm going to purchase it that way I have it on my bookshelf for whenever I want to read it!!!

This book will take you for a ride and you will LOVE every bit of it!! You will truly be CAPTIVATED!!!!! ( )