"Bleeding to death after brutal mugging on the campus of UNLV, Twenty-five year old Alyssa, is rescued by the cold and aloof, vampire, Lysander. Taking pity on her, he shares the gift-and curse-of immortality. She awakens as a vampire and is soon devastated by harsh realities of her new way of life..."
Pages: 346 pages
Publisher: Rising Sign Books
Published: March, 2010
Form: E-book (review copy through the tour for an honest review)
Series: The Immortalis #1
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Amazon: Buy / $10.99 (Paperback)
The Book Depository: Buy / €11.22 (paperback)
Barnes and Noble: Buy / $10.99 (paperback)
Excerpt: The Sample Chapter
Alyssa's life consists of college, work and sitting in a poetry cafe with her best friend Fallon, but it all changes when Fallon stands her up and she has to make way home alone. She doesn't get home, as two men ambush her and abuse her and stab her, as she lays dying about to get raped a man steps in an disposes of the two attackers, he drinks her blood and forces her to drink his.
Waking up in a bathtub, fully clothed, she battles to figure out how come she's not dead, it turns out she's in the home of Lysander, an old vampire who seems as emotionless as marble, he tells her that she's now a vampire as well and that she can never return to the human existence she knew before, because their existence is a secret that cannot come out.
Learning to drink blood and hunt becomes the soul focus on her new immortal life until it turns out there is a vampire in town who wants her and Lysander dead, not to mention there is the Acto Sanctorum, soldiers of Rome who live to kill vampires. Being immortal doesn't mean you can't get killed, and being a brand spanking new vampire the changes of your survival are close to none.
I love this book! It one of the first books I've read on my new Kindle, so I was still in the getting use to phase, but I quickly got into the flow of the story and once I did I didn't want to stop reading. Immortalis Carpe Noctem is a fun, modern look on what it's like to become a vampire for a 25 year old girl who could be any girl around. How would we take having to live on blood, hunt and never see our family and friends again.
The plot was interesting, Alyssa reborn to being a vampire and it's consequences were interesting but we also receive a slightly delusional female vampire who sees herself as the Queen of Vampires, and who's not quite over Lysander - and of course there is the threat of Acto Sactorum, the vampire slayers who have a bread a vampire to hunt on their command, who have their sights on "the Queen of Vampires". The plot is exciting and great to read.
Alyssa is such a joy, she's young compared to the others but in a fresh way, in the beginning I was wondering why her inner dialogue was so apparent, but as we learn vampires can read minds it makes sense that her thoughts are more like sentences at times. She's a fun, young and still yearns for freedom at 25, which gives Lysander, a two thousand year old, young Greek man some grey hairs. I loved the slowly blossoming almost/almost not romance between Lysander and Alyssa, they have this student-mentor relationship that gets spiced with a steamy kiss and they both end up not sure what the heck just happened, and just how to proceed from there.
I'm trying to think of something bad to say about this books, but I can't seem to find any, so that concludes that this is a 5 star book! Gosh, I'm so happy I have Hunters and Prey #2 (Dec. 2010) and Pandora's Box #3 (June 2011) still to read!
If you want a different vampire story, a young one, I'd go for this, it's vibrant, fun and intriguing read to those who's vampires aren't all paranormal romance.
Rating :
About the Series with Katie Salidas
What is the Series about?
My favorite line is actually the tag line to my first book. It really gives you a snapshot in one sentence of what the book is about.
“Becoming a vampire is easy. Living with the condition, that’s the hard part.”You might have read books about vampires, but how many of them took you step by step through the emotional turmoil of what that change actually entails? In Immortalis you’ll see a normal, everyday girl lose everything as she becomes a creature of the night. But it’s not all doom and gloom. Sure, there’s a learning curve there, but if she can overcome it, both she and you, the reader, will find that it can be pretty sweet!
When did you start writing this series?
I started it sometime in 2005.
How long did it take you to write it?
The first book in the series, Immortalis Carpe Noctem, being my debut novel, took me 5 years to write, edit, revise, edit again, etc… It was a long process, but during that time I was also learning how to write for others and not just myself. Subsequent books were written much faster.
Where did you get the idea from?
The idea came from reading lots of other vampire books and wanting to focus on the actual transformation and its effect on a normal person. In Immortalis, I take you almost step by step through the transformation of this normal girl, into a creature of the night. It’s not easy but as with many things that happen in life, you have to deal with the changes. That’s where the title comes from. Carpe Noctem, seize the night. For this main character, that’s exactly what has to be done. She has to learn how to seize the night.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
Writing the debut novel, the whole thing was a learning process. I remember focusing so hard on rules and plots and outlines. It frustrated me so much that I took a very long break. While I was on break, I allowed myself to free write on other projects. Free writing taught me that I don’t have to plot and outline and stick to rigid structures. I learned that there are different types of writers and different styles. I needed freedom to just let the story come out organically. That’s when I was able to come back and finish the novel.
What came easily?
Once I learned to let myself write organically, the story flowed out very easily.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
Some characters are based on people I know. Nicholas for example, he’s based on my own husband with a little added snark for good measure.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
I’m a Patricia Briggs, Sherrlyn Kenyon, Anne Rice, Laura K. Hamilton, (the list could go on and on) fan. Basically, if there is a vampire, werewolf, or fae creature in your work, I want to read it. I’m addicted to anything paranormal, with only one exception… Zombies. I just can’t do zombies. They scare the crap out of me. LoL.
Do you have a target reader?
Fans of Paranormal and Urban Fantasy are the readers I target. I feel that those are the ones who will most appreciate this story.
About Writing with Katie Salidas
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
Sit down, turn on computer, and write! It’s as simple as that. I need to be able to free write, no restrictions.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just Chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
Nope, no hard outline. I generally have an idea of where I want the story to go, but I don’t have anything strict I adhere to.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
Editing comes after the first draft is complete, and then it’s a process of rewriting and reviewing then editing.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
It depends on the scene. If I am writing action and fighting, I need something like hard rock. If I a writing a love scene, I need softer music.
Thanks for reading, and if you want to check out my work, you can find me at
http://www.katiesalidas.com
Immortalis Carpe Noctem (Book 1)Becoming a vampire is easy. Living with the condition... that's the hard part.
Bleeding to death after brutal mugging, twenty-five year old Alyssa is rescued by the most unlikely hero: the handsome and aloof vampire, Lysander.
His gift of immortal blood initiates Alyssa into a frightening, eternally dark world filled with: bloodlust, religious fanaticism, and thousand-year old vendettas.
With Lysander as her guide, Alyssa will have to learn what it takes to survive in the immortal world. She'll have to find the strength to accept her new reality and carpe noctem; or give in, and submit to final death.
Becoming a vampire saved Alyssa from death, but the price was high: the loss of everything and everyone attached to her mortal life. She’s still learning to cope when a surprise confrontation with Santino Vitale, the Acta Sanctorum’s most fearsome hunter, sends her fleeing back to the world she once knew, and Fallon, the friend she’s missed more than anything.
Alyssa breaks vampire law by revealing her new, true self to her old friend, a fact which causes strong division in the group that should support her most: her clan.
After a few months as a vampire, Alyssa thought she’d learned all she needed to know about the supernatural world. But her confidence is shattered by the delivery of a mysterious package – a Pandora’s Box.
Seemingly innocuous, the box is in reality an ancient prison, generated by a magic more powerful than anyone in her clan has ever known. But what manner of evil could need such force to contain it?
When the box is opened, the sinister creature within is released, and only supernatural blood will satiate its thirst. The clan soon learns how it feels when the hunter becomes the hunted.
Powerless against the ancient evil, the clan flees Las Vegas for Boston, with only a slim hope for salvation. Could Lysander’s old journals hold the key? And what if they don’t?
And how welcome will they be in a city run by a whole different kind of supernatural being?
Werewolves…
To purchase the Immortalis books (In print and ebook):
And if you can believe all of those lies, there is some beautiful swamp land in Florida for sale…
Katie Salidas resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mother, wife, and author, she does try to do it all, often causing sleep deprivation and many nights passed out at the computer. Writing books is her passion, and she hopes that her passion will bring you hours of entertainment.
