GUEST REVIEW: WHAT KILLS ME BY WYNNE CHANNING

by Lucie

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Info:

Publisher: Jet and Jack Press

Pages: 209 (ebook)

Series: No

An ancient prophecy warns of a girl destined to cause the extinction of the vampire race.

So when 17-year-old Axelia falls into a sacred well filled with blood and emerges a vampire, the immortal empire believes she is this legendary destroyer. Hunted by soldiers and mercenaries, Axelia and her reluctant ally, the vampire bladesmith Lucas, must battle to survive.

How will she convince the empire that she is just an innocent teenager-turned bloodsucker and not a creature of destruction? And if she cannot, can a vampire who is afraid of bugs summon the courage to fight a nation of immortals?

 

Reactions:

I liked the realistic aspect of this fantasy story. At the beginning, the author could almost tell the story of a teenager who goes abroad on holiday and that will exercise poor judgment.

Axelia wants to be different from the good girl she is for all to see. She wants to be daring and adventurous, and what better than a fling in Italy, far from her parents and habits, to try new things. Except when one crosses paths with a vampire who wants to empty your body from your blood...

I liked the simplicity of the heroin. She just wanted to live a little dangerously and she finds herself the star of an apocalyptic prophecy. Immortal, sentenced to death, forced to drink blood to survive, hunted by mercenaries, her life radically changed and will never be the same again.

Between the lines, the reader can decipher the moral weight of an impulsive decision that seemed, at first, innocent and inconsequential. The situation will deteriorate, faster than in a blink of an eye, into a radically transformed life. Throughout the story, it is the feeling I had. Under the first layer of the rather dark fantasy hides the lines of life lessons about trust, betrayal, courage and strength to stay in the light.

I also appreciated the brevity of the meetings like in real life ... Sometimes you meet people without getting to know them but that does not prevent you from being emotionaly marked by them. Some will reach you out, others will stick a knife in your back. 

Thus apart from Axelia and Lucas, all the other characters are crossing briefly the reader's path inside the story or make occasional appearances. As a result, the novel is constantly moving with a lot of rhythm, action and the fights. There are many deaths too. So, If you are looking for a love story like in "Twilight", you are not in the good novel.

However, the author without pressing heavily on the romantic card manages to keep you alert and play with your emotions. The ending is also a nice surprise that makes you want to put your hands on the further adventures of Alexia that promises to be radically different.

A nice dynamical story that takes you into a crazy race.

Sentences 

From Axelia: "Would his trying to pick my back pocket count as second base?" 

From Axelia: "I'm like Snow White, doing housework in the forest for dwarfs. Lucas is definitely Grumpy." 

From Lucas: "Choosing to survive. That is brave. So be brave."

From Axelia: "My idea of excitement was getting the perfect shot of a ladybug on a leaf. Now I'm getting into car chases and sword fights."