This book surprised me a lot - I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did.
It was a different kind of Vampire Book - we deal with different vampires races, as well as the dynamics and conflicts between them.

Charlie was bad-ass, and my favorite character! She was feminine, strong and had a good relationship with Sebastian. This was such a fresh air to all the abusive relationships we see in vampire books/movies.

I highly recommend to everyone that enjoys vampire / action / addictive books to read this one.

I received a free copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have no idea why I put off reading this but I literally gobbled this up in a day. I really really enjoyed it. It’s the perfect combo of vampire, faerie, shapeshifters, humans and an impending war that will effect everyone.
I don’t want to reveal any of the juicy details because it’s much more fun to read about them and their shock value. But we have our young heroine, Charlie, who’s aunt gets taken by vampires. Enter in the young, gorgeous Sébastien, who’s sent in to take care of the mess left behind. What unfolds is a roller coaster ride of family mystery, romance, intrigue, violence, and war.
This was a great book and I absolutely cannot wait for the next one. I need answers!!!

Quick & Dirty: Vampire/fae fans will want to check out this series about a girl, with an unknown power, caught up in the middle of a vampire war.

The Review:
Risen by Cole Gibson is the first in a young adult paranormal series that has been likened to the Vampire Diaries and Twilight. While I really loved both those series the first time I read them, I didn’t think Vampire Diaries held up to the memories of when I read it the first time so I did come into this with a little trepidation but the story sounded intriguing. And I really love vampire stories!

Charlie has been raised under some strange circumstances by her Aunt Rachel. Charlie knows her parents died in a car wreck when she was young and that Rachel is hiding from someone. They’ve been living in a tiny little cabin in the woods with her German Shephard Jax. Charlie is tired of the sequestered life that she has been living and is wanting to go to college to get away. Then one night, vampires show up and turn Charlie’s world upside down. They kidnap her aunt leaving Charlie behind with Sebastian, a vampire that needs to use Charlie to find evidence and then dispose of her once he finds what his Queen wants.

Sebastian and Charlie develop an uneasy relationship at first but when Charlie does something strange that awakens latent memories in Sebastian, he decides he can’t dispose of her. He wants his memories back. Plus, he doesn’t know exactly what Charlie is but he does have his suspicions. Charlie is on a mission to find her aunt and rescue her from the vampires. As she does this, she finds herself drawn into a war of different types of vampires (Anima, Mentis and Corpus) and hunters who have sworn to kill every vampire they find.

Risen is told in the first person through Charlie as she discovers this hidden world that she didn’t know about. Charlie is a strong-willed young woman who just wants a better life for herself and a change from the daily routine which she immediately regrets when her aunt is kidnapped. Charlie declares that she makes her decisions on instinct but I’m not sure that is always right but she does get drawn into some precarious situations.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Charlie and Sebastian at first especially their awkwardness and their banter but after a while I didn’t care for it as much. I can’t exactly pinpoint why, I just didn’t. Their relationship moves crazy fast, it’s almost a love at first sight but not quite. Sebastian is willing to die for Charlie several times during the course of the novel but Charlie is only willing to die if it saves her aunt. Don’t get me wrong, she also doesn’t like seeing Sebastian hurt either. It just doesn’t seem as reciprocal.

Risen is a novel that honestly could have gone with way with me on how I felt about it. I could physically hear the naysayers in my head about how awful it is and how stupid these characters are but at the same time I was really enjoying the banter between Charlie and Sebastian. I loved Opal and how badass she is even though at the same time you can also see how vulnerable she is. I did enjoy the Fae aspect to the story and I can’t wait to see how that evolves.

My review copy also came with bonus chapters from Sebastian’s POV. I liked getting his insight but I did struggle through it. It was set right before he meets Charlie up through his first memory flash. I think I struggled so much because I thought the story ended way too abruptly and I wanted more of that instead of these bonus chapters.

Overall, Risen is a dark story but it is most definitely a young adult book about a girl learning from her naivety and overly-sheltered life. If you enjoy vampire or fae stories then I would say to check this one out.

Thank you for providing a copy of this book for review however I was unable to open the file for this document unfortunately! Apologies.

Firstly I'd like to thank NetGalley for providing me with an E-ARC copy of Risen in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

The beautiful cover of Risen is what first caught my eye, and the synopsis as well as the line about fans of Twilight and the Vampire Diaries loving this book, reeled me in. I hadn't read any vampire books for so long, that I found myself ready to jump straight back in, and into a YA vampire book no less.

I was very, very pleasantly surprised by this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and absolutely flew through it in just two sittings (it is quite a small book though, so this may not be a massive achievement...but I'll take it!) The vampire world in this novel isn't cheesy or overdone and the hunter aspect is realistic and believable in terms of the plot line. I quite enjoyed the main character Charlie and loved that she wasn't the typical YA protagonist female who knows nothing about the supernatural world, is told what to do in order to stay safe by someone who knows what they're talking about (say...a vampire), but just ignores them and acts surprised when she's brutally injured by throwing herself into the action. I mean, if I'd just found out that vampires were real and wanted to kill me, and a good vampire who wants to help me tell me to run, I'm going to bloody run! *insert eye roll here*. Luckily Charlie actually has some common sense about her and I appreciated that as a reader.

I also really enjoyed the different species' or clans of vampires and their differences and similarities and how they worked together. I found the background of Charlie's heritage really interesting and the slow-burn romance with Sebastian was relatively believable and fun to read. Opal's involvement was a fun addition, especially with her banter with Sebastian and sarcastic, sassy comments.

Overall, a really well-developed, fast-paced read that I thoroughly enjoyed and has me counting down the days until the next installment! 4.5 stars!

Risen is Cole Gibsen’s latest release and is a highly addictive and fast paced story of danger, romance and sizzling chemistry. Captivating from beginning to end, I can definitely see this becoming my new vampire obsession!

Seventeen year old Charlie wants nothing more than to escape the isolated cabin she shares with her Aunt Rachel and their dog in the woods. However, she certainly never expected the opportunity would arise only when her Aunt is kidnapped by vampires. Having no idea they even existed until they kicked down her cabin door, Charlie is determined to rescue her Aunt; if only she knew how. Trusting the vampire Sebastian seems like a bad idea, even if he is nicer than the other bloodsuckers she’s encountered and too good-looking for his own good. Yet doing so may be Charlie’s only choice. Sebastian swears he’s helping her get answers, but as she finds herself becoming a pawn in a century’s long conflict between rival vampire clans, will Charlie find herself a casualty of war? Or will the new abilities she seems to be welding change the fate of everything she thinks she knows?

As the first novel by Cole Gibsen I have read, I was really blown away by Risen! I seriously LOVED this novel. As someone who has read a lot of vampire novels in her time, I’m at a point where very few really manages to get under my skin any more, but Risen had me hooked by the very opening chapter!

Fast paced and told through the perspective of a sassy and brave young woman, Risen takes a lot of common vampire folklore and weaves it together with enough of a twist that the world Gibsen has created draws you in effortlessly. I’m not sure what I expected before I began, but the compelling chemistry between main character Charlie and vampire Sebastian, along with the forward moving storyline and sharp dialogue really won me over. Cole Gibsen had me refusing to put the story down—I was hooked.

Charlie was tenacious and brave as she faced this new world she found herself thrust into. While Sebastian who starts out as a threat and soon becomes an unexpected alley to Charlie truly was the swoon worthy love interest he comes across as. Not that she wasn’t prepared to look after herself but there was something so adorable about seeing Sebastian’s protective instincts kick in where Charlie was concerned as the novel progressed.

The two of them had a very sweet relationship and I loved how Gibsen built up the tension with each biting comment exchanged between them and the softer unexpected moments of assistance. Together alongside hunter Opal, Charlie and Sebastian expressed the kind of friendship and relationship that I feel shines in this genre of story.

With plenty of developments and questions having arisen, Risen is a fun but romantic story perfect for vampire lovers. I have an inkling where the parentage of certain characters is heading and I’m so freaking excited about the prospect of exploring this in the next novel. Bring on the sequel—I need it stat!

Risen is the first book in the Blood Eternal series by Cole Gibsen. This story is told from Charlie's point of view, although we do get a few extras in the end from Sebastian's point of view too. I liked learning his thoughts in certain situations. I don't know if this was insta-love exactly, but they do fall for each other fairly quickly. There's definitely insta-attraction anyway. There are different types of vampires, with different powers, who bring about a bunch of action all through the book. It really grabs your attention. The characters grow quite a bit through this story too. They still have a lot to learn about themselves and each other, and I'm so anxious to learn some of the secrets that surround them. There are so many mysteries within this story, and we get the answers to very few of them before the book ends. I really would have liked a little more in that regard, but I still enjoyed reading, and I'm definitely looking forward to the next book.

So this book took me by surprise. The blurb had me intrigued enough to take a chance on this author (she is new to me) and since I have love of paranormal reads, figured it would at least be something I enjoyed. I did not expect to really get so wrapped up in the story.

There are so many vampire books out there, that it is truly hard to find out that stands out from the rest. Cole has definitely done in her job in making this story unique and different from other stories I have read.

Charlie has had this inkling of wanting to escape her aunt's little cabin for quite some time. They never venture much outside the woods and as a teenager dangling on the edge of adulthood, Charlie's anxiety of seeing what else is an itch that needs scratched desperately. And Charlie does get her wish, just not in the way she expected.

"The veil that's hidden a strange, darker world from what I know has only been pulled back a fraction. I'm not sure I'm ready for more."

Charlie is taken on a journey she never intended to embark on. Sebastian, a vampire who is her captor, is also her only hope of finding her aunt and rescuing her. Sebastian has many questions and knows that Charlie is a key part of finding those answers.

We are thrown into a world where vampires have different species and have been battling for ages. A war is impending amongst them and as Charlie learns of these different species, she is grasping with her new knowledge and what this means for her. The readers are given a lot of interesting and entertaining facts, but we are left with more questions than we started with and an intense need to know what happens next.

Cole has definitely set up an intriguing world with great characters. The plot development is engaging and just when you think you know everything, she throws in another twist that has you second guessing everything you just thought. I love it!

I cannot wait for the next book to arrive to see what it is in store next for Charlie, Sebastian and Opal. Great start to what I feel will be a very enthralling series.

This was a fun, easy to read story. Kept my attention and was intereating. I'm intrigued enough to read the next book.

'Risen' is a new young adult paranormal novel full of warring vampire clans, family secrets, and (obviously) romance. The description says that it's perfect for fans of Twilight, and I definitely agree. I personally loved the Twilight series and I really enjoyed this book. They do have quite a few things in common in an overall sense, but the author wove in some new aspects to give the vampire/human romance a breath of fresh air. Some readers might find it too similar to others novels out there, but I personally like this type of story and I know a lot of other readers will feel the same way.

I liked Charlie - the main character - a lot and really enjoyed getting to know her throughout the book. The author wrote the story in the first person point of view, from Charlie's perspective, so the reader gets a personal connection with her right from the beginning. I personally love the first person because of how well we get to know the narrator, and this was no different. I liked knowing her hopes and dreams, fears, memories, insecurities, and everything in between. She was realistic and easy to identify with - complete with flaws and positive traits like loyalty to those she loves, determination, strength she doesn't know she has, and so many others. I obviously really liked watching the romance between her and Sebastian unfold, although it kind of felt like it happened really quick. Almost like it didn't have time to realistically happen. That's just my opinion though. I was obviously rooting for them the entire time and cheering them on. This is rumored to be the first in a series, and I really hope it is. I'd love to get to know Charlie, Sebastian, and some of the secondary characters better and also to see where the author would take us next. I definitely recommend this one for fans of YA paranormal, fantasy, vampire fiction, romance, and as mentioned above - fans of the Twilight series.

Risen was absolutely AWESOME!!!! I seriously need book two like yesterday.

Charlie has lived her whole life hidden from the world. Her aunt has her moving around a lot, living in secluded areas. One night after a walk in the woods, vampires burst into Charlie's house and take her aunt.

Sebastian stays behind to look for clues about Charlie's aunts past and decides to help Charlie get somewhere safe.

Risen was an awesome YA story. Risen is start to finish enjoyable.

Charlie's character was fun and snarky. She started off not believing in the supernatural, but quickly changed her mind. I enjoyed that she didn't take forever to believe in something she saw. I enjoyed how she trusted her gut the majority of the time.

The romance in this story was enjoyable. I liked that the romance didn't take over the story. Sebastian and Charlie's relationship started in a normal progression. First dislike, then a sort of friendship with attraction, then a sort of budding romance I can't wait to see grow further in the second book. I really liked Sebastian and can't wait to see what happens next with them.

There was so much mystery surrounding all the characters. I liked that the story didn't solve or give up all the answers. Can't wait for book two.

There are few vampire themed books that I've come to enjoy. I wanted to branch out and try the theme further. I'm glad I did, because this book was a fantastic new take on vampires. It was phenomenal. Truly.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book, via NetGalley. This is my honest opinion.

Risen by Cole Gibsen is the first book in the Blood Eternal series. Charlie has been living with her Aunt Rachel, in the middle of no where in a cabin, with no exposure to the outside world. She wants to get out into the big world and go to college. Coming back to the cabin after a walk with her dog Jax she confronts her Aunt with the need to get out, but before she can get very far their home is invaded. By vampires. As her Aunt is dragged away she is left with one of the vampires, Sebastion, who is somehow different from the others.

The more Charlie learns about herself the less she realizes she knows. Her mysteries also cause a reaction in Sebastion which leads to the development of a connection between them. Along the way she finds out more about the Vampire world, their types and clans as well as the vampire hunters including Opal who adds her own dynamic to the world that Charlie has been thrust into.

I enjoyed Charlie's development as a character and the mysteries that are doled out along the way. Sebastion creates almost more questions than answers as does just about everything. This was a fun vampire world and one that is just beginning. Overall Risen by Cole Gibsen has me hooked and I can't wait for the next book.

(I voluntarily reviewed an advance review copy of this book I received for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my open and honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.)

I had been itching for a good vampire story and then whamo! This book lands in my hands and I have fallen under a spell.

I loved everything about this book and had a hard time putting it down! I really enjoyed the plot as it was not just another vampire story but there was a whole history there that you get to learn about along the way.

I can't wait to get my hands on the next in the series and find out where this cast of characters heads to next!

Risen was one of those books where the blurb caught my attention. Then the book proceeded to constantly call to me, begging to be read. Risen was an engrossing read from start to finish, and hard to put down.

After years of hiding, Rachel Keegan and her seventeen-year-old niece Charlie have been located by the Mentis vampire clan. Upon not receiving the answers they want, they kidnap Rachel and take her back to their farm. Mentis vampire Sebastian is tasked with searching Rachel's home for any proof as to the status of her son. He’s also tasked with disposing of Charlie who has been deemed unimportant. Unexplainable events transpire and Sebastian is compelled to help Charlie.

Charlie's world has been turned upside down with the realization that vampires are real. She’s even starting to question her own life. A war is brewing between the rival vampire clans (Mentis, Corpus, and Anima) and Charlie and her aunt Rachel seem to hold the key. But things are not as they seem. Now not knowing who she should and shouldn't trust, Charlie has to rely on her own instincts, inner strength, and determination. In the quest to rescue Rachel and save herself, Charlie and Sebastian battle vampire hunters and vampires bent on killing them.

Cole Gibsen has created a wonderful world where humans and vampires exist. Filled with twists, turns, and surprises galore, Risen is a must read. Surprisingly, this is a story about friendship and family. It’s about realizing what is truly important in life. It's about doing what's right and taking a stand for what you believe in regardless of the consequences.

Several questions remain to be answered and I am sooooooooo looking forward to the next book in this series.

Risen is a Young Adult Paranormal novel, which I couldn't wait to get my hands on since it sounded right up my alley when I read its synopsis! It follows Charlie, who has lived in a secluded cabin with her aunt for the majority of her life and is ready to finally leave it behind and experience life in the outside world! When she returns home from a walk in the forest with her trusted dog Jazz and talks about his abnormal behavior, things take a turn for the worse and her life takes the opposite direction from the one she planned on eventually following! Vampires destroy the only home she's ever known and take her aunt away, leaving one of their own to dispose of her! But, she's too compelling for him to kill and they end up joining forces in a race against time, in order to discover the truth about where they both came from before it's too late!
I'm not going to get into any more details about the plot itself, since I would definitely recommend going into it without knowing much! I've always been a huge fan of Vampires and haven't read a novel about them in ages so, I was very excited when I had the opportunity to read and review Risen! So of course, I had to jump at the chance and give it a try, since the idea of it alone fascinated me! I went into it without knowing what to expect and I was hoping that it wouldn't end up being just another cliche Vampire Romance novel full of tropes that I've already left behind! But, I was pleasantly surprised! It was original and authentic, which kept me on the edge throughout it!

The story line had me hooked from the beginning since the author didn't waste any time with formalities and jumped straight into the action! From the beginning til the end, its fast pace made the experience of reading it so much more interesting and suspenseful, which I personally prefer as I reader since I'm not the biggest fan of slow paced books! It was also very engaging and I immensely enjoyed how it developed. It introduced me to this entirely new and different world about vampires which I was very grateful for since it was completely different from what I was used to and kind of expected.
I absolutely fell in love with the characters and their chemistry blew my mind! I was rooting for them from the very first chapters and couldn't wait to see how the story would progress! Charlie grew up isolated from the world and her thirst for it becomes obvious before the story even takes its course! She's definitely loyal but also strong willed, ready to face whatever challenges get in her way and experience life to the fullest! She grew up in this bubble of security her aunt kind of forced her into and when the monsters came, she was forced to reevaluate her life and decide on a completely different course! She rose up to the difficult challenge of saving Rachel and discovering the truth about her past, something that brought out her inner courage and determination!

Sebastian was also a force to be reckoned with! I absolutely loved the banter between them and the intensity of it all could be felt through the pages. No, not exaggerating! He basically sacrificed everything in order to help Charlie, even before he realized that she could actually help him remember his past! Their attraction to each other was obvious from the very beginning but, things are never as easy as they seem! Especially considering the fact that, they're very different from each other and there's no guarantee that things will work out!

The only thing I wish would've been different and the only reason I didn't give this one a full five star rating, is its length. I feel like it should've been a bit longer because it would've had the chance to explore the characters' background a bit better and given us readers more information about where they came from! Even though I love it when books leave gaps and questions that will undoubtedly be filled and answered in future novels because they give off a certain suspense that keeps you on edge, Risen took it a bit far in the sense that, the author didn't explain basic terms used in the novel and left a lot of details out of the plot itself. It wasn't a huge thing and it obviously didn't affect how I felt about the book as a whole but, it would've been nice to have definite answers on some pretty basic questions that arose from the initial building of this unique world! I'm naturally a very patient person and I really hope that they'll be answered in the next novel because they concern the foundation of this book.

Overall, I feel like Risen took something familiar and completely transformed it into something unique, which isn't an easy feat to accomplish! The writing was amazing and matched the tone of the novel perfectly, which made it so much more enjoyable to read! It was a suspenseful and full of action YA Paranormal novel that is not like Twilight or Vampire Diaries at all so, ignore the little unfortunate blurb at the top of the synopsis...Because it truly is so much better both in terms of writing and development! It was also very entertaining and I cannot wait for the sequel!

I received a copy from Netgalley for an honest review.
This book was exaclty what I needed to read right now. A lot of drama and I was so excited about everything that happened in this book. I enjoyed every page and I can't wait for the next books in this series. Sebastian got my heart for the first time I read about him. I could not help but fall in love with him. Maybe the next book will feature his view, I can't wait.

"Feelings are very important, and all too often we don't listen to our gut until it's too late. Sometimes, though, what we want, and the truth, can be opposing sides of the war within us. And if we want something bad enough, we can make it the truth."

Charlie's aunt Rachel disappears, and it turns out that she was not only kidnapped by vampires but that she might have been turned into one. The three vampire clans of Mentis, Animus, and Corpus are close to war, and Sebastian is tasked with eliminating Charlie. She somehow is able to unlock memories of his life before he became a vampire, so now Sebastian has own agenda in keeping her alive.

Risen is told from Charlie's perspective, so be prepared to have everything told from the first person point of view of a seventeen-year-old. Because of that, the staid, off-the-grid life with her aunt is boring and not what she wanted at all. The first chapter neatly outlines this while giving the hints of creepiness for the reader to anticipate the plot kicking in. It does immediately and doesn't let up at all. Because Charlie doesn't know anything about the different vampire clans or the other supernatural beings mentioned, it's a perfect entry into this particular world of vampires, hunters and things that go bump in the night.

Vampires here don't sparkle, and even the kinder Animus clan still subsists on blood. There is action and hints at further mysteries that aren't explained in this book. It moves very quickly, and before I knew it, the book was over and I was disappointed there wasn't more to it. The inclusion of chapters retold from Sebastian's point of view at the end can give a little more insight for the reader. It's not necessary to understand it and feel loathing toward the Mentis vampires. They're certainly painted as the most evil of the three clans. I have a feeling that future books in the series will give a larger view of this universe, and all of the other dangerous creatures in it.

Are you ready for my confession... This is my very first vampire book. That's right! I never even read Twilight! I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. That said, I wasn't really sure what to expect since my only real point of reference is Hotel Transylvania, you know, the Adam Sandler cartoon movie?

I loved Risen! It was so interesting to read, I love going into a book with no idea what I'm truly going to get when I read it. It was a true adventure and an escape in a book. It's the perfect escape from the the monotony that can come from reading contemporary romance.

"I need to mourn everything I've lost - especially innocence."

I enjoyed watching Charlie learn and grow, she was thrust into world that she never knew existed and handling it like a pro, at least on the outside. On the inside she is a freaking how mess and as she uncovers more secrets about herself and who she truly is. I am aching for more from the Blood Eternal series, Risen was a great start and I am dying for answers and for the characters to put the puzzle pieces where I believe that they belong.

The intense need from Sebastian to protect Charlie is sexy in a subtle way and confusing to everyone. Even himself. These two sizzle when they are together and it's tantalizing to watch unfold. And I will be eagerly waiting for the follow up to Risen.

2.5 “Teen Vampires” stars

I'm still waiting for that new vampire book series that will leave me as obsessed about these mythical creatures as the first three seasons of The Vampire Diaries or the first time I read Twilight did.

Then I saw Risen on NetGalley and it used those two titles as comps: "Fans of Vampire Diaries and Twilight will be thirsting for this latest vampire addiction…"

Of course that led me to searching Youtube for Stelena videos. That led to major hangover after.

Anyway, Risen delivered on some of its promises, but it unfortunately didn't create a vampire addiction. The main character didn't have an interesting enough personality to hold my attention, the romance was too insta-lovey, and Sebastian wasn't the badass vamp guy who made me fall madly in love with him. I also had problems with the dialogue and how stilted it felt at times.

Even though Risen didn't turn out to be as exciting as I was hoping, I'm someone who has been waiting for YA paranormal to come back for a long time and I'm not ready to give up. So bring on the next vamp book!