Karolina Dalca by MR Noble is a new adult vampire paranormal mystery. I always had a thing for vampire fiction and have gorged on them ever since I was a teen… pun intended. That makes for a lot of vampire books of all time periods, genre and feel, and I must admit I am hard to surprise now, especially after reading splatter punk from the 80s. But it had been a while and the book was compared to Rachel Morgan which I just loved. The end of the series left such a hole, yes even now, years later, so I immediately snatched the opportunity to read this one.

I can see the connections, the heart of gold heroine, too impulsive for her own good, never listening to anyone, always plunging to the rescue of others without thought or plans… yep that rings a bell. There is a lot of action, twists and revelations. I’m sure it will entertain a lot of people.

But I must admit I liked the complexity of Rachel Morgan. The futuristic, post pandemic world was unusual and gave everything an interesting complexity. The relationships were complicated, the characters were less obvious. I should not be comparing books, the author is not responsible for the comparisons of others, but it would not come out of my head. I think this is really an audience problem. It really felt like something meant for people in their late teens, and I’m sure uni students will greatly enjoy it, the book is well written and the fast pace is justified, the plot is good. I just found the main character too immature. I didn’t like her much, but hopefully she grows in the series and that should also be a source of enjoyment for the readers. I also liked that the romance was only secondary to the plot, because too many paranormal books have become romance first and anything else second.

What can I say this was an interesting read. I like the world and the set up. The story was good but it did drag slightly in parts. I like the half vampire part and how she learns all about herself and her family. The pirates were cool. I like the sarcastic banter through out and how Karo's temper sometimes get her into trouble. I would enjoy reading more in the series when it comes.