DNF at 5%. The writing and execution is very poor. I would expect this to be from the early 2000s, rather than 2023. The writing is choppy and the characters are shallow.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 3.5-4/5 stars.

OKAY so....the vampire phase may be coming back and this literally fit the bill of vampire academy, gossip girl, all those elite boarding school but vampire vibes TIED IN with like...training and the traits of vampires (bloodlust....normal lust) normally not in vampire YA lit.

I do struggle to think of this as YA...it's definitely upper end YA and almost new adult due to the alcohol, sex, etc. content and the characters are definitely 18-20 vibes.

The plot was actually pretty decent, and I enjoyed how it centered on Dillon as the dhampir and shifting the vampire world on its heels by being at VAMPS (their training academy for the world's most influential vampire kids). I find it hard to believe Dillon didn't know he was half vamp until he started attending VAMPS, so I'm hoping if this series continues...it goes into the dhampir lore a bit more.

Also...THE ENDING? Like...I know the plot has the subplot of WHO IS HIS MOM? but OH MY GOD.

This is action packed, drama packed, relationship packed. I deducted stars because some of it felt undeveloped and I would have liked some more information on the lore, relationships, etc.

This was a decent vampire book. I feel like the vampire book market is a bit flooded these days but this was a nice breath of fresh air to add to the genre. It was an enjoyable read with enjoyable characters. I can't wait to see what happens next with Dillon

"Sink your teeth into this exciting new paranormal series that transports you to an elite vampire academy where a half vampire, half human must hone his bloodthirsty side in order to survive in a cutthroat world. Perfect for fans of The Atlas Six and True Blood.

Nestled in the Swiss Alps, VAMPS is the ultimate academy for the children of the most wealthy and powerful vampire families. Unfortunately for Dillon, he’s an outsider - to be more specific, he's a dhampir: a vampire that is half human.

If he wants to survive more than a single term, he's going to need to embrace his fangs. But blood never lies and soon, it becomes clear there is something special and deadly in Dillon’s veins. But as his power grows, so does the target on his back..."

Zombies I think have had their day, let's get the Vampires back on top!

I have mixed feelings about this book. Instantly you’re thrown in with a lot of characters and names to remember, but it was quirky and different.

Vamps is an elite academy in the Swiss Alps. The children of the most wealthy and powerful families attend there, until Dillon joins. He’s definitely an outsider as he’s half human/ half vampire. So he’s easily the weaker link. He has to embrace his dark side if he wants to fit in and be taken seriously.

I do like that we have a male point of view that’s being introduced. Usually it’s girls, like Vampire Diaries or True Blood.. so that was refreshing take. There’s definitely a lot of sex appeal going on. Like horny teenagers on steroids lol. I definitely liked the quick easy read, but I also got lost at times remembering who was who.

All in all, this was a fun paranormal fantasy, which I normally don’t read.

A story of coming of age and self-discovery in a new way. The book opens with a slew of characters - many of which are presented as a rich and a bit spoiled. I will be honest that the first few pages did not grab my attention but it takes a lot for me to add a book to my DNF shelf so I pushed through the character introductions.

In the end this book is well-written and interesting. It presents the life of Dillon, a dhampir - half vamipire/half human. He's lived is entire life without the knowledge of the vampire world and is suddenly thrown into it by being forced to attend an elite school for vampires. The tensions between normal teen drama and angst and coming of age and self-discovery set this story up for great read.

VAMPS: Fresh Blood came at the perfect time for me, I'm in my paranormal era and this read had a lot of what I was looking for!

Pick it up if you like the paranormal school setting, a lot of tension between characters, betrayal, and fast paced plots!

Skip it if blood makes you squeamish, slice of life/character driven stories

Imagine finding out paranormal creatures are real, that you're half vampire, and that you're getting sent to an elite vampire academy to learn how to survive. Dillion is a character that's easy to relate to. He's hella overwhelmed with the direction his life is going, he's separated from the only family he's ever known and thrust into a world in which he's hated for existing. It's just the beginning for Dillion though, his life is about to get insane. He is forced to put all of the human in him aside and take up the way of the vampire while trying to avoid being taken down by vamps that would kill for his blood. He had so much stacked against him but I loved that he stayed true to himself through all of it.

I flew through this! There were a few times that it got a little sluggish but for the most part it was one heck of a ride and I can't wait for the next book! I appreciated that this was geared for new adult aged readers instead of the typical YA vampire novels, Some of the twists I never saw coming! As someone who reads a lot this is huge for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-book copy in exchange for a review. The thoughts shared are completely my own.

I love vampires just as much as the next person, but Vamps: Fresh Blood felt too similar to other works for me to enjoy this. With that being said I do think the characters were very nicely done and the writing style was lovely. I wish there was something that allowed me to seperate Vamps: Fresh Blood from other works. I do think if you are looking for a book that is similiar to Crave, The Vampire Diaries, and Vampire Academy this book is for you.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for allowing me to read this book.

A review for Vamps: Fresh Blood will be publish December 19th @1:00pm on Instagram @abookwormsgarden

VAMPS: Fresh Blood was really interesting and unique! The characters made me roll my eyes several times and I found them to be kinda annoying and made me wanna throw the book across the room. The annoying aspect of the characters really brought the plot and my overall view of this one down a bit as well.

This book was so good. As soon as I started reading it, I knew it was going to be a favorite. The winter setting was beautiful and the author is extremely talented at writing descriptions that make you feel like you can step right inside the setting.

The plot of the book gave me fourth book of the H*P series but vampires, which was amazing to be able to fill that void again.

And pansexual vampires??? I couldn’t be happier. I’m always looking for more pan rep and this made me so happy to have on-page confirmation.

I didn’t *love* the romance aspects of this book and I felt like the “big reveal” was a bit too rushed, but I was hanging on to every word of this book. I haven’t gotten lost in a fantasy (or any book) like this in so long and for that, it’s made a spot in my favorite reads of the year.

3.5⭐️: Gossip Girl meets vampires. But like...they're more deadly than Blair, Serena, Chuck and Nate. This one is simple; if you're looking for a mindless vampire read then here you go. And sometimes you need that kind of read, however it’s not without its faults. For example, you are introduced to entirely too many characters up front. I understand that it's a school and as such there will be many supporting roles, but, when you start the book you have no idea who is going to end up being important so I found meeting so many people right away a little too overwhelming.⁠
I also thought the end was quite rushed. The main character goes through a lot and then suddenly it's just over and things are revealed in a matter of a few pages after a long buildup.⁠
That being said, the setting is sexy and fun and the characters so unique. I was constantly guessing who would find their "human" side and who was a villain lurking underneath, and I didn't guess anyone correctly. ⁠
Arend teetered on the edge of some great character development that I'd love to see heading into the next books in this series and ended up lying some great groundwork. ⁠
Once I settled into the book and sorted out who was who, I wanted to keep reading, and the cliffhanger at the end was quite good, so I'm likely to read book two.

I thought the book was a great addition to its genre. My only complaint was the over-reliance on typical YA tropes: love triangles, the chosen one pitted against prejudiced, bigoted people, predictable, power-hungry villains, and so on. The book was a bit too formulaic and predictable in that way. Also, I don’t think the characters needed to have so much lust for one another. It was more than a bit annoying. After all, it’s classified as YA, not NA or adult.

3.5 stars

This was generally a fun read. As someone who grew up in the heyday of Twilight, Vampire Diaries, and True Blood, it definitely brought me right back to being a middle schooler squealing over sexy bloodthirsty vampires.

There was nothing particularly original about this book. You have an elite finishing school for vampires (VAMPS) which caters to the rich and powerful in the vampire world. Our MC, Dillon, is a half vampire (dhampir) and is of course ostracized and outcast by a number of his classmates. But he's *special* (chosen one trope) and nobody quite knows why. He and a few of the vamps on his side try to figure out why Dillon is so special, with varying levels of success.

There's lot of academic rivalry, some political intrigue, and good old fashioned teenage angst.

I found this to be a quick, fun read. If you grew up around 2008, it'll bring back all the fun of the vampy novels we grew up with.

Thank you to NetGallery and the publisher for providing a copy of this book!

Short Summary: The story follows the experiences of Dillon, a half-vampire half-human Irish boy who was suddenly introduced to his vampire heritage days before being sent to VAMPS, a prestigious academy for the top of the top vampires. He overcomes many hostilities and plots meant to destroy him and makes many friends along the way.

Age recommendation: I personally think this book is targeted towards younger audiences and would not recommend for people over 30 years old. However, do note that there were quite a few slightly erotic scenes that may be slightly unsuitable for teens and young adults.

Overall opinion: The story itself is quite cliche- it follows the usual troupe of an underdog gaining success. Moreover, the romances were poorly developed; for example, Dillon’s obsession with Cora appeared all too suddenly and unexpectedly. In addition, I personally felt like many of the characters were quite flat and was just there to serve as a foil to the main protagonist.

Overall, I recommend this book if you’re looking for a light read, but if you’re looking for books with well developed characters and plot lines, this book is probably not it for you. However, I’m definitely looking forward to reading the 2nd book of this series when it comes out!

A fun palette cleanser of a book that doesn't make you think too hard, is the book equivalent of a CW show (which is a compliment).

As someone that reads their fair share of paranormal academy books, I wasn’t sure what I was going to think of this one.

Fresh Blood follows Dillon as he is thrust into his new life as a dhampir. As a half vampire half human, that was raised as all human, he has no idea what lies ahead for him in the exclusive vampire academy VAMPS. What follows is chaos, bloodlust, and a new challenge almost daily.

There are a lot of characters, and they are all kind of thrown at you right from the beginning, but I found it very easy to keep up with. They all have their place in the story, whether it be by Dillons side or against him.

I think Arend has done a fantastic job building this secret vampire world nestled away in the mountains. I also found that only knowing what Dillon knows throughout the book helped build a full understanding of this world at a nice pace. Not too overwhelming and new, just sort of as we needed the information. Which works in some stories.

This book ends on a nice, slightly twisty, cliffhanger and I can not wait to see what happens in Dillons life next!

Nope, Nope, not for me. This was a horrible trashy story with vampires and I just couldn't do it. DNF!

VAMPS: Fresh Blood by Nicole Arend was just what I needed to get sucked into a book.
And Nicole did a fabulous job here creating a world in which completely captivated me.
I felt the writing in this book was amazing and I couldn't get enough of it - the pace worked well for me.
Dillon is a great male lead. It was pretty awesome to finally read a vampire... well should I say a dhampir male character. And the VAMP Academy is just brilliant.
It made for such a gritty story, and definitely an interesting one at that.
I am thrilled to see that this is a series and I am already ready for book two.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Atria Books,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this eARC!

I throughly enjoyed this novel. In fact, it’s one of the few lately that has held my attention throughout the entire story. While I could see a few things coming, I never felt like rushing though it. I would definitely recommend it to friends.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I went into this book without too high of expectations but with hopes it would bring me as much joy as Twilight, Crave, and Vampire Diaries did when I was first introduced to those. I first want to note that I would consider this more NA vs YA, it’s a little more “spicier” than your typical YA books, but still, this is something I definitely would have read in high school or in the YA age group without any hesitations. Overall, this book was a fun and easy read - it was something light to read when ending my day. Really the only complaint I have is many of these characters, for me, were somewhat unlikable and maybe it is because they start off with such a bad impression as they are introduced in the beginning and that’s the main reason why I gave this 3 stars… though I did enjoy reading about Dillon adjusting to the vampire/dhampir lifestyle as he was one of the few likable characters within the story. It was nice to have a male main character and prospective which is different than my typical reads. 17-19 year old me would probably devour this book in a day and IMPATIENTLY await the next installment as it does give me those older vampire book/shows vibes.

So overall - was this book a literary masterpiece? Absolutely not.. But did I thoroughly enjoy reading this and would I consider reading any further books in this series? Absolutely 😂