Lovin' los libros

Blood and Snow: The Complete Set
  by: RaShelle Workman

Publication Date: Feb. 17, 2013
Publisher: Polished Pen Press
Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: e-copy provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 518 pages
Order Links: Amazon
My Rating: 3/5 stars

                                                  -goodreads.com description

When I saw this mixed Snow White with vampires I was so sold. I believe these all started as novellas, so I'm really glad I got to read the whole set together. I think it flowed better as a whole than if I had read them as separate parts. Overall, I found it be an enjoyable read. There were some parts where I found myself losing interest and really struggled to keep focused, but I pushed forward because we definitely have multiple romances and I wanted to see how that would end up. I did find some of the plot to be predictable. The betrayal at the end didn't blindside me or phase me.

I liked how Workman portrayed Snow White. She was clumsy, wore frumpy clothing, and just saw herself as a plain girl, especially next to her beautiful, fashionable best friend, Cindy. Snow was down to earth, sweet, and a very likeable character. Cindy ended up proving to be a loyal, good friend though there were moments I doubted her genuineness and wondered if something else was going on underneath the perky exterior. Snow's father and step mother are absent most of the time, so Snow has really bonded with Professor Pops and his seven sons. All of them actually show interest in Snow, unbeknownst to her. She however, finds herself crushing on Gabe. I liked Gabe to start. He flirted with Snow, but she didn't think it meant anything more. He was sweet and caring and protective of her. However, his disposition changed once he found out she had been bitten by a Hunter. This is where he irritated me. He pulled away from Snow when she needed him the most and even went so far as to flirting with her best friend! He has a reason for pulling away that we discover later though, so I can understand why he acted as he did. I don't agree with what occurred with Gabe and Cindy though. I felt that was unfair and just wasn't something I could root for.

Then we have Christopher, who is the Hunter that bit Snow. She finds herself falling for him, despite her crush on Gabe. As a fledgling vampire, she craves blood and no amount of herbal tea is going to quench that thirst. Christopher is able to let her drink from him and he from her. Drinking from one another is not only about suppressing the bloodthirst- it's also quite intimate, and Snow can't help how she feels. There was something about Christopher from the beginning I did not quite like. I didn't trust him or his intentions. I think part of it is because he's the 'bad boy' and I don't trust paranormal bad boys very often.Though, he certainly oozed sex appeal and for a YA those two shared some sexy scenes! (No sex though.)

Finally, there is Dorian, another one of Professor Pops 'sons'. Dorian doesn't really play a major role until later. For most of the book he is merely an afterthought, but present enough so that when he does pop up, you can see all along how his role would play out. He like many of the others is also in love with Snow and during her transition he offers to let her drink from him to help her. I really liked Dorian and was glad to see how everything played out concerning him.

I also liked Professor Pops. Not only did he serve as a father figure to Snow, he also was her mentor. He was able to provide her information about her change and serve as a guide to help her and educate her. He welcomed Snow into his home and accepted her no matter what.

I found the history of the Vampire Queen and her sister to be interesting, and for awhile Snow was no longer narrating, but Silindra, the Vampire Queen's sister. We found out so much history about how the Vampire Queen came to power and how Silindra was killed. All of this information, while didn't quite hold my interest, was still key to the outcome of Snow's tale.

If you like fairy tales with a paranormal twist, you may want to check this one out. It was an enjoyable read, but I don't know that I would read it again.