Review: Spiral X

Review: Spiral X

 

Title: Spiral X

Author: J.J. Westendarp

Publisher: Kindle Edition

Pages: 259

Rating: *****

Review Source: the author J.J.Westendarp

Back of Book Synopsis: (from Goodreads.com) 

 Cheryl Erikson is a Vampire Hunter with a problem. A dangerous new drug named Plast has found its way onto the streets of Dallas. She would prefer to let the DEA and local law enforcement handle everything, but since the dealers also happen to be vampires, she has no choice but to step in and put a stop to it. With the help of her best friend Virgil and a fellow Hunter named Tank, Cheryl must work to eradicate Plast from the streets of Dallas. It's a task that becomes more difficult as she comes under the gun, quite literally, from a contract out on her head. Coupled with a nosy police detective looking to peg her for a triple homicide, and a sudden interest in her activities from a powerful vampire recently arrived in the area, it's enough to force her to accept help from the least likely of sources, a mysterious Hunter named Rev. Through him, everything she thinks she knows, and everything she stands for, is challenged in ways she never imagined.

My Thoughts:

1^st of all, everyone should go check this book out because 10% of the proceeds will be donated to Child’s Play, a charity that donates games, books, and cash to sick kids in hospitals across North America. To learn more about the charity go to www.childsplaycharity.org

I absolutely loved this book. It was action packed and I was totally blown away by how focused I became on the plot. I actually had to read it twice because the first time I read it, I practically devoured it while trying to figure out what happens next, and of course, I completely forgot to take notes so I could write a good review.

I love Cheryl, she is such a great strong female character. She totally kicks butt. A lot of times in paranormal books, the female character keeps getting put into situations where she needs to be rescued by some hunky supernatural guy, and ends up playing the damsel in distress rather than the butt kicking vamp hunter that was promised. While I do love those books too, it is just nice to see a crazy cool female main character. I will say that she does end up needing to be rescued but throughout the ordeal she stays strong and holds her own. I liked all of the plot twists and the fact that it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way through.

J.J. Westendarp does a really good job on all of the characters, not just Cheryl, they all have great multi-faceted personalities and are totally believable. I especially love the villains and I don’t want to spoil anything for future readers so I can’t say why I love them so much but I will say that you think you know who the good and bad guys are but nothing in this story is exactly as it seems.

Some of the other character that I like:

Virgil: Cheryl’s hacker best friend and roommate. Virgil is a really sweet guy who helps her out on the technological aspect of her job of hunting vampires. He also helps show Cheryl’s sensitive side because he forces her to talk about her feeling. They have a totally sweet relationship where they call each other their soul mates. It was very cute what Cheryl thought about him “We were soul mates through and through. If we never met anyone else in our entire lives, we would be ok with it. So long as we had each other. It was strange to feel that way about a person I would never even think about marrying, but there it was” P.172

Stonebriar: A nosey cop who keeps getting in her way while trying to pin murders on her. He hounds her ceaselessly and he is a continual thorn (his name is perfect for him) in her side for the majority of the novel. He is a stereotypical cop but he is fun because he forces her to try to work around him. He also develops as a character throughout so you never know quite what to expect from him.

Rev: the mysterious Hunter. Her teacher in the ways of vamp hunting tells her about him and so he is this enigma throughout the novel. I definitely want to see more of him in any sequels that come up.

Cheryl does not really have any love interests in this story except for Tank who is an occasional friend with benefits and Thom a guy she dates (but it’s complicated). Tank has a humorous part when he forces her to show off her tattoo, which is on her hip while she is wrapped up in a curtain, to an entire swat team. The other minor characters, as well, are great.

I know I’m gushing, but I was really pleased by the quality of the writing as well as the story.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves strong female character, action and adventure, paranormal and cop stories.

I give it a *****