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Generation V by M.L. Brennan
Series: Generation V #1
Publication date: May 7th, 2013
Pages: 312
Synopsis (according to Goodreads):
Reality Bites
Fortitude Scott's life is a mess. A degree in film theory has left him with zero marketable skills, his job revolves around pouring coffee, his roommate hasn't paid rent in four months, and he's also a vampire. Well, sort of. He's still mostly human.
But when a new vampire comes into his family's territory and young girls start going missing, Fort can't ignore his heritage anymore. His mother and his older, stronger siblings think he's crazy for wanting to get involved. So it's up to Fort to take action, with the assistance of Suzume Hollis, a dangerous and sexy shape-shifter. Fort is determined to find a way to outsmart the deadly vamp, even if he isn't quite sure how.
But without having matured into full vampirehood and with Suzume ready to split if things get too risky, Fort's rescue mission might just kill him...
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Review:
I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review from the author. M.L. Brennan also provided a signed finished copy for a giveaway on my site. Very sweet!
To be perfectly honest, I didn’t know if I was going to like this book when I first went into it. I knew there was a slight lack of romance that was mentioned by others who have read the book. I am a romance fanatic so the fact that it wasn’t going to be prevalent in this book was something that made me a bit weary. I thought I wouldn’t like this book at all.
Boy, was I ever wrong. I was hooked within the first few chapters. Fortitude fighting against his nature and the indifferent emotions of his race toward humans was admirable. I was surprised by how little other vampires felt about the human race since you would think they would find their food source to be valuable enough for at least a passing thought. Fortitude struggled with the same issues. He couldn’t sit back and do nothing while humans were being harmed, tormented, and used for only what they could provide before being discarded like trash.
Brennan's vampires are much more complex than your run-of-the-mill vampires. They are the brain children of science and fantasy. In Fortitude's world, vampires are born to be vampires, not created by a simple bite or exchange of blood. Originality at its finest!
The book really got interesting after Suzume made an appearance. She and Fort had so many hilarious interactions that I found myself in stitches through half the book. I was reading around my boyfriend and he couldn’t understand why I kept lapsing into relentless giggles. That would be Suzume and Fort for you.
Of course, the book was not all fun and games the entire time. There was a disturbing twist in the evil that enters Fort’s world. I was squirming in my seat as some very adult situations started to happen. I won’t reveal too much, but let’s just say that this book is not suitable for young teenagers. Not by any stretch of the imagination.
The end of the book was perfectly written to lead into the next installment of the series. I look forward to seeing how Fortitude and Suzume develop both as characters and in a possible relationship. Those two were adorable together and I would love to see them become an item. Fortitude is also slowly growing into his role as a vampire.
Overall, the book was extremely well written, the characters were well developed, the comedy was beautiful, and the serious parts made my heart swell. I have not written a book this good that didn’t contain an overwhelming amount of romance, since… well, I don’t even know. M.L. Brennan is a genius and I recommend this book to people who want a slightly different take on the vampire race.
