{Review} Jinn Nation by Caroline Barnard-Smith

ISBN #: 978-1461000747

Page Count: 340

Copyright: July 2, 2011

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Book Summary:

(Taken from Amazon)

Once, the vampire Dylan had feared nothing and no one. He'd rampaged throughout the world on a seemingly never ending quest to fill his eternal years with the finest, most outrageous extravagances; with exquisite, soft-limbed young women and copious amounts of rich, vibrating blood. But life, however full of joy, inevitably changes.

Finding himself alone for the first time in his long unlife, Dylan turns to the preternatural race of savage creatures called the jinn - a path that inevitably leads him to Christa, a strangely childlike woman with the power to control minds and read thoughts. Mutually intrigued by each other, they set out on a blood-soaked road trip that crosses the United States and the Atlantic Ocean, finally leading them beyond the world itself to the mysterious fae kingdoms of the Inbetween.

Mandy's Review:

Despite the inundation of vampires since the Twilight movies, I never seem to grow tired of reading about them. Perhaps it's because they're sexy as hell. Perhaps it's because I love my neck bitten and imagining a vampire doing that is extremely erotic. Whatever it is, I love vampires ... but I'm not sure that I love Dylan.

He's tall, dark and handsome, of course, but there's just something about his personality that I'm not attracted to. I think it's the fact that he's so needy of acceptance and companionship. Or maybe it's because he's now fearful of certain people. I like my vampires to be confident and on the verge of arrogance. Yes, I can imagine being the only vampire would become a little depressing and lonely, but there's just something that didn't click with me where Dylan's concerned.

I also thought Christa is a little psychotic. She's one of those crazy, bipolar-esque women that men eventually tire from. Christa does have special powers and is the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy, but she's annoyed when she finds this out. She searches for someone who can remove this power from her because she just wants to be "normal," aka selfish. Let's be honest, though ... how many of you, once you found out that you were the key to an ancient prophecy and had people coming up to you worshiping you for what you were going to do, would grow tired and annoyed with your "special powers?" I think I would. I think I would consider the same thing Christa did: find someone to remove these powers from me. Be careful, though, because you never know what you've got until it's gone.

Introducing the jinn was an interesting twist to this story that I appreciated. The jinn aren't really creatures. They're humans who've had special stones sewn into their stomachs. To gain power, they kill and eat the choicest organs from (mostly) young women. Sound disgusting? I'm right there with ya ... It is a disgusting concept, but one that I have to give props to the author for. I'm not sure how she came up with that grotesque idea, but it's a good one.

One critique I will make, and this goes for all authors, please stop having your female characters think they have food poisoning when they're really pregnant. I do get tired of reading that.

Overall, this story was captivating and entertaining. I was able to read it through in two sittings (one does have to get some sleep). If you're a fan of vampires or the paranormal, this book would be right up your dark alley.


*An ecopy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.