A Shade of Vampire, by Bella Forrest

Book 48 of 2017

I stumbled upon A Shade of Vampire (Book 1) by Bella Forrest (that can not be her real name) accidentally while searching for my next read on Amazon. It surprised me as a bestselling series, compared to the likes of Twilight and The Mortal Instruments. So, obviously, I was intrigued.

A Shade of Vampire is set in a seemingly normal, current-day environment. But, as we often learn in Fantasy novels: nothing is as it seems. On the evening of protagonist Sofia Claremont’s seventeenth birthday, her world is forever changed. Angry at her best friend and crush, she hastily runs to the beach to be alone, only to be kidnapped by a vampire, and taken to what seems like a parallel universe with no escape, known as The Shade.

The Shade is terrifying and beautiful all at once. It’s an enchanted island where the sun won’t shine. The royal prince of The Shade, Derek Novak, has just awoken and is gifted Sofia, along with a handful of other girls who have been kidnapped. Sofia has been named his slave, but quickly learns that he wants nothing from her that she isn’t willing to give him; she realizes that while she is eternally stuck in The Shade, she may have to trust Derek Novak to keep her safe from the vampires who may not have her best interest at heart.

A Shade of Vampire is a self-published series, and it was my first time venturing into this world beyond Wattpad. It’s interesting how self-published stories can take off: it’s fascinating which ones do, and how quickly they gain traction. Forrest has written 56 stories related to A Shade of Vampire, and I have got to hand it to her: she has built a loyal fan base and has continued to produce. While I don’t think the writing and story compares to my Fantasy favorites, I do see why this first novel in the series drew seven million readers in. It’s a quick and easy read, with a challenging love story that will keep readers on their toes. Will I read the next book in the series? Perhaps, but I’m not racing to it. After all, I have a ton of unread books on my shelf that are calling my name.