Review: Try Me by Parker Blue

Title: Try Me (Demon Underground #2)
Author: Parker Blue
Available: Now
Publisher: Bell Bridge Books
Number of pages: 218
Reading Level: Young Adult

I received my copy from LibraryThing’s Early Review Program








**Spoilers For The First Book In The Series Below**

Description from Goodreads:

This part-demon teen vampire fighter and her faithful terrier hellhound are once again patrolling the dark city streets of San Antonio, Texas. Val's hunky human partner, Detective Dan Sullivan, is giving her the cold shoulder since she beheaded his vampire ex-fiancée. Vamp leader Alejandro is struggling to keep the peace between vamps, demons and humans. The mucho powerful Encyclopedia Magicka has been stolen, someone in the Demon Underground is poisoning vamps, and Val's inner lust demon, Lola, is getting very restless since Val's now partnered with sexy Shade, the shadow demon with the blond good looks of an angel. The second book in Parker Blue's Demon Underground urban fantasy series plunges readers deeper into a heady world of passion, friendship, intrigue and mystery. Parker Blue lives in the wilds of Colorado with her own faithful hellhound, and she's hard at work on the next Val Shapiro book in the Demon Underground series.


My thoughts:


Try Me is the second book in the Demon Underground series. I liked this book more than the first.  The plot was good. I was intrigued and guessing until the end about who stole the Encyclopedia Magicka.  It had the clever dialogue I enjoyed so much in the first book. We see a softer and more emotional side of Val over the course of Try Me. I feel she is evolving as a character, and I was able to connect with her. That is something I couldn’t say after finishing the first book. Unfortunately, the plot felt rushed just as it did in the first book. I was also overwhelmed by the amount of secondary characters. I would love to see a longer book with more character building. I loved Dan and Gwen. We didn’t see nearly enough of Dan in Try Me, but Gwen was around. I like the friendship between her and Val.  Val needs a girlfriend like Gwen to help when things get tough. I have mixed feelings about Micah and Shade. I don’t know what it is, but they just aren’t favorites of mine. Fang the Hellhound was also present in this book. I adore his relationship with Val.

This is a cute series with fun characters. Both books are quite short so if you’re looking for a quick read  this should fit the bill. I’ll most likely read the next book in the series when it is released.

Other books in this series:

Bite Me

Parker Blue on the web:

Website

Review: Bite Me by Parker Blue

Title:  Bite Me (Demon Underground #1)

Author:  Parker Blue

Release Date:  9/30/2008

Publisher:  Bell Bridge Books

Number of pages:  272

Reading level:  Young Adult

Received my copy for my Kindle free from Amazon

Description from Goodreads:

An edgy book for teens that spans the gap between YA and adult fiction. Life after high school is tough enough without having to go 15 rounds with your inner demon. Val Shapiro is just your ordinary, part-demon, teenaged vampire hunter with a Texas drawl. And a pet hellhound named Fang. Soon enough she finds herself deep in the underbelly of the city, discovering the secrets of the Demon Underground and fighting to save those she loves. Whether they love her back or not.

My thoughts:


Bite Me is the first book in the Demon Underground series.  The protagonist is 18 year old Val who also happens to be part succubus.  She starts hunting the vampires that roam the streets of San Antonio after dark as a way to satisfy her inner demon’s appetite. The thrill of the battle seems to be just what she needs to keep the demon (who Val refers to as Lola) quiet.  Val’s mom starts to feel that the vamp hunting lifestyle is putting her other daughter (who is fully human) in danger and promptly gives her part demon daughter the boot.  Poor Val finds herself without a home or job on her 18th birthday.  Thankfully, it doesn’t take her long to make friends with a hellhound named Fang and land a new job. Then the excitement begins.


Bite Me was a unique and fun read. I like Val’s sense of humor. The telepathic conversations she has with Fang are cute. There is also a little chemistry between Val and one of the secondary characters.  This should satisfy readers that like a side of romance with their book. On the downside the story felt rushed. The characters weren’t as developed as I would have liked. Everything was happening so fast it made it difficult for me to connect with anyone. Even Val who we learned the most about still felt like a stranger when I reached the end of the story. The resolution was superb though. Thought out, well delivered, and not the least bit predictable. It just seemed that in order to get to this great ending we had to endure a bumpy ride. The story was flawed but not enough to make me give up on the series. Val’s snarky attitude and Fang’s fun sense of humor make me want to give it a second chance. I plan to read the next book in this series, Try Me, very soon.


The book is young adult but definitely not appropriate for younger teens/preteens. Of course I’m sure that is a given considering the main character is part lust demon. Oh and anyone else think the cover model looks a little like Avril Lavigne? Avril played the role of Val in my head while I read Bite Me :)

Trailer for Bite Me:

Parker Blue on the web:

Website