Reviewed by Marieke
TITLE: Evolution
AUTHOR: Sam Kadence
PUBLISHER: Harmony Ink Press
LENGTH: 230 pages
BLURB:
Gene Sage has only ever wanted to sing, but his band, Evolution, is pushing him toward the big time. He finds it hard to focus on making musical history when he’s dreaming of graveyards and seeing ghosts. And while all he can think of is hiding who he is from a world unforgiving of anyone different, he discovers he’s also the ultimate snack for vampires and demons. When Gene literally runs into—over—his idol, Kerstrande Petterson, rock god, vampire in hiding, and music cynic, his life falls over the edge into chaos.
Jaded by the world and nearly a decade in the music business, Kerstrande thinks Gene wants to use him to make Evolution immortal in more than one way, but he can’t seem to brush aside the young singer’s enthusiasm.
Getting involved with Kerstrande drags Gene into otherworldly power struggles. Between the ghosts stalking them, the media painting supernaturals as villains, and a vampire out of control in the city, the only way for Gene and Kerstrande to survive is for Gene to embrace his powers—and his destiny.
REVIEW:
I have read this book before, but it has been a while…. I thought choosing a book I had read before would make it easier for me to do a paranormal-week review, but I forgot how complex this book was!
Genesis–Gene– is very young, only seventeen, yet he’s been on his own for two years. He has a gift, or a curse, depending on the way you see it. He sees ghosts and auras, but also swirling black things that sometimes take over someone. He has no idea what it is, but he knows it’s evil.
When he hits Kerstrande with his car, it’s the beginning of a long, scary yet exciting journey for Gene. He and Kerstrande have an intense chemistry, but have a hard time dealing with each other. Or rather, Kerstrande has a hard time admitting and accepting his feelings for Gene. Gene gets hurt a lot!
Later in the story we find out why Kerstrande is the way he is, and what he is. It’s hard to write a review about this without giving away too much and spoil a very good read for you.
Joel, Rob and Gene form the band Evolution, but something happens to Joel, and he goes missing for a big part of the book. Rob…Rob is not my favorite person. He’s kind of a bigot, yet somehow I think he’s just hiding his sexuality, even for himself. Then there is the old manager, Devon. He’s the first person we meet with the black swirly things around him, and you immediately know it’s not good. He and Rob are the only bit of the story line that, I feel, is left unfinished. But it’s not anything major, so it’s not annoying.
What I like most about this book, was the complexity. It’s not a fluffy read, and there’s a lot to make you think about the things around us. The story has several twists and turns that aren’t all that predictable and that makes it fun. It was well worth the second read, and I can very much recommend it for those who don’t mind a little complexity. For me, this was one of the better vamp stories!
RATING: 
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Lovely review I have just downloaded to my groaning TBR folder 🙂