Blood Hunger

A M Esmonde

Average Rating 7/10 (1 Review)

An explorer makes a discovery in Romania, dubbed the 'Ice Prince' find it is significant enough to put him and his girlfriend Lucia Ferrara in the media spotlight.

Iliana and her sister's journey to the United Kingdom, news that the 'Ice Prince' had been discovered ceases their many years of blood abstinence and they unleash a bloodthirsty terror on humankind leaving a trail of death from London to the Welsh countryside.

From the fall of the vampire and the Dracul brothers in medieval Europe to their return in the present day. Prepare yourself, their first bite will be your last!

A definitive and fresh reinvention of the vampire legend. Inspired by the spirit of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's novella Carmilla, Hammer Horror's film series and cult horror The Hunger.

Review by Mike Durke (050910) Rating (7/10)

Review by Mike Durke
Rating 7/10
Remember those Hammer horror films? Imagine those only revamped (no pun intended) raw, bloody and unleashed.

A. M. Esmonde's latest novel offering Blood Hunger may have come in the buzz of The Twilight Saga, vampire Diaries, and True Blood but it's very different to the aforementioned.

Set in 1477 A.D and the Present day it follows the rise and fall of the vampires and their return after their leader is discovered preserved in ice. The feisty Lucia Ferrara must piece together the link between her discovery in Romania of the body and the deaths happening around her aided by detective Michaels.

There's a good mix of horror, adventure and suspense. There is some new vampire ideas that reinforce the folklore. Their regeneration process is explained and why sunlight kills them. Also what vampire story wouldn't be complete without an old book and a castle, yes, that's in there too.

It's a face-paced read and what I like about Blood Hunger, as vampire fan, is that it encapsulates traditional vampire stories especially in 15th Century London and Romania chapters. In contrast you have the slick realism of the modern day setting which becomes more dreamlike as the story unfolds. The ending is action packed, as Lucia must go head to head with three vampire sisters (reminiscent of the Brides of Dracula.)

There's plenty to get you teeth into in Blood Hunger and for once all the female characters are strong, which is few and far between for a male writer in this genre. A must for vampire fans and Hammer Horror followers.
Mike Durke (5th September 2010)