Blood Price

Blood, Book 1

By: Tanya Huff

Narrated by: Justine Eyre

Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

Vicki Nelson, formerly of Toronto’s homicide unit and now a private detective, witnesses the first of many vicious attacks that begin plaguing the city of Toronto. As death follows unspeakable death, Vicki, in an attempt to stop these forces of dark magic, is forced to renew her tempestuous relationship with her former partner, Mike Celluci - along with another, unexpected ally…. Henry Fitzroy, the illegitimate son of King Henry VIII, has learned over the course of his long life how to blend with humans; how to deny the call for blood in his veins. Without him, Vicki and Mike would not survive the ancient force of chaos that has been unleashed upon the world - but in doing so, his identity may be exposed, and his life forfeited.

©1991 Tanya Huff (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Narrator was horrible.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I dont know if having to listen to the narrator would be worth going further in the series. The story held my interest but the narrator had me torn between listening to the end or turning off the book and asking for a refund. Who thought she was qualified to narrate. i would warn my friend that the narration is horrible.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Harry, he's a person who thinks of others before hisself.

What didn’t you like about Justine Eyre’s performance?

Sounds like she is talking in a snobbish manner.

Could not get past chapter one

Would you try another book from Tanya Huff and/or Justine Eyre?

Not if Eyre is the narrator.

Would you be willing to try another one of Justine Eyre’s performances?

Oh Heck No!!

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

I do not know, I bought the audiobook and couldn't get through the first chapter because of the narrator.

Amazing story

Still love this book 18-ish years later. Bummed at the quality of narration, but it’s listenable. Still gonna buy the next one.

Awesome author and story; Awful narrator.

What did you love best about Blood Price?

Carefully crafted story and characters. Very believable story line - almost makes you believe in vampires. Tanya Huff is a master at character definition, dialogue and pacing. It makes for an intriguing story that is hard to put down.

What did you like best about this story?

The blending of true history and modern fiction.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Her pacing and accents were dreadful. She over-emoted virtually every scene. She gets the award for the best William Shatner scene chewing performance - ever.

Any additional comments?

I was so overjoyed to see the Blood Books in audio that I bought every one on the same day. I'm hoping I can overlook the dreadful narrator to enjoy these books the way I did when I read them, and not come to rue the economic outlay.

The print books are amazing.

If you could sum up Blood Price in three words, what would they be?

Vampires are misunderstood.

What other book might you compare Blood Price to and why?

This is a hard question. There's nothing quite like this series. It's VERY gritty. The bad guys are awful. The good guys are good, and in some cases unexpected. I learned stuff. Very Canadian.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

She wasn't awful. But. I stopped listening after about 2 chapters because I just couldn't listen to her any longer. Mispronounciations. Irritating "voices". Whiney. I didn't throw it across the room, but it just wasn't worth listening any longer.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

This is NOT the TV show! It's actually good!

Any additional comments?

Read the books! All of them! And the spin-offs! (worth every moment.)

pretty good!

I saw the TV show that they made from this book and I really loved it so I decided to try the book. The book is very different, but in a good way. I like all the different relationships vicci has and how it seems more realistic. Especially when it comes to how the police react to things.

Came for the book after watching the TV series...

...and it did not disappoint. It was cool to see where the book differed from the show and to get a more in depth account of the character interactions. I will never like Mike Seluchi though, rubbed me the wrong way in the series and rubs me the wrong way in the book. I've already picked up book #2, this has absolutely scratched the itch the tv series left me with!! :D

Off to a Good Start

It surprised me to discover that this novel was originally written in 1991. It has survived the passage of time remarkably well. It's the first novel in a series of five books by Tanya Huff which involve a former police officer-turned private investigator and the vampire son of Henry VIII who solve supernatural crimes together.

It's not a johnny-come-lately on the vampire novel scene; it was one of the earlier prototypes and works well. The private investigator, her former ex-boyfriend police officer, and the vampire who writes bodice rippers team up to solve a string of violent crimes which have been plaguing Toronto.

As a Canadian, I'm pleased to see/hear a series set in Toronto, and though I'm not from Toronto, the depiction is well done.

A series of what appear to be murders by a vampire takes roots in the city, and as the story hums along, it becomes clear that it's actually a demon who's terrorizing the city, and not a vampire. The book is as long as it needs to be.

The story is well written and engaging. It does't feel particularly dated, although the references to a Hibachi and the lack of cell phones make more sense now that I know it was written in 1991.

The narrator is okay but not great. Her attempt to depict male voices often comes off with an odd accent or intonation. She's a breathy narrator, and her vocal intonations are a little irritating. As with many narrators, she pauses in the wrong places and ends up fragmenting the narration. She can probably be forgiven for mispronouncing Manulife, but not for some of the other words she butchers. With a different narrator, this would be an even better book, but it's not bad. To the narrator's credit, she does a very good job depicting the empty-headed university students in the book.

It's certainly well enough done that I have purchased books 2 and 3 in the series. If the other books in the series are as good as this one, it should have a strong following. The ideas are original and inventive, and the dialogue and descriptions are well done.

This is a good book for fans of the supernatural series; it's lighter on romance than some, but that's not a bad thing. It's worth the credit.

Great Story, Terrible Narrator

What did you love best about Blood Price?

I'm a big fan of urban fantasy, and the seamless melding of a fantasy world with the one I know is a rich and wonderful thing.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I love the story, and I love that the heroine is someone I can identify with. She's someone with real strengths and real vulnerabilities. She's had some heartache and some romance, but her life goes on into new and stranger things.

What didn’t you like about Justine Eyre’s performance?

In my mind, when I've read the books, I've heard a strong and steady voice for Vicki, a deep and manly baritone for Celucci, and a lighter, more amused tone from Henry. Ms. Eyre's performance is spectacularly bad, almost whiny, and she frequently adds a quaver when any of the characters gets excited. Perhaps she's nervous? I think it speaks to the excellence of the story that not even this terrible narration can totally break the whole production... but it was close.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Narrator brought it down

Story is good. Narrator isn't. But I wasn't ready to quit it just because of that. Going to try book two!