The Becoming: Anna Strong, Vampire, Book 1

After reading the two reviews, I decided to go by the number of stars the Anna Strong audio books had received instead. I'm glad I did. I did not find the narrator annoying at all. Yes, there are others I have liked better, but I really enjoyed this start to the series. In fact I have gone on to purchase the others.

I didn't use to read/listen to any of the vampire/paranormal type books until I stumbled on Kim Harrison's "Rachel Morgan" series. Since then I have dipped into other authors that have been outstanding as well (Jim Butcher, Carrie Vaughn, Charlaine Harris, Jeaniene Frost, Kelley Armstrong, Richelle Mead, Deborah Harkness, and others). I would include Jeanne C. Stein's writing along with my other favorite paranormal authors listed above. I found the books very entertaining and well written, and well narrated. If you don't want to stretch your imagination or you don't enjoy this type of book, don't get it. If you like the unusual and a bit of escapism, this series should not be overlooked.

I rated this book with 4 stars, but I would have preferred 3 1/2.
I'm going to get the next book. This one wasn't great enough to keep me listening all weekend, but I'm hoping it will improve. I liked this book enough to finish (and lately, that's saying something). I didn't even speed it in to double time to hurry it along.
Pros:
I like the supporting characters and I want to know more about David, Max, & Casper.
The book was fairly entertaining.
The sex was G-rated (I'm really tired of the graphic sex so that's a good thing).
Cons:
The narrator wasn't the best I've heard, but since I just finished "The Help", I don't suppose anyone could stand up to those standards.
I thought Anna was kinda dumb. Granted, she is a new vampire, but *spoiler alert!!!* coming next.......
She's a vamp in handcuffs and it doesn't occur to her to try to break them? Duh.

Terrific first book of this series and I totally look forward to the next books. I loved it---the main character is more complex than most of the heroines in some other vampire series and she takes care of business when necessary which I found quite refreshing!

I was really surprised at some of the plot twists and I won't reveal my ultimate dismay at who the villian turned out to be.

Very good writing except for the G-rated, "cut to the waves crashing on the beach" type of sex. I only hope the rest of the series is a teensy bit more explicit! This is the only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5.

Oh, and I really want to know who casper is!

And despite some other reviewers, I really liked the narrator, Dina Pearlman. Her voice has a perfect throaty tone for both male and female, and she handles the emotional content very well.

It grabs you from the first paragraph read! You can envision the characters that are in that hot pursuit!

When Anna realizes she is not your typical vampire!

No I have not - but I certainly look forward to listening to other books she has preformed!

I found myself so caught up in the story could not wait to listen to the next and the next!

This is certainly not your typical vampire book of blood and gore - even though there is. But, there seems to be a somewhat auroa that surrounds this series! A must listen to! Dian Pearlman is an excellent narrator bring Jeanne Stein's characters to life!

If you like books with a strong female character, then you'll like this one. Anna is tough with a vulnerable side, and that's what I truly enjoyed about her story. The briefness of the love scenes is why I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars, but the writer makes up for this by making the rest of the story so interesting.

Was this rape porn, and plot just filler? Or was this a serious attempt by the author to consider real consequences and reactions to the traumatic transformation from human to Vampire?

The protagonist is raped, beaten and nearly killed. And she's struggling to balance her human boyfriend with the new sexy, vampiric doctor who want to mentor her (and bed her). Wait, what? Wouldn't you think she'd hate to be touched, at all, after such a traumatic experience? Apparently, according to Stein, being raped, beaten and nearly killed doesn't create trauma (or at least, not just trauma)-- it creates arousal.

Considering the protagonist's reaction to being brutually transformed into a Vampire, it should be easy to understand why I walk away thinking the story is a rape fetish wet dream. Had the story been authored by a man (and to be honest, I wonder if it was... and the author just used a woman's pen name) the feminists would be up in arms about the author making rape sexy.

The narrator does an excellent job of narrating, has believably different voices for the various characters, and imparts drama to this otherwise flaccid story. Pearlman is definitely on my "would listen to again" list. Stein is not.

I really liked this book and look forward to reading the next in the series. I liked that certain elements were PG, when in most books like Anna Strong they arent. I recommend adding this book to the top of your wishlist. ;)

This is a fun book that caught my attention right away. I like the heroine and her devotion to her friends. The plot is strong and the story had a lot of action. Some of Anna's internal dialogue was a little grating and simplistic. The story would have been just as good without it. I like the mysterious voice that lends a hand and never reveals himself. It makes me look forward to the next book. I have to admit to being completely duped as to who the villian turned out to be and that doesn't happen to me very often. I have already purchased the next book.

If you like the Parnormal Fantasy Genre (which I do), then you will like this book.

This is the first book in a series. And I am planning on buying the next book as soon as I am done with this review.

I've read alot of Vampire books and I am in love with this story. The book keeps you interested. Yes it can be predictable at times but a great listen. I've downloaded all the other books to keep going