Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter Box Set

(Books 1-3)

By: Nikki Jefford

Narrated by: Em Eldridge

Length: 22 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's Summary

This collection includes Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Northern Bites, and Bad Blood. Tune into three full recordings of Aurora's action-packed northern adventures filled with dark humor, unforeseeable twists, tension, and romance.

Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter (Book 1)

Desperate to leave the darkness and cold of Alaska, 18-year-old Aurora Sky suddenly finds herself entangled in a world of secret government agents and vampires after a near fatal car crash transforms her life forever.

Northern Bites (Book 2)

When a member of the unit's team is found dead, Aurora is sent after a vampire in Sitka, but Aurora suspects the killer's much closer to home.

Bad Blood (Book 3)

College is starting, and so is Aurora's undercover work at a network of swanky parties known as "Tastings" for high rolling vampires who like their blood laced with fine wine. But Aurora's not the only one on the prowl. An underground investigation is under way to find out who killed one of Anchorage's high profile vampires...and Aurora is a prime suspect.

©2012, 2013, 2014 Nikki Jefford (P)2016 Nikki Jefford

A Three Book, Box Set With Three Near Misses

The world of Aurora Sky is all about high school, boys and mean girls until a near fatal accident changes everything in her life. Now she is tangled in a web of intrigue with government agents and vampires.

In exchange for saving her life, a clandestine government agency trains Aurora to kill vampires. As it turns out, Aurora’s blood is debilitating to vampires. It renders them easy to kill after they bite Aurora. Author, Nikki Jefford’s vampires don’t have the gravitas of vampires we have come to expect in our urban fantasy novels. The Vampires in the Aurora Sky novels are basically just self-indulgent, spoiled, fang-less humans who need to drink blood and live long lives. They don’t have the air of a supernatural predator the way vampires in other author’s stories have. The fact that they need to use guns and baseball bats fundamentally reduces any supernatural villain mystique they may have had. For me, this takes away from all the Aurora Sky novels. The books are just not compelling reads/listens. Nikki Jefford is a very competent writer. I would definitely try another book by her, but her Aurora Sky novels are books I can take or leave without caring one way or the other. It’s just very disappointing when you title your book, “Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter,” then fail to give me even a little bit of kick-ass action between vampire hunter and vampires. I personally don’t need soap opera and mean girls that are actually more scary than the vampires.

Overall, the Aurora Sky novels are well written, but all of them still miss the mark, by a narrow margin. Finally, this audio book was provided by the author at no cost in exchange for an honest review, courtesy of Audio Book Boom.

What an intriguing thrilling listen

Any additional comments?

This is a very different kind of Vampire story than most with a delightful twist by the time you get to the third book in this set you know just what happen and who did it but you do not know the why of it. I can’t even imagine why these people have built up their warriors and for what reason. Yes they are taking down the Vampires one at a time and we are told what they want us to believe but all fingers are pointing to a much deep reason that most likely will be mind blowing. This starts out with action from the first page which is more or less never ending.

AURORA SKY
Aurora has her whole life planned out before her what college she will go to, where she might live isn’t really important as long as she get out of Alaska to somewhere warmer maybe a sunny beach or a cool crisp mountain side that is until the day she got in her car to face a deadly scene of a car coming straight at her. She wakes up to find that her life is over as she knows it, she won’t be going to the college she pick, she won’t be leaving Alaska and just what the heck have they done to her. What have they made her? How can she get out of this nightmare and will she be able to ever be normal again?

When the government steps in why she is on death row changing her making her better than she was before or did they? Now she must stay in Alaska as her true mission comes to light it scares the crap right out of her. She must train and hunt down vampires have them bite which sends a vampire into temporary paralysis which gives her enough time to kill them. Is she a vampire or not, maybe somewhere in between. She must partner up with others like her to hunt down the bad vampires that the government decides needs to die.

There is a little love interest here that doesn’t come out all the way until a little later on. It is very interesting and a lot of fun to watch it play out. You have Fane and Dante both are very hot and have their own place in this story.
NORTHERN BITES
In this we find Aurora teaming up with Valerie who is out for anyone’s blood not just vampires. Unlike Aurora she isn’t a hunter she is the food for them. The action continues throughout as they take on more vampires. Aurora learns more about Fane not all is as it seems. She learns more about the agency which makes her start asking question. One of their beloved team mates and a friend of Aurora’s are found dead it sends Aurora and Valerie after a vampire in Sitka. Something just isn’t right and things do not turn out as to be expected leaving Aurora head spinning as she learns new things about herself. As she learns new things she finds she remembers some old ones leaving her to believe that they might be killing the wrong people. Jared becomes a major player in this book which leaves us with very scary thoughts. Something happens here that she must get out of town and off to boot camp she goes. I believe here she finds something that upsets her in trying to find a place to get her thoughts together she finds herself in a mess of trouble with little or no way out. My heart really went out to her in this book as she finds people she trusts can’t be trusted. Fane really wasn’t my favorite character in this book. What happen to Valerie and where did she go?

BAD BLOOD
This starts out with Aurora being at book camp she must do one mission, given one tool and a time frame to take out a vampire. If she passes she gets to go home if she does not she must start the training all over. This is very fast paced with lots of action. She comes home to start college and find more shocking surprises. I really like Noel in the first book but by the end of the second she isn’t my favorite character. She plans a very big role in book 3 with some very surprising twists. Fane is back in the picture which doesn’t make Aurora very happy. As the book moves on Aurora finds out more about herself and the day she dies. There is much mystery in all three books but I think this one has the most so far. You start to wonder if they aren’t on the wrong side and just which side is the right one.

We have more trying times with an unexpected roommate that she can’t get along with which brings so exciting scenes. Fane is back and Dante takes on a bigger part in her life. Valerie is back causing major trouble which just about leaves her dead. Revenge is the names of the game for this book from Valerie to the mystery lady both are out for blood and it looks to be Aurora they want. Aurora finds her family might not be safe. With all that goes on in this book it really turns her life upside down leaving her wondering where to turn and who she should trust.

*
The narrator had me on pins and needles really bring this audio to life. She did a great job of bring the emotion, pain and sorrow to the front leaving you with your heart beating double times as she pulls on mind trying to unravel the mystery of all that is going on around you. Her character voices are wonderful you always know what each one is feeling and have no trouble knowing who is taking. Her male voices are just as wonderful as her female ones. There are no repeats of words and no breaks were taken that I could tell. There are no background noises just a clean, clear audio that leaves you hanging on her every word. She really puts her emotions in to this audio never leaving you guessing as to what each character is feeling. The action scenes really come to life in your mind as danger is near or the hunt is on. You can almost feel the bite and the shaking of the victim right before he or she is taken out. I really enjoyed this narrator and cannot wait to listen to more of her work.

The author gives you wonderful characters you can relate to and feel their pain. My heart really went out to Aurora mother from the trouble in her marriage to having to decide what to do about her daughter as she is at deaths doors. Than to have to deal with what she has done there is no wonder she kind of lives in her own world. Aurora grandmother is something else all together. Her father I really didn’t understand until later and then I really didn’t like him. Fane and Dante what is there not to love until Fane does something that really just about breaks your heart? By the end of the story I am torn between which one I like the most and would love to see Aurora with.
For the author she did a wonderful job giving a new twist to an old story that is old as time. She really just about made me believe in vampires. There are times you really dislike some characters only to find you come to like them and she turns the tables on you again. I really loved some and couldn’t get enough. You will have a mixture of feelings throughout this whole box-set. There isn’t very much filler in this story each scene has a point to make as the author twists and turns her way into your heart. This is one author that knows how to keep you on the edge with the mystery and unknown. You really do not know what to believe and spend your time yelling at a few characters. It isn’t all gloom and doom there is humor and laughter. I spend my time smiling, laughing or waiting to cry. Aurora has always had my heart from the first page. Noel I really liked and then not so much now I am unsure. There is so much more going on than meets the eyes. I can’t wait to find out what everyone is hiding. There is some romance but mostly it is about the hunt, the kill, the who and what the heck is really going on. This is the first I have read/listen of her work and am really looking forward to listening/read more of this series.

Note: I really should have work on my review after listening to each book. My mind is a little confused as to some of the things that happened from one book to another. All in all it blends well and is very entertaining.

The Reader Needs an Editor

Book 2 fixed the Notre Dame University mispronunciation. Ok.

Throughout books 2 and 3 the reader mispronounces cholera repeatedly. Other words were said incorrectly, too, but only once. Her French was often wrong, too, but very few will notice that. Otherwise, the reader was good -- she just needs someone (or the internet) to tell her how to pronounce stuff.

All 3 books should really be just one.

Great Series! Books 1-3

Unique take on vampire & vampire hunters. I enjoyed all three books. I'm looking forward to reading more books about Aurora Sky.

The narrator did a great job bringing the story to life. This is a story I would no mind listening to it again.

The third book concludes with a cliffhanger. I'm continuing with this series and hoping the next books will be just as good as the first three.

**This audiobook was provided free of charge in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion**

If you are over 14 you may want to pass

Promising premise...terrible delivery. I tried with this one because the story could have been good. However the whining over angsty protagonist really became annoying. I was really excited to find a boxed set of books but became dreadfully disappointed and only made it through the first book because of grim determination. The narrator's voice was OK but her mispronunciation of so many words was distracting.

3 great stories

This is an entertaining and exciting set of three stories about a teen who becomes a reluctant vampire hunter. Aurora's life is saved by a secret government agency after she is severely injured in a car accident. Her blood type makes her special and their means of "saving" her costs her Aurora her freedom. She has no choice but to work for the agency but she hates and to kill and comes to realize that there is a hidden undercurrent to the agencies functioning. The three stories flow well into each other and you soon became attached to Aurora. She is to some degree a typical winey teen who does things without thinking but in other ways she is brave and innovative. Caught in a complex situation that she has no control over and with disruption in her home life, she actually manages to cope very well. The interplay between the characters is appealing and often amusing, and her budding romances are enjoyable and typical of teen behavior. The narration suits the books and she did a good job of both the male and the female voices but I did find her voice failed to build sufficient tension on occasions. I enjoyed all three stories, they were fun, exciting, had action, romance and enough twists to keep you entertained. Even though the stories are individual, they still build on one another adding depth and interest to the world. I will look forward to listening to or reading the next in the series. I received this audiobook set in a giveaway.

Audible re-read of a series I love

Would you listen to Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter Box Set again? Why?

I loved this series when I read it and I loved it more listening to it again. There is so much happening in this series that I found myself catching things the second time through. I think this is a series I could go back and listen to again in the future.

What does Em Eldridge bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Em Eldridge did an amazing job narrating the story. It is hard to find a narrator that you like all the way around but I think she did a wonderful job and the sound quality was perfect.

Any additional comments?

What a great take on Vampires and the paranormal world. Aurora Sky was just a normal teenager at an awkward time in her life when a near fatal car accident changes her world. I liked watching Aurora change and adapt and we will get to see so much more in the next books in the series.

a good story

I struggle with the main character. One moment she is strong willed and confident. In the next moment she is weak and lacks the confidence she just had a chapter ago. I found this back and forth with the character's character to be frustrating and annoying. I do like that even though the main character fluctuates with confidence so drastically, she still stands by her moral compass which I guess is something. she has her moments of teenager rebellion but rights herself which I find to ring true for most teenagers. Overall the plot twists do keep you interested and the storyline keeps you intrigued.

Great Boxset

Starts off whiny as you’d expect a high schooler to be. However as the books move forward Aurora gets a clue! Now in the next three books we’ll find out what she does with her new found brain! Very entertaining.

I enjoyed listening to this story

I enjoyed listening to this story! It was entertaining from the beginning to the end but there is no hea just yet. Can’t wait to get it ASAP. The only thing I was annoyed about is that she never made up her mind to be with Fane so those parts are frustrating but other than that everything else I loved the world the author created and the characters.

Good series

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were moments I found very suspenseful and exciting. I also enjoyed the humour in the story as there was quite a lot of banter between the characters. Dante meeting Aurora's grandmother was also a cute and humorous scene.

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed this series. The story lines are exciting and the romantic entanglements of the characters kept me entertained along with their vampire hunting escapades.
I loved Dante in the novel and I'd probably prefer to see Aurora want to be with him. The story ends in a little bit of a cliffhanger and I can't wait to find out what happens next.

I voluntarily received a review copy

a bit slow but interesting

story is good but can be slow in places and tends to drag. characters are believable.

sloppy rubbish

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

more vampire hunting less teenage less 90210

What could Nikki Jefford have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

much less of a love story

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

yes

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter Box Set?

90% of them

Any additional comments?

i bought a book thinking i was getting a hard hitting vampire slayer type book. instead i got a teenage love story poor mans 90210 pure slush. i gave up after chapter 15 book one couldnt stand any more great book if your a love sick female teenager.