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

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.

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.

Not your run of the mill vampire story

What made the experience of listening to Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter Box Set the most enjoyable?

I think the narration brought the story to life a bit more, especially since it is slow starting.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter Box Set?

The twist with the love interest.

What about Em Eldridge’s performance did you like?

Em did all the voices really well, and it was easy to discern who was speaking and what they were feeling.

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

Vampire hunter gone love

Any additional comments?

The first book started out rather slow and was a bit drawn out but it picks up around half way in. The idea that there are a variety of vampires and types was unique and I really liked the way it plays in the story. Believe it or not it actually ends up being a love story and while I liked that aspect the character Aurora had moments when she became slightly irritating with her behavior but I was able to overlook those moments fairly easily. I would definitely recommend this series because it is so different and was entertaining. It got better as the story went on and I ended up loving it. I received this audiobook for free from audiobook boom for my unbiased review.

Different kind of vampire

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com.

Really loved the narrator's natural voice. The plot isn't really another vampire diaries clone. I was a little bit let down by the vampires, but it's a different take. It's a story of morality and what it means to be a monster.

BETTER THAN EXPECTED, SO VERY PLEASED!

Any additional comments?

I was provided this audiobook through Audiobook Boom at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review.

Each book got better and better, sexier and sexier. I almost did something I rarely ever do... stop everything and buy the next in the series. FYI: I will buy it, just have a few to listen to first.

The plot was intricate and held my interest. I was surprised by some twists but predicted a few. The characters were likable and believable. The bad boy was achingly alluring and the good boy was freaking lovable. Choices, choices. I personally go for darker, sexier situations but, c'mon, that's not everything to a good book.

Narration was spot on. No complaints there!

A full two thumbs up!

Vampires bite

I'm one of those people that feels like vampires have been overdone lately. I decided to give this series a chance despite this and I am SO glad I did! Love this series! It has enough of a story twist that it isn't you standard vampire biting people story.

Gets more interesting as it goes along

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

Yes

What other book might you compare Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter Box Set to and why?

Pretty original vampires who hunt vampires. Maybe vampire diaries (but I've only seen TV show)

Which character – as performed by Em Eldridge – was your favorite?

Grandmother

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Book three made me laugh once :-)

Any additional comments?

Book one was slow. Not much plot or twists. Book two picked up the pace and characters started to change and interact more. Book three was good. Plot had some twist and depth. Not much read into other character, character is interacting with. But, book created want to know so moving onto buying next book :-) Seems like I will like the series maybe as much as TV show vampire diaries.

review

Why is Aurora so whinny and weak!!! Shouldn't vampires be stronger...? Aurora is constantly getting her ass kicked and not kicking any ass.

Fun

It was pretty entertaining, I plan on finishing the series. I usually prefer darker books but, I would recommend this as a nice break from the routine.

Intricate storytelling, highly enjoyable

Any book that centres around a female, teenage vampire hunter in high school, who lives with her single mum, is bound to be compared to TV’s Buffy, The Vampire Slayer. Without doubt, that television series spawned countless copycats, including its own spin-off television series, Angel. Buffy ran for seven seasons, progressing the central characters from high school kids to young adults.

The Aurora Sky series similarly takes its main characters through teenage angst to young adult issues, but is far more adult than its television inspiration. Nikki Jefford’s series is complex, personal and quickly leaves any Buffy influence behind.

At the time of writing, there are six volumes in the Aurora Sky series, and this box set joins the first three stories into one continuous tale, although all three remain available as individual downloads if you prefer.

The ongoing saga follows teenager Aurora Sky, who dies in a car accident only to be brought back to life by a clandestine government agency that fights vampires. Those with AB +/- blood are infected with a toxic vampiric virus that makes them poisonous to vampires, yet vampiric themselves. It’s a conundrum that haunts most vampire hunters and turns some of them bad.

Beyond the expected vampire killer sprees, Jefford’s tale reaches deeper into the human psyche, exploring complex relationships with family, friends, school colleagues, work and romance. There’s a lot of eroticism and, amongst some stereotyped characterisations, her world is steeped in believable characters who struggle with their lot in life.

Em Eldridge narrates, with almost 80 audiobooks to her credit. Her characterisations are great and she easily expresses both male and female characters with clarity. You know who is talking before she tells you. With such experience behind her however, it’s surprising to wince at her mispronunciation of common words. In an age of digital downloads, it’s more important than ever to get the pronunciation right for an international audience, especially when speaking foreign words that have been adopted into the English language, such as Grand Prix. Other words, like “mischievously” are also mispronounced, which have nothing to do with colloquial accents. It’s this kind of fine-tuning that takes a reader from being average to being professional. With so many audiobooks to her name, I would expect a lot better from her. As much as I loved her reading and characterisations, I can’t recommend such an experienced reader that continues to have such poor quality control.

The Aurora Sky saga is one that I would recommend however. It’s smart, witty, intricate and exciting. Jefford has created a world with a detailed history and characters that don’t rely on the modern penchant of superficial relationships and easy escapes.