Blood Orange Soda

By: James Michael Larranaga

Narrated by: Ryan Haugen

Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

Darius Hunter lives in a world where vampires live among normal humans. Young vampires like Darius are kept on a government-mandated medication that prevents them from becoming fully undead until they’re 18. He’s smart, sensitive and all too human - a struggling outsider who’s just trying to fit in, find a girlfriend, and escape the attention of football bully Bao Wang.

It’s his humanity that often keeps him from his hopes and dreams, so Darius’ “cool uncle”, Jack, a vampire, introduces him to a substance called Blood Orange Soda. This strange analog of steroids can speed Darius’ maturation into his full vampire state, but it can’t guarantee that he’ll avoid disrupting the lives of his mother and sister, win the love of Angel Martin, or successfully face up to Bao. It also doesn’t make him immune to heartbreak and loss.

The author takes familiar themes of young adult fiction - vampires and teen romance - and treats them with a surprising empathy and respect that gives them real weight.

©2014 James Michael Larranaga (P)2022 James Michael Larranaga

Relatable young adult fantasy

Blood Orange Soda is a Young `adult fantasy novel written by James Michael Larranaga that explores a world where vampires live among the general population but are required by the authorities to take a pill every day in order to reduce their need to consume real, human, blood.

The action follows Darius Hunter and his friends as they navigate the regular lives of teenagers in the irregular and complicated world.

The writing is compelling, the story moves fast but at the same time manages to emphasize character development, and both the world and its inhabitants are vividly described and fleshed out.

Touching on relatable themes such as bullying, teen romance, the pressure of social media, and peer acceptance, Blood Orange Soda will keep the listener entertained right until the somewhat dramatic conclusion.

Narrator and voice-over artist Ryan Haugen does an excellent job in bringing to life the characters, the places, and the world portrayed with talent in Larranaga‘s novel. The audio production is good, the performance is balanced most of the time and the narrator quickly and seamlessly switches between voices or accents. Thanks to that it is very easy for the listener to keep track of who is talking and of exactly what’s happening.

Blood Orange Soda is a captivating adventure that should prove entertaining for teenagers and adults alike. I hope to see this evolving into a series because some of the characters are truly remarkable.