Hemovore

De: Jordan Castillo Price

Narrado por: Joel Leslie

Mark Hansen thought working as artist's assistant would be glamorous, especially if that artist was a vampire. Black tie events, witty repartee, gracing the pages of the local style section. Didn't happen. Not even once.

Jonathan Varga is an enigma. True, he's quiet, generous, and scrupulously polite. But he has zero social life, refuses to be interviewed or photographed, and insists he can only consume feline blood.

Why supermarket blood won't suffice, Mark hasn't asked. He's rarely at a loss for words - he can dish an insult and follow it with a snap as quick as you can say "Miss Thang." But one look at Jonathan's black-as-sin gypsy eyes, and Mark's objections drain away.

So he endures the perpetual grind of their routine: Jonathan hiding in his studio, swiping black paint onto black canvases. Mark hurling insults while he buffs the office to a shine with antiviral wipes. Each of them avoiding the other in a careful choreography...until a blurb in Art in America unleashes a chain of harrowing events neither of them could foresee.

As secrets from Jonathan's past are brought to light, it becomes clear that all his precautions weren't nearly enough.

©2009, 2017 Jordan Castillo Price (P)2017 Jordan Castillo Price

Perfect marriage of story and narrator

Audio: 5 stars. There are times when narration destroys a great book, times when narration elevates a good book, and then there are times when the narrator and the book are so perfect for each other that it's impossible that anyone else could have narrated the book.

Hermovore and Joel Leslie are that team.

He captured all the voices exactly as I imagined them, the accents were amazing (even a throwaway cop from Chicago was nailed), and I will forever read this book (when I'm not listening again) with his characterization in my head. If you loved this book, and you're an audiobook fan, you have to get this. If you liked this book, you will love it after listening. And, if you haven't experienced it yet, this is the perfect way to do so.



Book: 2nd edition provided by author for honest review.

I enjoyed this a lot more the second time I read it. JCP's books are always enjoyable, but some grab me more than others. The first time I read this, I liked it, this time I liked it a lot more. Partially that was probably because I caught more things on the re-read, and partially it was because of the very sweet short added to the end of the book, appropriately entitled, Sweet.

This is a new take on the vampire trope with all the usual JCP grittiness. It is a story about two very guarded men, that through a series of unusual, and extremely tense situations finally admit to their feelings for each other. JCP is amazing at writing difficult characters that aren't easy to love, but making you love them anyway, Mark is definitely one of those characters. Jonathan is an enigma until everything goes down, then we slowly get to see who he really is. It was also often pretty hilarious, I laughed out loud more than a few times. Even on the re-read I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what was going to happen, that's pretty amazing, since I already knew what was going to happen. The addition of the short makes it sweet in a way that isn't often present in her books, which was nice as a change.

Definitely worth the read, and something that I'm sure I will be re-reading in years to come.

Snark, humor and drama

This book exceeded all my expectations. Not only was it well written, but it was so well narrated that it brought another dimension to the story. Joel Leslie voiced all the characters to perfection bringing in all their snark, drama, as well as all their different accents. I had not read this author before, so I was going on some recommendations from friends, and I must say I truly enjoyed it. It was sort of like The Usual Suspects (if you have ever seen that movie) in that I thought I had it figured out and then it turned around and smacked me upside the head with something completely different. Well worth your time and the credit.

a different sort of vampire

A different take on the whole vampire thing. Its a virus and the world knows about it. I loved the concept. And I loved the two MCs. There is a romance in the book but is held back by the fact one MC is positive. There is a big bag guy who is ruining everything for them; makes for some suspense chasing and OMG moments.
These guys were funny and I loved them together. Boss and employee with their quirks and snarks.

The narrator was amazing as always. You can always count on Joel.
I hope there is a second book.

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JCP - master of speculative fiction

I’ve been reading JCP’s books for years, and have been amazed by the storytelling in the worlds she builds. This book is no different, and it was a credit well spent. The story and characters kept me guessing and it’ll definitely be one I reread. The additional short story at the end was a perfect coda to the main story.

Side note: one thing I was glad I saw in another review so my expectations were set correctly, due to the circumstances of the fictional world, there is one kind of explicit love scene and that’s it. As it was an amazing story and that narrative choice makes total sense (even touching is taboo in their society), it was fine - I’m just glad I didn’t expect otherwise based on some of the author and narrator’s previous work. It still manages to be totally romantic and pretty hot in its own way.