Vampires of Moscow

Blood Web Chronicles, Book 1

By: Caedis Knight

Narrated by: Corrieanne Stein

Length: 7 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's Summary

Saskia de la Cruz is a Verity witch - her only magic being that she can tell the truth from a lie. 

As an investigative reporter for The Blood Web Chronicle, the biggest news outlet on the paranormal dark blood web, Saskia spends her days cracking twisted para cases hoping that some day, some case will bring her closer to finding her missing sister.

In snowy Moscow, drained corpses of illegal workers have begun to turn up, with hundreds more reported missing. When Saskia is sent on assignment to investigate an oligarch vampire crime ring that might be behind the deaths, she plans to get in out of the city’s frozen grasp quickly...preferably with her neck intact. 

But beautiful ballet dancer Konstantin Volkov and his wildcard brother Lukka complicate things. The vampire brothers have their own reasons for solving the string of murders, reasons that conflict with Saskia’s mission. Soon, Saskia finds herself enmeshed in the city’s glittering web of crime, passion, and violence, where truths and lies are one and the same. 

With vibrant characters, pause-resisting suspense, and steamy romance, this new series has been dubbed by early fans as “a fun crime-solving sexual adventure across Europe”. Co-authored by two established fantasy authors Jacqueline Silvester and N.J Simmonds and set across a Christmassy Moscow, Vampires of Moscow is the first book in the Blood Web Chronicles series. Perfect for fans of Crescent City, True Blood, and Veronica Mars.

©2020 Caedis Knight (P)2021 Caedis Knight

A Glaring Problem.

This is the first book in the series but with a novella taking place before it, I enjoyed the story and the narrator’s skill in both. The huge problem I have is the sound editing. Throughout the recording the sound quality is bad, it’s like you are on the phone and the person you’re talking to keeps walking to different rooms, settling for most of the book in a shower stall. I tried several devices and settings but couldn’t make this less distracting. The other flaw are the corrections, every audiobook has them, it’s expected something will have to be rerecorded and there will be slight variations, it shouldn’t sound like you handed the phone to your sister in a different room to redo your line. Despite the distraction and annoyance, I enjoyed the story and will purchase the next audiobook title in the series and hope for the best.

Crime Noir + Paranormal Sexiness= Bloody Perfect!

Hello Gemmies! I have an exciting audiobook review to share with you today. Vampires of Moscow by Caedis Knight is the first full length novel in the Blood Web Chronicles series. For those that don't know, this book is co-authored by the wonderful Jacqueline Silvester and N.J Simmonds. Together they are Caedis Knight. Let me just start this review by saying I absolutely LOVED this book! Vampires of Moscow is an engaging, fast paced, page-turning thrill ride. Full of murder, magic, sexy romance, mob boss vamps, were strippers, and provocative humor, this book has it all.

Let's start with the world building. Vampires Of Moscow is a lush vivid contemporary world, with a complex magical system, super scary.....and super sexy monsters, and murder! This unique story is not only beautifully written, it is a perfect blend of crime noir and paranormal romance. Vampires of Moscow feels like an elegantly blood soaked reboot of the crime and paranormal romance genres. This world is full of diverse, malevolent, complex, interesting characters. Saskia an Investigative reporter/witch is one of the more refreshing female protagonists that I have come across in a while. Her sharp witted banter is priceless. She's also not perfect. Saskia is vulnerable, dabbles in a bit of self sabotage, but despite it all she never gives up. I think that's what makes her such a relatable and endearing character. I found myself rooting for her every step of the way. There are steamy romance scenes that are graphic but very tastefully done. There is also graphic violence. You wont find any sparkling vampires here.

This story predominately takes place in Moscow. The location felt like another character. We get glimpses of life in Moscow for the super rich and also the super poor. It helped to add an extra depth to the story. For my fellow monster mavens, in addition to a well thought out crime drama, you also get so much paranormal goodness!!! We have witches, weres, sirens, vamps....you name it! The two main vamp brothers in this story are super hot, vicious, and have plenty of secrets to hide. I'm putting my vote in now for Team Lukkas...this is NOT up for debate! I will keep this review spoiler free...but I will say that I did not see the twist this story took. I am so looking forward to exploring all that this world has to offer in future books!

Corrieanne Stein is a great Saskia. She is able to convey this characters snark, vulnerability, and wit with ease. The pacing is well done and the story never feels rushed. Corrieanne adds enough differentiation with each character so the listener has no issue telling who is speaking. There are some minor audio/editing issues, but all in all Vampires of Moscow is an entertaining listen!

If you are a fan of sexy vampires, witty witches, steamy romance, stylish crime drama, action, and page turning suspense then go read this book! I give Vampires of Moscow 5 out of 5 gems. I cannot wait to read/listen to more stories in this series! Happy Reading!