Fledgling: Coiree Guardians - Book One

General Fiction

By Mari Miniatt

Publisher : Animated Liar Media

ABOUT Mari Miniatt

Mari Miniatt
Mari Miniatt was born and raised in the north woods of Wisconsin. On a large farm in the middle of the woods. She graduated from University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point with a degree in communications. After working in a variety of places; food service, factory, offices, she settled in o More...

Description

She didn't scream. She should have, but the scream never formed.”

Rebecka “Beka” Saberhagen had a shock of her life when she found out her brother worked for a vampire. Just as she was able to understand that Vincent was a vampire, multiple murders began to happen close to her home. Then she was attacked by another vampire. A giant by the name of Steopa.

With the help of Steopa and Vincent. Beka begins to accept the changes. Her old fears are gone, but new ones are becoming apparent. Strange creatures and other beings, things she would never had seen as a human are suddenly real for her. The night has become a new playground for her and sometimes a nightmare.

But, her brother and friends are being targeted; by someone with an old grudge. A grudge, she has nothing to do with. But it has ties to both Vincent and Steopa. As she discovers the past, she realizes she will have to fight. Will Beka find the strength to fight for the people she loves? Is she powerful enough? Will she survive?

Over ten years ago, when I was not sleeping well. I dreamed about a tall man introducing himself to me in a technical school. He towered over me, and I knew he was a vampire, but I was not frightened. I woke up and wrote down a few notes about the dream. But I got to thinking about this vampire. Who was he? Over the next few years, he came to life. As did the other characters. But it has taken me this long to find the story that needed to be told about them.

From Amazon (first review)
 
5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing Vampire Tale, August 6, 2010
This review is from: Fledgling: Coiree Guardians: Book One (Volume 1) (Paperback)
Anyone who knows me, knows I prefer zombies to vampires, at any given time. Even when I do take a break from the usual zombie apocalypse, I don't stray much further than the Warhammer fantasy novels, and the occasional historical fiction. However, after reading The Strain about a year ago, I realized that the vampire genre has improved a great deal in the last few years. Authors are breaking away from the typical stereotypes of drop-dead gorgeous vamps with sordid love lives. Fledgling: Coiree Guardians is the perfect example of breaking the vampire mold.

The main character is Beka, an overweight young woman with a history of mental issues and a medicine cabinet full of prescriptions to prove it. She lives in an apartment above The Burgundy Rathskeller, a gothic nightclub run by her brother John. He doesn't charge her rent, and sometimes she helps out for a little extra cash. One night, while working at the club, she discovers that her brother's friend Vincent is a vampire. Before she has any time to prcoess this information, she's attacked by another vampire who was hunting on Vincent's territory without permission.

Her attacker is a giant by the name of Steopa. Luckily for her, Steopa is more like Vincent than the other vampires; both Vincent and Steopa value the companionship of others. Steopa returns to help Beka make the adjustment to her new existence. Once again, time is not a luxury that Beka has, even as an immortal. There are already other vampires hunting her, but when she is attacked, she discovers her own unique ability, which Vincent tells her is "better than turning into mist." She also learns that she overlooked a lot of what was going on around her as a human, especially with her friends: one is a beserk, and another is a psychic.

As Steopa teaches her to think more like a vampire, they find out that a string of brutal murders is related to the arrival of another vampire in the city. This mysterious vampire is hunting on grounds belonging to a vampire called Ogden. Steopa and Beka want to stop the mass killings, which have attracted the attention of the police, but Ogden requires proof before he lets them hunt the killer on his territory. While searching for evidence, with the help of Vincent, the four of them -- Steopa, Beka, Vincent and Ogden -- uncover a plot that is a threat to all vampires.

I don't think this novel qualifies as horror, but it's definitely a great blend of thriller and mystery. What begins as a personal evolution, ends as the first installment of a chilling saga. There's no abrupt cliff-hanger, but you will be left wondering what will become of Beka and her two vampire companions

First review ever!
Review by:
unimportant name on Apr. 25, 2010 : starstarstarstar
What Mari Miniatt has created is a character driven story that holds no compunctions about what it is. Like the characters in her story it's honest about who it is, and makes no angst ridden apologies for it. Fledgling Coiree Guardians - Book One leaves me wanting more. I could fill this review with a lot more nonsense. I couldn't tell you how much I enjoyed reading this book without giving allot away. However, as Steopa would say "Vampires are cruel." I hope more people pick this story up and read it.

Great Story from my book launch
The owner of the shop had bought a copy a few weeks ago. She had to go to California last weekend to see family. While she was there, her niece picked up the copy of the book. She had just put in a recent vampire movie (that will remain nameless here)  to show the owner.  A movie which is a fan of.  But she started to read the novel. Did not realize the movie had ended and would not give the book back.  The owner had to buy a new copy.

From Goodreads:
Teresa rated it: 3 of 5 stars
Read in May, 2010
This was an interesting twist on a common topic. The ending was a little soft, but overall was good. It was easy to read and follow along with. I would have liked to have a little more "tension" between our hero and heroine. I would have liked it to be a little longer and have a little more action and explore some of the supporting characters a little more. I'm definately looking forward to the next book!!!