Harry Potter meet Hope – Killer’s Instinct by Dawn Dalton & Judith Graves – Review

Posted on August 27, 2014 by fundinmental

KILLER’S INSTINCT by Dawn Dalton & Judith Graves

Genre: Young Adult/Paranormal

The cover of Killer’s Instinct made me very curious about the story inside.

Harry Potter step aside, there’s a new girl in town and her name is Hope.

Sooooo, let’s head to the Most Wanted Monster school and learn the tools of the trade with Hope and her crew.

Cover designer: Gaetano Pezillo

Photo: Siiri Kumari

Model: Johanna Taiger

Interior Art: Jeff Dalton

MY REVIEW of Killer’s Instinct by Dawn Dalton and Judith Graves

I did a tour for Killer’s Instinct a short while ago, because it sounded right up my alley. And we will be spending some time in alleys. I didn’t have time to review it then, but Judith Graves offered me a copy for review. Thank you so much Judith. I really wanted to read this.

OMG, I was right about Killer’s Instinct. I love it. It started out okay, but by the end I was bummed that I had no more to read. It is a young adult, paranormal novel that even us older folks can love.

I love the title, but the cover is creepy good. I saw the synopsis and it made me think of Harry Potter and Hogwarts. I was so looking forward to a fun adventure and I found it.

A teenage girl is determined to hunt down her zombie mom. I can read a bunch of psychological crap into that. LOL As she walks the streets, searching, she finds her training is not enough to battle the monsters she runs across. So it’s off to school……

Most Wanted Monsters Organization, like Hotel California, you can never leave.

Hope is special. She sees dead people. She can see behind the monsters mask. She was older than her years. She never had time to watch movies and read anything other than books her Dad thought she needed to be a hunter. Her defense had been avoidance, don’t let them know she could see them.

Hope – a hunter. She is strong, impulsive and alone.

Caddoc – privileged, arrogant and cowardly. His dad had been a hunter until he turned into an overweight drunk and drove his mother away.

Hyde – a fighter, a loner and full of rage. His parents gave him an ultimatum. It was either the psych ward or Le Manoir.

Kain – a machine, not social, as emotionless as a bioroid. He is a nerd, smart, strong, and dependable. His mother had died and his dad had dumped him at an orphange.

The jock, the geek, the rebel and the freak.

Why were such an unlikely group teamed together?

They were all fighting their inner demons and I saw early on they would come together.

As I read on, I began to wonder if there was more going on than meets the eye. Maybe the food wasn’t the only thing that was fake at La Manoir.

I am really enjoying Killer’s Instinct now, at 57%. It is written with a young adult Harry Potter feel, but the story is changing and coming together in a way I never saw. I am excited for the group. I can see all their potential……..maybe even their future.

Would Hope’s childish, impulsive need to prove herself turn out to be what saves them all? Reality was so much different from stories – the werewolves were bigger, the vampires meaner and their teeth sharper.

Imagine a vamp mesmerizing you, his gaze holding yours and you are unable to look away. His teeth gently brush against your neck as the hairs rise on your nape. A werewolf hovers over you, his saliva dripping off his teeth onto your face.

Zombies attacking vamps, heads falling, biting, chomping, blood and gore flying, slipping and sliding in body parts, the smell of blood and burnt flesh making it hard to draw a breath.

Sometimes the POV change confused me, but I quickly adjusted and read on.

I sit here, finished, trying to think of how to tell you how amazed I am at the writing and creative storyline. I never saw the story reaching such momentum that I hated for it to be over. I thought it would be a fun, young adult read for a summer day, but boy did it go down a different road. Harry Potter on steroids. The action is gruesome, but it is written in such a way that it does not make me cringe. I almost border on laughter at times. Written as if it could be included in a Supernatural, Sam and Dean, episode. ALMOST humorous.

“You have developed a Killer’s Instinct, Hope, but you must be prepared to face the consequences.”

5 Stars – Would Buy It For Them (lol)

KILLER’S INSTINCT

SYNOPSIS

Where there is NO life – there’s HOPE.

Hope sees beyond the veil to where the dead walk among the living — creepy flashes from a never-ending macabre dream. But when her mother crawls from the grave and her zombified corpse goes MIA, Hope’s last thread of normal snaps with a vengeance.

Enrolling in a militia-style school for monster hunters seems her best bet for tracking down Mommy-dearest and putting what’s left of her mom to rest. But does Hope have a true killer’s instinct? The stakes are raised when she’s partnered with three unique male recruits, each with their own personal demons to slay if they want to survive basic training. In a place like Le Manoir, all bets are off.

Pick up a print or eBook version right now!

AMAZON

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Dawn Dalton is the author of creepy young adult fiction. When she isn’t dodging monsters, you can find her at creepy crossroads with her husband and two hounds — you know, just skulking around. Dawn also writes adult thriller, romantic suspense ad contemporary young adult under the last name Ius. She is represented by Mandy Hubbard at D4EO Literary Agency.

BLOG | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM: DawnDalton

Judith Graves has multiple young adult novels and short stories published with Leap Books, Orca Book Publishers, Compass Press, and, under the pen name, Judith Tewes, is also published with Bloomsbury Spark. In addition, Judith is abscreenwriter and playwright, writes freelance articles for literary magazines, and facilitates writing workshops for both adults and young adults.

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

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Click on the cover to get your Amazon copy of Killer’s Instinct by Dawn Dalton and Judith Graves,

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

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Teaser Tuesday #21 – Zombie Mom MIA – Killer’s Instinct by Dawn Dalton & Judith Graves

Posted on August 19, 2014 by fundinmental

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page.

•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

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Killer’s Instinct by Dawn Dalton & Judith Graves

Genre: Young Adult/Paranormal

I was really intrigued by this novel when I did a blog tour for it, but was too busy to read and review it at the time. Judith Graves was wonderful and offered me the opportunity to read it at a later time. Thanks, Judith.

Yeah! I am reading it now. ^_^

MY TEASE

(6% on Kindle)

“If you accept this invitation to Le Manoir, there will be no leaving until your training is complete,” the old man said.

Her mother’s decomposing face flashed before her eyes. She had to find mom, had to put her remains to rest. but first she needed to absorb as much knowledge as she could. She would be trained by these monster hunters and then risk their wrath to do the unthinkable – restore her mother’s soul from the bowels of hell…or die trying.

SYNOPSIS

Where there is NO life – there’s HOPE.

Hope sees beyond the veil to where the dead walk among the living — creepy flashes from a never-ending macabre dream. But when her mother crawls from the grave and her zombified corpse goes MIA, Hope’s last thread of normal snaps with a vengeance.

Enrolling in a militia-style school for monster hunters seems her best bet for tracking down Mommy-dearest and putting what’s left of her mom to rest. But does Hope have a true killer’s instinct? The stakes are raised when she’s partnered with three unique male recruits, each with their own personal demons to slay if they want to survive basic training. In a place like Le Manoir, all bets are off.

Click on the cover to get your Amazon copy of Killer’s Instinct by Dawn Dalton and Judith Graves.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hope goes to Monster Hunting School – Killer’s Instinct Tour and Giveaway

Posted on June 24, 2014 by fundinmental

Welcome to the Official Blast for KILLER’S INSTINCT by Dawn Dalton & Judith Graves

I wanted so badly to review this book, but time did not allow it.

I hope you enjoy the book trailer and synopsis. Be sure to enter the giveaway!

KILLER’S INSTINCT

Author: Dawn Dalton & Judith Graves

Genre: Young Adult/Paranormal Publisher: Leap Booksyoung

Where there is NO life – there’s HOPE.

Hope sees beyond the veil to where the dead walk among the living — creepy flashes from a never-ending macabre dream. But when her mother crawls from the grave and her zombified corpse goes MIA, Hope’s last thread of normal snaps with a vengeance.

Enrolling in a militia-style school for monster hunters seems her best bet for tracking down Mommy-dearest and putting what’s left of her mom to rest. But does Hope have a true killer’s instinct? The stakes are raised when she’s partnered with three unique male recruits, each with their own personal demons to slay if they want to survive basic training. In a place like Le Manoir, all bets are off.

Pick up a print or eBook version right now!

AMAZON

Praise for KILLER’S INSTINCT

“What could be creepier than hunting down your own zombie mommy? And what could be more psychologically satisfying to a teen because…it’s just pretend. Isn’t it? I wanted to squeeze my eyes shut tight and turn away from the sublimely dark and smart Killer’s Instinct. But how could I? A single page in, I was hooked.” — Jacqueline Mitchard, author of What We Lost in the Dark and The Deep End of the Ocean

“Killer’s Instinct by Dawn Dalton and Judith Graces is a clever and fast-paced thriller that raises the bar for monster-hunting tales. Nuanced and well-crafted, this novel is told from the points of view of four distinctly defined young characters—Hyde, the hulk in sheep’s clothing; Kain, the wild card; Caddoc, the unit jock; and Hope, both gifted and cursed with a sixth sense. Hope’s inner strengths and compassion make her a fitting role model for teenage readers, yet her vulnerability renders her a satisfyingly sympathetic heroine. Killer’s Instinct is going to knock other YA monster-battling books off the shelves.” — Gary Braver, bestselling and award-winning author of Tunnel Vision

“Hope sees dead people. It’s her greatest weapon and her ultimate curse. After the death of her father and her mother rising from the grave as a mindless corpse, Hope joins an elite fighting team at Le Manoir, a group of teens trained to deal with all manner of paranormal spooks and baddies. She wants to find what’s left of her mother and put her to rest, but first, she needs to learn how — and she might need some help along the way. Hope is a wonderful heroine, smart savvy, and good with a gun: my favorite kind of kick-asser! The other members of the team kept me on my toes, never quite sure who I could trust and what their true motivations were.” — Sherry Ficklin, author of the Gods of Fate series