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!
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.
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Born in Statesboro, Georgia in 1976, Brandon Luffman was raised in rural North Carolina from the time he was old enough to walk. In the sixth grade he discovered “The Chronicles Of Narnia”. Soon after that, he was on to Stephen King and Arthur C. Clarke. At the same time, he was making his first forays into writing fiction. After creating a series of short fantasy pieces for a class assignment that were received with praise, he was hooked on writing fiction for the entertainment of others. Now Brandon writes supernatural horror as well as fantasy, science fiction, and other genres. His short fiction is available online in various formats. Brandon still lives on the family farm in northwestern North Carolina with his wife and family. Taking inspiration from his homeland, he brings southern sensibilities and a modern flair to these classic genre themes. His first novel, Frostwalker, was released in May of 2013.
Karice Bolton lives in the Pacific Northwest and is a writer of Young Adult and New Adult books. She loves to read anything and everything. She also enjoys baking, skiing, and spending time with her wonderful husband and two English bulldogs.
Angela Scott hears voices. Tiny fictional people sit on her shoulders and whisper their stories in her ear. Instead of medicating herself, she decided to pick up a pen, write down everything those voices tell me, and turn it into a book. She’s not crazy. She’s an author. For the most part, she writes contemporary Young Adult novels. However, through a writing exercise that spiraled out of control, she found herself writing about zombies terrorizing the Wild Wild West–and loving it. Her zombies don’t sparkle, and they definitely don’t cuddle. At least, she wouldn’t suggest it. She lives on the benches of the beautiful Wasatch Mountains with two lovely children, one teenager, and a very patient husband. She graduated from Utah State University with a B.A. degree in English, not because of her love for the written word, but because it was the only major that didn’t require math. She can’t spell, and grammar is her arch nemesis. But they gave her the degree, and there are no take backs.
