Sire (The Vampires of St. Troy #1) by Thomas Galvin

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): It’s Caitlin’s first night in St. Troy. Her first night at college. Her first night away from home. There are two great girls in her suite, and two cute guys across the hall. And two vampires fighting over her. Now she’s all alone, locked up in an empty room in a monster’s mansion. And there are screams coming from outside the door ... Sire is the first book in the new Vampires of St. Troy series, which blends horror, action and romance into a bloody tale that will have you turning pages until the sun comes up.

MY OPINION:

Sire is pretty much everything I look for in paranormal genre. I loved its action-packed plot, fantastic characters, and just enough romance to make a girl swoon.

Despite a few unobtrusive typos, the writing is more than solid. The language is modern and edgy, spiced up with sarcasm, cynicism, distinctive humour, and some killer punch lines.

Thomas Galvin wittily combines elements from all over the paranormal genre. It seems to me he takes the things closest to him from here and there, which also happen to be the things I like best, so I am completely partial when I say I love this kind of a mixture. Additionally, Sire includes references to numerous literary and television phenomena, which can be appealing to present-day readers if they are able to take a joke against something they like. The way all of the above is put together makes this book a fresh and compelling read.

The plot is fast-paced and the readers never know what to expect. The characters in Sire are in their college years. This timeframe gives more freedom and credibility to their actions in contrast to the much overused high-school setting.

The main human protagonist, Caitlin, is smart, strong, and reasonable. Naturally, she is also romantic, and she falls helplessly in love, but she does not let her feelings blind her or prevent her from trying to do the right / smart thing.

The main supernatural protagonist, Michael, is a decisive personage who sets his priorities and fights for them. And he makes a girl’s heart melt.

I think the reaction of Catlin and her friends regarding their discovery of the supernatural world is very realistic – it actually shows how paranormal literature has affected our perception of the supernatural. Many people, including myself, would probably react the same way – I would be scared, but also intrigued.

Speaking of scared, there is a lot to be scared of in Sire. The evil characters are really evil and some not-entirely-evil characters do bad things nonetheless. Fortunately, the ruthlessness is contrasted by goodness and compassion, and the battle between the two sides is what makes you keep reading to the last page. 

RECOMMENDATION: Sire is an amazing collage of a little bit of everything paranormal. It is a real page-turner and a must-read for the fans of the genre.