Review: Captured by Erica Stevens

Blurb:
Blood Slave.
Captured, taken from her beloved family and woods, Aria’s biggest fear is not the imminent death facing her, but that she will be chosen as a blood slave for a member of the ruling vampire race. No matter what becomes of her though, Aria knows that she must keep her identity hidden from the monsters imprisoning her. She has already been branded a member of the rebellion, but the vampires do not know the true depth of her involvement with it, and they must never know.

Though hoping for death, Aria’s world is turned upside down when a vampire named Braith steps forward to claim her. He delays her execution, but Aria knows it’s only a matter of time before he drains her, and destroys her. Especially once she learns his true identity as a prince within the royal family; the same royal family that started the war that ultimately brought down humankind, reducing them to nothing more than servants and slaves.

Aria is determined to hate the prince, determined not to give into him in anyway, but his strange kindness, and surprising gentleness astonish her. Torn between her loyalties to the rebellion, and her growing love for her greatest enemy, Aria struggles to decide between everything she has ever known, and a love she never dreamed of finding.

Genre: YA/ Paranormal Romance/Indie (Represent!)
Series: The Captive #1
Rating: 3☆s


Honestly, I did not expect much. When I think vampires, I think oh that is so 2009. Surprisingly this book worked for me. Before reading Captured, I was suffering from  PBD (Post Book Depression). I was in denial because I just finished a very satisfying book and the sequel isn't coming out until 2014! So I decided to give this bad boy a try to snap me out of my reading slump. The  blurb caught me from the get-go.

Our lovely heroine  Arianna, is captured from the woods to be sold into slavery. The  year is ??? and in this dystopian setting called ???( as you can tell there is not much foundation to the world building). However, the reader is told that in this world the vampires reign supreme and humans are nothing more than walking blood bags. Aria is rescued from the prince of vampires, Braith, to be his personal blood slave. Aria, being the daughter of the leader of human revolutionaries, holds a personal grudge against the monsters that have degraded the humankind into nothing less than an object.  Time soon reveals that Braith is different from all the other bloodsuckers. He shows her considerable kindness by NOT draining her dry and by pampering her  with his affection. Soon Aria finds herself falling for  her vampire.

Though Aria is presented as a "strong" fighter, known for her bravery and self-sacrificing nature. It is mostly all talk but no action. There has not been any concrete proof of her kicka**ness. Now that I think about it, there has not been much action at all. This goes back to to "show not tell" policy. 

One of the perks of this book is that I really like how short it is(approximately 180 pages). Rather than stretching the story with fillers, the plot is simple though rather predictable. It made my reading experience more enjoyable since I did not have to force myself into the commitment of finishing a long book. This book is a decent start to a new series, I hope the sequel will allow Aria as well as the setting to further develop.

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Did I mention this book is free?
http://www.amazon.com/Captured-Captive-Series-Book-ebook/dp/B0087G3U92
How awesome is that? I think you should get it! But seriously. :)