Book Review: Crossroads

Crossroads (Crossroads Academy #1)

By: J.J. Bonds

Published By: J.J. Bonds

Publication Date: November 2011

Page Count: 312

Buy it at Amazon or Barnes & Noble

Source: Kindly Provided by Author

Audience: Young Adult - Paranormal

I'm a vampire girl. I admit it. Even though the fanged ones have been in a ton of novels, I can't help reaching for another one. I am pretty hard to impress at this point since I have read so many vampire tales. I crave a vampire novel that adds something new to the genre. Crossroads, while well written, didn't stand out for me. It's not bad, but it's not memorable. The first chapter brings to mind flashbacks of Vampire Academy, House of Night, and Evernight. I decided to push aside my doubts and keep reading. 

The characters in this one are likable, but predictable. There is a hot guy who sees past the brooding exterior of the new girl, there is a beautiful mean girl who hates the new girl immediately because the hot boy has noticed her, and there is the new girl with the intriguing connections and lots of secrets. Sound familiar? I wanted these characters to step outside of the traditional roles and dazzle me, but instead I got the same old sorts of characters that I have read a million times. It's frustrating when a story has potential, but doesn't capitalize. Bonds is a strong Indie writer, but Crossroads took far too much time to gain momentum. The ending of this one was a lot of fun, but it required me to persevere through a lot of story that lacked wow factor.

I do enjoy boarding school settings, but I don't need to know about every detail of the characters' school days. Some of those moments were tedious and unnecessary. I did enjoy the moments when Katia would learn more about the vampire culture and politics in her classes. I also enjoyed watching Katia learn more about herself as the novel progresses. She's certainly a kickass kinda heroine. She doesn't need a guy to come to her defense and this did make me pay attention. Strong females will always help to win me over. Katia is the strength of this novel and the only reason I ended up enjoying it.

All in all, this one was just flat for me. Nothing excited me or compelled me to emotionally invest myself. I'm sure if I had read this one when my vampire reading craze began I would have enjoyed it a lot more, but sadly so many other series have come along in the mean time. I wouldn't discount this story as it's a cheap read (it's actually free on Kindle at the moment) and it's entertaining, but I also wouldn't push aside everything to read it this instant. 

One Last Gripe: I understand the need to inform the reader of your setting and structure, but I prefer the showing rather than the telling.

My Favorite Thing About the Book: The setting

First Sentence: I smell the smoke first.

Favorite Character: Katia

Least Favorite Character: Jade

Summary:

When Katia enrolled at Crossroads Academy she knew things weren’t exactly going to be easy. The sole heir to the worlds’ most powerful vampire, her presence was bound to cause a stir. But nothing could have prepared her for this. Whispers follow everywhere she goes. So does trouble.

Bodies start turning up in nearby Rutland and Katia is sucked into a twisted web of danger and deceit. Haunted by nightmares she can’t explain and a thirst for blood that is never sated, Katia will do whatever it takes to keep her past buried.

Nothing at Crossroads is what it seems and Katia’s secrets may be the darkest of them all.