Almost To Die For: A Vampire Princess by Tate Hallaway

Almost to Die For by Tate Hallaway

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Anastasija Ramses Parker is turning 16 years old today, sweet sixteen and never been kissed should be the biggest of her problems but when her absentee father, Ramses shows up at the door, she finds that her problems are just starting. Instead of celebrating her birthday the traditional way; friends, dancing, boys etc... she's meeting the coven at their covenstead to be inducted into the coven as a True Witch, providing she passes her initiation. Ana has some doubts about that; her mother is a powerful witch and comes from a family of powerful witches but Ana hasn't been able to perform even the simplest of spells. Ramses picks the moment to knock on the door just as they are getting ready to leave for her initiation ceremony; what happens between her mother and Ramses isn't pretty. To Ana, it's quite unsettling and her mother continues to be just as secretive about her father's identity on the drive to the covenstead for her initiation and even more insistent for her to be initiated into the coven as quickly as possible.

During Ana's initiation which she failed, she meet's her absentee father's coven; vampires and she finds out she's not only a Dhampyr but a princess to boot. Ana also finds out, of course during her initiation as she's trying to call the element Air that Witches and Vampires are mortal enemies. As if failing the initiation wasn't bad enough she was called out in front of the entire coven.

All these years her mother withheld this information from her, leaving Ana feeling a failure; worried that something was `wrong' with her and that she'd somehow let her mother and her coven down. Recent events brought on by her 16th birthday just get more and more interesting though! Things are heating up with the hot Nikolai, a True Witch from her Coven and Elias, knight of the dark realm, part of her father's realm that is equally hot despite his penchant for blood. They are as different as night and day-pun intended!

Ana has choices and decisions to make and as her mother and father each try to sway her to their side she learns to start thinking for herself and surprised me with some of her decisions. Ana shows rebelliousness that I found refreshing, mostly because she wasn't disrespectful but just trying to educate herself in the best way she could; going directly to the source!

Ana's a great character she's a bit snarky but in a humorous self-depreciating way and although she isn't `popular' she has friends and the ones she does have are true and the new friends she makes like her because she's honest and easy to relate to.

I think we'll see a (forgive for the comparison) Team Nikolai and Team Elias club to start forming. I'm not sure where I stand yet. I think the plot leaves plenty of room for a series so I'll hold off until the next book!

Almost to Die for: A Vampire Princess was a fun, witty and genuine book that brings in a different twist to the genre and I'm all for that! The characters were interesting, likable and had depth. The magic and the lore were interesting and really captured my attention and imagination.

I'll definitely recommend this book to others and be on the look-out for the next in the series!



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