Aurora Sky

Vampire Hunter, Book 1

By: Nikki Jefford

Narrated by: Em Eldridge

Her blood is toxic to vampires.

If there is one thing eighteen-year-old Aurora Sky wants, it's to get off the iceberg she calls home. Being kissed before she graduates wouldn't hurt either.

Then a near-fatal car wreck changes everything. Government agents step in and save Aurora's life in exchange for her services as a vampire hunter in Alaska. Basically she's a glorified chew toy. All thanks to her rare blood type, which sends a vampire into temporary paralysis right before she has to finish the job - by hand.

Now Aurora's only friends are groupies of the undead and the only boy she can think about may very well be a vampire.

(Mature YA/New Adult. Contains mild language, violence, sexual situations...and blood sucking.)

©2013 Nikki Jefford (P)2014 Nikki Jefford

Review: Aurora Sky, by Nikki Jefford

This is the first of Jefford’s books that I’ve read, but I’ve known about her work for quite some time. Now, with this one under my belt, I’m not going to put off the rest for as long. This was a great start to what seems like an addicting series, and it seems I have some catching up to do with yet another book coming out soon.

I really enjoyed Aurora Sky, even if I had some issues with it, which I’ll get to. The big picture was great and I think the story was paced well to keep me hooked and moving forward. I think Jefford’s developed some enjoyable main characters and at times it felt like I was really in the cold, barren setting of Alaska.

I also thought the premise was a great one. (I’m not giving much away, this is mainly in the book’s description) The government has a “secret” vampire hunter department and Aurora is forced into it. I say forced because she doesn’t have much choice since they spent a lot of resources on keeping her alive after her car accident. This leads me to one issue: the government agents don’t train Aurora, but throw her out in the field hoping she’ll land on her feet. She’s a dull teenager before all this and is only taking kickboxing classes after school for a few weeks. I felt that if these agents were trying to rid of the world of bad vampires, they’d take the time to really train their hunters and communicate with them better on what their job is.

There was also a “big reveal” that I saw from very early on, which Aurora was oblivious to. It also supports my questioning of the agents’ training methods. Yet, despite all of this, I don’t feel it dampened my enjoyment of the book that much. It was easy to gloss over it and let the story grab me. I think it will be a great series after this, and more will be developed in terms of building this “underground” vampire/government world, and also the characters will have some room to grow and I’m sure many more great characters will show up along the way.

It was a quick, fun read and I don’t read too many vampire books. I’m going to have to start the author’s Spellbound series soon as well to see what that series has in store for me.

One of the best books I've ever read!!👍👏

great narrated book that kept me in suspense through to the finish really loved it.

great listen.

I am a male truck driver that loves audio books. I have bought an average of 4 books a week for the last 8years. this is easily one of my top 100..... I do however suggest a R rating of sorts.

Vampire Love Story ... with a twist!!!!

Would you consider the audio edition of Aurora Sky to be better than the print version?

I havent read the print version, yet. I just downloaded it to my Kindle

Who was your favorite character and why?

Fane .. who doesnt love a mysterious, snarky vamp???

Have you listened to any of Em Eldridge’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Ive never listened to her before, but I did like her and would definitely listen to other things she has done.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed a few times and grumbled at the cliffhanger ending ... I might not be able to wait for the next audio book, may have to get it in print!

Any additional comments?

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Love Aurora Sky

Ok. So I've had this book since last summer and it finally made it to my TBL list. Because my TBR list is just way out of control, I decided to go with the audiobooks instead. I'm glad I did.

Nikki writes a very different version of vampires. I'm not really into them, but the way the story begins to unfold had me captivated. It was not just about Aurora and her "new self", but about her as a person and how she handles life and its sense of normalcy. That's what I loved most. She was not written as a character who has a super power and is in charge of saving the world. No she is 18, and now has to come to grips with her "new life".

I love how Aurora is developed and how she was written as a teenager, with normal feelings inside and outside the classroom. Not only that, but she develops even more throughout the story, so much so, that I've binged Volume 1 so I can learn more about her.

Em Eldridge grows on me as the narrator. I was thrown off by her pronunciation of Notre Dame. Being from Indiana, I knew it wasn't correct and hopes that it is corrected in the next series. Other than that snafu, she does a good job of pulling off the characters and seems in tune with helping each of them have a voice.

Interesting vampire twist

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes vampire tales. I love how the author came up with a totally different 'vampire virus' storyline. It made this story super unique and much more interesting.

What does Em Eldridge bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Honestly, I am always strapped for time, so having someone 'tell' me the story was nice. I did find a few times that her voice didn't change enough so I wasn't sure who she was talking for though. But it was nice to hear the story instead of read it.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There were a couple times that I laughed in this story. The combination of the author's story and the narrator's voice created a few humorous situations.

Amazing

Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter is a fantastic take on vampires and hunters. Unique and kept my interest. Well written and the narrator was good. at first the voice was just not what I had imagined while reading the book but it grew on me and suddenly I could no long hear it any other way. Worth buying and listening to and now I am off to purchase the next one.

Aurora Sky reivew

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes, it was pretty good and an interesting start to a series. I would give it a solid 3.5.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The way the hunters became vampire hunters is very interesting. Least interesting would be the "big reveal" of Fane.

Which character – as performed by Em Eldridge – was your favorite?

I think Fane was my favorite.

Was Aurora Sky worth the listening time?

Definitely.

Any additional comments?

I received this book in exchange for my honest review via audio book blast.

I generally enjoyed Aurora Sky and thought the book had an interesting premise. I liked how the vampire hunters were selected by the Government based on their special blood type and were found out about after they nearly died and needed the special medical attention the Government agency was able to provide. In exchange, these people are now agents and vampire hunters. Aurora gets hit by an oncoming car, and almost dies. I thought it was clever that she said life ends on a curse (since, you know, both drivers said "oh $(%*" prior to the collision). This kind of set the tone for the book for me, and I enjoyed other banter and sarcasm from the characters. After Aurora's accident and forced new job, she kind of becomes a rebellious teenager (well, she's 18 but in her last semester of high school) and starts hanging out with a rough crowd and engaging in some possibly dangerous behavior. I liked that she became tough but still hated murdering vampires, and I like how she adapted in all the scary situations.

What I didn't like was the way we were pretty much beaten over the head with the fact that Fane was likely a vampire (so this is not a spoiler) but Aurora had no idea until her friend told her. COME ON! SO obvious that it was annoying.

I'm definitely curious to see where this goes, so this gets a solid 3.5 stars from me. A good read, an interesting premise, but not without some flaws.

Vampire with a bit of a twist

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I'd remove the bit of language and the sexual themes as they just seemed to be there to be there.

Would you recommend Aurora Sky to your friends? Why or why not?

The author is a good writer, and its a solid story. Outside of the above, sure.

Have you listened to any of Em Eldridge’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Does a good job.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Um, maybe.

Any additional comments?

Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter Book 1
by Nikki Jefford
I’d give this novel 3.5 bites out of 5. (There’s some blood left)
Like many people, I’ve always enjoyed a good vampire tale. That said, I’ve wanted to read this book ever since I saw the wonderful cover.
The key to a good vampire story is, first of all, to try and not repeat one of the many, tired and over-used themes or plots that have been beaten to death by vampire popularity over the years. Most everything has already been done.
Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter felt mostly fresh, and I liked that. In short, Aurora is a teenager that gets in a terrible car accident. Really, she should have died–and would have, had it not been for a government agency that saved her.
They gave her vampire blood.
There’s a catch, though. In order to save her life, Aurora’s mother had to sign it away. See, the government needs “hunters,” or “agents” and they find people that are virtually dead because of car accidents or other similiar scenarios, and make the guardian a deal that can’t be refused. They have nothing to lose, when they’ve already lost their loved one, right?
The government has figured out how to use vampire blood to heal these otherwise dead victims. Why don’ t they turn into vampires as a result of the vampire blood? Well, the answer to that question would require a level of government clearnce that I don’t currently have. Suffice it to say that the new “agent” has to come in to the office every so often to take their medicine—a cure that keeps the vampire blood that saved their life from turning them fully into a vampire. So, in their current state, with the government’s help, they have semi-super human field agents that are tasked with finding and destroying the undead. As long as they come in for their check-up and get their dose, they don’t have to worry about becoming the very thing they are hunting and killing.
That’s a semi-new twist on things. I could run with that.
How do they fight the vampires, you might be wondering? This is where I was also a little intrigued, but perhaps a little disappointed on one level, too—they let themselves get bitten. If a real vampire bites a hunter that has the government’s formula running through their veins, they die. Kind of a strange way to empower your main character. “Go ahead, bite me!.”
And there it is. Add some teenage angst (or a lot,) some language and some upper teen/adult themes every here and there, and you have Aurora Sky book 1.
The author’s writing style was pretty good. I’d read her again, I think. The story line was solid, and fresh enough. I do have to say that I think some of what were intended to be plot twists were really easy to figure out, while there were a few that weren’t, and the twist at the end was pretty cool.
Good hunting!

Surprisingly Different

Where does Aurora Sky rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 5

Who was your favorite character and why?

I can't pick one.

Which character – as performed by Em Eldridge – was your favorite?

Honestly, she did a great job with the males and accents.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I can't say that I had an extreme reaction but it was a great read.

Any additional comments?

I think perhaps there were too many instances where the characters said "Aurora Sky". Outside of that this was a nice original take on vampires and vampire hunters. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and I will be continuing the series.