Word Spelunking

(There are very slight spoilers of the romantic kind and this paragraph will be marked with a ***)Vampires are everywhere these days- in books, on tv, in the movies-so much so, that for a paranormal novel about vampires to standout amongst its peers it must truly be fresh, original, and captivating. Megan Duncan’s Savor is all these things. Savor is an edgy, sexy, fast paced, exceptionally well written vampire novel.Claire is a normal 18 year old girl living in a world where vampires rule. Humans are required to get their blood tested once they come of age and donate blood monthly in order to sustain their rulers. The day after Claire turns 18 she learns that because of her perfect blood the royal vampire king and queen wish to turn her and make her their new daughter and future heir. Claire is quickly whisked away to the Royal home and a brand new life. Claire’s new life comes with new abilities, new responsibilities, the kind of family she always wanted, and complicated romances. The more Claire learns about her new family and about herself, the more she begins to question everything.Savor starts off a bit slow in the first two chapters, but quickly finds its pace and flow, and by the 5th chapter I found myself completely engrossed in Duncan’s words. Duncan has created a fresh twist on the world of vampires and filled that world with entertaining characters, a captivating storyline and some complicated, fun romance.I haven’t come across too many stories that, for the most part, do not depict their vampires as the dangerous bad guys, but instead as the revered, and even adored, saviors and leaders, as Duncan has in the beginning of this book. I found this twist quite refreshing, yet at the same time I worried at first that this would take away all the dark edginess that vampires are so well known for. But the more I delved into this book, the more layered and less black and white Duncan’s vampire world became, which I think gives it not only a refreshing paranormal quality, but also a gritty, refreshing realism as well. No matter how fantastical or supernatural Duncan’s characters or situations may be in this book, there is always an underlying sense of relatablity. The characters are a lot of fun to get to know; I enjoyed meeting them and seeing them develop throughout the novel. Claire is a realistic and relatable teenage character. There are moments where I loved her sharp wit, her stubbornness, and her refusal to take crap from anybody, but there are also moments when I wanted to roll my eyes at her, yell at her, and even smack some sense into her. Robin, a fellow vampire who quickly becomes Claire’s BFF, was very easy to like; I found her upbeat optimism and silly humor to be infectious and I always looked forward to her appearances. Ana, another fellow royal vampire who hates Claire, is nasty and vindictive in the most enrapturing way; she’s a lot of fun to love to hate.***Then there are Claire’s two romantic interests- Dmitry and Arrick. These two guys are both sexy, enticing, and swoon-worthy in their own unique ways. I think readers will be just as enchanted and conflicted by these two as Claire is. I can already predict a Team Dmitry vs Team Arrick battle amongst readers…and yes, this reviewer has already chosen her team, but I’m not telling! The romance and chemistry between Claire and each of these two guys really sizzles. Duncan describes every touch and look in such a delicious, shiver inducing way that I found myself anxiously longing for each guy to appear in every scene. And in case you’re wondering, in my fanciful head Dmitry looks like Ian Somerholder and Arrick looks like Jensen Ackles.***I really liked how vivid the imagery in this book is. Duncan’s attention to detail and her complete descriptions made it very easy to picture the palatial royal house in my head, or imagine the velvety feel of a dress or the taste of warm blood sliding down my throat. The last few chapters through to the end left me breathless. Duncan ends the book with plenty of surprising twists and turns and questions that have me very excited and anxious for the next book in the Warm Delicacy Series. Overall, I found Savor to be quite the delectable read and I think anyone who is looking for a unique vampire paranormal-romance will want to take a bite outta this book!