I found it difficult to get into Slayer because of the writing. It is not that the book is poorly written, it isn't, but the author obviously loves words and description. I prefer a cleaner writing style, not so overloaded with adjectives. Although some of the word pictures she creates are truly lovely and poetic, there are perhaps too many of them and they tend to confuse what is actually happening in the story. One of the weakest parts of the story was when Alek meets Teresa and betrays the Covenmaster. It is never quite explained what happens to Alek that makes him suddenly forsake all he believes in.
Karen's vampires are complex and interesting, although I could have wished for a better understanding of what they were and what powers they possessed. I suspect that there are several different breeds of vampires with different powers, but that wasn't explained. Although at her website Covenhouse, Karen Koehler clearly refers to Alek Knight as a dhampir, nowhere in the book does it explain that he is a dhampir nor does it explain his origins at all, other than he is an orphaned twin. I didn't end up with a clear understanding of what the Slayers were, as a matter of fact, I don't know if the vampires are different from the Slayers or the Slayers are just vampires that had chosen to follow the beliefs of the Coven, which comes across very much like a Catholic monastic order of sword welding warriors. It wasn't clear if the human population knew that vampires existed or if it was just the Catholic Church.
Their powers certainly are much different from the typical vampire, no garlic, crosses, sun, or mirrors. Alek and Debra seem able to fly, although I am not sure that is a power they all possess. Female vampires have it tough, it seems that when they go into heat, if they aren't bound to a male vampire, they sicken and can die. That aspect alone made me not want to be a female vampire in Karen's world. Amadeus is a blind albino who has the power to absorb the venom of snakes, then turns his hair into a mass of poisonous snakes. Weird.
Since I tend to like clearly defined vampires and storylines, I admit I struggled with this book. Still, I found the storyline interesting and kept reading. Since it is a free download, I would recommend you check it out. Another thing to recommend it is it is definitely not a paranormal romance.
SLAYER: DRAGON'S BLOOD
Dragon's Blood takes place two years after the events of Slayer. Alek stops
