Book Review: Bad Blood by Nicky Peacock + Author Interview

Bad Blood
Author: Nicky Peacock
Reading Level: Youg Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Released: September 5, 2014
Review Source: Evernight Teen

“I am Britannia. I am your protector. I will fend off the hungry hordes of undead hands that reach toward you. I am your steadfast defender. I will stand between you and the zombie masses as they try to taste your flesh. I am strong, unyielding, and dedicated to your survival. All I ask from you… is your blood.”

A 500 year bloody game of vengeance will need to be put on hold if vampires are to survive the zombie uprising. Bitter enemies, Britannia and Nicholas must work together to save un-infected humans, delivering them to a stronghold in Scotland.

Unable to drink the zombie blood, vampires need humans to stay alive. But will they tell the survivors who they are, and what they want from them? Will Britannia be able to hold back her vengeance? Is survivor Josh the reincarnation of Britannia’s murdered true love? And can she bring herself to deliver him to the safe hold?

Survival instincts run deep, but bad blood can run deeper.

I'm a HUGE Twilight fan, and since the series came out, it seems that the bookshelves are overflowing with vampire books. Bad Blood, however, is nothing like the other books out there. First of all, this book puts vampires vs. Zombies. I mean, how cool is that? There were things I liked about the book, but there were also things that I didn't like.

First, the things I liked. My favorite character was Britannia (even though it's hard to say). She's got a kick-butt attitude and is comfortable in her own skin. Not only does she save innocent people from other vampires, she also has a humorous side as well. She even has a sensitive side, which also makes her more complex. And she has blue hair! I also thought there was a lot of action in the story and I didn't get bored around the middle. I also liked how the author added in the Josh character. It made it a lot more interesting! I wasn't a fan of Nicholas at the beginning of the novel, but by the end I actually liked him.

And now, what I didn't like too much. There were times where I felt some of the descriptions where a little too much. I mean, I like knowing what a place looks like and how a character looks, but sometimes it felt a little overkill. Also, there were times where the writing was a little too cliche. It was an attempt at humor, but came out silly.

Overall, I really enjoyed the premise and characters of the story. It was definitely a unique story that was very creative. I would recommend this to my friends who like both zombies and vampires. It was definitely action packed!

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1. Tell us a little bit about your writing history. When did you know you wanted to write? Have you written anything else?

I've always wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. English was my favorite subject at school, although my creative writing was a little dark at times! I've been published for about 3 years now. Before Bad Blood, I had over 40 short stories published in anthologies with publishers all over the world. The genres range from horror, paranormal romance and urban fantasy - these can be found on my Amazon Author Page. 

2. Where did you get the idea of Vampires vs Zombies?

I actually tired to find a book which had vampires VS zombies fighting against one another in, but couldn't. I'm avid reader of the genre myself so I thought, if I wanted to read this book, then others might too - so I decided to write it myself. 

3. How did Britannia come to be?

I needed a strong lead and also one, that although has her faults (like any good character would) takes a more active lead than the usual YA female protagonists.  Brit had to be able to kick some serious butt too, but not really start out as the hero of the novel. I guess you can say that she was born out of what I needed to maintain the action in the story.  She also managed to inherit my dry sense of humor!

4. What makes your book different than other vampire books that are out there?

Well, I suppose I'd say that it's two stories wrapped in one - you have the usual vampire politics but also the end of the world undead uprising for them and the humans to contend with. There's a lot of action in there - I personally hate books that dwell too much on conversations and character soliloquy. The zombies give the perfect formula for the vampires to not have too many of 'those' scenes in there - I mean, if zombies did happen, there really wouldn't be much time for that, people would have to be in a pretty consistent state of action to stay alive!