Review | Thirsty by Tracey Bateman

"Hello, I'm Nina Parker…and I'm an alcoholic."

For Nina, it's not the weighty admission but the first steps toward recovery that prove most difficult. She must face her ex-husband, Hunt, with little hope of making amends, and try to rebuild a relationship with her angry teenage daughter, Meagan. Hardest of all, she is forced to return to Abbey Hills, Missouri, the hometown she abruptly abandoned nearly two decades earlier – and her unexpected arrival in the sleepy Ozark town catches the attention of someone – or something – igniting a two-hundred-fifty-year-old desire that rages like a wildfire.
Unaware of the darkness stalking her, Nina is confronted with a series of events that threaten to unhinge her sobriety. Her daughter wants to spend time with the parents Nina left behind. A terrifying event that has haunted Nina for almost twenty years begins to surface. And an alluring neighbor initiates an unusual friendship with Nina, but is Markus truly a kindred spirit or a man guarding dangerous secrets?
As everything she loves hangs in the balance, will Nina's feeble grasp on her demons be broken, leaving her powerless against the thirst? The battle between redemption and obsession unfold to its startling, unforgettable end.

Thoughts: Thirsty is unlike any other vampire book I’ve ever encountered. First off, it was a Christian book about vampires. I have to admit I was completely unaware it was considered a “Christian/Religious” book until after I read it and rated it on Goodreads. I was a bit surprised but then it sort of made sense, you know? All the talk about being saved and giving up alcoholism that Nina was faced with and how she found His way. Things like that just made more sense. Not that I was completely clueless to what they meant, I was just surprised at how focused it was at points about religion.

Anyways, I liked it. The characters were completely believable, honest, and likeable. I was able to understand Nina’s situation because the author’s descriptive writing helped me see what Nina was feeling and going through as she struggled to pick up the pieces of her life and make it work. We also got a few glimpses on what Hunt and Nina’s daughter, Meg, were going through and how they were trying to deal with Nina’s situation. This added a lot more depth to the story and I really liked how vivid the author was about each character’s emotions because I felt I connected with each of them.

The story was a little different than I expected because although it is technically a “vampire book,” it wasn’t really centered on that. Sure there were a few vampires, some good and some bad, and they all intertwined the story just right but really, the author could’ve just replaced the “vampires” with regular humans and made some of them a bit insane and trying to kill others and all that good stuff and it would have worked just as well.

There was only one thing that at a few times bothered me. At the beginning of every chapter and sometimes towards the end or even in the middle, there would be sort of a flashback. I really liked learning more on the characters pasts and how each thing contributed to how their lives turned out, but there were maybe a couple of times were I was a bit confused about who’s past we were reading about. After a few sentences though I would figure it out and it would be all good.

So the whole book has some great twists and turns that’ll keep you entertained until the very end. I was happy with the conclusion because it felt like real closure. I definitely recommend this to any adult-fiction readers who are looking to enjoy a good vampire book that has some religion, and is without that whole “Twilight-y” feeling.

Favorite Line: "After a full day of every grade, including my own, calling me 'Puke' and knocking my books out of my hands, I figured if God existed, it wasn’t for kids like me. At home that afternoon, I snuck into dad’s vodka. And I felt better..."

This book was provided by my local library