Review: Crossroads by J.J. Bonds

Crossroads (Crossroads Academy #1) by J.J. Bonds
Publication Date: November 11, 2011
Publisher: J.J. Bonds
Number of Pages: 229
Format: Ebook
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 When Katia enrolled at Crossroads Academy she knew things weren’t exactly going to be easy. The sole heir to the worlds’ most powerful vampire, her presence was bound to cause a stir. But nothing could have prepared her for this. Whispers follow everywhere she goes. So does trouble.

Bodies start turning up in nearby Rutland and Katia is sucked into a twisted web of danger and deceit. Haunted by nightmares she can’t explain and a thirst for blood that is never sated, Katia will do whatever it takes to keep her past buried.

Nothing at Crossroads is what it seems and Katia’s secrets may be the darkest of them all.

First I would like to thank the author, JJ Bonds, for giving me this opportunity to read and review this book. 

Even from the description I could tell this book has a Vampire Academy vibe to it, and while it does, Bonds put her own twist to it and makes it her own story.

Katia is the long lost great niece of Aldo, one of the council members and pretty much the most powerful vampire out there. We are never given how Aldo came to find Katia, just that he saved her life and she has been living with him for the last year. Honestly it was hard for me to connect to Katia. She was too guarded and secretive, not interested in making any friends. The only thing she is really interested in is training in martial arts. She's obsessed with being the best. It doesn't take long for Katia to make enemies of the "in group". The only exception is Nikolai, who has agreed to help train Katia. The guy who despises Katia, Blaine is interesting. It never comes right and says it, but there are very subtle hints that he's gay with a huge crush on Nik. Kind of annoys me, just come out and say it. 

Then vampire mythology are interesting in this book. There are half breeds whom have pretty much no rights and are treated like second rate citizens. We learn that the half breeds are humans that have been turned into vampires. After Katia learns that half breeds have a strong bond to their sires, she wants to confront Aldo about that information and wonders why he never mentioned that to her. 

Once Katia's big secret is revealed everything starts to make sense. Her nightmares, her thirst that she can't control, and even her obsession with training. The only thing that bug me is that as a reader I feel a little betrayed. The whole time Katia had been lying to herself, pretending she is someone else. In result I feel like I've been lied to. It makes a great twist, but I was bummed out that she isn't really Aldo's niece. 

The only thing that bugged me about the book, was in the middle of the murders, one of her teachers made them watch the news. They had shown some gruesome details, which would never happen in real life. I know this is fiction, but it's one of my pet peeves.  

Overall the book is pretty descent. Like I mentioned earlier the idea isn't a new one, but the plot is refreshing and new. I'm not sure how I feel about Katia and Nik yet, but I'm intrigued since it has that forbidden romance to it. 

Rating: 3/5