Review: Crimson Groves by Ashley Robertson

Posted December 13th, 2013 in book review / 27 comments

CRIMSON GROVES

Crimson Groves Series #1

by Ashley Robertson


Publisher: Obsidian Publishing (2013)
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Adult
Format: eBook (276 pages)
Source: Free book from author for honest review
Find It: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2 stars)

Summary
Abigail Tate was a normal human girl—until the day Bronx the vampire barges into her life and turns her against her will. Held captive while forced to deal with never-ending cravings for blood, Abby prays for a way to escape. Only when an opportunity arises, it’s with the aid of an innocent human named Tyler—except vampires are forbidden to interact with the unbitten. But Abby quickly learns this human has secrets of his own…secrets that can either help her or get her killed. Only Abby soon discovers that she is the one with the biggest secret of all.

At A Glance
Started out great, but the more I read, the more I disliked the characters.

The Good
The premise really was exciting, as was the beginning. Abigail getting turned into a vampire against her will by that horrible vamp, Bronx, was truly frightening. It was like watching a scary movie where you want to scream at the girl to not go down the dark alley to see what that noise was, but you know she is going to and you know it’s not going to end well. Yup, being lured by Bronx into his creepy house did not end well for Abby either. My skin crawled as Abby had to endure what she did, but she did hold up pretty well. She never gave up, she just waited for her chance to escape. But Bronx stole the show. He was that character you loved to hate. He is so bad and disgusting, you can’t help but want more of him.

I was so excited when Tyler came into the picture to save the day, though he was a little odd, which only added to the mystery. And as Abby learned of her new powers and all that she was capable off, I got more and more excited to see where it all would end.

The Bad
I really, really wanted to love this book. It sounded awesome and the author is the sweetest person ever. And I did enjoy some of it, but with each page, I got deflated. The plot really started to drag in the middle and the pacing was not always so great.

The main characters, Abby and Tyler, had very little characterization. Abby was up and down most of the time and just blah for the rest. She made stupid choices that made me think less of her. She was all over the place in every aspect. I still can’t understand why she would help someone who wronged her so gravely. It’s a little sickening. Then Tyler was odd but cute in the beginning, then just odd, then creepy, then “WHAT THE HELL?” by the end. Ugh, I can’t talk further about him or I will go on a rant.

The ending was mediocre and it felt rushed.

The Snuggly
There really isn’t sex in this book, but expect some sexual situations. I didn’t like Abby or Tyler so their romance, if you can call it that, meant nothing to me.

Final Thoughts
I will be trying out another of Ashley’s books and hopefully I will like that one better. But for now, I really could not recommend Crimson Groves to anyone, however, it seems to be doing pretty good on Goodreads, so maybe it’s just me.

Quotes
“Why did I want to get back to him so badly? Desire and lust rushed my heart like a stampede. My mind wrestled in trying to make sense of these over-the-top feelings. Thoughts on how I didn’t know him zigzagged between wanting to know him and needing to feel close to him.”


“I didn’t have to be a vampire to know she was being a bitch. That’s something a woman can sense easily from other women, whether human, vampire, or anything else. I don’t need any advanced senses to determine that.”

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27 Responses to “Review: Crimson Groves by Ashley Robertson”

    • Ashley Robertson

      I’m told by many reviewers that book 2 blew away book 1. I hope you’ll give it a shot but if not, I understand. As an author it gets so confusing to get loads of 5 & 4 star reviews, and then get a handful of 2 stars. Everyone is allowed their own opinion and I respect all of them. 🙂 My book Unguarded was a finalist in the 2013 National Indie Excellence Awards, which was pretty awesome. Thanks for your interest in the sequel. I’m happy to email an ebook of it to you if you want.

      Reply

  3. Ashley Robertson

    Thanks for your review Jen. I appreciate the time you put into reading it and writing up the review. From the bottom of my heart, I really wanted you to love it and I’m sorry it fell short for you. I really appreciate you giving me another chance with Death Dealer. xoxo 🙂

    Reply

  5. Sarah Elizabeth

    Ooh, I really hate when the author is a lovely person but the book just doesn’t do it for you. Having to send that emai is horrible 🙁 Shame this one wasn’t good for you Jen 🙁

    Reply

  8. Jaclyn Canada

    I don’t mind odd at all, since I can be fairly odd myself but creepy is not something that should be in the love interest. Sorry this one went so wrong especially since you know and like the author. I really hope you have better luck with the next one 😀 Jaclyn @ JC’s Book Haven.

    Reply

  9. Ashley

    Oh no!! 🙁 I haven’t read this one yet, but what a massive bummer because Ashley is SO SWEET!! I think I’d run away and hide under the covers for 2 weeks if I didn’t like one of her books. 🙁

    I really hope you like the next one more!

    Reply

    • Ashley Robertson

      I hope she does too, Ash. 🙂 It’s one you read and loved, so I feel a little comforted in that. You haven’t read my Crimson series yet…just my other two 🙂

      Reply

    • Jennifer Bielman

      I know!!! I knew you loved her books so that’s why I had high hopes, but I didn’t read the ones you did. I am reading Death Dealer next though.

      I know, she is the sweetest!!

      Reply

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