Review & Blog Tour: Thirsty

Thirsty: A Novel by Tracey Bateman

There's no place like home, they say.
"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.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

While reading this book I came across several reviews. Most of which are extreme opposites in their opinions. Some people were wanting a Christian Twilight, which I actually take offense to since I found so many Christian elements with in that story itself, but that is a conversation for another day. The only similarity here to that saga itself is the idea of a "vegetarian vampire", one who finds resentment in the idea of harming an innocent human. Other people think it is outrageous to the idea of having a Christian vampire novel, but the message behind the story is what makes it Christian. As in most things there are levels of evil within all of us that we must overcome. Be it something that we believe as from folklore or something that we know is passed down in our genetics, the importance of a lesson is learning from it and walking forward.

There were some people who stated disappointment with this novel after having read other Tracey Bateman books. Well that is not my opinion and as an all you can not relate this to any book she has written in the past as it is entirely in a realm of it's own. I have also read reviews of people who were enthralled from page one and could not put it down or turn the pages fast enough. In my case, I definitely was not disappointed, but I was not fully captivated either. This story is good, the lesson underlying is deep, personal and important to read. I do think that the character of Markus could have been more. In saying that I am not sure if I mean more developed or more page time. I just feel that there is a lot more to his character than meets the page translation. To be honest it was about page 200 where I was truly intrigued and excited about the story, but it continued well and I overall liked it. My personal opinion is that there could have been more, but I am just not sure of what. Luckily, there will be more books to come from Tracey in the future.

*Special thanks to Waterbrook Multnomah for providing a copy for review.*

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Find this book on the Waterbrook Multnomah page here.

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press (October 6, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 030745715X
• ISBN-13: 978-0307457158
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches