SNAP: The World Unfolds by Michele Drier

 

Review by Cristy Ballard

Maxie Gwenoch has just landed her dream job; A high level position at one of the biggest media firms in the world. The perks include celebrity clientele, travel to luxurious locations, and designer everything. But the good life hides a sinister secret that is about to wrap itself around Maxie and pull her into a world she always considered impossible. The stakes are high, the danger is real, and everything inside her screams to run away as fast as she can, but there is one thing she simply can’t walk away from. Will Maxie pay the ultimate price for a love that could last forever?

SNAP: The World Unfolds is the first in what appears to be a series about two vampire clans and their centuries old battle. It put me in mind of Lynsay Sands’ Argeneau books, specifically “Vampires Are Forever.”

This book started out strangely, with what seemed to be a pre-prologue and then the actual prologue. In this case I feel as though neither of these gave any information that was helpful to the story; they felt more confusing than anything, even after I had gotten through the book. I would rather have dived right into the story from Chapter One, which begins with Maxie’s first day at SNAP, the media firm to which she’s just been hired as the new managing editor. It’s clear from the very beginning that the author has experience in this area because Maxie’s job is described in minute detail, which, although interesting, does slow the pace of the story. Another thing I gleaned from all the detail was a picture of Maxie as a no-nonsense, take charge kind of gal. I had this picture of a glamourous woman who was used to the finer things in life. She seemed confident in the world of designer labels and jet setters, but later in the book there is mention of her feeling out of place among beautiful and wealthy people, which seemed to contradict the earlier impression I’d gotten of her. However, Maxie retained her sass and independence throughout the whole book. I liked her character and immediately found myself rooting for her.

The love interest of the book, Jean Louis, was another story. He was described as extremely good looking but remained aloof through most of the book. I wanted to know more about him, to be able to fall in love with him along with Maxie, but I was never able to. One of the reasons I love paranormal romance is because it’s the ultimate in fantasy indulgence; everyone loves a bad boy and what could be more off limits than a sexy vampire? The problem was that Jean Louis had almost no qualities that made him humanly accessible. He seemed more like a minor character than a worthy mate for the feisty Maxie.

One thing I really enjoyed about the book is that the author has crafted a very rich history for the vampire families. The way she’s brought these people through the centuries seems not only plausible, but likely. If vampires did exist, the modern age would pose quite a problem for them. With the advent of the internet and the documentation of celebrities, consumer memories are much longer and it would be difficult to reinvent yourself every few years. An immortal would have a much harder time staying out of the spotlight, which is one of the themes of the book. I do think that the delivery of the family history was a little forced, with far too many “let’s sit down and talk” scenes in which Maxie is literally just listening to people tell her the stories. I’d like to have seen the information incorporated into the action a little more.

Overall I’d say this story was interesting but could use a little more editing as far as character development and pace. I found myself at times reading eagerly to find out what happens next and then being discouraged by long narratives that slowed down the excitement. A little more chemistry between Maxie and Jean Louis would have been nice, too, and a little more sizzle in the bedroom scenes. The author clearly has a way with words and the writing style was sharp; it was only the structuring that put me off.

With that said, I would probably want to read more of this series, because I do feel there is potential with the story and I’m interested to see if those vampire families can ever see eye to eye.