![The Outcasts: The Blood Dagger: Volume 1 by [Hayes, Misty]](https://images-fe.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Q6KJ8ZssL._SY346_.jpg)
I should start with a disclaimer: Misty Hayes is a friend of mine and I hold her in high regard. Having said that, I initially bought this book out of friendship and I began reading it out of that same sense of duty. I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that my expectations weren't high. To my pleasant surprise the book hooked me from the start. The reader is introduced to Larna, the protagonist, in the first page and she is a wonderful character. Spunky, nerdy and funny, Larna isn't the typical heroine that resides in this genre. In fact, she very overweight and has extremely low self esteem (not the typical shy but secretly hot girl that usually populates this genre). Losing her father at a young age caused her to turn to food as a balm with predictable results. This causes her to suffer greatly from the bullies at her school. Those of us who remember the social hierarchy in high school can imagine how she is treated by her peers. She really has only one friend (besides her mom) and that's Corinth. He's the kind of friend everyone wishes they had. I was pulling for Larna from the get go.
This book is well written and well paced. The chapters just fly by. I came to really care about the other characters in the book and I'm really looking forward to Volume 2.
If you like vampires and young adult books you will like this one. Or if you are like me and you left the "young adult" phase of your life in the rear view years ago it still has a lot to offer. The book is full of interesting, likeable characters and the story is fast-paced and keeps you turning the pages. I highly recommend this book.
Product Description
Mystical relics.
Powerful vampires.
Strange allies.
It's hell being a teenager.
Larna Collins has never understood why her dad skipped out on her and her mother when she was twelve years old. Until then, he was a devoted and loving father.
But six years later, during a renovation of her childhood home, she unearths her father's journal from under a dusty floorboard. According to his final entry before he left, he had recently visited a small parish in England.
The entries draw her to this seemingly quaint village, which Larna discovers isn't as charming as its blood-craving inhabitants want her to believe, and she learns that she isn't the only one trying to track her father down.
Could this explain her father's disappearance? Or was placing her in the center of danger her dad's master plan all along?
Powerful vampires.
Strange allies.
It's hell being a teenager.
Larna Collins has never understood why her dad skipped out on her and her mother when she was twelve years old. Until then, he was a devoted and loving father.
But six years later, during a renovation of her childhood home, she unearths her father's journal from under a dusty floorboard. According to his final entry before he left, he had recently visited a small parish in England.
The entries draw her to this seemingly quaint village, which Larna discovers isn't as charming as its blood-craving inhabitants want her to believe, and she learns that she isn't the only one trying to track her father down.
Could this explain her father's disappearance? Or was placing her in the center of danger her dad's master plan all along?
About the Author
Misty Hayes has always called Texas home but has a passion for world travel. A lot of author's write about their pets, but all Misty has is a crotchety old parakeet who whines and complains as much as she does. Before taking up writing, she has had a long career in the law enforcement. Besides writing books, she loves writing screenplays and directing indie film. Misty is currently working on book three of The Blood Dagger trilogy series. When not writing, Misty enjoys reading any books by Jim Butcher, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Joe Hill, and J.K. Rowling.
