Zen and the Art of Vampires

By: Katie MacAlister

Narrated by: Nicole Poole

Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

USA Today and Publishers Weekly best-selling author Katie MacAlister gets listeners' hearts racing with her unique brand of paranormal romance. While on a singles tour of Europe, Seattle's own Pia Thomason is looking for a man and trying not to think about her 40th birthday. Too bad her choice of suitors is less than appealing. But when she meets two mysterious strangers in Iceland, Pia becomes immersed in an undead love affair. And she learns that where vampires are concerned, love isn’t the only thing at stake.

Love in vein: spend some more time with the Dark Ones.

©2008 Katie MacAlister (P)2010 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

“Wickedly hot.” (Romance Reviews Today)

Great book

I really like the world building, storyline, and characters .
The only thing that I find annoying is that the story feels like it has an incomplete ending. I never got to find out how Alec, Cristof, and the Beloveds story works out. It terrible to get through the whole book and not really know how it ends. I’ll read the next book in the series and hopefully it continues in it.

Whiny narrator and cliffhanger ending

I liked the story well enough, though I think it would have been more entertaining reading it rather than listening to it. The narrator's voice was whiny and too old. It made the snarky humor more annoying than it would have been on paper, and the sex scenes sort of squicky because I'm picturing a too-old and unattractive heroine due to the voice. My biggest issue, though, is that this is not a complete story. There is a sequel and this book ends on a cliffhanger. After over 10 hours of listening, I was not amused to get an incomplete story. There should be a big warning that this is not a stand-alone volume. I don't appreciate having to pay for another full audiobook.

Ending?

I feel like I am missing the last chapter of the story. The ending was very anticlimactic. Edit: just got the next book and the story continues. All of the other books wrapped up the story line so I didn't expect it to continue to the next book. looking forward to hearing the rest of the story.

Disappointing

I would like to preface this by saying how much I love Katie MacAlister. She is an amazing author. She writes hilarious stories that depict what it might be like for real down to earth people to meet and get caught up in the lives of paranormal people. I have read or listened to most of what she has written. For me she is an automatic download. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the books so far in the Dark Ones series. However this book was very different.

Usually Ms MacAlister's heroines are smart,and have a great deal of common sense who get caught up in all sorts of crazy chaotic situations. But in this book the heroine was disappointing, very disappointing. I actually skipped chapters and skimmed others because though the heroine made me angry I wanted to give the book a chance. I listened to the first nine chapters in full hoping the book would redeem itself. It didn't and nine chapters was all I could take.

So if a heroine that behaves with little common sense or intelligence makes you as frustrated as it does me then I suggest you skip this one and move on to the next. It's not a bad story just very frustrating and irritating.

Entertainng Story

If you could sum up Zen and the Art of Vampires in three words, what would they be?

unresolved romance

Who was your favorite character and why?

Magda - she has a gusto for adventure

What does Nicole Poole bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

gives the charaters their own personality

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I cannot say I was particularly moved by the book but definately entertained.

Yeah- there’s a cliffhanger

So there is a cliffhanger. End of that now

It’s one of those things where the heroine is caught between two sexy vamps and a slightly deranged guy who is in charge of a religious cult like organization. Someone dies. Pia is accused of her murder. Dark ones help her. Then cliffhanger.

I probably wouldn’t listen over and over. Not a bad story just not a repeat listen for me. Nicole Poole is brilliant as always.

GFYDU MTYB DBAD

A fun vampire-filled European adventure

During her singles journey through Europe, Pia Thomason, a resident of Seattle, seeks companionship while grappling with the approach of her 40th birthday. Unfortunately, the candidates vying for her affection fall short of her expectations. However, a chance encounter with two enigmatic individuals in Iceland leads Pia into a captivating romance with the undead, revealing that in the world of vampires, matters of the heart aren't the only ones hanging in the balance.

Rating:
1. **Plot and Storytelling:** 4/5 I appreciated the fresh approach to the dark ones' storyline and found the overall narrative quite engaging.

2. **Characterization:** 5/5 The characters in this book truly won me over, especially how they evolved throughout the story. Katie’s portrayal of her flawed yet strong female lead was particularly captivating, and the side characters were equally delightful.

3. **Writing Style:** 5/5 Another 5 out of 5 from me for Katie MacAlister’s writing style. I believe she skillfully weaves a compelling tale with excellent pacing.

4. **Originality:** 5/5 I found the book's fresh take on both the vampire romance genre and Katie’s dark one series to be quite refreshing and thoroughly enjoyable.

5. **Emotional Impact and Resolution:** 3/5 While the book did evoke some minor emotional responses like giggles and cringes, overall, it didn't have me on the edge of my seat. I was slightly let down by the resolution and the open-ended conclusion, though I'm optimistic about future developments.

6. **Smut:** 4/5 I appreciated the level of spice in the book without it becoming too excessive.

7. **Narrator emotion and tone:** 5/5 Nicole Poole did a commendable job in narrating the book, effectively conveying emotions and maintaining an appropriate tone throughout.

8. **Narrator character differentiation:** 4/5 Poole did well in distinguishing between characters with varied voices and speaking styles.

9. **Narrator pacing and flow:** 5/5 for the excellent pacing and flow of the narration. Poole’s delivery matched the book's rhythm perfectly, neither too slow nor too fast.

10. **Audio quality:** 5/5 for the excellent audio quality, as expected from recorded books.

Overall score: 4.5/5

I would absolutely recommend you check this book out. I preferred the audio format. It was a very good listen.

if you like this book, I would recommend you check out the rest of the Dark Ones series by Katie MacAlister. Her dragon sept series is also a great place to start in the supernatural, romance world.

Quirky and Fun

A slightly different kind of story by Katie MacAlister but fun as always. Her characters are always a bit off the wall and snarky. Can't wait to read the next installment of this particular story.

the humour

i loved this book as it is sooo me the caractor, but the ending sucks. How can he not see he loves her she him. Then he just leaves. no, just sad ending too sad.How could Alec also just leave...not fair...

Not full novel. cliffhanger.

I hate being forced to buy a second book to finish a story. it's just wrong. unless you want to buy 2 book don't waste your credit on this one.