Tuesday 12 August 2014

Book Review - Battle Lines

Title: Battle Lines
Author: Will Hill
Series: Department 19 (book 3)
Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books
Release Date: 1 Aug 2013
ISBN-13: 978-0007354535

Synopsis
It's always darkest before dawn.
Secret government unit Department 19 is recovering from evil vampire Valeri Rusmanov's deadly attack on their base. The Department’s newest member, teenage operator Jamie Carpenter, is tasked with training up a new squad, as his friends and colleagues desperately search for ways to try to stop what is coming.


The timing couldn’t be worse for a coordinated, global attack on a number of maximum security prisons and hospitals—with the already-dangerous inmates now on the loose and turned into vampires. One of the escapees has a deep connection to one of the darkest moments in the history of Department 19 and embarks on a quest that threatens to expose the existence of vampires to the public. And with each day that passes, the regenerated Dracula gets stronger, bringing Zero Hour closer.


My Review
OMG, book 3 is here! I couldn't wait to get stuck into this book, in fact I finished book 2 and went straight into this one, read 100 pages of it straight away. I seriously love this series, it has the ability to just sweep me away and carry me through the pages, totally losing track of time and awareness. I love it when a book can do that - utterly absorb me, it doesn't happen very often but when it does I know I have struck gold! Especially when the book is 700 pages long but flies by so fast because you are so invested!
I did have to leave this for a few days as I was signed up to a book club meeting and was assigned '1984' by Orwell to read so that interrupted this book. But to be honest the meeting has passed and I still haven't finished Orwell, maybe I was too swept up with wanting to get back to Jamie and his colleagues and friends, because I couldn't concentrate on anything else. And when I did pick this book up again I read 250 pages in one sitting without moving, emerged once more in the world of Department 19. And in a way it felt comforting, like I was returning home and meeting up with friends. I had to know what was happening to them and what might be coming next.
Dracula is coming back, but this time he is going to be bigger and more dangerous than ever, Department 19 has set up a special Task Force 'Zero Hour' to try and stop him from rising, but they may have underestimated just what they were dealing with. Jamie has to deal with a whole new type of vampire, family ties, new recruits and relationship problems. Life just got a whole lot harder.
I actually really like Kate in this book, she seems to develop more of a back bone and stands up for herself a bit more. Whereas Larissa became a bit more mopey and thoughtful, although thankfully still kick ass when needed. 
This world has truly come to life for me, I can visualise it all, the training rooms, meeting rooms, corridors, labs, sleeping areas - everything, it's like I am fully there. 
It's refreshing to find such an exciting, detailed, fun, scary and amazing world all rolled into one amazing series. I already have book 4 by my side ready to go and am pleased to see that there should be a book 5 too. I just can't get enough. Will Hill - you are a legend and I wish I had read more of your books before I had met you. I have so many things that I would have said to you if I had. But please, keep writing!!!

My Rating
     

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