Slayers by C.J. Hill A Review

Well, I literally just finished this book and I am bursting with excitement to read the second one (and to write this review so that you may share in my excitement over this amazing novel).

I had the chance to meet C.J. Hill (aka Janette Rallison) at Changing Hands Bookstore earlier this month for the release of her new book, Echo in Time. She has a great sense of humor and is wonderful at presenting her books without giving away any spoilers. It was there that I had my copy of Slayers and Slayers: Friends and Traitors signed. It was a great opportunity to meet her, and I am thankful for her example. She showed me (an aspiring writer) that authors are real genuine people too.

So now, onto the review of her amazing book, Slayers.

First of all, I love how Hill begins the book. She gives us the problem that needs to be fixed right off the bat. By doing so, she avoided any confusion within the story and allowed each of the characters to build themselves and their varying personalities in a profound way that truly brought each and every one to life.

By developing such genuine characters, Hill was able to create a fast paced, interesting, and page-turning story. Every time I had to put it down and get back to life, all I wanted to do was pick it back up again and finish it! I found that I was attached to the characters quickly and that I was fighting for their cause along with them.

Victoria Hampton was a wonderful main character. I am quite impressed with Hill, because she did NOT make a whiny, "oh my life sucks and I can't do anything" heroine. No, Tori was strong and willing to do her part (even with a rough beginning). She was determined to rise above the stereotypical jabs at her because of her socialite status. Frankly, she was awesome.

When I first met Jesse and Dirk, well, let's just say I laughed a lot. They are two great characters who are strong and fight for what they believe in. (Even when we see that things aren't all as they seem...). Jesse was kind and patient, even when things went awry, and Dirk was entertaining and the perfect image of what is meant to be "Dirk."

Needless to say, those three and the other Slayers' personalities made me feel for them as they struggled to live up to who they are and what they are meant to be. Being a teenager is already hard, and having to save the world and kill dragons just makes life so much more complicated. And yet, even after everything, they manage it.

One of my favorite things about Slayers is that it is a clean and an all around fun read. There is the right amount of action to keep you flipping pages and enough drama to keep you wondering what will happen to who next?

I will not give anything away, but I must admit. There was one part in this book that I was NOT expecting at ALL and I had a mini freak out. That's when you can tell an author is a fantastic writer--when they make their story so real, that you can't help but react in an actual physical "HOLY CRAP I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT JUST HAPPENED" moment.

I feel that Slayers deserves a five out of five. If you like fantasy and dragons then this is a perfect read for you!

If you want to buy a copy of this book from amazon, click here.

If you want a copy from Barnes and Noble, click here.