An upstart slayer.
A clan of vampires.
A world of trouble.
Eighteen-year-old Corinth Taylor didn't sign up to become a Watcher—an elite warrior destined to restore balance to the human race—he was chosen. Corinth can barely control his own hormones ... much less the deadly blade.
And to make matters worse, his best friend, Larna, just so happens to be the very thing he's supposed to eliminate. But when vampires and slayer find a common enemy, Corinth knows it's his innate calling to hunt evil down. And evil has a name: Gabriel Stanton. The enigmatic vampire who escaped their capture, has plans for Corinth, Larna, and Alastair ... and it's a threat they'll never see coming. When the line between good and evil gets crossed, devastating consequences start to happen.
As Watcher and vampire worlds collide, Corinth must decide where to place his trust: with his old allies or his killer instincts. An upstart slayer. A clan of vampires.
What could go wrong? It's only the end of the world. The Watchers is the second book in The Blood Dagger series, a high-octane paranormal YA thriller.
If you like witty heroines, unconventional relationships, and friendships that can withstand the grave, then you'll love Misty Hayes' high-stakes story. Sink your teeth into a fun, fierce vampire series today.
"What's most impressive about The Watchers – The Blood Dagger must be how Misty Hayes develops so many intriguing and developed characters. Jumping POV between Corinth and Larna, as well as other characters at times, is a major risk that Hayes manages by occupying her characters' thoughts and idiosyncrasies so well. The unique snarky tone, self-awareness of melodrama, use of POV for insight into peculiarities, makes this technique much more than a gimmick, but an actual tool for creating depth.
The book is extensive in depth, covering multiple layers of the world while still making a 532-pager a page-turner that can be cut through like water. This is inevitably due to Hayes' style, which structures sentences based on their emphasis. Her writing is strong and crystal clear, but also effective, often offering much in one sentence than many authors can offer in multiple.
I also enjoyed how complex Hayes made the characters, considering her ability to make bad characters more than simply the bad guys. All of these skills helped Hayes very much but were also plain necessary, since the vampire genre has become so overwhelmingly saturated in the past few years. It looks like her third book in the series is set to appear at the end of this year, and I wish her the best of luck in its success."
"There are plenty of readers who will pick up The Watchers: The Blood Dagger #2 by Misty Hayes and proclaim it, at first glance, to be nothing more than a take on the story told in the Twilight series. Do NOT be fooled. Misty Hayes has taken the age-old vampire tale to a whole new level! She goes far beyond the Twilight-type plot and leaves it in the dust helplessly spinning its wheels. Once upon a time, I thought that entire series was the be-all end-all of vampire tales, but Misty Hayes's Blood Dagger series is quickly bumping it from the coveted spot.Hayes writes romantic scenarios in the most tasteful and thoughtful ways. The Watchers: The Blood Dagger #2, though billed more as young adult fiction, appeals to fans of vampire tales as well as fantasies. Hayes's work fits neatly into a variety of age ranges and genres beginning, but certainly not limited to, young adult.Hayes's work is, hands down, some of the most striking to hit shelves in the last decade. There are no characters out there like Corinth and Larna, and Hayes's style of writing in alternating perspectives helps give rise to the inevitable success of The Blood Dagger series. I'm waiting with bated breath for book 3!"
☆☆☆☆☆
Readers will fall in love with Corinth and Larna if for nothing else than their ability to find humor in the most dire of circumstances.
- Literary Titan
