Silent Screams by Evelyn Burdette and Grace Charlton

Silent Screams (Forbidden Bloods #1) by Evelyn Burdette & Grace Charlton

YA/Fantasy

Rating: 3 Stars

Pain should never be kept a secret...

Identical twins Claudia and Melina Grimwood learn this lesson quickly as, on their sixteenth birthday, life as they know it turns upside down. They are abruptly yanked from their sunny California life and dropped into the Canadian Rockies, where they must attend Nicholai's Academy, a school for vampires, witches, werewolves, and shapeshifters.

There they learn they are what the supernatural call Forbidden Bloods, a result of the illegal union between a vampire and a witch. While Claudia shows the signs of being a vampire and Melina exhibits the powers of a witch, both girls develop minor powers from the other side and the telepathic ability to communicate with each other. When their new life takes a turn for the worst, the deeply connected sisters begin keeping secrets from each other. Rather than turning to each other in their time of need, they hide their pain and attempt to deal with it themselves, causing the trauma to escalate.

First Thoughts: I met Evelyn through the House of Night page I run and she asked me if I could advertise her page on my page. I did and soon they had a contest for sharing and getting more fans and with my friends plus the House of Night fans, I won the first book and it was signed. The cover fits very well with this story. The castle is very mysterious because it is surrounded by mountains and the colors give it that creepy feeling. The synopsis is what got me. I am a twin myself so I instantly connected with this story and couldn't wait to read it.

Writing Style: This book was co-written by Evelyn Burdette and Grace Charlton. If I remember correctly they both wrote for one of the twins. Evie was Claudia and Grace was Melina. So you had two people with completely different writing styles for a separate character. Genius idea! For being their first novel, the writing wasn't that bad. There were a few things that bugged me but that was mostly with the Melina chapters. You could definitely tell the differences between the writing. It's not the best writing in the world but it's definitely not the worst.

Characters: Claudia and Melina are twins. The cool ones too, they are complete opposites. I know exactly how that feels so it was easy for me to connect with them. I'm not like either of them but still, I think I share traits with both of them. Melina, the witch, is calm, sweet, and very friendly. She's kind of predictable though. The 'oh so sweet' with the boyfriends and such. Nothing new to me. Claudia, the vampire, was the tough one who was strong willed and never hid how she felt. She's the wild child. I love her attitude. I was a little like that myself so it was easy for me to connect and relate to Claudia.

Final Thoughts: Looking back, this book isn't the greatest book in the world. It's a great concept, I love the ideas for this. I think what my problem was is that it was written by two different people and you could just feel it through the words. Dual-narratives are so difficult to keep up with but I love them so much at the same time. It is a great book and I am so glad I got a chance to read it and have it on my bookshelf.