Praise

Nicala, A Vampire Story is an intriguing slow-burn novel that painstakingly establishes a world like ours, but one in which vampires are a known quantity in society. Nicala struggles to find her place in the world, navigating the challenges that her new vampire status throws at her, approaching the moral and emotional quandaries from a relatable perspective, bringing humanity to her no longer quite human existence. The novel sets up fascinating future of conflicts that I am excited to read about as additional novels are published.

A refreshing change from the typical vampire novel. I generally struggle to stay focused on a book, but I read the whole thing in 2 days, and then read it again. It's always interesting to think about what it would be like if vampires existed in our world, and this story felt jarringly real. You can feel the connection to our daily lives, and how they would be viewed and treated if they showed up on our doorstep. Just enough drama to keep it interesting, enough romance to keep it steamy. Nicala may be the protagonist, but every character in the story had their own to tell. Now I'm just waiting for the second part!

I like to be surprised, and Nicala sure did that. This is not the romantasy I was expecting—you know, the trope-heavy style you usually expect from a vampire novel. This was different. This was fun. This was gritty, and it felt more like a memoir (and I mean that in the best way).

The writing was easy to read, and I found that Nicole Zele handled tension really well. I really, really want to read the next book in this series now. If you like Vampire origin stories, then this Is a fresh take on it.

This book is action packed. It kept me on the edge of my seat. I couldn't read it fast enough. Thank you Nicole for letting be an ARC for you. You are a great writer. This story flows together so seamlessly. I look forward to reading more of your books.

Nicala a vampire story is an enjoyable & different take on a vampire tale.

Brilliantly written, I was pulled in from the first paragraph & its action packed too! No issues with pacing either, the story flowed beautifully & truth be told I'm already hankering for my next Nicala fix & to see what's next for Nicala.
Highly recommended

This book was quite the read. It started off interesting, and here I was thinking, "Oh, we are going to get a vampire/Lycan triangle similar to Twilight," based off the tags. Let me spoil it now, just a little: this is NOT that type of vampire story.

The protagonist, Nicala, is so relatable. The things that happen to her and her reactions are exactly how I think I would react in the situations she is in.

My only thing is that you can tell that this author has been working on this novel for a long time through different age ranges, as the writing definitely evolves throughout the first half of the book.

All in all, I can't wait to read the second one.

This book was bittersweet. When everything seems to becoming to an end Nicala meets Jin. Jin is a sweet vampire that trys to make everything better for Nicala. Nicala still finds herself in hot water and having to deal with the consequences of her own choices. Just when you think everything is going to be OK this author rips that away and adds a new twist. This book was amazing in my opinion. You dont get a HEA in the way you would think but all in all I think it was a pretty nice ending. I cannot wait to read more by this author.

Nicole Zele does a great job of creating a world that feels real with a modern twist on vampire lore. The way vampirism causes problems, not just cool powers, makes the struggles feel relatable.
It was engaging to watch Nicala navigate the moral and emotional struggles of her new existence. The slow-burn tension and dynamic with her enigmatic Maker, Jin, kept the pages turning, as I was invested in seeing if they would move past the "Maker" dynamic.
The story moves at a steady pace, focusing heavily on Nicala's training and finding her place after a brutal attack changes her life. The plot sets up a fascinating future of conflicts between humans, vampires, and other species, leaving me excited for the next book in the series, Nicala, Cursed Blood.

If you love fierce heroines, emotional depth, and romance wrapped in darkness and power—Nicala is waiting for you.

The characters drove the storyline and they were very compelling and complex and complicated. Plot was intriguing and intense and well paced. World building was excellent and impressive. Thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend.

I liked this book because you don’t really get what you’ll expect.

The author adds a good twist to the story.

The book is morally grey, bitter-sweet, hot and cold. But very good in its own way!!!