Who Loves New Orleans, LA? THIS GIRL.  Before I picked up this book for a review read (Thanks JC!), I had no idea about the setting, the scenery, or anything else. All I knew was that ANOMALY was a book about a 20-something-year-old girl in college, who suddenly finds herself with a sucky life (literally). I was pleasantly surprised when the imagery that JC Emery penned turned out to make me feel like I was back in the boot. (That’s what we Louisianans call the great state of Louisiana.) I felt like I was back in college walking uptown, passing through the streets that housed Loyola and Tulane University. Oh, and let’s not forget the abita beer mention. (I died.)

So okay, you just want to know if you should read it, right? Okay. YES. You should read it. While there are some editing issues especially towards the back in my edition, they are easily overlooked since this book is so well written. There are times when you feel like you’re Eliza Landry. You’re confused about what you’re turning into, and  you have no one to trust but this super hot vampire who is kind of a dick.

So now you’re thinking “God. Another one of those. Girl Meets Vampire, falls in love with said Vampire, the end.” Wrong. I’m not one to spill spoilers in my reviews, so I’ll say this: It doesn’t end how you want it to. It leaves you wanting to scream at Luke, at Eliza, and at Kate. Most of all, it leaves you with questions, and let’s face the facts here: As a reader invested in a story, I don’t want questions!! I want Answers!! NOW! But, as a writer, It was a smooth move by JC Emery, because I’ll be picking up the next installation of the Birthright Series to find out what happens next. Happy Reading Fledglings!

Some of my favorite quotes from ANOMALY:

“It would figure that I meet my first vampire and he’s likely an unbalanced bipolar”

“I didn’t invite you in!” … “Don’t believe everything you hear, Nancy Drew.”

“‘I’ve never buried anything I didn’t personally kill before,’ he said. I froze where I was and stared up at him, figuring out how to respond to that little tidbit. He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. ‘I meant to say you’re welcome.’ “

“Can you hear me? I asked silently. Luke didn’t even react, not even a twitch of the lips. Tool, I thought. Still he gave no response.”

“’A lifelong private school brat and still, you insist on making up words,’ he said and picked up a picture frame upon my dresser. ‘Texted is a word.’ … ‘It most certainly is not,’ Luke said. Clearly he was not up to date on the ever changing English language.”

“’That was fast,’ I said in astonishment. His lips quirked up impossibly farther, and he winked at me. ‘It’s been centuries since I’ve heard a female accuse me of such.’’

“And just like the city itself, born and bred New Orleanians were constants, never changing, predictably unpredictable creatures of habit and tradition” (SO TRUE)

“I scrolled through twice before finding it under ‘Butthead.’ It was immature, sure, but it did make me smile.”

“It just didn’t feel like something you left on a recorded message – ‘Hey Luke, it’s me, Liz. I’m worried that my supposed-to-be-dead sister is going to slaughter her stupid, elitist boyfriend. I’m thinking she’s calling off their relationship. So, um, yeah. Worried for his life. Thanks Vampire Bestie!’ No, that certainly wouldn’t work.”

“Her body language gave off major vibes that said she would console him in private if he so much as gave her a hint that he would like that.”

“It wasn’t fair, really, but that’s how feelings worked. They weren’t always fair, and they didn’t always make sense, but they were what they were.´(TRUE)

“I wanted to ask him if he was bipolar, or just a dick.”

And, my favorite: “I should have known better than to date him – He was an Alabama fan.” HAHAHA. (Geaux Tigers.)

----4/5 Stars because I want the rest of the story, and it had some minor editing issues.