Caleo: Leech, Volume 1

I normally don't read young adult gay literature, but I was tired of reading about beautiful straight people falling in love with other beautiful people of the opposite sex. So I set out to find something of quality for gay YA reading. I'm happy to say I found a good book to quench my interests.Initially when I was scrolling through some crappy selections, I couldn't find anything worth reading, but just as I was to give up hope I saw the cover for Caleo. And though I hate to say it, I definitely judge books by their covers... what a hottie... Whoever made this cover, props to them.So let's get down to how this book measured in comparison to well known YA books.Did I enjoy this book? Yes I did. james crawford brought a unique sense of style to the leech world, there was so much to enjoy. I loved the in depth description of powers and how they are used, full blown characters, and the incredible back story.Often times from self published books I find that the characters lack something to make them 3 dimensional. They either lack a personality, or something to really make their presence known. I find myself wanting to care but just can't. When it came to this particular book, I immensely enjoy the characters.Caleo was unique, and though I often did not understand his need for inner dialogue I really liked him. He is a sweet, caring guy. I honestly probably would have tried to befriend him in high school. I could relate to the fact that being gay, and my appearance set me apart from everyone else.His other characters Jack and Jill, Nolan, and even Stinky aka Mickey (the cat) all had fully developed personalities.The back story was incredibly detailed, I pretty much knew everything I needed to know to make me fluent when it came to reading this world. I find myself wanting to know more, especially about the powers. Caleo's was pretty cool, obviously ice, but Nolan's was way better. I won't tell you what it is, other then that it involved water and was pretty sweet.Was there some things I didn't like? Unfortunately yes.There was one important scene where I was supposed to care who died. But without the needed emphasis in that moment, I got over it the moment the next sentence started. I know death scenes are very hard to write, but just getting it done and then dragging the body everywhere, does not make a person care. It's the emotion the strikes everyones face, the way everything goes silent, the slow eye contact as the person drops to the ground, the playback of happy memories, any of those can really make person care.There is just one other small thing that bothered me. The fact that Caleo was innocently naked every other scene. I know the circumstances called for Caleo to be naked and nothing ever happened...But did I really need to read about Caleos white cheeks and embarrassment so often?Aside from those small two things, I highly recommend Caleo, for all the great details, and amazing characters. I'm excitedly waiting for the second book.4/5

Let me start by saying that I’ve already bought the second and third books (“Jack” and “Nolan”) to this series. I’ll follow up by noting that the story is pretty compelling, but as I read I kept thinking “these kids are all acting like jerks,” which lead me to remind myself: this is a young adult series, written for teenagers. Of course they’re going to act like jerks: they’re teenagers.Buried inside this post-apocalyptic adventure fantasy is indeed a classic YA LGBT novel, but I hardly noticed. Right from the start we know that something’s off, because the birth and infancy of Caleo Anima, a boy so pale that he’s meanly referred to as “albino boy” by the jocks who bully him, are anything but normal. As a result, Caleo is being raised by is grandmother (whose name is never given), along with his best friends Jack and Jillian Barely, who were orphaned in their early teens. They have a good life, helping Grandmother run her bed and breakfast, with the usual teenage drama. Jack is a star swimmer and Jillian is gorgeous. Caleo is sad because Jack doesn’t defend him or stick up for him as much as he might. Jillian’s boyfriend Mike is Caleo’s chief tormentor.But all of this becomes moot when a mysterious man called Steve Roberts appears at the inn, and suddenly the kids’ world is turned on its head. Caleo is not a normal boy—and it has nothing to do with the fact that he’s gay. He finds that he is something called a Leech—a human with special powers that are fueled by draining energy from others. The world of the Leeches is deeply factionalized and in turmoil, but has been hidden from the normal human world until now. Caleo, it seems, is something special, and his very existence triggers an internecine war within the Leeches, and unleashes a global war against the human race.My biggest problem with the book is the whole apocalyptic war, which is not very well framed and doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense. It mostly happens at a distance, and all of the action focuses on Caleo and his family trying to survive the local aftermath of the Leeches’ attack. As Caleo begins to discover the extent of his powers, he is guided and guarded by a muscle-bound blind man named Nolan, the brother of the mysterious Steve Roberts.I just tried to focus on the foreground story with Nolan and the teenagers. By the end, I was fairly well hooked, and very much anxious to learn what happens to all of these young people in the next book. There is much of “X-Men” lurking in the background premise, but not in the style of the narrative. This is unlike any YA/LGBT book I’ve read, and the fact that James Crawford has kept the language and action fairly straightforward is what saves it. The writing is not elegant, but it is good enough, and Crawford maintains the tone and watches his grammar. I’m looking forward to book two.

The paranormal aspect of this novel is very fresh and original. Imagine if you will, that you are different, in more ways than one, and you find out that you have `magical' powers but you can use anyone essentially as a power supply to activate them. This is just one of many things that Caleo learns about his new life. He is already suffering the angst of being a teenager, and one that is viewed as a freak already because of his appearance, but he is also struggling with his sexuality and now powers that he wasn't aware he possessed. The powers that Caleo possesses are unique and I was enthralled with that particular aspect of the novel. He becomes an endearing character, as whether you are homosexual or not, you can identify with him and his struggles to figure out his life, even if it is nothing more than remembering one of the people that you yourself went to high school with. At times he comes across as a bit of a weenie, but there is a streak of snark in him a mile wide that tends to get him into more trouble than normal and seems to enhance how different he is from everyone else. There are many trials and tribulations that this young man has to endure in the novel, but endure he does, for he is different from all of the other "Leeches" and the fate of the world rests in his young hands. I would recommend this to all of my friends to read, as it is a fantastic novel, but if you have issues with the sexuality of the character, than this is definitely not a book for you. If you, like myself, can see past one aspect of a person in order to see the whole, then you will find yourself on a fantastical journey through our world.

Review 6******WOW! This is a fantastic story! I loved it!Caleo Anima is a wonderful character! He is a warm and loving eighteen year old boy, but because of his pale skin and snow white hair, he is seen as an oddity and is shunned by most of his peers. I think this is very sad! I would love to meet him in real life! Maybe because I'm a bit of an outcast myself, I understand what he is going through! Caleo is a teenager with the usual teen problems (bullies, being ostracised and being (possibly) gay). However, all that pales in comparison to what is about to happen. He is thrust into a hidden war, when he finds out that he has powers that both sides would like to use. Caleo, along with his cousins Jack and Jillian, is thrust into an adventure full of danger and intrigue.I hadn't heard of this book until I was invited to an event on Facebook for the release. When I got my copy, I was completely hooked from the first page! It starts off with an amazing and unusual event that shocked me! I struggled to put the book down after that! This is a completely unique story that pits different camps of "Leeches" (people with special abilities/powers) against each other and humans. I loved the way the story flowed. It was fast paced, but it didn't feel rushed. I loved meeting Jack and Jillian. They are fascinating characters, but I must admit that Jillian came across a bit stuck up and uptight. She loosened up a bit and became more likeable as the story progressed. Jack, on the other hand, I would love as a brother! His sense of humour had me sniggering. He's full of himself, but in a completely likeable way. As the story progressed, I got to meet some other fascinating characters that had me wondering what their agenda was; There's a friend that is an enemy, and an enemy that is a friend! The intrigue of that alone would have had me hooked, never mind the other stuff that happened!The ending has a cliffhanger that made me gasp! I hate endings like this, but I also love them. Cliffhangers are the bane of readers such as myself! The problem with them is that they make a reader want to read the next book right away! I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series, called Jack, as soon as I can!james crawford has written an amazing story that is totally unique and exciting! I am adding this author to my "Favourite Authors" list, and will be on the look out for more of this author's work in the future.I HIGHLY recommend this book if you love paranormal/science fiction/YA genres. - Lynn Worton

I have looked at this book many times and thought it was not for me after reading the product description...Leeches? I downloaded this book simply because it was free.Caleo was a joy to read, it has a very good storyline which grabs your attention from the beginning, there is no putting this book down once you start reading, that's for sure! The main characters I absolutely loved, they went through so much together you could feel just how much family meant to them and staying together was there main goal. There is lots of action in this story and not once did my mind wonder I was addicted from the first to the last page!I may not have felt this book was for me, what can I say...I was so wrong!! By the time I was 20% into the book I had already downloaded the next book, Jack, thank God I did as this book finished with a huge cliff hanger.Highly recommended!!

I enjoyed the idea behind this book. I felt there was a bit too much walking around in pants and admiring the male physique. Just because Caleo is gay doesn't mean he has to strip down to his underwear every time there is a crisis. A certain character's death was a shock and a little overlooked but a great opening story to the series. I'll definitely be reading the next two.

This is a good book, but not what I expected as a gay romance , but it nearly had it there the gay romance which never appeared. What I did read was a nice story which just didn't do for me.Perhaps another book is waiting t show itself I'll have to wait and see.

Highly recommend this and can't praise enough. A lot happening, great story and no cliche "gay" stuff. Can't wait to move onto book two.