Jillian Venters

4.5 stars! This book was fantastic!

Set in the Victorian era, this story quietly kicks the crap out of the vampire novels of today. Beautifully written with an intriguing plot and unique characters, I can't say enough about how enjoyable this book was.

Doctor Gladstone, a scientist in London during the Victorian era, accidentally ran over a man who walked in front of his carriage. Due to this man's, (Niccolo's), resemblance to someone Doctor Gladstone once saw in a painting,(and due to his vague suspicions as to Niccolo's true nature), this stranger is invited into Gladstone's home. Before you know it, one of Dr. Gladstone's daughters, Camille, has been kidnapped and the adventure begins.

This is a vampire story, but these are not vampires you've read about before. Unlike Rice's or King's, these vamps have been around for millennia. What are their true motives, why have they kidnapped Camille, and what do they plan to do with her? You will have to read this to find out.

With pacing that at times is slow and at other times at breakneck speeds, this story captures the reader and drags them along. Even the slow paced periods were interesting, because the reader is constantly learning new facts, but is unsure as to where they fit into the big picture. Like a jigsaw puzzle with unusually shaped pieces. With fun train and carriage chases, crazy plot twists and flat out "Oh My God" moments, this novel was a real treat.

This is a book of quiet horror. If you are looking for lots of blood and gore, this tome is not for you. However, if you're looking for a literary piece with depth and meaning...look no further.(I would equate this work to the excellent literary horror of the 80's-such as Peter Straub's "Ghost Story", for example.) Well written, (with a vocabulary that forced me to use my Kindle dictionary quite a bit), this book delivers not only a quiet horror story, but also fodder for the mind. I found the concepts that were introduced fascinating and fun to think about. To what would you devote your life if you were immortal?

Lastly, I would avoid reading the introduction until you're finished with the book. I read it after I was finished and was very glad that I did so, because almost the entire plot is laid out there and I think it would have ruined my enjoyment of this tale.

Because I did find the pacing just a tad slow at a couple of points, I deducted half of one star. That is the only negative thing I have to say about this novel. Other than that, it comes with my highest recommendation to fans of dark fiction, gothic horror stories and quiet horror.

*I was provided a free copy of this book from Valancourt Books to honestly review and that is what I have done.*

… (lisätietoja)

This was a fun read with (for me) a disappointing conclusion ... I don't care if vampires aren't human, they're people, and people just wouldn't behave like that, it's ridiculous. So a point off for being sillier and sillier by the end.

What you get is a beautifully drawn, completely non-gory/non-scary tale of a relatively uninteresting man plunged into an unusual situation that doesn't make use of vampires at all, really. They could be any secret society with a long life-span and the story would work exactly the same (maybe it started that way, and an editor said "you know, if you make them vampires, the book would sell better.") So if you're really keen on vampires, this will probably annoy you more than it did me--I was just grateful it wasn't a particularly sadistic, gory read (which I would have set aside, most likely).

But, despite the pleasantness of the reading experience, the silly ending brings it down quite a bit.

(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).… (lisätietoja)

I enjoy etiquette guides, and I also like some things that might be considered goth. I was really excited to read this book, but it was too sarcastic for my tastes. I think it is better to ignore people who make fun of you. This book suggested that approach, but also threw in a few sarcastic comebacks. It felt like the author is actually so polite in real life that she couldn't resist the urge to be sarcastic on paper, as payback. I appreciated the guide to goth music, but I wish it was more extensive. There was too much emphasis on fashion. I think it's entirely possible to be a goth but not look like one. However, the author's website (a goth manners advice column) is fantastic, and I highly recommend it.… (lisätietoja)