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Genre: Steampunk /paranormal/adventure/alternate history
Pages: 301
Published: 2010, Pyr
Vampire predators run wild in this exciting steampunk adventure, the first in an alternate history trilogy that is already attracting attention. In 1870, monsters rise up and conquer the northern lands, As great cities are swallowed up by carnage and disease, landowners and other elite flee south to escape their blood-thirsty wrath. One hundred fifty years later, the great divide still exists; fangs on one side of the border, worried defenders on the other. This fragile equilibrium is threatened, then crumbles after a single young princess becomes almost hopelessly lost in the hostile territory. At first, she has only one defender: a mysterious Greyfriar who roams freely in dangerous vampire regions.
My thoughts:
This book was great! I wished I could have read it all at once instead of bits and pieces here and there. Because it just sucked me in at once, and a few chapters in I already knew I wanted to read book 2.
The book is about Princess Adele of Equatoria. She is touring her Empire and its fringes when attacked by vampires. And such awesome vampires. They are cruel and evil. They treat people like cattle, they never create anything new, they are parasites that took over everything in the North and pushed humans to the south. Those that they did not drink and kill. The mythology and creation of these horrible vampires are amazing, and that also include the new Human empires that emerged after the fall of mankind. It may be the year 2020 but Equatoria still rely on steam, but they do have airships, other than that the world has not moved forward much.
I liked Adele as the heroine that is taken deep into enemy territory. She still had courage and behaved like a princess. No one could pressure her to anything. She also had depth in her. The other great character in this book is Prince Gareth, the heir to the Vampire Clan in England, but he is living alone in Scotland. He was so strange, and I wanted to know more. He asked questions and he saw that their society could not live on. And of course I, loving HEAs and such, wanted these two together. She with someone whose people see humans as cattle, and him with someone whose people wants death to all vampires. Yes, as you can see, it's totally and utterly doomed. But a girl can hope.
This book was thrilling, it kept me turning page after page, hoping, wishing and fearing. There is no turning back. There can only be one winner and the vampires are truly evil so it should not be them. There is adventure, and a haunting Europe, a bloody Europe. A bloody good book.
If I have to say something negative, oh I can't say it, cos it might just be a spoiler. So sorry there.
Conclusion:
I want more, I need more. Another book is coming out this spring, but I really want to read it now. I was enchanted by this world, even if it made me sad. I highly recommend this book to everyone.
Is it Fall yet?
Rating:
Page-turner
Cover:
Bit dark, but ok
Source: Publisher
