The Geomancer - Clay and Susan Griffith

The uneasy stalemate between vampires and humans is over. Adele and Gareth are bringing order to a free Britain, but bloody murders in London raise the specter that Adele's geomancy is failing and the vampires might return.  A deranged human called the Witchfinder has surfaced on the Continent, serving new vampire lords. This geomancer has found a way to make vampires immune to geomancy and intends to give his masters the ability to kill humans on a massive scale.

The apocalyptic event in Edinburgh weakened Adele's geomantic abilities. If the Witchfinder can use geomancy against humanity, she may not have the power to stop him. If she can't, there is nowhere beyond his reach and no one he cannot kill.

From a Britain struggling to rebuild to the vampire capital of Paris, to a vampire monastery in far-away Tibet, old friends and past enemies return. Unexpected allies and terrible new villains arise. 

My thoughts:

So yes, a new book. I guess you could read it like this, but to get their story you MUST read the trilogy before. Not only cos it's awesome, but cos it's well book 1 was awesome and should not be missed. And without them you will not get to see their lovestory, and how everything came to be as it is now.

England is free of vampires. Right, to those who do not know this world. It is set now, but in the Victorian era vampires rose in the north and killed and ate. The humans left are part of herds. The ones that got away formed new societies. Adele is the Empress of Equatoria, with the capital in Alexandria. Cos vampires hate warmth and stays in the north. Everything stopped in a way and turned into a steampunk world with flying ships and so forth.

Right, so there is the world. A very cool world. And Adele is our heroine who can feel leylines and used them to kill vampires. And her true love Gareth, the vampire who thinks that the big killing was a bad idea. Cos those pesky humans are smart and he thinks vampires are doomed. Better stay with Adele.

I am still on the backstory! Yikes. Ok, so vampires are gone. Vampires are still plentiful in Europe. There is a new bad guy and they will go after him Phew, there, done.

There is action, and there is, well it made me think. Yes Gareth is nice, but what is the future for vampires really? Oh and will there be more books? The vampire future is still so uncertain, and I do like a few. While the rest should burn.

Conclusion:

So yes read the trilogy first so you will not miss out.

Cover

nice

Paperback, 321 pages
Expected publication: November 3rd 2015 by Pyr
Vampire Empire: A Gareth and Adele Novel, Vampire Empire #4
Steampunk /alternate history
for review

Early review: The Kingmakers - Clay and Susan Griffith

The Kingmakers

Empress Adele has launched a grand crusade against the vampire clans of the north. Prince Gareth, the vampire lord of Scotland, serves the Equatorian cause, fighting in the bloody trenches of France in his guise as the dashing Greyfriar. But the human armies are pinned down, battered by harsh weather and merciless attacks from vampire packs.

To even the odds, Adele unleashes the power of her geomancy, a fearsome weapon capable of slaughtering vampires in vast numbers. However, the power she expends threatens her own life even as she questions the morality of such a weapon.

As the war turns ever bloodier and Adele is threatened by betrayal, Gareth faces a terrible choice. Their only hope is a desperate strike against the lord of the vampire clans—Gareth’s brother, Cesare. It is a gamble that could win the war or signal the final days of the Greyfriar.

My thoughts:

Can it end well, can it? Can it? That was my question throughout this book; make that throughout the whole series. I will not give you that answer; you have to read the book for yourself. I will not say if it ends well, bad, I will just say that, oh I will not say anything at all about that.

Which brings me to the story. Doomed love, utterly doomed love. All vampires are evil and will kill and drink. The good ones will perhaps think not to kill all as they need their cattle. Then we have our hero Gareth, a good vampire. Why? Who knows? Maybe it was the madness after killing thousands. But he is an awesome hero, pretending to be a hero called Greyfriar and the chosen of Empress Adele. A heroine who has the power of the earth and now who could kill him with that. She is getting to be quite toxic to him. But that is not why their love is doomed. He is masked all the time, because if people knew he was a vampire. Yes there can be no happy ending for this too and it kept breaking my heart thinking of it. Some just have to be together!

War is here. Human vs vampires. Killing across Europe. Adele does have the power to end it all, but will she? The price is high, but some do not care. Just like those outside the vampire held lands think that the humans left behind are mindless cattle. It's not a pretty world. And I seriously hate some characters. For some reason no vampires, no, it's just their nature.

It was a thrilling conclusion to a good series. A world where all went to hell when vampires rose to crush all humans. It's such a well thought world, cool and different. A world of steam and vampires. So if you want evil vampires (but still one that is sexy and nice) then this is sure the series for you.

Conclusion:

Do read it.

Cover:

Awesome

Series: Vampire Empire #3
Genre: Paranormal steampunk action romance
Pages: 374
To be published: September 4th 2012 by PYR
Source: For review

Review. The Rift Walker - Clay and Susan Griffith

Series: Vampire Empire #2
Genre: Alternate history/steampunk
Pages: 399
Published: September 6, 2011
Publisher: Prometheus books
Source: For review

Princess Adele struggles with a life of marriage and obligation as her Equatorian Empire and their American Republic allies stand on the brink of war against the vampire clans of the north. However, the alliance's horrific strategy for total victory drives Adele to abandon her duty and embark on a desperate quest to keep her nation from staining its hands with genocide. Reunited with her great love, the mysterious adventurer known to the world as the Greyfriar, Adele is pursued by her own people as well as her vengeful husband, senator Clark. With the human alliance in disarrray, Prince Cesare, lord of the British vampire clan, seizes the initiative and strikes at the very heart of Equatoria. As Adele labors to bring order to her world, she learns more about the strange powers she exhibited in the north. Her teacher, Mamoru, leads a secret cabal of geomancers who believe Adele is the one who can touch the vast power of the Earth that surges through ley lines and wells up at the rifts where the lines meet. These energies are the key to defeating the enemy of mankind, and if Princess Adele could ever bring this power under her command, she could be death to vampires. But such a victory will also cost the life of Adele's beloved Greyfriar.

My thoughts:

I could not believe how the last book ended! Adele going back to marry that ass Clark, and greyfriar staying behind  to save humans. I could not wait to get my hands on book 2 because I needed to know what would happen.

And that is where this book starts. Clark is pressuring Adele to marry him at once, she is staling, Prince Cesare is planning revenge back in London and Greyfriar is missing her. What we have is a book that promises lots of action and that it sure delivers. There are assassinations, vampire fights (and new vampires to meet) and Adele finding a power within her that can change the upcoming war.

I like how they have created this world where vampires came out of hiding and took over the northern hemisphere and more (since the heat makes them slow.) They rule and eat the humans who did manage to flee. It's a great world, the creation that is, because life back north is horrible. I also like how they use magic, that it can be found and used by some, at stone circles and other places, and that the vampires do not like these places. And of course the steampunk elements are just awesome.

To the story then, even if I did not like it as much as book 1 (which was freaking awesome), I still liked it a lot. It had the forbidden romance, and this is a romance that can never work. He is a vampire, she is human and a future empress. I just can't see a happy ending and it is breaking my heart.

There is action, plots, politics and so much more. It has a great cast of side characters too, from Senator Clark (whom I do not like), Prince Cesare (gotta love a crazy vampire prince), Adele's teacher Mamoru (another guy I just do not like anymore, you will find out why) and many more.

So if you have not read book 1 yet then do go and buy it because else you will miss a lot of good things. And if you have read book 1 then enjoy this one.

Conclusion:

Vampire steampunk, and a series you just have to try. It's feels fresh and the mix of things makes it something for everything to like.

Rating:

Good

Cover.

Nice

Review. The Greyfriar - Clay Griffith and Susan Griffith

Series: Vampire Empire 1
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