Review: Complex Vampire Romance in a Well-Developed Fantasy World
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 24, 2013
I've read several of the Vampiris Sancti novels so far, and while some of the others immerse you more fully in the author's world, I think "The Vampire" is the installment I've enjoyed best--perhaps because Bethany Trent starts out as a human and is more fully rounded and complex than her elf, demon, or other magical counterparts.Bethany is an outsider--lonely and immersed in solitude--and that's part of the reason the powerful vampire Galt chooses her to transform. The other reason is that she bears an uncanny resemblance to a dead vampire named Siah--and Galt is set on getting revenge on those who have wrong him by bringing a Siah-double into their midst.However, Bethany is not so malleable as Galt thinks--once she has changed into a vampire, she develops a will and a backbone of her own, and is not so eager to be Galt's pawn.One of the most enjoyable parts of this novel for me is how Bethany deals with her change--the confusion and the questioning she goes through are refreshing, because so many vampire books have the protagonist just accepting the transformation and moving on without much thought about it. I also liked Bethany's personality--she's a strong female lead, and one you can easily empathize with.I also enjoyed the plot--there's romance and a love triangle (of sorts), but it's not a "Twilight"-type entry into the vampire mythos. The characters are adults, not just falling in love based on looks and romance, but rather against the odds and sometimes against their wills.I would recommend this novel to those who enjoy vampire novels in general, and for those who enjoy reading novels that involve a well-developed, complex fantasy world that spans across multiple books and builds upon itself with each entry.