Review: Something wicked has arrived
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 29, 2012
There's some very strong positive points to this book, particularly so for a debut author.Yeates has an obvious passion for WWI, and it shows. He also as a dark and furtive imagination, coming up with several graphic and disturbing scenes throughout the book. Giving a new and original take on vampires (and thankfully, there's no "sparkling in the daylight" here) is a difficult task these days, but again, Yeates has managed it.However, where there is positive, there is also some negative. But bear with me here.Personally, I found the characters a little lacking (and frequently brief) making it harder to invest in them, and the overarching story a little muddied and weak. Particularly the descriptions of the Vetala.However. This is the first book in a series. I strongly suspect that reading subsequent volumes will remove some of those criticisms, particularly as Yeates is very gifted at creating those kind of disturbing images which stay with you for some time (rather than a sudden shock, or a description which goes for repulsion for its own sake). This strikes me as the work of an author in it for a long-term payoff, with your investment in each volume bringing greater and greater reading pleasure.All in all, a nice debut (which is anything but nice), which should lead into a strong climax. Original and disturbing, I'd certainly recommend it.