Review: "The dark terror that waited restlessly."
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 1, 2014
If you are going to have a guilty pleasure, let it be a delicious one.  Opening in Venice in the 1870's, the twins Joseph and Sophie are clearly the central characters of a luscious period piece.  They have fled to Venice to find a wealthy patron to back Joseph.  Of course they are lovely.  They are literate and fascinating, but Odile steals this book.  Odile is the mysterious seductress seeking the ultimate talent to drain in some mysterious way before Nicholas can stop her.I don't usually like brooding dark beauties all that much, but she is irresistible. The florid language, sticky at the outset, feels just right.  The richness if the setting is bewitching.  There are dark forces lurking.  Like all good supernaturals Odile is wealthy.  And she is wealthy in toe curling detail.I just had a great time with this book.  It isn't great literature, and I feel guilty about the five stars.  But a guilty pleasure is a guilty pleasure.