Review: An original short vampire tale that surprised me
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 5, 2014
In a word: an all-too-brief story that made me want more, an original take on the vampire legend, with intriguing characters and sharp, emotional impact.I’m a huge fan of J.T. Geissinger, as you might know if you’ve been reading this blog for a while. And I was surprised to learn that she had released a novella that has nothing to do with her Night Prowler series of which I’m so fond. Luckily, I subscribe to her newsletter, and I was thrilled to learn about her new novella, The Last Vampire, which I quickly purchased from Amazon and immediately sat down to read.  Although it’s short, this story has the lovely writing and perfectly paced story arc of her novels.The format of the story is unusual but works perfectly to capture the romantic feelings of a vampire for the human woman he’s fallen in love with. Roman tells his story in a letter to Maiko, a letter he writes from dusk to dawn one evening, as he is faced with a very serious and terrible decision. Roman Ilyich Ivanescu is a 122-year-old vampire who works in a blood bank and gets his fix from bags of donated blood. One day Roman drinks the most exquisite-tasting blood he’s ever had, and he decides to track down the woman whose blood has transported him. She turns out to be a prima ballerina named Maiko, and as they embark on a brief but intense relationship, Roman’s sad history and his transformation from human to vampire are described in his eloquent and heartfelt letter.Geissinger adds her own spin to the oft-told vampire tale, giving her vampires some new rules that surprised and delighted me. You may think that there’s nothing new to be learned about vampires, but The Last Vampire contains a twist that I hadn’t read before. As she does in her novels, Geissinger knows how to pace a story and draw the reader in. Before you know it, you’re so immersed in the lives of her characters, that you’re blindsided by the unfolding events.I loved the fierce and independent Maiko, a young and brilliant ballerina who faces some hard challenges in her life. Her relationship with Roman is intense, and even though their story is short and there isn’t much time to develop this relationship, Geissinger manages to convey a realistic romance between the two in a very brief period of time.Vampire lovers will adore this story, and if you haven’t read anything by J.T. Geissinger before, you may become a fan of hers when you’re finished. Set aside an hour to read The Last Vampire, a lovely but brutal tale that showcases a talented author. I promise you won’t have any regrets.