Review: The young woman's struggle to become human again or her strife to keep sanity?
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 11, 2012
The "Vampire Rules" here are not mainstream. It takes three bites and the willingness of the person who is being turned to become a vampire. The vampires consume the human blood, obviously; however, they seem to be able to eat human food as well. Another thing they can consume is a human soul. The vampires are daywalkers and they get more physically appealing to humans after they are turned. The only considerable drawback for being a vampire with these rules is the eternal hunger so they must hunt to drink blood, which doesn't really satisfy them; or consume a soul, which appears to be more "filling." There's even an "escape clause" built in - a vampire can turn back into a human if certain conditions are met. I don't want to give spoilers because it's the ending and a cliffhanger of part one; you'll have to read the book to find out.The narrative is built in a way that makes the main heroine, Lucia, constantly question her sanity. Were she really bitten by a vampire if no one, including herself, sometimes, can see the bite marks? Or is it the pressure of getting married and, in later parts, the pressure of being a newlywed, that is getting to her and her mind is creating these elaborate escapist fantasies? The vampire, Drake, did promise Lucia that she would be able to leave her boring life behind and go globetrotting in style, that her new-found sex appeal would open any doors for her. But did it really happen when most of her encounters with Drake happen inside her dreams; or at least that's what Lucia thinks?As far as vampire male characters go, Drake does not appear excessively brash or dangerous. This probably reflects the author's preferences. Lucia, however, is a much more interesting character - that line that she gives her friend Jasmina right before her wedding about not being able to imagine not sleeping with anyone but her husband for the rest of her life; Drake mentioning some of the details of her private life right before she decided to get married; Lucia's attitude toward her work; her dreams for the future - all of it makes her seem like a very real young woman, not just a figment of a writer's imagination.So, is this a story of Lucia's struggle to become human again or it's her strife to keep or, perhaps, regain her sanity? What's real, the beautiful, freshly turned vamprye or a tired young woman who is not really in tune with her surroundings? I could tell you but I don't give spoilers.Worth a read.