Review: Romance, Revenge, and Vampyres
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 29, 2013
"Disenchanted" is the first novel in C.K. Farrell's Celtic Vampyre Saga, and moves between the past and present to introduce and bring together its two main characters, Faelynn and Nathaniel. While it started with a bit too much purple prose and overly descriptive sentences for my taste, by the end I was hooked and very interested in how the whole story will play out.Faelynn is a beautiful human, a one-time political columnist workaholic who one night receives the news that her mother has died and her father has mysteriously disappeared. Broken-hearted and grieving, then angry, she starts a quest to avenge her mother's death and find her father. The quest will take her deep into the realm of the scary creatures of the underworld who walk among humans--vampyres and werwülfs.Nathaniel is an ancient vampire, but not one who wantonly kills and destroys. Instead, he has a soul, making him unique (at least to his knowledge) among his fanged brethren. He is highly respected (if reviled) among his kind, and rules among those who frequent the Dungeon, an undead bar. He mourns the love of his life, Martha--at least until he meets Faelynn, when sparks begin to fly.Farrell sets up his novel by establishing that Faelynn and Nathaniel have fallen deeply in love (and lust), but intimates that Faelynn might soon end Nathaniel's life. It's an excellent way to start the novel, as the reader will spend the rest of it wondering just how Faelynn and Nathaniel reach that point. "Disenchanted" then delves into Faelynn's past, Nathaniel's past, and their chance meeting at the Dungeon, where Faelynn has dropped by to get information about the infamous vampyre Cormack the Cruel. The two are instantly drawn to one another despite Faelynn's hatred of vampyres and Nathaniel's devotion to the memory of his lost love, Martha.The novel shines most brightly in two places: the brief action scene outside the Dungeon and Faelynn and Nathaniel's interactions with one another. When Faelynn fights the oafish Wayne Bronco, the prose becomes crisp, clean, and exciting; the violence is tense but not exceedingly graphic. When Faelynn and Nathaniel form an unlikely partnership after she saves his life, their repartee is easy and feisty; the author brings alive their attraction and compatibility through their conversation and growing physical longing for one another. They're well matched as a strong, intriguing romantic couple, especially since they face an insurmountable obstacle right from the start (that she is alive, and he is undead). I was also left wondering just how (and if) Martha would feature back into the story, as she is a large part of the novel via Nathaniel's memory flashbacks to 1818. As I mentioned above, by the time I reached the last page (and it's a cliffhanger), I was ready to find out more about Faelynn, Nathaniel, and how they reached the point where she could possibly end his existence."Disenchanted" should appeal to fans of Charlaine Harris novels (though this novel is much less frothy than Harris'), Laurell K. Hamilton novels, Anne Rice's early vampire novels, or readers of the vampire genre in general.