Review: Great short story
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 31, 2013
I previously read this authors Lockwood Chronicles series and loved it. The author asked me to review her new novella and I readily agreed.According to Balkan folklore a Dhampir is the child of a vampire and a human. This child has the same abilities as a vampire but not the associated weaknesses. The Dhampir in this story is expected to be born a male, but is actually born a female.This female is named Marissa. Marissa's mother dies in childbirth, and she is raised by a society called The Daybreak Society, under the guidance of its Director, Reece. This society is publicly one which is "dedicated to helping homeless, destitute and abused women and children." However the reality is much different. The society was in fact "founded to fight the undead. The deaths of destitute, homeless and abused women and children were most often the best indicator of vampiric activity because they were often the preferred victims."Marissa is cared for by the society, but she is also trained over the years to take care of herself, and to kill vampires. Throughout her stay with the society she is looked after by a nurse, Iris, who treats her like a daughter. Iris also allows Marissa to take blood from her when the vampire side of her starts to become more prevalent when she turns 12.Marissa eventually discovers that she has the power to kill vampires with a very simple thing - a kiss. This makes it so much easier to kill those she goes after. Around the same time her relationship with Director Reece takes a different path, and she finds out a huge secret which he has been keeping from everyone for years.On discovering this secret Marissa's life changes totally, and she finds herself on her own. She leaves the security and safety of the only home she has ever known and travels far and wide, trying to escape the attentions of the Society. On these travels she meets an older Dhampir who tells her of a prophecy. She also trains Marissa even more to prepare her for the future trials she is sure to endure.For a novella the author has managed to pack a lot into this story. Marissa goes through a lot in it, and there are more than a few twists and turns. Each time I thought she had gone through enough something else was thrown into the mix.Yet again a great story from this author, combining a short read with enough in its pages to keep the reader gripped. I cannot wait to see what comes next from the author!