Reading time: 3 weeksish. Took a while to find time.
Genre: Paranormal/Romance! (I haven't done a paranormal one in ages...)
VAMPIRE RANT/OPTIONAL BLURB:
I don't consider myself weird, or particularly geek-ish in any abnormal way. No strange obsessions, hobbies, etc. But this just keeps surfacing--vampires. For some reason, I enjoy reading novels with them, shows staring them, movies featuring them. I remember some mythology lecture in high school where some poor kid had to shift through piles and piles of crap of vampire lore-junk to get to the heart of some mythic 'facts' to present to the class. (Soooo glad that was not my group. No, luckily for me we got "Russian Mythology," and I can tell you right now, that topic doesn't exists. There are maybe two books on it ever written. Anyway.) Supposedly, there are some hard-core facts about the origin of these blood sucking, sometimes sexy beings, that they come from super nice lords sucking dry all the good stuff from their surfs, so the legend may have started as a representation, not literal blood-suckers. Then there's that one Dracula novel, which drew on some events in real life (there was a count, rumored to be evil! Vlad the Impaler!). OK CUT TO THE POINT: I've read a lot of versions of these myth-creatures. From Interview with the Vampire, to the sad, sad work that has consumed part of pop culture that is Twilight (barf).
DIMITRI!
In this version, vampires are those who have made a bargain with the devil and he owns their soul. This is the only true way to be a vampire. Some peeps were made from the originals, but they are like flunkies and not so strong. Dimitri is an Earl and decently old. Hundred plus years of living as a vampire, he sold his soul to ensure he and his beloved (at the time) survived the fires of London. It worked, but similar to Megara from Disney's Hercules, his girlfriend realizes how cool being a vampire is and ditches Dimitri, leaving the ex-puritan up a creek without a soul and a pact with the devil. That bites.
Dimitri is left in charge of two sisters, and he's not happy about it. Frankly, he's Mr. Grouchy Pants a lot. Chas, a vampire hunter and pal of Dimitri's, leaves his sisters with him while he's out after the big bad one Cezar. Then Mr. Grouchy Pants---I mean Dimitri, keeps having inappropriate encounters with the eldest, Maia, and they deny their feelings quiiiite a while. Cute. Of course, there's some kidnapping (not necessarily a damsel, although there are multiple kidnappings), rescuing, and torture. Yay for old, angry flames!
I wasn't expecting much with this, to be honest. It's got a skanky lady on the front showing lots of chest with a good looking vampire leaning over her. I wish I hadn't read it in so many chunks so I could have gotten the flow better. I would have to say it's one of the better vampire novels I've read. Now, I say this because I enjoyed a fresh batch of mythology on them.
1. These vampires have a pact with the devil, complete with a big fat tattoo marking their backs. They feel immense pleasure when being naughty, bad, heartless people, and Lucifer's anger when they are good little citizens. Dimitri has sworn off feeding and being a bad guy while researching any way out of his contract. He's an exception to the others.2. What about silver?! And SUN?! Each vampire has an anathema, or specific weakness. Dracula got stuck with silver, poor bloke, and some were luckier to get less common household materials. Dimitri's weak to rubies, so it's really important not to let other vampires know this. Kind of detrimental. And as for sun, he's not doomed to sleep all day, but Gleason writes it as more of a super allergic reaction. Cool. Maia! Stop opening the shades. Duh.
3. Human again? Yes. However, no one has done so until Voss, Dimitri's frenemy, breaks his contract before Dimitri. This really ticks him off since Voss was the essential vampire, loved everything naughty until boom! After falling in love with the second sister Angelica, he 'changed.' And literally, that's all the clue he givens to Dimitri. "I just changed, man, guess you gotta figure it out too." I do find it mildly cute Dimitri is given a copy of "La Belle et le Bete" from a mysterious book store owner (OR IS SHE?! *twilight zone*). Walled off, anti-social, he ironically is driving himself away from what makes us human, but realizes how to love and be all human-emotion-y after finally admitting he's truly in love with Maia. Awww. Sorry Luce.
So what's the score?? Worth the time?!
I checked out this book and The Vampire Voss at the same time but chose the tormented Byronic-character over the badass changed by love. I will probably not go for Voss because it's essentially the same events but told through other characters' eyes at the time. Been there, know that. So pick one and go!
B. Solid B.
+No one glitters.
+New twist on mythology. Yay!
-Ending was a little corny. Wouldn't have ended it that way, drenching the grouch in love syrup goo. "Darling!"
+Pretty decent plot. I feel like it's hard to make a plot when you're old, demonic, and trying to be a good guy. Who's gonna stop you or have a big fat beef with you? Oh right, an ex girlfriend. Or maybe your maker, except... it's the devil himself in this one. Tough luck.
