A Little Hideaway for the Blood Sippers
An orphan grows up to become a savvy business person, providing a service for the disenfranchised. It’s a rags-to-riches story with the supernatural tucked into it for flavor. The opening chapters given are sparse but manage to pack in a wealth of detail. This is a world where the rich and wealthy border on the poor and decrepit. But all it takes are the right secrets to finagle money out of velvet-lined pockets.
Arthie Casimir is the wily orphan who’s learned that secrets are a currency better than gold. She also seized the opportunity to offer blood for hungry vampires in elegant settings. It’s a scenario I’ve seen before (in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel: The Series”) and the author brings the hushed elegance to life. The undead lounge on soft cushions, whispering to each other and enjoying blood sipped from dainty cups or willing volunteers. We can almost feel the satisfaction as the patrons depart happy and satiated.
There is a fly in the ointment, of course. Some humans don’t like vampires and a vicious attack by a not-quite vampire has left them uneasy. The mystery surrounding other vampires has made them alarmed.
While I burnt out on vampire tales a long time ago (see the last two seasons of BtVS to understand why), these few chapters whet the appetite for a story that must teem with politics, enigmas, defiance and the business dealings going on behind the curtains.
Arthie Casimir is the wily orphan who’s learned that secrets are a currency better than gold. She also seized the opportunity to offer blood for hungry vampires in elegant settings. It’s a scenario I’ve seen before (in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel: The Series”) and the author brings the hushed elegance to life. The undead lounge on soft cushions, whispering to each other and enjoying blood sipped from dainty cups or willing volunteers. We can almost feel the satisfaction as the patrons depart happy and satiated.
There is a fly in the ointment, of course. Some humans don’t like vampires and a vicious attack by a not-quite vampire has left them uneasy. The mystery surrounding other vampires has made them alarmed.
While I burnt out on vampire tales a long time ago (see the last two seasons of BtVS to understand why), these few chapters whet the appetite for a story that must teem with politics, enigmas, defiance and the business dealings going on behind the curtains.