This was one of my most anticipated books of the year and I got my hands on it as soon as I was able. I finished this book in about a week as I just could not wait to see what was going to happen. I really loved the setting and the fact that this story is not populated with a bunch of perfect characters. Like a lot of vampire fiction, the vampires are impossibly beautiful, but the other characters are not.
The main character, Celine, is beautiful but flawed in other ways that make her a bit more believable for her age during this time period. She has an attitude and is incredibly impulsive and hot-headed and it actually gets her in trouble with real consequences. I really loved the character building for her and the other humans introduced in this book. I got a good sense of personality and depth for them rather than some descriptors and a flat affect.
The vampires have personalities other than just brooding and dangerous like a lot of other vampire fiction, though you still get these elements. I wish there had been more information on a few of them, but I get the feeling that it will become more important in the next book.
The reason I docked a star has more to do with the plot than anything else. I liked that this book did not shy away from the bloody and gory side of vampires, but the whole plot just fell short of my expectations because this definitely feels like a launching point for a series. There is a bigger bad and it just is not the focal point of this. With a subsequent book, this world will be a lot more fulfilling.
The main character, Celine, is beautiful but flawed in other ways that make her a bit more believable for her age during this time period. She has an attitude and is incredibly impulsive and hot-headed and it actually gets her in trouble with real consequences. I really loved the character building for her and the other humans introduced in this book. I got a good sense of personality and depth for them rather than some descriptors and a flat affect.
The vampires have personalities other than just brooding and dangerous like a lot of other vampire fiction, though you still get these elements. I wish there had been more information on a few of them, but I get the feeling that it will become more important in the next book.
The reason I docked a star has more to do with the plot than anything else. I liked that this book did not shy away from the bloody and gory side of vampires, but the whole plot just fell short of my expectations because this definitely feels like a launching point for a series. There is a bigger bad and it just is not the focal point of this. With a subsequent book, this world will be a lot more fulfilling.