I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars because the idea seemed original enough but after about two plot twists it became too predictable. Some of the characters, like Charlotte, were relatable and realistic while others, like Mould aka Doctor Knife, a human who experimented on campus and was accepted into an exclusive vampire club weren't realistic at all. It's hard enough for vampires to get into the club, yet a simple human, a mere bedtime snack, can walk into a room of vampires and be mostly accepted? After awhile, the book started getting confusing and there were a few too many loose ends not tied up at the end. Honestly, reading it made me feel like the author didn't rally know where she was going with her story and she rambled on for 500 pages until realizing maybe that was long enough to be an acceptable novel. It took a good 450 pages to get to the real climax but then nothing really happened, few questions were answered, and new mysteries and cryptic hints were still being added. (Like hints of corpses being reanimated but not as vampires? Almost like zombies but the book didn't mention that the corpses wanted to kill you, just that they were difficult to put down. But that, point was never elaborated on and was brought up once or twice more and then forgotten.) overall, despite the lack of planning involved in writing this and the insanely predictable ending, it was an okay book. It would be perfect for anyone looking for a different, less twilight-sequel vampire story.
1 comment:
You were more generous than I was with this book -- here's my review:
2.0 out of 5 stars -- I love historical fiction with Gothic overtones set in Victorian England so I was happy to receive this book as an advance reader's copy and eager to immerse myself in what was described as a mystery. A young Oxford educated man disappears and his sister comes to London looking for him. What I did not anticipate was that the book was about the undead -- vampires -- a secret society. It was full of grisly detail and sometimes hard to follow the story with changing point of view narrative. I longed for it to just be over though it seemed as if it took months to labor to the ending. Honestly, I can't think of a single person to recommend it to so I'll just say that it was my own mistake for not investigating the details about this novel before I chose it. Those who will enjoy this debut no doubt will be forewarned of the underlying theme and want to read this type of book.
Complimentary ARC from NetGalley and LibraryThing.
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