This book really impressed me when I first started reading it, and I googled the author to find out that this is her first book. The general synopsis is that it’s a story which follows a woman (vampire), through the ages. It starts when she is a human child in the 1800s, and it goes back and forth from 1984, and backwards through different times of her life. She struggles with her existence and what she is. So the story focuses largely on her inner turmoil and what it means to be immortal.
I found the book to be enjoyable for the most part, and well-written in my opinion. There was some nice prose scattered throughout that sort of stopped me in my tracks thinking it was a good line. It wasn’t a scary or suspenseful story, in fact… I did think that it could have used a little bit more adrenaline. There were a few gory scenes but nothing over the top, and I’d say it was very tame in that respect especially considering the subject matter. Of those gory scenes, there were a few animal deaths, for those who may be sensitive to it. But really, they were even told as more of an aftermath, and I did not have to sit through reading a death scene in detail.
The book was around 450 pages, and it was mostly a meandering and fairly slow paced emotional story. It wasn’t heartbreaking, but it was heavy at times, and there were some profound moments. It did succeed in framing a perspective that as a person with depression, I don’t see very often, and the author hit me with those moments quite hard. So I appreciate that.
What did bother me a little bit, was that it was largely anticlimactic. That sounds harsh, but I felt as I was reading that certain characters and events were being introduced that would result in a bit more drama than what actually occurred.
Overall, I rated the book a 4 out of 5. The author definitely delivered for me on those deep moments. I would be happy to read another book by Jacqueline Holland in the future.
by Pristine-Fusion6591