REVIEW

ISBN – 10: 0-316-15454-7; ISBN – 13: 978-0-316-15454-3

I found this book in a used book store and the book blurb on the back intrigued me.  I must tell you all at this point, that I was not a huge vampire fan growing up.  The stories back when I was a kid were just not something I could get into.  So up until “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” television series came out, I really avoided all books and movies involving vampires.

Then, once the Slayer series took off, followed by the “Angel” series, the Buffy spin-off, I was swayed to the dark side, but still very selective about what vampy books I read. Then, Stephanie Meyers entered my world with her “Twilight” series and my interest was peaked.  I never read or could be brought to read, Bram Stoker’s vampire success.

Then, I found Elizabeth Kostova’s book.  As I said, I read the back and was intrigued, so I bought it and brought it home.  I began reading it with the attitude that if my mind wandered, I’d stop reading it until the next night. Through the first chapter, I forced myself to focus on the plot and setting descriptions.  Kostova’s author’s voice flowed smoothly and moments in the book transitioned easily from one development to the next.

I finished the first, second and third chapter before realizing I was hooked.  The way she spun her story, describing the world, and the characters that were taking form in the story’s beginnings.  As the story progressed, the characters became realistically personal drawing me into the adventure unfolding within the pages, and wanting more.

I enjoyed Kostova’s unique elegance of style that formed a compelling story.  I found the plot development smooth and steady-moving. The twists were interesting and added to the building of suspense. Character development was done well, when it came to inner character development, but,  I would have enjoyed a stronger physical development to help complete the picture of the characters I envisioned.

The cover is attractively designed and, the paper back that I have is easy to hold and read from, even though the book is thick, 676 pages.  This book is a nice change from the usual vampire stories and I’d recommend it to anyone who feels about vampires as I do.

It is definitely worth reading. I give it