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booklover469's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent book. I love the writing and the storyline. Much better than twilight and SHORTER!
ladyzsazsa's review against another edition
5.0
What a great book. I don't even know exactly how I am feeling at this moment. I know that I want to cry but at the same time I am at peace because I completely understand the sacrifice that was made. I have the same love for my son which is unconditional and self sacrificing. I love the writing and I especially love the trips to Lenah's past. Awesome!!!!!
bookishangelique's review against another edition
5.0
This was a very different take on the YA vampire romance novel. So unique and good! I really enjoyed the writing, especially the end! 4.5!
tashinafalene's review against another edition
5.0
Really 4 1/2 stars only because of the cliffhanger ending. I hate that the wait for the next book is nearly a year away, but it has definitely found a place on my must-have list of 2012!
highvoltagegrrl's review against another edition
4.0
This book offers a completely different take from a vampire’s perspective of things. As a recovering vampire, Lenah gets to experience human life again, it’s been hundreds of years since she has done that and things have changed since she’s been asleep. The character of Lenah is very well thought out, as are her reactions to all of the new parts of life that she gets to experience. Some of the human relationships that she encounters seem to move a bit too quickly for me and that feels the most unrealistic, yes, I know this is a fantasy, but that tips the line for me.
I did finish the book within a few days as it was easy to consume and devour quickly. The storyline itself flowed well and even moving back and forth between the present and the flashbacks worked well, whereas sometimes that can be a problem within stories. As this is supposed to be a part of a new series, I hope that some of the characters that I loved so much make it back into the second book of the series as well. Some of the best characters were too short lived within this book and I want more!
I did finish the book within a few days as it was easy to consume and devour quickly. The storyline itself flowed well and even moving back and forth between the present and the flashbacks worked well, whereas sometimes that can be a problem within stories. As this is supposed to be a part of a new series, I hope that some of the characters that I loved so much make it back into the second book of the series as well. Some of the best characters were too short lived within this book and I want more!
kempsey18's review against another edition
5.0
I received this ARC from the publisher at one of the conferences I attended this year. It is a book I have been hearing a lot of buzz about so I was excited to read it myself and see what everyone was talking about. Let me just say, whatever I was thinking this book was going to be about, I was wrong. It took me completely by surprise and I was immersed in this world from page one. Lenah is not just a good girl playing the part of a vampire, she was an evil queen who had no soul and no remorse for any of her actions. She was heartless! Throughout the book you are taking in to some of her memories and they are horrific. I am not sure I was ready for that once I read this book, I thought it was going to be a little lighter than it was, however, I was happy to be wrong. I think it is a nice change to read a darker book and not always know what to expect. Lenah has a very dark past and this novel is her trying to come to terms with that and move forward.
One of the things I especially loved about this book was watching Lenah get acclimated to our world. She has been out of society for a hundred years and the world has come a long way since she has been “hibernating”. I actually am not going to make a separate section for “language love” this time because this next paragraph is it and I want to talk about it here in the review. This is when Lenah hears music on a CD for the first time:
The aria was Handel’s “Se pieta” and it moved throughout the room, wafting over the foam walls and carpeted floor. finally it settled on me. The feeling of the drawn-out strings, the vibration of the cellos, flowed through my body like blood. Violins-many of them-how many, I could not decipher. I could almost feel the bow moving across the stings. My lips parted, and my breath escaped in a slow exhale. The cellos came next-the low melancholy stings made goose bumps roll over my arms. I reached forward and touched the tiny holes of the place where the mus came out. I could feel the machine vibrating from the sound. How on earth was this possible?
I love how she is so in touch with the music and so fascinated by how technology has changed how we listen to it. When you read her describe her life experiences it is almost like you are experiencing them for the first time too. It also reminds me that we sometimes take a lot of things for granted. Little things that vampires in this world cannot experience, the warmth of the sun on your skin, the soft touch from someone you care about, these are things a vampire cannot feel and when I saw these things through Lenah’s eyes, it made me look at them in a new light. I was really not expecting that when I picked up this book.
Justin is also an interesting piece to this puzzle. At school he runs in the popular crowd, he is a jock and he has girls swooning all over him. He also does not seem to immediately take to Lenah. She sees in him the previous life she had with her coven, reign over the people with cruelty and that is not a path she wants to walk again. I have to say though, he really grew on me as the book progressed and I think he might actually be exactly what Lenah needed. As the book began to reach its climax I began to feel so sorry for Justin, because I did not see this ending well for him. Actually, I am not really sure how the book ended at all. I can always pull out my own theories and ideas, but Rebecca has left with you with a bit of cliffhanger there and I am not sure what to make of it. I know that on Goodreads, I have seen that there will be a second book so I am holding onto hope that we will get some of the questions answered there.
Overall the story is addictive, watching Lenah grow and learn in this new life is captivating. The mysteries of her past, her ex’s serving as a constant reminder of what she has done and a coven demanding their queen’s return are the thoughts that haunt Lenah and keep her clinging to every moment she has as a human.
One of the things I especially loved about this book was watching Lenah get acclimated to our world. She has been out of society for a hundred years and the world has come a long way since she has been “hibernating”. I actually am not going to make a separate section for “language love” this time because this next paragraph is it and I want to talk about it here in the review. This is when Lenah hears music on a CD for the first time:
The aria was Handel’s “Se pieta” and it moved throughout the room, wafting over the foam walls and carpeted floor. finally it settled on me. The feeling of the drawn-out strings, the vibration of the cellos, flowed through my body like blood. Violins-many of them-how many, I could not decipher. I could almost feel the bow moving across the stings. My lips parted, and my breath escaped in a slow exhale. The cellos came next-the low melancholy stings made goose bumps roll over my arms. I reached forward and touched the tiny holes of the place where the mus came out. I could feel the machine vibrating from the sound. How on earth was this possible?
I love how she is so in touch with the music and so fascinated by how technology has changed how we listen to it. When you read her describe her life experiences it is almost like you are experiencing them for the first time too. It also reminds me that we sometimes take a lot of things for granted. Little things that vampires in this world cannot experience, the warmth of the sun on your skin, the soft touch from someone you care about, these are things a vampire cannot feel and when I saw these things through Lenah’s eyes, it made me look at them in a new light. I was really not expecting that when I picked up this book.
Justin is also an interesting piece to this puzzle. At school he runs in the popular crowd, he is a jock and he has girls swooning all over him. He also does not seem to immediately take to Lenah. She sees in him the previous life she had with her coven, reign over the people with cruelty and that is not a path she wants to walk again. I have to say though, he really grew on me as the book progressed and I think he might actually be exactly what Lenah needed. As the book began to reach its climax I began to feel so sorry for Justin, because I did not see this ending well for him. Actually, I am not really sure how the book ended at all. I can always pull out my own theories and ideas, but Rebecca has left with you with a bit of cliffhanger there and I am not sure what to make of it. I know that on Goodreads, I have seen that there will be a second book so I am holding onto hope that we will get some of the questions answered there.
Overall the story is addictive, watching Lenah grow and learn in this new life is captivating. The mysteries of her past, her ex’s serving as a constant reminder of what she has done and a coven demanding their queen’s return are the thoughts that haunt Lenah and keep her clinging to every moment she has as a human.
selkiesea's review against another edition
3.0
My mother bought me this book years ago and I found it hidden away as I was packing things up to move and I decided to pick it up. I found this to be a fun and entertaining quick read, one for a rainy day.
amclau0412's review against another edition
DNF - The concept was cool, I think if I'd read this sooner it might have been my entire personality but unfortunately at my age and at this time, this just couldn't keep my interest.
longy207's review against another edition
4.0
this book was a good read however it has left me pretty baffled. I will continue with this series even though at this minute in time I'm not sure who the main character is going to be.
carenc's review against another edition
4.0
I won this book through the first reads giveaway, and I really enjoyed it. It puts a little different twist on the typical vampire story. I found myself enthralled with the main characters current and past life, and I loved how it concluded. Definitely a good read :)