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schomj's review against another edition
2.0
I read this when it was self-published, so maybe some of the things that drove me crazy are better now that it's made it through an editor. (Although, when I tried to give it another chance in its revised form, I found too many of the same problems, so I didn't ever finish the re-read).
Anyway, the sheer number of WTF? moments specifically related to the sociocultural context in which it was set made it almost completely nonsensical. (i.e., the world-building was crap. Those characters in that time would not have known that, and they certainly wouldn't have talked about it like that. That = many different things. The one "that" that stands out most in my memory relates to the goddess Kali.)
The characters were... unfinished? It was like watching stick-figure cartoons set against a nonsensical backdrop. I can see how some people might find that enjoyable in a zany sort of way, maybe, but I got the sense that it wasn't deliberate or intentional on the author's part. That may be why this book drove me so batty. Or it could be that the characters were so here! there! all over the place I never got a good understanding of why they behaved as they did.
I liked the concept, but the finished product didn't really pull together for me.
Anyway, the sheer number of WTF? moments specifically related to the sociocultural context in which it was set made it almost completely nonsensical. (i.e., the world-building was crap. Those characters in that time would not have known that, and they certainly wouldn't have talked about it like that. That = many different things. The one "that" that stands out most in my memory relates to the goddess Kali.)
The characters were... unfinished? It was like watching stick-figure cartoons set against a nonsensical backdrop. I can see how some people might find that enjoyable in a zany sort of way, maybe, but I got the sense that it wasn't deliberate or intentional on the author's part. That may be why this book drove me so batty. Or it could be that the characters were so here! there! all over the place I never got a good understanding of why they behaved as they did.
I liked the concept, but the finished product didn't really pull together for me.
thenia's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed listening to Cin's story - the narrator does an excellent job!
Set in early 1800's in England, it is about a young woman descended from a line of powerful witches, although her powers haven't manifested yet. Her life is turned upside down when her beloved parents die, her power surges instead of coming to her slowly, and an unwanted suitor and erstwhile childhood friend turns out to be a vampire and is after her. Feeling way out of her depth, Cin asks an old friend of her mother's and magician for help, leading to her getting in contact with a group of vampires policing others of their kind, known as The Righteous.
A very old, very powerful demon enters the picture and our heroine has to deal with everything at once, from magic and vampires, to an intense and unexpected attraction.
Cin is very pragmatic and realizes that she'll have to make a difficult decision to get out of the mess she faces. She knows her limits and does her best to keep the people she cares about safe, even if she has to sacrifice herself to do it, while at the same time doing her best to survive.
She's a very likable character and it was interesting seeing her evolve, from an unsure witch afraid of her powers to a self assured and powerful woman. The secondary characters are very intriguing as well, from Michael, one of The Righteous Cin's intensely attracted to, to Sebastian, the vampire lackey, to "Woof", the mysterious werewolf.
I'm looking forward to reading more of their adventures!
Set in early 1800's in England, it is about a young woman descended from a line of powerful witches, although her powers haven't manifested yet. Her life is turned upside down when her beloved parents die, her power surges instead of coming to her slowly, and an unwanted suitor and erstwhile childhood friend turns out to be a vampire and is after her. Feeling way out of her depth, Cin asks an old friend of her mother's and magician for help, leading to her getting in contact with a group of vampires policing others of their kind, known as The Righteous.
A very old, very powerful demon enters the picture and our heroine has to deal with everything at once, from magic and vampires, to an intense and unexpected attraction.
Cin is very pragmatic and realizes that she'll have to make a difficult decision to get out of the mess she faces. She knows her limits and does her best to keep the people she cares about safe, even if she has to sacrifice herself to do it, while at the same time doing her best to survive.
She's a very likable character and it was interesting seeing her evolve, from an unsure witch afraid of her powers to a self assured and powerful woman. The secondary characters are very intriguing as well, from Michael, one of The Righteous Cin's intensely attracted to, to Sebastian, the vampire lackey, to "Woof", the mysterious werewolf.
I'm looking forward to reading more of their adventures!
krisrid's review against another edition
5.0
I love books about vampires, and have read many of them. Up to now, I thought that the Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost was going to forever be my favourite and that all the others would be second in my heart. Then I read this book and now my heart will have to share the vampire crown because I LOVED THIS BOOK!
Honestly, I can't believe it took me so long to read it. I bought this book ages ago and it sat on my bookshelf. I don't know why I hadn't gotten around to reading it before, but I am so glad I finally did because if you like vampires this is an amazing entry to the genre.
First off Cin is a fantastic character! She is smart, confident, kind, stubborn, funny and loyal to the people in her life. She cares for her family and handles all kinds of crazy, both before and after her parents are killed at the beginning of the story. As a witch, she has extra abilities, and a wonderful group of supporting characters around her who help her along.
Once circumstances oblige Cin to summon The Righteous [a trio of vampires who hunt and punish vampires who break the accepted rules] all hell really breaks loose, and she has choices to make and battles to fight, and changes to deal with. The journey makes for a cracking good read!
There is so much in this book that makes it great - the battles are epic, the characters are wonderful [and the women are just as kick-ass as the men which is a big plus for this reader], and the character development and relationships between characters - especially Cin and Michael - are delightful.
There was absolutely nothing about this book that I didn't love. It is definitely one of my favourite reads ever, and I've already ordered books 2 & 3 because I can't WAIT to continue with Cin's story. Love, love, LOVED this book!!
Honestly, I can't believe it took me so long to read it. I bought this book ages ago and it sat on my bookshelf. I don't know why I hadn't gotten around to reading it before, but I am so glad I finally did because if you like vampires this is an amazing entry to the genre.
First off Cin is a fantastic character! She is smart, confident, kind, stubborn, funny and loyal to the people in her life. She cares for her family and handles all kinds of crazy, both before and after her parents are killed at the beginning of the story. As a witch, she has extra abilities, and a wonderful group of supporting characters around her who help her along.
Once circumstances oblige Cin to summon The Righteous [a trio of vampires who hunt and punish vampires who break the accepted rules] all hell really breaks loose, and she has choices to make and battles to fight, and changes to deal with. The journey makes for a cracking good read!
There is so much in this book that makes it great - the battles are epic, the characters are wonderful [and the women are just as kick-ass as the men which is a big plus for this reader], and the character development and relationships between characters - especially Cin and Michael - are delightful.
There was absolutely nothing about this book that I didn't love. It is definitely one of my favourite reads ever, and I've already ordered books 2 & 3 because I can't WAIT to continue with Cin's story. Love, love, LOVED this book!!
tlovesbooks's review
3.0
A quick fun read. Nothing amazing, but good enough to continue with the series.
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