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lavenderhills's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
darnfeinbookthoughts's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
fantasyaddict's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
seph5040's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
siljefp's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
readtheblurb's review against another edition
4.0
The Lights of Prague was one of those covers that really caught my eye as soon as I saw it posted on social media. However, what really got me interested was that the book is set in my current city. I was initially nervous that this was a biased buy, but was quickly put to ease by a unique, historical urban fantasy debut from Nicole Jarvis.
While The Lights of Prague does have a slow start, I did love the world-building that went into it, and it’s clear that the author has been to Prague and has done a her research. The author transports us to a dangerous, dark and gothic 19th century Prague during the advent of new technology yet dealing with an infestation of numerous horrors. It’s quite quickly made clear that this book would deal with the culmination of a struggle between humanity and inhumanity; Something is lurking in the depths of Prague causing the local vampires (pijavice – leech) to start acting abnormally. The question is, who can deal with this?
We’re introduced to an imaginative and unique cast of characters. Firstly, we have Domek, a lamplighter and vampire hunter with a calm and cool personality, who is set on making the world a safer place. He’s you’re typical good guy personality, but with some definite edge to him. Secondly, we have Ora, who herself is a vampire, but is living the high life and making friends with humans, clearly running from some kind of past. Ora and Domek have a friendship, but it’s quickly made clear that there could be some romance involved. Alongside the two main characters there are an interesting support cast who drive the story forward and into dangerous waters. Another character that made a fantastic addition to the story was Kája, who I won’t describe in detail so as to not give away plot points. What also made these characters more unique than usual was their relationships with one another, especially that of Domek and Kája.
The writing in this book was absolutely fantastic and made the book extremely easy to read. I found the dialogue especially strong and made interactions between the characters feel more natural. Alongside this, the descriptions of Prague were excellent and really made me feel like I was walking through it’s beautiful and historical streets.
This does seem to be a standalone book; however, it did feel like the first book of a potential trilogy. By the end I could see that Jarvis had introduced me to a whole new world, teaming with potential threats and very much in need of a few heroes to save it. I definitely think a lot more can be done with the heroes introduced to us, so I’m very much hoping to see more in the future.
Urban fantasy is a genre that I don’t usually venture into as I’ve never had much interest in it. However, The Lights of Prague piqued my interest initially, grasped me and wouldn’t let go until the end. This goes to show that genre does not always matter, as long as a book is so well written.
While The Lights of Prague does have a slow start, I did love the world-building that went into it, and it’s clear that the author has been to Prague and has done a her research. The author transports us to a dangerous, dark and gothic 19th century Prague during the advent of new technology yet dealing with an infestation of numerous horrors. It’s quite quickly made clear that this book would deal with the culmination of a struggle between humanity and inhumanity; Something is lurking in the depths of Prague causing the local vampires (pijavice – leech) to start acting abnormally. The question is, who can deal with this?
We’re introduced to an imaginative and unique cast of characters. Firstly, we have Domek, a lamplighter and vampire hunter with a calm and cool personality, who is set on making the world a safer place. He’s you’re typical good guy personality, but with some definite edge to him. Secondly, we have Ora, who herself is a vampire, but is living the high life and making friends with humans, clearly running from some kind of past. Ora and Domek have a friendship, but it’s quickly made clear that there could be some romance involved. Alongside the two main characters there are an interesting support cast who drive the story forward and into dangerous waters. Another character that made a fantastic addition to the story was Kája, who I won’t describe in detail so as to not give away plot points. What also made these characters more unique than usual was their relationships with one another, especially that of Domek and Kája.
The writing in this book was absolutely fantastic and made the book extremely easy to read. I found the dialogue especially strong and made interactions between the characters feel more natural. Alongside this, the descriptions of Prague were excellent and really made me feel like I was walking through it’s beautiful and historical streets.
This does seem to be a standalone book; however, it did feel like the first book of a potential trilogy. By the end I could see that Jarvis had introduced me to a whole new world, teaming with potential threats and very much in need of a few heroes to save it. I definitely think a lot more can be done with the heroes introduced to us, so I’m very much hoping to see more in the future.
Urban fantasy is a genre that I don’t usually venture into as I’ve never had much interest in it. However, The Lights of Prague piqued my interest initially, grasped me and wouldn’t let go until the end. This goes to show that genre does not always matter, as long as a book is so well written.
lesya's review against another edition
Didn't hold my attention. I'm not an urban fantasy person.
cbee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
kleonard's review against another edition
4.0
As far as vampire-vampire slayer romances go, this one isn't bad. Set in Prague and full of atmosphere, the novel finds a vampire woman seducing a human man, neither of them knowing what the other is. It's all hot and heavy until he sees her vampiric face and she sees his skill with a stake, no pun intended. But of course it turns out that they are on the same side, although it takes the slayer a while to realize that. Together they work to stop a threat that would see the rise of vicious vampires across the world. This was a fun read, with lots of good eastern European vampire and other supernatural lore, some very intense encounters with ghosts and a will-o-the-wisp, and a plot that moves quickly even when it's full of excellent descriptive passages of the city and fashion. A good book for a stormy summer night.