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tiarala's review against another edition
2.0
There's a good story in here, but it's hampered by the writing. Bouncing POV gets confusing, the completely uneducated, feral-kinda-but-not-really vampires are…weird, and I didn't feel the characters were consistent throughout.
I'm curious where the story is going (it's definitely written as a trilogy) but not sure if I'm curious enough to pick up the next.
I'm curious where the story is going (it's definitely written as a trilogy) but not sure if I'm curious enough to pick up the next.
kacelaface's review against another edition
4.0
First book in a planned trilogy. A fun dark read with vampires, steampunk, alternate history and a bit of romance.
sly99's review against another edition
5.0
http://chocolatedump.blogspot.com/2012/04/vampireempire-book-onethe-greyfriar-by.html
jesslynh's review
5.0
Oh my, what fun! I had tried a Kindle sample of this book right after I finished the unimpressive [bc:Soulless|6381205|Soulless (Parasol Protectorate, #1)|Gail Carriger|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1314020848s/6381205.jpg|6569140] and quickly 'ugh'-ed and kept moving. Thanks to one of my GR friends, I tried it again and even though vamps are the bad-guys (not my thing) I am hooked.
I have added the series to my auto-buy list and am off to buy the next. My only complaint is that for whatever wrong-headed reason, the publisher has turned OFF Kindle Text-to-speech so I can't listen on my daily commute.
Highly recommended--the writing is tight and clear, the characters well thought out and sympathetic--if a bit too black and white at times and the story didn't seem me to be too short or too long.
This totally made up for my up to now lack of reading inspiration this January.
I have added the series to my auto-buy list and am off to buy the next. My only complaint is that for whatever wrong-headed reason, the publisher has turned OFF Kindle Text-to-speech so I can't listen on my daily commute.
Highly recommended--the writing is tight and clear, the characters well thought out and sympathetic--if a bit too black and white at times and the story didn't seem me to be too short or too long.
This totally made up for my up to now lack of reading inspiration this January.
eyreguide's review
4.0
My first introduction to the steampunk type novel with vampires, action, adventure, and romance. It was all quite a fantastic ride. At first, with all the expository information the authors have to set up, the beginning is a bit slow, but with the first attack of vampires, it picks up pretty fast. The new take on vampire lore is interesting - I wonder if they are all capable of the level of humanity of the resident vampire hunk, Gareth. Something I hope to find out when continuing with this series. This novel had an intelligently developed mix of alternate reality, politics, intriguing vampire mythology (and biology), and cast of characters. The time put into developing the world of the novel was well spent when the main conflicts start erupting, and I loved the building of suspense in the predicaments of Adele.
While reading the novel I was struck by what I thought of as two phases of the book - the "Scarlet Pimpernel" phase - where we are getting to know about the Greyfriar (but there is little of the humor in this like in the Orczy novels) and the second phase which felt very Disney's "Beauty and the Beast". I kept hearing the beginning of the title song in my head as Adele found out more about Gareth. And particular scenes reinforced that for me: Adele encouraging Gareth to write, Gareth showing Adele his library, inviting her to eat with him, the attack of "wolves", the fight between the "Gaston" of the story - Senator Clark - and Gareth on the parapet and then he holds Clark over? What? "Tale as old as time... "
This novel has many facets to it and a great gritty, realistic take on vampire mythology. The slowly developing romance was also well done for me too.
While reading the novel I was struck by what I thought of as two phases of the book - the "Scarlet Pimpernel" phase - where we are getting to know about the Greyfriar (but there is little of the humor in this like in the Orczy novels) and the second phase which felt very Disney's "Beauty and the Beast". I kept hearing the beginning of the title song in my head as Adele found out more about Gareth. And particular scenes reinforced that for me: Adele encouraging Gareth to write, Gareth showing Adele his library, inviting her to eat with him, the attack of "wolves", the fight between the "Gaston" of the story - Senator Clark - and Gareth on the parapet and then he holds Clark over? What? "Tale as old as time... "
This novel has many facets to it and a great gritty, realistic take on vampire mythology. The slowly developing romance was also well done for me too.
hidingincorners's review against another edition
5.0
I don't know how to describe this novel other than saying I loved it. The fantasy politics, landscape, world building, characters, and everything were marvelously done. It was a delight to read and I am only upset that I don't have the second one in my hand!
reddyrat's review against another edition
5.0
The Greyfriar by Clay and Susan Griffith is one of the best books I've read thus far in 2011. It's one of those books where I keep going back to re-read my favorite parts again and again.
It is a subtle novel. There is so much going on and such complex world building that it took me several chapters before I really connected with the characters or stories. But once I did, I was hooked.
The Greyfriar vampires are just the kind of supernatural creatures I like. Unlike many novels which envisions vampires as hyper-sexualized creatures, the Greyfriar vampires are dark and violent, more like animals than humans. They do not interact with humans other than to feed or enslave them. Like almost all vampire legends, they are also extremeley intelligent and have a complex political and clan structure. As the book goes on, our opinion of vampires becomes more layered. Perhaps the barbaric views all humans hold of them is unjustified...or perhaps there are only a few very odd exceptions. Regardless, the authors hammer chips into Princess Adele's and the reader's preconceived notions.
It took me awhile to warm to Adele, the main character. She starts out the book naive, having lived a sheltered royal life. I sensed an underlying wish to be someone, but also a strong sense of duty - content to marry a strange, brash American Senator for the political needs of her kingdom. I admired her for being so selfless. However, she was closed - I didn't connect to her emotionally. This changes as the book goes on. Once Adele is captured by the vampires, we see the true Princess emerge. She is brave, passionate, stubborn, and loyal. She is slow to change, but also open minded enough to know what is good when she sees it. She truly is a heroine.
Greyfriar was one of the best characters I've read in a long time. He starts out shrouded in mystery, for reasons that become clear soon enough. He is unbelievably brave. I loved the contrast between his gentle, kind nature and his capacity for extreme violence and vengeance. A complex character if there ever was one.
The plot is fabulous. A mixture of suspenseful action scenes with a slow-building romance will satisfy readers of multiple genres. Adele goes from one dangerous situation to another. Interspersed with her death defying escapes are scenes laying out the complex political world in the Vampire Empire universe. The vampires are plotting, the Americans are plotting, the Equatorians are plotting, and even Adele's tutor has an underground political network. The political maneuvering is sure to become more involved as the series continues. Meanwhile, a sweet and surprisingly gentle romance grows between Adele and Greyfriar. There's no love at first sight in this novel. Rather there are shared experiences, both positive and negative, that create a romance out of trust, shared respect, and ultimately deep love. It was the romantic scenes that I went back to re-read.
The Griffiths' prose does a fabulous job setting an atmosphere that feels dark and oppressive. Like a cloudy, humid day, you can almost feel the tension in the air. The writing is neither easy nor hard. The reader's eyes do not fly along the page - there are too many words on the page and none can legitimately be skipped - but the prose is steady and readable.
I highly recommend The Greyfriar for anyone who loves (a) vampires, (b) darkness, (c) true romance, (d) fabulous world building, and (e) a terrific story.
Rating: 4.5 / 5
It is a subtle novel. There is so much going on and such complex world building that it took me several chapters before I really connected with the characters or stories. But once I did, I was hooked.
The Greyfriar vampires are just the kind of supernatural creatures I like. Unlike many novels which envisions vampires as hyper-sexualized creatures, the Greyfriar vampires are dark and violent, more like animals than humans. They do not interact with humans other than to feed or enslave them. Like almost all vampire legends, they are also extremeley intelligent and have a complex political and clan structure. As the book goes on, our opinion of vampires becomes more layered. Perhaps the barbaric views all humans hold of them is unjustified...or perhaps there are only a few very odd exceptions. Regardless, the authors hammer chips into Princess Adele's and the reader's preconceived notions.
It took me awhile to warm to Adele, the main character. She starts out the book naive, having lived a sheltered royal life. I sensed an underlying wish to be someone, but also a strong sense of duty - content to marry a strange, brash American Senator for the political needs of her kingdom. I admired her for being so selfless. However, she was closed - I didn't connect to her emotionally. This changes as the book goes on. Once Adele is captured by the vampires, we see the true Princess emerge. She is brave, passionate, stubborn, and loyal. She is slow to change, but also open minded enough to know what is good when she sees it. She truly is a heroine.
Greyfriar was one of the best characters I've read in a long time. He starts out shrouded in mystery, for reasons that become clear soon enough. He is unbelievably brave. I loved the contrast between his gentle, kind nature and his capacity for extreme violence and vengeance. A complex character if there ever was one.
The plot is fabulous. A mixture of suspenseful action scenes with a slow-building romance will satisfy readers of multiple genres. Adele goes from one dangerous situation to another. Interspersed with her death defying escapes are scenes laying out the complex political world in the Vampire Empire universe. The vampires are plotting, the Americans are plotting, the Equatorians are plotting, and even Adele's tutor has an underground political network. The political maneuvering is sure to become more involved as the series continues. Meanwhile, a sweet and surprisingly gentle romance grows between Adele and Greyfriar. There's no love at first sight in this novel. Rather there are shared experiences, both positive and negative, that create a romance out of trust, shared respect, and ultimately deep love. It was the romantic scenes that I went back to re-read.
The Griffiths' prose does a fabulous job setting an atmosphere that feels dark and oppressive. Like a cloudy, humid day, you can almost feel the tension in the air. The writing is neither easy nor hard. The reader's eyes do not fly along the page - there are too many words on the page and none can legitimately be skipped - but the prose is steady and readable.
I highly recommend The Greyfriar for anyone who loves (a) vampires, (b) darkness, (c) true romance, (d) fabulous world building, and (e) a terrific story.
Rating: 4.5 / 5
dreizehn's review against another edition
3.0
★★★½ -- Quick reaction: I liked the story of The Greyfriar quite a lot. My main issues with the book were that in some places the writing and dialogue fell a bit flat, and the point of view switches occurred within chapters rather frequently. Still, with the mix of steampunk and vampires and a princess and Greyfriar... I definitely plan to continue the series. It was fun and exciting, and I ended up loving Gareth.
mamap's review against another edition
1.0
a stunningly bad novel. like a train wreck. a bunch of blathering nonsense. why publish it?