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A review by pastelwriter
Lore & Lust: The Vanishing by Karla Nikole
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I have to say... This book did not slap as much as the first one. Although I still found it highly entertaining, I was able to see its flaws far more clearly than in the first book.
First and foremost, the pacing of this novel was all over the place. It felt like things happened both too slowly and too quickly. This was especially obvious to me with the main conflict in this book.When Nino is “vanished,” the set-up is just so awkward. It literally feels like it comes out of nowhere (even though I knew since book 1 that this plot point would come). He is also reunited with Haru far too quickly to take advantage of the tension their separation could have provided. Furthermore, after Nino and Haru are reunited, Lajos is incapacitated way too easily for it to have felt satisfying. I chalk all of this up to pacing.
In addition to the pacing, the writing style felt more stiff in this novel. Maybe this is because the novel is longer than the first installment, and so it’s just a larger volume of phrases that feel too formal. It reads... I don’t know how to explain it beyond saying that the phrasing doesn’t match the overall tone of the book. This is especially the case in the descriptions. The dialogue in here, as in the first book, is perfection. It makes me laugh so much. But the rest of the writing? I’m not so sure about it.
Still. Rating this any lower than 3 stars is insincere about my general enjoyment of the story.
Mainly, my love for the characters in this series was only deepened with this book and was one of the primary reasons I still had a good time. I literally would lay down my life for Nino and Haru. Both of them have so much baggage they still need to work through, and I loved how we got to see even more character development here. For Nino, it’s all about taking responsibility and growing more confident in himself and his abilities. For Haru, it’s a continued journey of opening up about his desires and needs. It’s also about him learning to embrace that he doesn’t have to be so overprotective of Nino because Nino is powerful in his own right.
In addition, the scenes Haru had with little kids were in and of themselves enough to make this an enjoyable read for me. I love seeing adults who treat children with so much clear love and adoration. It just makes my heart very soft. I seriously need book three to feature MULTIPLE scenes of Haru and Nino with their (hopefully) future child. Otherwise, I’m gonna have to fight the author because I have NEEDS.
Apart from Haru and Nino, I also absolutely loved Cellina and Giovanni. Although their romance was poorly paced, I still adored it. I loved the dynamic between the two of them—these very self-sufficient vampires learning to lean on each other. They both needed each other, and I think that’s beautiful. Though I must admit that Giovanni’s alpha male bs would make me hate him if he was real. Lol.
Finally, the side characters here were absolutely wonderful. Asao continues to be my KING. He is an ICON. I genuinely would love to read all about him. That’s how much I respect and love that vampire. On the other hand, Jun and Ladislao were delightful for their slutty energy. Both these men had me cackling as I read. Ladislao especially had absolutely no chill. I support him getting the sex he so desperately needs. Lol. Jun is more chill, but he still made some comments that just had me laughing so hard.
So, yeah. Did I enjoy this book as much as book one? No. But it still was incredibly entertaining and delivered characters I found incredibly lovable.
First and foremost, the pacing of this novel was all over the place. It felt like things happened both too slowly and too quickly. This was especially obvious to me with the main conflict in this book.
In addition to the pacing, the writing style felt more stiff in this novel. Maybe this is because the novel is longer than the first installment, and so it’s just a larger volume of phrases that feel too formal. It reads... I don’t know how to explain it beyond saying that the phrasing doesn’t match the overall tone of the book. This is especially the case in the descriptions. The dialogue in here, as in the first book, is perfection. It makes me laugh so much. But the rest of the writing? I’m not so sure about it.
Still. Rating this any lower than 3 stars is insincere about my general enjoyment of the story.
Mainly, my love for the characters in this series was only deepened with this book and was one of the primary reasons I still had a good time. I literally would lay down my life for Nino and Haru. Both of them have so much baggage they still need to work through, and I loved how we got to see even more character development here. For Nino, it’s all about taking responsibility and growing more confident in himself and his abilities. For Haru, it’s a continued journey of opening up about his desires and needs. It’s also about him learning to embrace that he doesn’t have to be so overprotective of Nino because Nino is powerful in his own right.
In addition, the scenes Haru had with little kids were in and of themselves enough to make this an enjoyable read for me. I love seeing adults who treat children with so much clear love and adoration. It just makes my heart very soft. I seriously need book three to feature MULTIPLE scenes of Haru and Nino with their (hopefully) future child. Otherwise, I’m gonna have to fight the author because I have NEEDS.
Apart from Haru and Nino, I also absolutely loved Cellina and Giovanni. Although their romance was poorly paced, I still adored it. I loved the dynamic between the two of them—these very self-sufficient vampires learning to lean on each other. They both needed each other, and I think that’s beautiful. Though I must admit that Giovanni’s alpha male bs would make me hate him if he was real. Lol.
Finally, the side characters here were absolutely wonderful. Asao continues to be my KING. He is an ICON. I genuinely would love to read all about him. That’s how much I respect and love that vampire. On the other hand, Jun and Ladislao were delightful for their slutty energy. Both these men had me cackling as I read. Ladislao especially had absolutely no chill. I support him getting the sex he so desperately needs. Lol. Jun is more chill, but he still made some comments that just had me laughing so hard.
So, yeah. Did I enjoy this book as much as book one? No. But it still was incredibly entertaining and delivered characters I found incredibly lovable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood
Minor: Child abuse