Jasper Kent
Pyr
446p., $17.00
I generally avoid new offerings in the vampire genre the way vampires avoid garlic. Not that I don't like vampires. I kinda do. I just don't like what Stephanie Meyers and her imitators have made of them. Call me a traditionalist, but I prefer my undead to be evil. They can be alluring to some of the characters because that adds to the danger and suspense in the tale, but as long term or safe romantic interests, no thanks.
I picked this book up on the basis of the cover. It's eye catching, and the blurb about the story being set against Napoleon's invasion of Russia piqued my interest. I was not disappointed. This is one of the best books I've read in a while, and one of the best vampire books I've read in years. The vampires are vile, evil, not to be trusted, and for the most part, not romantic. They don't glitter in sunlight, they burst into flame, and they have no romantic appeal. Just the opposite, in fact. In other words, these are not your daughter's vampires. These are the real thing. So to speak.
