Rating: 
Summary: Jefferson avoids the sophomore slump
Review: If Voice of the Blood was Jemiah Jefferson's Interview with the Vampire, then Wounds is most assuredly her Queen of the Dead. But where Voice of the Blood showed weaknesses typical of any first novel, Wounds showcases a writer who has matured, a writer confident in her talent and skills, unafraid to offend or shock. Wounds picks up a few months after the conclusion of Voice, focusing on Daniel Blum, a supporting character from that novel. Nearly a century old, the vampire has never matured mentally or physically beyond his early twenties. Jaded, bored and depressed, Daniel spends most of his time seeking new distractions, a pastime which is becoming more futile by the day. Such is his state of mind then when he encounters Sybil, an erotic dancer unique in that the vampire can neither penetrate her thoughts nor influence her actions. Entranced, Daniel begins a relentless and eventually successful romantic pursuit of the woman, who, although human, is far more vicious and perverse than he, exhorting Daniel to levels of violence excessive even by his standards. Such is Daniel's infatuation, however, that he consistently does her bidding, even when it endangers his life. It was something of a surprise to pick up Wounds and discover that Jefferson had chosen to focus on Daniel, rather than Ariane, the heroine of Voice of the Blood. Arguably, Ariane's complex personality and personal conflicts would have provided more fictional fodder for the sequel. For instance, Jefferson could have leveraged Ariane's strained relationship with her vampire husband or her efforts to understand vampirism through scientific research to fashion her follow-up. But Jefferson forsakes the easy path--Ariane remains in the background here, together with Ricari, the vampire who also played a prominent role in Voice of the Blood. Their individual cameos, however, are quite effective. Jefferson's focus on the relationship of these mismatched misfits allows her to explore some interesting terrain, such as the very human craving to be loved, and the ways in which love can be perverted. Daniel, an immortal monster, has become so desperate for intimacy that he literally bears his throat to the depraved megalomaniac Sybil. Jefferson so effectively chronicles Daniel's surrender of self that readers may grow angry with the character, wondering what could possibly make him so desperate. But it's this desperation that powers the novel, compelling readers to turn the next page and see just how bad it's going to get. This desperation is likely to polarize readers, dividing them into two groups, those that find the relationship ridiculous, and those that can't help watching in sick fascination as the book lumbers towards its stunning, but in hindsight inevitable, climax. Shocking, intense, and sexually charged, Jefferson's sophomore effort is as commendable as it is twisted, a worthy effort that should win her an even larger readership. Although it could have been pared down a little, it's a first rate piece of writing, one which most devotees of vampire fiction should enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: ...The star speaks for itself.
Review: In my opinion this book was poorly written and poorly planned. and
Jemiah Jerfferson has room to grown in her career if you call it one.
In the first few chapters of the book all is going well, and the
story is leading you somewhere interesting, until he goes into a club
and meets sybil, he cant read her mind
and becomes infatuated with her. In the end she convinces him to put
on a 'Big Show' and she chops his head off as a part of it.
This book did have potential but she screwed it up.
From what I have seen either you love this book or you hate it
Rating:
Summary: A sad, sorry farce of a novel.
Review: In this shallow, poorly plotted bore-fest of a story, Jemiah Jefferson is guilty of one of the cardinal sins of writing: pull the readers in with an explosive, exciting first page, and drop them flat on their rear end and leave them sitting there in a half-conscious daze for the remainder of the book. And to think I was so excited. I read the first few paragraphs in the store and was totally taken with the vampire Daniel and his apparently dark, brutal manner. And after reading the comparisons to Poppy Z. Brite on the back cover, I immediately snatched this book up (along with her first novel, "Voice of the Blood," which is even more of a disaster than "Wounds", if you can believe that). Alas, my expectations were about to be painfully (and expensively) dashed. Vampire David meets nihilistic/sociopathic stripper Sybil. They talk. A couple of chapters after this and any action or conflict tapers off. A few more pages and all you've got is 300 pages of breakfast table dialogue. NOTHING EVER HAPPENS IN THIS BOOK. NOTHING!!! Apparently the author believes that her characters are SO interesting that they can bouy the story with no conflict between themselves and their environment. Well, she's WRONG!!! So Daniel's a vampire. So what?! Does he have any tangible character traits? An interesting history? Some three-dimensional friend or enemy placed at his side by the author to make him change/grow/react for better or worse to further the plot? Nope. And what about Sybil? Anyone can write about a creepy sociopath. I want a creepy sociopath who incites emotion in me. Fear, amusement, hate, anger, ANYTHING. Any author worth her salt makes you look at each character as a flesh-and-blood being, not as a ragged framework in need of spackling. It was almost as if, when building her story, Jefferson took her notes, wrote her characters' names, and next to each put one universal label as a description without going into detail: Daniel-Loner Vampire; Sybil-Weird Stripper. And it's as if she actually expected her readers to look at those labels as the sole justifications for her characters' actions (or inactions), and to keep reading until something exciting happened. Well, that is, however inadvertent, an insult to my intelligence. I now know never to waste my money on anything by Jemiah Jefferson ever again. If you want to see the heights to which an author can take the vampire genre, read Poppy Z. Brite's "Lost Souls." Needless to say Brite handles well the basics of plot, conflict and characterization that Jefferson seems to have forgotten. And Poppy's stories conjure a sense of the supernatural, of rich dark sweetness and breathless angst that Jefferson doesn't even bother to allude to, which makes that comparison between these two authors on the back cover even more ridiculous.
Rating: 
Summary: Hot hot hot
Review: Jemiah Jefferson is not a Vampire novelist. Wounds goes way beyond the cheap thrills of most spooky/horror novels, to examine the human (and vampiric) desire to kill. Her characters are so real, you feel like you've brushed by them in your local club. Jemiah's world will devour your own, until you start to see her characters on streetcorners. Let's hope Jemiah keeps writing novels like Wounds and Voice Of The Blood, so we don't need to put up with one-dimensional "scary" books from so many of those other, so-called authors. I highly highly highly recommend you get both her novels, now!
Rating:
Summary: Oh my ...god!
Review: Jemiah outdoes 'Voice of the Blood' with 'Wounds.' In her second novel, we're treated to vampire Daniel Blum, who was sex and swagger in her first novel, but here his character is more fleshed out and more facets of his personality and emotions are explored. Daniel is a mastermind of getting into someone's head and detecting their thoughts, but when he meets former stripper Sybil, he cannot do that with her. I commend Jemiah for making Sybil a vampire's love interest who isn't your typical woman, but instead, tall and voluptuous, with a crazy sense of style. She's got many demons of her own, namely her relationship with her now-dead friend Sonic Ruth, and even though she claims to have murdered her, it's strictly from Sybil's dialogue, which makes it even more of a mystery. Daniel and Sybil utilize art as a means of shaking up the general masses and end up in a love-hate relationship where it's a constant power struggle, trying to see who could hurt each other more - and god, does it build up. Jemiah's prose is simultaneously lush and razor sharp, and just like 'Voice of the Blood', ...
Rating:
Summary: I wanted more,And got what I wanted!
Review: This book "Wounds" Is Outstanding! Jemiah's writing is still as refreshing and addictive as it ever was. If you enjoyed "Voice of the Blood" And have not yet read "Wounds" then I would highly advise checking it out. In this Book Jemiah, Yet again Brings to life your favorite characters from 'VOTB'In a Brand new City with a brand new story. It's a very well datailed novel that will be just as hard to put down as her other book. In this story Jemiah brings to life a new character "Sybil" She,Being the only Person who's mind Daniel Could not read, Becomes His new infatuation and ultimiatley his demise. I would HIGHLY recomend this novel to anyone with an open mind,who has the time to sit and read this book for a few hours.
Rating:
Summary: I wanted more,And got what I wanted!
Review: This book "Wounds" Is Outstanding! Jemiah's writing is still as refreshing and addictive as it ever was. If you enjoyed "Voice of the Blood" And have not yet read "Wounds" then I would highly advise checking it out. In this Book Jemiah, Yet again Brings to life your favorite characters from 'VOTB'In a Brand new City with a brand new story. It's a very well datailed novel that will be just as hard to put down as her other book. In this story Jemiah brings to life a new character "Sybil" She,Being the only Person who's mind Daniel Could not read, Becomes His new infatuation and ultimiatley his demise. I would HIGHLY recomend this novel to anyone with an open mind,who has the time to sit and read this book for a few hours.
Rating:
Summary: Wickedly Amazing (Part II)
Review: Well... Jemiah has done it again. She's managed to create a gruesome and erotic world all over again... and with my favorite character at that. Daniel again is so enchanting and horrible that you wish he would just jump right off the page and take you as his. I don't know how she does it... but she does it. She's caught New York at its finest and its worst, with Daniel at the head of it. Sybil is a bit different, but she's a perfect challenge for Daniel. Ariene is still... bitter..., but you gotta love her right? John is still as freaked out as ever. And Ricari... well... Ricari is Ricari, he doesn't change much does he? You get [pulled] into this world all over again, and wish to God that you were a vampire with Daniel as your leader. READ THIS BOOK!!!! YOU'LL LOVE EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!!
Rating:
Summary: Can I Give Negative Stars???
Review: What a disappointment. After reading Voice of the Blood I thought I might have found another vampire series that would really hold my attention. But instead of killing off a vampire series like Anne Rice did about book four, Jemiah Jefferson managed to screw it up after one book. The characters go no where after Daniel has a conflict with one he made. The new girl Daniel is in love with is a weirdo and not in a good way either. Just a stupid weirdo. Too bad.
Rating:
Summary: Can I Give Negative Stars???
Review: What a disappointment. After reading Voice of the Blood I thought I might have found another vampire series that would really hold my attention. But instead of killing off a vampire series like Anne Rice did about book four, Jemiah Jefferson managed to screw it up after one book. The characters go no where after Daniel has a conflict with one he made. The new girl Daniel is in love with is a weirdo and not in a good way either. Just a stupid weirdo. Too bad.
|
