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Rating: 
Summary: The problem isn't in the writing craftsmanship
Review: Blame the publisher -- this book is very hard to read because the font is extremely thin (narrow lines) and they have printed it very, very small -- and then used paper which isn't quite white enough. The net effect is a terrible headache while trying to read under artificial light. Many people would not be able to get through it just for that. The writing however is entirely competent, strong, controlled and forceful. The author has used all the correct imagery -- carries the scenes forward with dispatch -- gives enough but not too much description and emotional interaction. The subject matter is -- well, it's part of this Dark Ages series and if you like this kind of thing, this has to be a winner of a novel. It is however, very very dark. The protagonist, Zoe, is a vampire who has seen her sire murdered by a religious fanatic whose order stands against vampires on principle -- nevermind THIS vampire sire made beautiful things and that there are some vampire sects that don't always kill when they take blood. This religious sect murders all vampires without a second thought. So Zoe sets off across the landscape of an alternate 13th century France to chase down and take revenge on the man who murdered her sire. We join her near the end of her quest when she meets another vampire who takes responsibility for her vampire education, and she becomes attracted to him and his philosophy. I won't tell you what she does when she confronts her moment of revenge -- but to get there you have to somehow decipher 283 pages of invisible print (and yes, I squinted my way through it page after page, I admit, couldn't quit until I knew) -- but all through those pages the main, repeated, obsessive subject is revenge. There are other points of view given, but the story doesn't wander and the revenge theme is tightly focused through everything in the book. If books about revenge interest you, I'd recommend finding a copy of this in a library before buying it -- just to be sure you can see the print. Live Long And Prosper,
Jacqueline Lichtenberg
Put my name in the amazon search engine to find my books.
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