I just finished Alyson Burdette's Nightfire, and I have to say that this is one of the best vampire books I have ever read. Just so you know, I read Anita Blake (Laurel K. Hamilton), Anne Rice (Lestat), and have read the first book in the Twilight series so it's not like I'm a stranger to vampire fiction.
What I loved:
1) Olivia. She's an amazing and refreshing protagonist. This is a vampire novel told from the female point-of-view (as a vampire and something else). I'm going to leave the "something else" as a spoiler free thing. But trust me...Olivia is not a run-of-the-mill vamp. There's a reason she hangs out around all that water in Peninsula, and I can't wait to see Alyson explore this in future installments of the series.
2) Jesse. Although he does something that is pretty terrible, I couldn't help feeling drawn to his obvious charm. It's clear that he loves Olivia, wants what he sees as is best for her, but ends up hurting her terribly in the climax of the book all to prove a point. I wonder if she'll be able to see that Jesse is probably better for her than William, but Olivia is definitely stuck on William.
3) William. The handsome vampire hunter. Aside from being a tough-as-nails guy he's also got the whole swoon worthy blue-eyed boy-next-door thing going on. I loved every scene in which Alyson explores with this guy. It's some of the best romance writing around.
4) Alyson's prose. She is a great writer. Here are examples pulled from the book:
"He's suddenly little more than a memory, and I wonder if my body has remembered how to dream...His deep blue eyes open wide as he pulls me toward him. They are two glass jars full of fireflies that dance in the moonlight."
"I spit the words out at him, wishing they were knives."
"He laughs, and it is the sound of a thousand birds in song."
Pretty amazing, right?
So yeah. Alyson...when can we expect a sequel? Nightfire has left me wanting more :))
What I loved:
1) Olivia. She's an amazing and refreshing protagonist. This is a vampire novel told from the female point-of-view (as a vampire and something else). I'm going to leave the "something else" as a spoiler free thing. But trust me...Olivia is not a run-of-the-mill vamp. There's a reason she hangs out around all that water in Peninsula, and I can't wait to see Alyson explore this in future installments of the series.
2) Jesse. Although he does something that is pretty terrible, I couldn't help feeling drawn to his obvious charm. It's clear that he loves Olivia, wants what he sees as is best for her, but ends up hurting her terribly in the climax of the book all to prove a point. I wonder if she'll be able to see that Jesse is probably better for her than William, but Olivia is definitely stuck on William.
3) William. The handsome vampire hunter. Aside from being a tough-as-nails guy he's also got the whole swoon worthy blue-eyed boy-next-door thing going on. I loved every scene in which Alyson explores with this guy. It's some of the best romance writing around.
4) Alyson's prose. She is a great writer. Here are examples pulled from the book:
"He's suddenly little more than a memory, and I wonder if my body has remembered how to dream...His deep blue eyes open wide as he pulls me toward him. They are two glass jars full of fireflies that dance in the moonlight."
"I spit the words out at him, wishing they were knives."
"He laughs, and it is the sound of a thousand birds in song."
Pretty amazing, right?
So yeah. Alyson...when can we expect a sequel? Nightfire has left me wanting more :))
If you haven't met Alyson yet, you might want to hit her up on her blog HERE.
If you want to be supportive, mark her book "to read" on goodreads so that others that follow your stream will see that you at least find the book "of interest". Go HERE to do that.
And if you want a sample or can't wait to read it, go to Amazon right HERE.
Wish i had time to read...
ReplyDeleteI'm sold. I will add to my TBR list now.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great read. I'll have to check it out.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I'll want to read it if it's going to set my Kindle on fire. Those things are expensive.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Michael! I'm about halfway through writing the sequel to Nightfire, so hopefully it will be done soon. I'm glad you enjoyed Nightfire. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat review, M! Love Alyson. A real life Super Woman! :)
ReplyDeleteGood to hear ^ she's hard at work on the next installment.
sounds like a nice read
ReplyDeleteSounds fun. I like the cover a lot. It's not really my genre but strong female characters and prose.
ReplyDeleteFantastic review and sounds like a great book!
ReplyDeleteLove your review, Michael. This is one I'll definitely be looking up.
ReplyDeleteHmm. Sounds intriguing. But as vampire literature goes...have you read "Sunshine" by Robin McKinley? I'm pretty sure it's one of the best vampire books ever written. I'd be curious to know how this compares. (Obviously completely different stories.) Love the review. Adding it to my to-read list on Goodreads.
ReplyDeleteHuh, an intriguing analysis!
ReplyDeleteGreat review, even though I'm not partial to vampires. I think they send the wrong message to young people Vampires steal power. And, with the abuse that occurs in our society, I don't like how we romanticize them.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a unique vampire book.
ReplyDeleteCool! Love the vamp stories! And this one sounds killer too. Great review! :)
ReplyDeleteMichael, thanks so much for your information. I really appreciate it. Thanks for being a great friend.
ReplyDeleteYou're recommending a vampire book? It's a different vampire book, right? Because, I'm sick to death of vampires (even though I still watch vampire shows on TV... Okay, I admit it, I can be sucked in, so long as it's a good story).
ReplyDeleteI love that knife quote! Good to know there are some not-your-typical vampire stories out there.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great book. I've added it to my to-read list on Good Reads. :-)
ReplyDeleteI read this on Goodreads before I read it here. I enjoy your reviews because they're actually, you know, reviews, and not just stating what the book's about.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to point out that I found Patricia's comment above very interesting. I never thought about vampires like that. It's an interesting concept.