I'm very new to the vampire genre, and I was worried before I started. I've read so many raves about this book (the first in a trilogy) and I'm not sure I 'get' vampires or their attraction. I never watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer and I haven't read Twilight by Stephanie Myers. This book sucked me in though. (sorry about that pun)The Rest Falls Away is set in 19th century England, one of my favorite settings for novels. I've enjoyed the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt mysteries by Anne Perry, and Gleason's characters could fit right into a ball with Charlotte Pitt. However, we are introduced here to Victoria Grantworth, the newest Venator, and the Gardella family legacy as vampire hunter. She is trying to balance her debut into society and her mother's attempts to marry her off, with her legacy of vampire hunting. If you haven't read any vampire books, I think this is a good introduction. We learn all the vampire lore - stake to the heart, sunlight, holy water, garlic, all the stuff I already knew, plus the fact that vampires are the undead, and their historical significance with Pontius Pilot and the pieces of silver. I also didn't know that vampires disappeared with a 'poof' when they are stabbed, leaving no evidence behind.
Victoria embraces her new role as vampire hunter and the story moves along briskly, introducing love interests, a conflict with male Venator, and the battle with the head Vampire, Lilith, over a book with spells. Meanwhile, she is falling in love with the Marquis of Rockley and trying to kill vampires in between dances at balls or the ballet. Once I understood the vampire lore, the story was great. I finished it in two days because I couldn't put it down and so wanted to find out what happened with Victoria and her fiance. There is some humor because I don't think anything with vampires can be completely serious, unless you really believe in them, in which case they are terrifying. I will be getting the next book, Rises the Night, very soon,and I know just the friend to give this book to to read.
This makes the fourth book book I've finished for the RIP II challenge. I still have Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman to read, which is an extra peril, and I'm still working on The Small Peril, short stories from Stephen King's Everything's Eventual. I have quite enjoyed all my books so far. If you want to see all the reviews, check out the RIP yarns review site.
I enjoyed reading this one too. I do read vampire books occasionally and have done so for years. There are so many out there right now because of their popularity. I haven't yet read the next book in the series, but I plan to one of these days.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you liked it enough to read the next in the series. I have read a few vampire series and have this on my list to be read next year. I think there is a third due out next February as well.
ReplyDeleteWhen Colleen asked me if I'd be willing to review an ARC of The Rest Falls Away, I gulped. BIG! I was not a vampire watcher or reader. I was quite concerned that I wouldn't like it. What would I say in a review if that happened?! But I loved it. If I'd known it was billed as a romance I'd have been even more concerned. Now here I am looking forward to book three. Quite amazing.
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