"Throughout all my histories, I found no one I loved more than you...no one."Those were some of Rhode's last words to me. The last time he would pronounce his love. The last time I would see his face.
It was the first time in 592 years I could take a breath. Lay in the sun. Taste.
Rhode sacrificed himself so I, Lenah Beaudonte, could be human again. So I could stop the blood lust.
I never expected to fall in love with someone else that wasn't Rhode.
But Justin was...daring. Exciting. More beautiful than I could dream.
I never expected to be sixteen again...then again, I never expected my past to come back and haunt me...
-Chapters Canada
I really enjoyed this book. I have read my fair share of vampire books, but let me say that this one definitely stands out from all the rest. Firstly, the young (well...) heroine actually chooses to be human, and therefore doesn't choose the guy. I think this concept is just revolutionary! All joking aside, I think this was definitely a well needed change, and I have yet to read anything similar, where a vampire gets turned back into a human.
Having said that, I also want to give recognition for the plausibility of the plot. Everything seemed just a little bit more normal and relatable than in the typical vampire romance novel, which we have been seeing so much of as of late. I really enjoyed experiencing the new (to her) world that we happen to live in, and it really made me think of how far our society has come in a very short period of time. This was also gave way to some perfect little snippets of humour. The romance was actually a little bit of a downside for me, for the most part. As much as I wanted to like, Justin, I wasn't really buying it. Which is suprising for me, because you can pretty much push any form of romance my way and I will devour it. In this case it just didn't seem sincere and believable. It was like Justin just wasn't quite deep enough to embrace the maturity and situation in which Lenah found herself. I guess we will have to see in the follow-up how that develops.
This book was overall a good read, and I would recommend it not only for teens, but anyone who is looking for a vampire-switch-up of sorts. You will not be disappointed.
Spoiler Alert: Don't read past this point if you don't want to know specific book details!
Right from the beginning, it is easy to see that this book is different from all of the other vampire ones out there. Lenah Beaudonte (love the name) is an ancient vampire who is recieving the ultimate gift from her long-time soulmate: mortality. And he is sacrificing himself to do it, a process that is hardly ever completed because it demands utter selflessness to be successful. So after hundreds of years of being a vampire, Lenah finally becomes human again, and is thrust into our world with only a few minutes guidance from her (mate?) and a few notes and gifts he leaves her.
Not long into her journey Lenah discovers Justin, who to me just seemed like glorified eye-candy. He was presented as immature right off the batt and was still dating a shallow bimbo. But he seems to fall for Lenah and embraces her past in its entirety. Trouble is always looming for Lenah, though, because her second vampire lover,Vicken, is going to realize what Rhode accomplished, and come to find what he believes is his: his Queen, Lenah.
Of course her old coven inevitably finds Lenah and takes her away. Which was pretty unexpected for me. I didn't expect for her to just hastily be ripped from the life she had built for herself at boarding school, and forced to do the ritual for Vicken. (I was pretty confused about Vicken, whether I wanted to like him or not, and most of the time I felt myself pittying him. Because the way that Lenah described him made him seem so noble, and like he really, truly loved her as well. And of course he is going to come for you, he loves you and are connected by bond. Can you really blame him?) I could have also done without Tony. He didn't really come off as likeable, and I always feel uncomfortable whenever a pathetic stalkery dude falls for the girl that clearly only likes him as a friend. And this was one of those cases times about a thousand.
Despite a few minor setbacks, I really enjoyed this book, and think the sequel will be another hit. I recommend it to anyone who likes vampire fiction!
Sequel to come--Cheers & Enjoy♥
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