Stolen Nights by Rebecca MaizelMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Synopsis:
"Lenah Beaudonte should be dead. But having sacrificed herself to save another, she finds herself awakening with strange powers that are neither vampire nor human—and a new enemy on her trail. In her vampire life, Lenah had thought that being human was all she ever wanted; but the human heart suffers pain, heartbreak and loss.
With her new powers growing and the dark force of the Nex after her soul, Lenah faces a choice: between the mortal love of gorgeous Justin, whose passion fed her human soul, and taking a different path to become the mistress of her own destiny, wherever that may lead..." -goodreads.com
Review:
Oh wow!
I couldn't put this down, and I'm still thinking everything over in my head! Stolen Nights has great suspense, and the plot really took me by surprise; this is much better than the first book, and I even loved that book as well. The only bad thing I can find to say about it is that I really want another Vampire Queen book, but there's no indication from the ending that this may happen.
Lenah is given a choice in which she must choose what she thinks is best for repentance of her past vampire dealings. Does she chose the right decision? At her boarding school, people are dying left and right by the hands of a Vampire named Odette. Lenah made Odette the vampire she is, and these people that are dying... well, they're some meaningful people in her life. Can Lenah let go of love to save the lives of those she has wronged, or can she hold on to everything that has made her into the human she has become?
"'This is what it's like to be the hunted.'" (loc.2319)
The characters have evolved immensely as we learn more about their interrelationships and history. Vicken is a definite change for me, because I seriously love him in this book, with his wit, amazement and nonchalance towards everything. Lenah learns how to cope with selfishness, and how she must conquer the demons of her past. I'm very glad Maizel provided Odette as a strong antagonist, because she worked well as Lenah's Vampire mirror image. Lenah saw her Vampire self for the first time, and if she didn't do anything about it, all of humanity was in trouble.
"Death had been so easy to understand when we were vampires. But for a human, the death of a loved one was a point in history always to be referenced. A fixed point in your life that you constantly compared yourself with as you grew older.
The pin in the heart." (loc.691)
The apple is of great meaning in this work as it usually symbolizes love, youth and happiness, as well as the root of all evil (sin.) In Stolen Nights, the apple is always calling Lenah back home to her family orchards where she felt safe and untainted before her life as a vampire. It's amazing how one does not consider a singular person to be able to change the outcome of the future, either through good or evil. Both sides will have some repercussions that damage or hinder the society in things to come.
Stolen Nights captivated me, and put the world of vampirism in a fresh, fascinating and world altering perspective. Who knew that vampires could be so powerful? This book has some romance, action and gives a great thrill as it guides it's readers through the emotional charged world of The Vampire Queen. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as well as the first, and I would be more than delighted to read more from Rebecca Maizel.
"That which is written in stone may be undone. For stone cannot hold sway. Even stone can be broken." (loc. 3402)
First Line: "'You're home,' Justin Enos said, leading me through the great stone towers of Wickham Boarding School." (loc.26)
Last Line: "Until then, Rhode" (loc. 3466)
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Quotes
"Of course I was being paranoid. I was an ex-592-year-old vampire. Oddities and strange creatures had once been an everyday part of my life." (loc. 51)
"Death is coming, the voice inside my mind said. The voice of the Vampire Queen. The hunter of hundreds." (loc. 58)
"We had both performed the ritual, we had both intended to die, yet there we were together–both very much alive. Both human." (loc. 150)
"Vampires like to count; they like to tally their sadness." (loc. 320)
"I was never meant to be here. I would live my life for Rhode even if it meant I had to live without him. He was the only person. My soul mate. My love. Even if he could never forgive me. Even if it was over." (loc. 2639)
Galley provided by NetGalley via St. Martin's Press
*Quotes are from uncorrected advanced galleys and may change before going to press. Please refer to the final printed book for official quotes.
View all my reviews
Kindle Edition, 320 pages
Expected publication: January 29th 2013 by St. Martin's Griffin
ASIN: B008RVAKTK
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