I've been waiting patiently since early December to review this one, and now that there are only 2 more weeks until it's released, I think it's safe to release the review! Fans of Colleen's first two books in the Gardella Vampire Chronicles will not be disappointed with The Bleeding Dusk...not at all! It hit me with this book that the term "Chronicles" aptly describes this series. It's like one big work, with this middle book being the peak...well, so it seems.
There is quite a bit revealed in this book and I don't want to go too much into plot intricacies as this is the third book in a series, but it's good! It's dark, and ominous. It picks up where Rises the Night left off and opens with Max in Lilith's (queen vampire) lair. We then join Victoria, our heroine, in Rome where a carnival is taking place. Amidst the carnival, she has a chance encounter (or not so chance) with Beauregard, Sebastian's grandfather...a vampire. We soon learn of Akvan, a demon trying to break through the Door of the Alchemists to gain secrets that will restore him to his full power which would prove to be terrible for Rome and humanity in general. All of these stories intertwine as Victoria is faced with some of her toughest decisions yet. Who can she trust? Where does her heart lie? She is unsure as always of Max and she can never be sure where Sebastian's allegiances lie. On top of this, she is now Illa Gardella - head of the venators and is faced with a huge task. There's tons of weight on her shoulders in this one but she must find a way to balance it all.
Like I said in my review for Rises the Night, I really feel that Colleen grows as an author with each book that she writes. I loved the setting for this book. It was dark with a hint of melancholy and mystery throughout and I feel like it really echoed what Victoria must have felt as she went through all of this. This book slowed down a little bit more at the beginning and really took the time to build up the story. Relationships were explained and explored thoroughly and it made all the difference in the latter half of the book.
The finale of this book is every bit as heart pounding as "that scene" in Rises the Night. Just wait. There are questions answered that you never knew you had! I really just can't imagine what else Colleen could possibly have in store for us with the last two books, but while you're waiting for those unasked questions to be answered, pick this one up on February 5th and enjoy it as much as I did!
13 comments:
Thank you so much, Chris! I'm glad you enjoyed the book--what a wonderful review.
Colleen, Loved the book! Thanks for writing it ;) Can't wait to see what you have in store for us next! It's going to be sad to see this series end!
I can not WAIT to read this one!! You are such a dog to get it early!!
Stephanie, :p You're going to love it! You don't have to wait too much longer...just 2 more weeks! The great thing about these books too is that they don't break the bank when they do come out. Although it would be nice to have these in trade paperback, wouldn't it?
I can't believe that I have the first two sitting on my shelf and still haven't read them :(
I think I'm somehow "afraid" of the fact that they came from the romance aisle, and I know I need to get over that...after all, it seems that everyone who reads them definitely loves them.
I haven't read too many vampire novels, but your review sounded very intriguing.
Just curious-where did you get an early copy?
I'll be doing my own review of this soon and may be hosting another contest for the first week the book is out. Got to get those sales up! ;)
Debi, Come on! If I read them and they came from the romance aisle...they really don't read like romance at all...at least not to me. Although I have to admit to not having the slightest idea to how a romance novel reads, so maybe they do :/ They're great horror novels though! Anyway, you're in for a treat when you do read them, and the cool thing is, you don't have to wait! You have them all sitting there and don't have to wait for them to come out!
Kim, I'm a big vampire novel fan...at least I used to be, but hadn't read any since I was a teenager really...until this series came out! I got to know Colleen through her blog and was blown away by her writing...her books are described as "Pride and Prejudice meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer"...Her heroine is a vampire hunter in the 19th century. It's awesome! This was an advanced reading review copy from Colleen. I think I actually won this copy. She hosts a bunch of giveaways on her blog where you can get signed copies of her books. If you like getting advanced copies of books though, my best advice is to blog away! I've gotten 5 review copies already from authors this year. If an author finds that your reading taste fit their book, they may just ask you to review their book!
Carl, Looking forward to your review, and totally agreed...gotta get those sales up!! ;) I'm waiting for Colleen to just sky rocket!
well you sure are making up for lost time in how fast your reading books now! ppllsssttt!
Deslily, Well to be fair, I'm only currently reading my third book of the year. I read this one in December of last year and since it was an advanced reading copy I couldn't post my review until now. And my review for Norwegian Wood was late...I read that one last year too! So I've only actually read two and I'm on my third
It's quite a ride, isn't it? I just loved this book so much that I'm going nuts trying to figure out how to review it. You did a great job of not giving away too much.
Oh, and looking at your comment about whether the books read like romance novels . . . hmm. I'd say no. I'm not a big romance reader, but I like romance as a lesser part of the storyline in a way that it just feels like "these stirrings are a part of the person's life" as opposed to their entire focus. The thing about Colleen's books is that the focus is the action, the suspense, the challenges Victoria faces and the decisions she must make. The romance aspect, then, feels totally natural. Shoot, she's around all these guys who hunt vampires (What's not to like? -- muscle, courage, determination . . well, they make me swoon) and she still feels that tug of wanting to have a normal life but knowing that, like all women, she can't really have it all . . . she can't save people from evil and have a family.
Yeesh, long-winded. Make sense to you or do I talk to much? ;)
Bookfool, Your comments are never too long...I love them :) And Lord knows I can be long winded on your blog! I really hope that Victoria can have a family some day :( Even if it doesn't happen in the books, I hope she does. Don't you love how we imagine characters lives outside of books? It's a testament to good writing. As far as the books being classified as romance, I wonder if Signet could put these in two sections of the bookstore? I don't even know if they have that power, but they would do great in the fantasy section I'm sure and attract a whole new audience. There are definitely some romance elements to these books...I mean they are romance novels, but they're much much more than that. I don't think that I personally would like the traditional romance novel. I was so nervous about writing this review! I told Colleen that I didn't think I could do her book justice, but she like the review :) I'm sure you'll do fine with it...you always do. It's hard reviewing for someone you know!
I really can't wait to read this series. Everyone has said every single book in it so far has been brilliant. Hopefully this year I will read at least the first two.
Post a Comment