Over the past millennia, angelic beings have been born into human bodies to serve as Angels of Death: souls pass through them after their mortal bodies die in order to ascend to a higher plane of existence. Jesus was a particularly powerful angel and his crucifixion opened up a portal between the planes of existence so that souls could ascend on their own. From his blood, the first vampire was born. Sammael had been an angelic human, but with his newfound powers, he was given the ability to stand up to his angelic brethren, like Lucifer, whose plans for humanity were more nefarious.
In modern times, the Dalai Lama is the keeper of the Holy Grail and the Spear of Destiny is safely stowed, but dark forces are rising up with plans to change all that. A monk comes to England for aid when the chalice goes missing, but he doesn't get far. He's murdered on the Oxford campus and anthropology student Cassie has a pretty good idea who did it. In fact, the culprit now appears to be after her. Luckily, she's got a lot working in her favor. Between her cousin, their intuitive powers, and the indomitable force that is vampire Alaric, Cassie just might be able to get to the bottom of this mystery and help keep the world safe in the process.
This was an interesting adventure and definitely a departure from the usual vampire lore. I look forward to seeing how the world expands over the course of the series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.