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Noble Dead Saga: Series 1 #2
Thief of Lives
“Take Anita Blake, vampire hunter, and drop her into a standard fantasy world and you might end up with something like this exciting first novel.”—Chronicle“A mix of The Lord of the Rings and Buffy the Vampire Slayer…an engaging adventure.”—New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson Magiere the dhampir thought that her nights of hunting vampires were over. Settling down in her newly adopted village of Miiska—now vampire-free thanks to her and her half-elf partner, Leesil—she looked forward to quiet days tending to her tavern. But far away in the capital city of Bela, a prominent councilman’s daughter has been found dead on her own doorstep—and all signs point to a vampire. Bela’s town council offers a generous bounty to the dhampir if she will slay their vampire, knowing that the battered and burned village of Miiska could use the infusion of cash. Magiere resists, wanting nothing more than to forget her past—and ignore her half-vampire nature. Only Leesil, her partner and confidant, can persuade Magiere to follow her destiny—before more innocents are claimed by darkness. . . .
420 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 6, 2004
73 people are currently reading
1542 people want to read
About the author
Barb Hendee
70 books1,162 followers[See barbhendee.org]
Like most writers, I've worked at many jobs in my life, including teaching pre-school until I completed my master's degree in Composition Theory. Between 1993 and 2006, I taught college English while writing fiction on the side, some independently and some with my husband and life-long partner J.C.
Over the years, we've lived in Washington State, Idaho, Colorado, and now moved just south of Portland, Oregon. I love the Northwest, and it's a great place to write.
We have a lovely and talented daughter, Jaclyn, who lives in Houston, Texas along with our wonderful and talented son-in-law, Paul.
J.C. and I sold Dhampir in 2001, which changed our lives considerably. It was published in January 2003, and we've published a book in the Noble Dead Saga every year since. In May of 2006, we were both able to quit our teaching jobs and move into full time writing.
Recently, I've begun writing romance/suspense novels, beginning with: Alone with a Soldier. I am so glad my books have found an audience because I love to write fiction more than anything else in the world... and I'm not really good at anything else.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 189 reviews
February 17, 2020
This second instalment of the Noble Dead series was just as good as the first book. The series is fantasy but it reads just like an UF in terms feel and style. It really works as we get a good mix of action and intrigue and none of it at the expense of getting to know the characters!
The plot was enjoyable. With her fame on the rise after ridding Miiska of a nest of vampires Magiere receives a request to head to the capitol city of Bela to rid them of their own vampire related issues. Determined to live the quiet life she would love to refuse and leave the problem to someone else but with Leesil burning down the warehouse and killing the towns best merchant (a business savvy vamp!) the economy in Miiska is in a bad way so she caves to demands and takes the job so the town can get the money to rebuild the warehouse. Leesil and Chap go with her of course!
It was a fun story. Magiere and Leesil might be reluctant vampire hunters and far from perfect people but they always prove fairly easy to root for. I enjoyed how their relationship deepened in this one. I was also a fan of the secrets we learned about both Leesil and Chap in this instalment of the series. The other fun bit of intrigue was the hints we got of what I expect to be the series main villain.
As with the first book the big strength of this series is the fact that we get the POV's of the vampires as well as those of Magiere and Leesil. It makes the conflict all the more meaningful when the people (or vamps) on either side of it both feel like real people with their own distinct personalities and their own hopes, dreams, and loves! Rat-Boy was back from the first book and I actually felt a little bad for him in this one as his attempts to carve out his own family of vampires went awry!
I was also interested in the Wynn/Chains stuff we got here as it added a new dynamic to the story.
All in all I thought this was a fun story and will definitely follow Magiere and Leesil (and Chap) onto their next adventure.
Rating: 4 stars.
Audio Note: Tanya Eby did a good job with the audio.
The plot was enjoyable. With her fame on the rise after ridding Miiska of a nest of vampires Magiere receives a request to head to the capitol city of Bela to rid them of their own vampire related issues. Determined to live the quiet life she would love to refuse and leave the problem to someone else but with Leesil burning down the warehouse and killing the towns best merchant (a business savvy vamp!) the economy in Miiska is in a bad way so she caves to demands and takes the job so the town can get the money to rebuild the warehouse. Leesil and Chap go with her of course!
It was a fun story. Magiere and Leesil might be reluctant vampire hunters and far from perfect people but they always prove fairly easy to root for. I enjoyed how their relationship deepened in this one. I was also a fan of the secrets we learned about both Leesil and Chap in this instalment of the series. The other fun bit of intrigue was the hints we got of what I expect to be the series main villain.
As with the first book the big strength of this series is the fact that we get the POV's of the vampires as well as those of Magiere and Leesil. It makes the conflict all the more meaningful when the people (or vamps) on either side of it both feel like real people with their own distinct personalities and their own hopes, dreams, and loves! Rat-Boy was back from the first book and I actually felt a little bad for him in this one as his attempts to carve out his own family of vampires went awry!
I was also interested in the Wynn/Chains stuff we got here as it added a new dynamic to the story.
All in all I thought this was a fun story and will definitely follow Magiere and Leesil (and Chap) onto their next adventure.
Rating: 4 stars.
Audio Note: Tanya Eby did a good job with the audio.
October 24, 2014
There are two ways authors use to create drama that I am getting more and more tired of.
The first is withholding information that you think they don't need to know or that will cause someone stress and/or unhappiness. This inevitably leads up to the big confession and results in them being angry in addition to the stress/unhappiness.
He couldn't tell Magiere, who wasn't ready to hear it. Not just yet.
"There's actually more I haven't told you."
Magiere's dampened anger flared at the thought that he'd once more left something until after the fact.
How about if you care about someone you be honest? There's a thought!
The second is the strong woman, must be bitchy to everyone around her to show how strong she truly is.
As always, an angry Magiere was most often the true Magiere.
Can you not be strong in your actions? Or must you treat everyone like dirt including your closest companion? The constant anger at him got old very quickly. Chastising him for even touching another woman. He doesn't belong to you and you have no right to make him feel guilty because you won't act on your feelings.
He felt as if he'd been unfaithful-but unfaithful to what? Everything he'd done, every gentle ploy he'd tried to get close to her, had failed. She pushed him away again and again.
Despite its flaws, this book does have some great action scenes, and while it is slightly bogged down with dialogue the world building is interesting. I am curious to learn more about the elves and Chap.
All in all if you like vampires, you may enjoy this series. But if you are looking for something unique, this may not be what you are looking for.
Cross posted at Kaora's Corner.
The first is withholding information that you think they don't need to know or that will cause someone stress and/or unhappiness. This inevitably leads up to the big confession and results in them being angry in addition to the stress/unhappiness.
He couldn't tell Magiere, who wasn't ready to hear it. Not just yet.
"There's actually more I haven't told you."
Magiere's dampened anger flared at the thought that he'd once more left something until after the fact.
How about if you care about someone you be honest? There's a thought!
The second is the strong woman, must be bitchy to everyone around her to show how strong she truly is.
As always, an angry Magiere was most often the true Magiere.
Can you not be strong in your actions? Or must you treat everyone like dirt including your closest companion? The constant anger at him got old very quickly. Chastising him for even touching another woman. He doesn't belong to you and you have no right to make him feel guilty because you won't act on your feelings.
He felt as if he'd been unfaithful-but unfaithful to what? Everything he'd done, every gentle ploy he'd tried to get close to her, had failed. She pushed him away again and again.
Despite its flaws, this book does have some great action scenes, and while it is slightly bogged down with dialogue the world building is interesting. I am curious to learn more about the elves and Chap.
All in all if you like vampires, you may enjoy this series. But if you are looking for something unique, this may not be what you are looking for.
Cross posted at Kaora's Corner.
September 12, 2009
After reading the reviews, I skipped the first book in this series. I'm glad I did, as the authors use every opportunity to rehash the events of the first book in the second. I only slogged through the first 6 chapters, and then gave up. Why? This novel reads like a high school fan fiction.
My primary problem was the characters. This is another book following the trend of telling the story from EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER'S point of view. And sadly, I enjoyed the inner monologues of the whiny 'villains' much more than the whiny protagonists. Lets start with Magiere. For a former con artist/current vampire slayer, she sure could use a kick in the pants. Frankly, I'm disappointed that a female author would portray a "strong" female character as she is. Magiere is a woman stuck in the worst PMS mode one could imagine. If she's not snapping at someone, she's responding with a scowl. She wants to run the premiere tavern in town, but she can't stand being around people. "I want you to lavish me with adoration, but leave me alone! I want to live a normal life, but don't you dare forget I'm half vampire! I have a special gift I'll rub your nose in, but I don't want to actually use it! I don't really understand numbers or math, cuz I'm just a girl, so go talk to my male business partner. But wait, how dare you go over my head when I own half this enterprise!" Seriously.
Then we have Leesil, who is written from the point of view of a 9 year old boy. "I'm a deadly assassin with really cool weapons, but what will my half-vamp love interest think of me if I actually behave with any sort of competance? If I really like-like a girl, I should be rude to her, right? Then feel guilty and go get drunk? Then feel guilty again? Sounds like a plan!"
For a couple of "hardened" con artists, Magiere and Leesil are idiots. The story, though I was only 100 pages in, was not compelling enough to have to suffer through 200 more pages of their inane inner drivel.
My primary problem was the characters. This is another book following the trend of telling the story from EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER'S point of view. And sadly, I enjoyed the inner monologues of the whiny 'villains' much more than the whiny protagonists. Lets start with Magiere. For a former con artist/current vampire slayer, she sure could use a kick in the pants. Frankly, I'm disappointed that a female author would portray a "strong" female character as she is. Magiere is a woman stuck in the worst PMS mode one could imagine. If she's not snapping at someone, she's responding with a scowl. She wants to run the premiere tavern in town, but she can't stand being around people. "I want you to lavish me with adoration, but leave me alone! I want to live a normal life, but don't you dare forget I'm half vampire! I have a special gift I'll rub your nose in, but I don't want to actually use it! I don't really understand numbers or math, cuz I'm just a girl, so go talk to my male business partner. But wait, how dare you go over my head when I own half this enterprise!" Seriously.
Then we have Leesil, who is written from the point of view of a 9 year old boy. "I'm a deadly assassin with really cool weapons, but what will my half-vamp love interest think of me if I actually behave with any sort of competance? If I really like-like a girl, I should be rude to her, right? Then feel guilty and go get drunk? Then feel guilty again? Sounds like a plan!"
For a couple of "hardened" con artists, Magiere and Leesil are idiots. The story, though I was only 100 pages in, was not compelling enough to have to suffer through 200 more pages of their inane inner drivel.
February 22, 2021
Everyone kept reminiscing about what happened in the first book, to the point of negating the need to read it. I don't understand why authors don't put a summary as an intro instead of trying to incorporate the happenings of the previous books into the current one. It feels like meeting an old acquaintance who was never a close friend trying to paint the past in a golden hue so you'll be more inclined to do them a favour. No dude, I may have a bad memory but I'm not a Dory the fish either!
The events were similar to the first book, just in a bigger scale. Writing didn't improve much either. Despite all these bitching I enjoyed myself reading this. I still have hope for the next books.
The events were similar to the first book, just in a bigger scale. Writing didn't improve much either. Despite all these bitching I enjoyed myself reading this. I still have hope for the next books.
February 3, 2017
Thief of Lives was a disappointment in some ways. I felt the plot was pretty much just a rehash of book one. But I wanted to find out the secrets to the character’s pasts and what would next for them. I also wanted to know what would happen between Leesil and Magiere. Those were the only things that kept me reading. I will be continuing on to the next book because I’m still interested in where the story will go.
October 26, 2014
Zur Handlung
Nachdem Magiere und der Halbelf Leesil sich aus dem Landstreicherleben zurückgezogen und in dem Hafenstädchten Miiska niedergelassen haben, sollte das Leben eigentlich ruhiger weitergehen. Magiere hat sich ihren Traum einer eigenen Taverne erfüllt, doch ihre Herkunft macht ihr einen Strich durch die Rechnung: ihr Wesen als Dhampir prädestiniert sie zur Vampirjagd, der sie im ersten Teil der Reihe gezwungenermaßen nachgegangen ist.
Allerdings hat der Brand des großen Lagerhauses im Hafen von Miiska unangenehme Folgen für die kleine Stadt. Es fehlt an Arbeit, finanziellen Mitteln und die Händler bleiben aus.
Da kommt der Auftrag aus der großen Hauptstadt Bela scheinbar gerade recht. Dort wurde die Tochter des Ratsvorsitzenden Lanjow getötet und alles deutet auf eine übernatürliche Ermordung hin. Wie immer ist Magiere ihr Ruf voraus geeilt und so bittet der Stadtrat von Bela die Dhampir um Hilfe, den untoten Mörder zu fassen.
Magiere ist alles andere als begeistert, denn der Schrecken der Jagd sitzt ihr noch tief in den Knochen. Um die Stadt Miiska und damit auch ihre Zukunft in der Taverne zu sichern, muss sie den Auftrag annehmen und macht sich mit Leesil auf die Reise. Aber nicht nur Magieres Vergangenheit wird ihr zum Verhängnis, auch Leesils Vorgeschichte holt ihn ein und den beiden steht wieder einmal ein Kampf auf Leben und (Un)Tod bevor ...
Meine Meinung
Ich hab das Gefühl, das könnte eine wirklich tolle Reihe werden!
Schon der Prolog lässt erahnen, dass es sich hier nicht um eine einfache Vampirjagd handelt, sondern dass mehr dahintersteckt und das Autorenpaar versteht es wunderbar, immer mehr Feinheiten auszubauen, die sich nach und nach als wichtiger Handlungsstrang hervorheben.
Der Schreibstil ist ungewöhnlich, passt aber perfekt zu diesem düsteren Hintergrund. Angenehm und flüssig zu lesen - trotzdem musste ich mir Zeit lassen, weil jede Information wichtig sein kann und die Geschichte wunderbar differenziert geschildert wird. Trotzdem kommt bei dem ruhigen Erzählfluss auch Spannung auf und die Neugier hat mich das Buch kaum aus der Hand legen lassen.
Auch die Charaktere sind gekonnt in Szene gesetzt und die wechselnden Perspektiven machen es leicht, sie zu verstehen! Viele kleine Details lassen ein anschauliches, lebendiges - oder auch untotes *g* - Bild entstehen und gerade die Schwächen jeder der Figuren machen sie umso liebenswerter und glaubwürdiger.
Magiere zum Beispiel möchte nichts anderes, als ihre Taverne führen. Ihre Zukunft sieht sie nicht in Abenteuern, sondern möchte die Ruhe genießen und einen ehrlichen Lebenswandel einschlagen. Dass sie ein Dhampir ist, macht ihr natürlich einen Strich durch die Rechnung und sie versucht, alle Gedanken daran zu verdrängen. Ihr Beziehung zu Leesil ist einfach und dadurch noch komplizierter. Zu wenig Offenheit fördert das Misstrauen zwischen den beiden und während sich der Halbelf im Klaren über seine Gefühle zu Magiere ist, will sie sich auch hier die Wahrheit nicht eingestehen. Die Veränderungen, die Magiere durchlebt, ihre Fähigkeiten, die sie entdeckt, sind sehr eindrucksvoll beschrieben.
Leesil selbst hat eine harte Vergangenheit hinter sich. Seine Mutter hat ihn schon sehr früh zu einem Assasinen erzogen, ihm aber nichts von seinem Volk, den Elfen, erzählt - nicht mal die Sprache ist ihm geläufig. In Magiere hat er einen festen Punkt im Leben gewonnen, an dem er sich festhalten kann und auch ihm machen die vielen Geheimnisse zu schaffen, die zwischen ihnen immer wieder zu Konflikten führen.
Welstiel Massing ist auch in diesem Band wieder dabei. Im ersten Teil hat man nur so kleine Häppchen über seine Person serviert bekommen, aber jetzt tritt immer mehr ans Licht, warum er den Kontakt zu den beiden Jägern aufrecht erhält.
Aber auch die Vampire, die in Bela ihr Unwesen treiben, finde ich sehr gelungen. Mit wenigen Worten werden die Situationen und Gefühle genau erfasst - wie man sich die guten alten Blutsauger eben so vorstellt :)
Mit einem schnellen Tempo darf man in diesen Büchern nicht rechnen, dafür mit einer faszinierenden Geschichte, bei der jeder Charakter eine tiefgehende Vergangenheit hat, die sehr gut veranschaulicht wird. Sogar die Nebencharaktere wie der Hauptmann Schetnick oder die Bibliothekar-Assistentin Wynn sind mir sehr ans Herz gewachsen!
Auch die Idee mit Vampiren und Elfen find ich toll und die Autoren haben hier einen glaubwürdigen Hintergrund geschaffen. Viele Hinweise gibt es, die mich sehr neugierig auf die Fortsetzungen machen und werde sicher bald den dritten Band lesen.
Fazit
Eine wunderbare Reihe über Vampirjäger und Blutsauger im traditionellen Stil. Besondere Charaktere, die jeder für sich eine entscheidende Rolle spielen und eine großartige Geschichte, bei der es noch einiges aufzuklären gilt! Die eigenwilligen Details machen das ganze zu etwas Besonderem.
© Aleshanee
Weltenwanderer
Dhampir-Reihe
1 ~ Halbblut
2 ~ Seelendieb
3 ~ Dunkelland
4 ~ Blutsverrat
5 ~ Schattenherz
6 ~ Götterjagd
7 ~ Vergessene Zeit
8 ~ Steinerne Flut
Nachdem Magiere und der Halbelf Leesil sich aus dem Landstreicherleben zurückgezogen und in dem Hafenstädchten Miiska niedergelassen haben, sollte das Leben eigentlich ruhiger weitergehen. Magiere hat sich ihren Traum einer eigenen Taverne erfüllt, doch ihre Herkunft macht ihr einen Strich durch die Rechnung: ihr Wesen als Dhampir prädestiniert sie zur Vampirjagd, der sie im ersten Teil der Reihe gezwungenermaßen nachgegangen ist.
Allerdings hat der Brand des großen Lagerhauses im Hafen von Miiska unangenehme Folgen für die kleine Stadt. Es fehlt an Arbeit, finanziellen Mitteln und die Händler bleiben aus.
Da kommt der Auftrag aus der großen Hauptstadt Bela scheinbar gerade recht. Dort wurde die Tochter des Ratsvorsitzenden Lanjow getötet und alles deutet auf eine übernatürliche Ermordung hin. Wie immer ist Magiere ihr Ruf voraus geeilt und so bittet der Stadtrat von Bela die Dhampir um Hilfe, den untoten Mörder zu fassen.
Magiere ist alles andere als begeistert, denn der Schrecken der Jagd sitzt ihr noch tief in den Knochen. Um die Stadt Miiska und damit auch ihre Zukunft in der Taverne zu sichern, muss sie den Auftrag annehmen und macht sich mit Leesil auf die Reise. Aber nicht nur Magieres Vergangenheit wird ihr zum Verhängnis, auch Leesils Vorgeschichte holt ihn ein und den beiden steht wieder einmal ein Kampf auf Leben und (Un)Tod bevor ...
Meine Meinung
Ich hab das Gefühl, das könnte eine wirklich tolle Reihe werden!
Schon der Prolog lässt erahnen, dass es sich hier nicht um eine einfache Vampirjagd handelt, sondern dass mehr dahintersteckt und das Autorenpaar versteht es wunderbar, immer mehr Feinheiten auszubauen, die sich nach und nach als wichtiger Handlungsstrang hervorheben.
Der Schreibstil ist ungewöhnlich, passt aber perfekt zu diesem düsteren Hintergrund. Angenehm und flüssig zu lesen - trotzdem musste ich mir Zeit lassen, weil jede Information wichtig sein kann und die Geschichte wunderbar differenziert geschildert wird. Trotzdem kommt bei dem ruhigen Erzählfluss auch Spannung auf und die Neugier hat mich das Buch kaum aus der Hand legen lassen.
Auch die Charaktere sind gekonnt in Szene gesetzt und die wechselnden Perspektiven machen es leicht, sie zu verstehen! Viele kleine Details lassen ein anschauliches, lebendiges - oder auch untotes *g* - Bild entstehen und gerade die Schwächen jeder der Figuren machen sie umso liebenswerter und glaubwürdiger.
Magiere zum Beispiel möchte nichts anderes, als ihre Taverne führen. Ihre Zukunft sieht sie nicht in Abenteuern, sondern möchte die Ruhe genießen und einen ehrlichen Lebenswandel einschlagen. Dass sie ein Dhampir ist, macht ihr natürlich einen Strich durch die Rechnung und sie versucht, alle Gedanken daran zu verdrängen. Ihr Beziehung zu Leesil ist einfach und dadurch noch komplizierter. Zu wenig Offenheit fördert das Misstrauen zwischen den beiden und während sich der Halbelf im Klaren über seine Gefühle zu Magiere ist, will sie sich auch hier die Wahrheit nicht eingestehen. Die Veränderungen, die Magiere durchlebt, ihre Fähigkeiten, die sie entdeckt, sind sehr eindrucksvoll beschrieben.
Leesil selbst hat eine harte Vergangenheit hinter sich. Seine Mutter hat ihn schon sehr früh zu einem Assasinen erzogen, ihm aber nichts von seinem Volk, den Elfen, erzählt - nicht mal die Sprache ist ihm geläufig. In Magiere hat er einen festen Punkt im Leben gewonnen, an dem er sich festhalten kann und auch ihm machen die vielen Geheimnisse zu schaffen, die zwischen ihnen immer wieder zu Konflikten führen.
Welstiel Massing ist auch in diesem Band wieder dabei. Im ersten Teil hat man nur so kleine Häppchen über seine Person serviert bekommen, aber jetzt tritt immer mehr ans Licht, warum er den Kontakt zu den beiden Jägern aufrecht erhält.
Aber auch die Vampire, die in Bela ihr Unwesen treiben, finde ich sehr gelungen. Mit wenigen Worten werden die Situationen und Gefühle genau erfasst - wie man sich die guten alten Blutsauger eben so vorstellt :)
Mit einem schnellen Tempo darf man in diesen Büchern nicht rechnen, dafür mit einer faszinierenden Geschichte, bei der jeder Charakter eine tiefgehende Vergangenheit hat, die sehr gut veranschaulicht wird. Sogar die Nebencharaktere wie der Hauptmann Schetnick oder die Bibliothekar-Assistentin Wynn sind mir sehr ans Herz gewachsen!
Auch die Idee mit Vampiren und Elfen find ich toll und die Autoren haben hier einen glaubwürdigen Hintergrund geschaffen. Viele Hinweise gibt es, die mich sehr neugierig auf die Fortsetzungen machen und werde sicher bald den dritten Band lesen.
Fazit
Eine wunderbare Reihe über Vampirjäger und Blutsauger im traditionellen Stil. Besondere Charaktere, die jeder für sich eine entscheidende Rolle spielen und eine großartige Geschichte, bei der es noch einiges aufzuklären gilt! Die eigenwilligen Details machen das ganze zu etwas Besonderem.
© Aleshanee
Weltenwanderer
Dhampir-Reihe
1 ~ Halbblut
2 ~ Seelendieb
3 ~ Dunkelland
4 ~ Blutsverrat
5 ~ Schattenherz
6 ~ Götterjagd
7 ~ Vergessene Zeit
8 ~ Steinerne Flut
January 21, 2023
3+
The story begins to unfold a bit and we see there is many layers of meddling happening. I feel like it's still just a peek though, but the characters get a bit more flushed out here.
The story begins to unfold a bit and we see there is many layers of meddling happening. I feel like it's still just a peek though, but the characters get a bit more flushed out here.
September 13, 2010
I'm going to drop back to 3 stars on this "installment" in the series. Not because I didn't enjoy it or because the story isn't pretty good. It's just that it wore a little thin here. The book runs 410 pages and I think might have been better at 300. There were just too many situations that sort "stretched" the story out. You know, you have a confrontation and as the killing blow is being struck "something" happens and the blow is just slightly off, the villain gets away, and we need to build up to "another climax". It went to the point that I skimmed a little and the climax wasn't quite as climactic as it might have been.
Still a pretty good "brain candy" series, I plan to read the next one (if not right away, hopefully soon. It's already on my shelf). This is a good vampire tale with a couple of subplots that haven't managed to overpower the story or each other and are still there, not great but not bad either. There is one character in the book that bugs me...a lot. And the failure of the main characters to point a simple truth out to this perdon buggeed me even more... I suppose you'll see what L mean.
There were a couple of times when Magiere's character sort of slid off to one side and I didn't think she "acted like herself" in other words the character as it has been established...but that's just me and you may not agree.
So, 3 stars, not a bad read and I plan to follow it up. Enjoy.
Still a pretty good "brain candy" series, I plan to read the next one (if not right away, hopefully soon. It's already on my shelf). This is a good vampire tale with a couple of subplots that haven't managed to overpower the story or each other and are still there, not great but not bad either. There is one character in the book that bugs me...a lot. And the failure of the main characters to point a simple truth out to this perdon buggeed me even more... I suppose you'll see what L mean.
There were a couple of times when Magiere's character sort of slid off to one side and I didn't think she "acted like herself" in other words the character as it has been established...but that's just me and you may not agree.
So, 3 stars, not a bad read and I plan to follow it up. Enjoy.
November 28, 2008
I reviewed the first book in the series as a 2 star (not a great purchase) but thought that it showed promise enough to continue the series.
And there has been a marked improvement. While the characters are still a little two dimensional, they're improving in depth and there's a lot less inherent stupidity in their actions to drive the plot.
I'm actually fairly impressed with how things are starting to be set up for future stories. Everything seems to be building well with lots of foreshadowing and plot.
While this series isn't for everyone, if you like Vampires or a quick-read fantasy to pass the time, go for it.
And there has been a marked improvement. While the characters are still a little two dimensional, they're improving in depth and there's a lot less inherent stupidity in their actions to drive the plot.
I'm actually fairly impressed with how things are starting to be set up for future stories. Everything seems to be building well with lots of foreshadowing and plot.
While this series isn't for everyone, if you like Vampires or a quick-read fantasy to pass the time, go for it.
May 29, 2022
DNF at page 86.
November 15, 2018
This is book 2 of the series. It picked up right where book 1 left off, and book 3 starts right where book 2 ends. So, now I'm reading book 3 and I'm guessing I'll do this for all 5 books of this series. Fun read.
July 21, 2022
Fun and spooky. I loved it. =)
March 25, 2010
Once again this series impresses me with its ability to pull me into the story with its strength in plot and characters.
Magiere, Leesil, and Chap's continuing evolution is fantastic reading. In the beginning Magiere was a little annoying with how she refused to accept what she was. However, I understood her need to just live a simple life free from any vampires. With Leesil, who is my favorite character by far, Mageire has a great support system. His devotion to Magiere is sweet and makes me love him all the more. The relationship between the two goes a little bit farther in this book and I couldn't be happier. It one of those things where I saw it coming and am completely glad that I was right. Even their dog Chap is developing into his own personality in a way that is above and beyond any other animal.
There is this one guy and I can't for the life of me remember his full name, except that it starts with a W. So I'll just call him W. Any-who, W's involvement in the story becomes more pronounced. You learn why it is exactly that he's pulling Magieire's strings. You learn a lot about him, but he is still uber mysterious, and I'm eager to find out exactly what his plans are.
The last book left off with a lot of questions that needed to be answered, many of those are answered in this book. But even more are left to be answered for the next book. It is still unclear to me in this series as to whether vampires as a whole are evil or if it is just certain individual vampires who are giving the rest a bad name. These vampires have personality with hopes, desires, and interests just like the rest of humanity. Magiere feels an inherent revulsion to vampires. That may lead someone to think that they must be evil if she is always hissing any time one comes near, but I wonder if that just doesn't have anything to do with any prejudices she may have.
Overall, I felt like this was a great book. It has everything that I could ask for, and I think that any fantasy reader will be in love with it.
Magiere, Leesil, and Chap's continuing evolution is fantastic reading. In the beginning Magiere was a little annoying with how she refused to accept what she was. However, I understood her need to just live a simple life free from any vampires. With Leesil, who is my favorite character by far, Mageire has a great support system. His devotion to Magiere is sweet and makes me love him all the more. The relationship between the two goes a little bit farther in this book and I couldn't be happier. It one of those things where I saw it coming and am completely glad that I was right. Even their dog Chap is developing into his own personality in a way that is above and beyond any other animal.
There is this one guy and I can't for the life of me remember his full name, except that it starts with a W. So I'll just call him W. Any-who, W's involvement in the story becomes more pronounced. You learn why it is exactly that he's pulling Magieire's strings. You learn a lot about him, but he is still uber mysterious, and I'm eager to find out exactly what his plans are.
The last book left off with a lot of questions that needed to be answered, many of those are answered in this book. But even more are left to be answered for the next book. It is still unclear to me in this series as to whether vampires as a whole are evil or if it is just certain individual vampires who are giving the rest a bad name. These vampires have personality with hopes, desires, and interests just like the rest of humanity. Magiere feels an inherent revulsion to vampires. That may lead someone to think that they must be evil if she is always hissing any time one comes near, but I wonder if that just doesn't have anything to do with any prejudices she may have.
Overall, I felt like this was a great book. It has everything that I could ask for, and I think that any fantasy reader will be in love with it.
February 10, 2010
While THIEF OF LIVES has a similar storyline to DHAMPIR I still enjoyed the heck out of it =) A surviving member of the first set of vampires from DHAMPIR has started his own coven in the capital city. He's not seeking revenge although he's still wary of Magiere and her team. While he and his new family are laying relatively low there is still some sloppy killing going on. After a councilman's daughter is found brutally killed, the town of Bela decides to call on Magiere to investigate and hunt the killer down.
Magiere is reluctant to leave Miiska and her tavern. After defending her new home from the first set of vampires, she just wants to live in peace with Leesil and Chap by the sea. But Miiska is still trying to recover from her last undead battle. So basically Magiere is guilt-tripped into traveling to Bela to hopefully save the people and return with the profit for Miika to use to rebuild.
Now one of the best things about THIEF OF LIVES (and most other 2nd books in series) is the fact that the author reveals more information about the characters, their backgrounds, and emerging powers, etc. Twists in the plot are either complicated more or ironed out a little to tease the reader but overall it accomplishes it's goal: MUST READ MORE!!! And for those that don't mind skipping around in a series (which I simply can't do for some reason) you'll be happy to know that you can get by just fine if you start out with THIEF OF LIVES.
Magiere is reluctant to leave Miiska and her tavern. After defending her new home from the first set of vampires, she just wants to live in peace with Leesil and Chap by the sea. But Miiska is still trying to recover from her last undead battle. So basically Magiere is guilt-tripped into traveling to Bela to hopefully save the people and return with the profit for Miika to use to rebuild.
Now one of the best things about THIEF OF LIVES (and most other 2nd books in series) is the fact that the author reveals more information about the characters, their backgrounds, and emerging powers, etc. Twists in the plot are either complicated more or ironed out a little to tease the reader but overall it accomplishes it's goal: MUST READ MORE!!! And for those that don't mind skipping around in a series (which I simply can't do for some reason) you'll be happy to know that you can get by just fine if you start out with THIEF OF LIVES.
November 8, 2010
I've spent so much time reading modern urban fantasy lately that I had forgotten how much I enjoy a more traditional, dark fantasy novel. I can't believe that I reviewed the first book in this series, Dhampir, last December!
Magiere and Leesil are both very complex characters. Both of them are heavily influenced by their pasts which they have chosen to conceal from each other. This information comes out a little bit at a time and significantly impacts their relationship. While it is obvious that they would both like to get closer to each other, many events cause Magiere to pull away. Even their dog, Chap, has secrets which are revealed in this book.
It is clear from the beginning that someone is setting up Magiere and Leesil to test and train them. Although I suspected who it might be based on the first book, there were enough clues leading in other directions that I wasn't completely sure of what was going on until Magiere and Leesil were facing it. The overall agenda is still unknown but clearly there is a hand guiding Magiere and Leesil along their journey.
Thief of Lives is full of action and emotion. The characters want to complete their task quickly and return home but false clues and uncooperative citizens lead them down a complicated path. I am really enjoying this traditional fantasy series and will be reading the next book, Sister of the Dead, soon.
Magiere and Leesil are both very complex characters. Both of them are heavily influenced by their pasts which they have chosen to conceal from each other. This information comes out a little bit at a time and significantly impacts their relationship. While it is obvious that they would both like to get closer to each other, many events cause Magiere to pull away. Even their dog, Chap, has secrets which are revealed in this book.
It is clear from the beginning that someone is setting up Magiere and Leesil to test and train them. Although I suspected who it might be based on the first book, there were enough clues leading in other directions that I wasn't completely sure of what was going on until Magiere and Leesil were facing it. The overall agenda is still unknown but clearly there is a hand guiding Magiere and Leesil along their journey.
Thief of Lives is full of action and emotion. The characters want to complete their task quickly and return home but false clues and uncooperative citizens lead them down a complicated path. I am really enjoying this traditional fantasy series and will be reading the next book, Sister of the Dead, soon.
October 14, 2021
THIEF OF LIVES was another great adventure for Magiere and Leesil and I loved watching these two learn to hunt the undead. Magiere's dhampir powers are also developing in new ways and this scares and intrigues her. Much of this story centers around our characters accepting the new status quo and learning where to go from there. Much of this comes with new knowledge they gain through a growing friendship with Wynn, a member of the Guild of Sagecraft. With Wynn's intelligence and moral compass, I hope to see more of her going forward.
Some elements throughout were reminiscent of the first book making some things feel like a recycling of already used ideas. But overall, there was a lot of new revelations, questions, and mysteries to sink my teeth into, pun intended. I'm also really excited for the budding romance between Magiere and Leesil because at the heart of it I always want a good love story. After feeding Magiere his blood to save her life in the previous book, they've both felt a connection that wasn't there before and the more they go through the closer they get. I can't wait for more!
Some elements throughout were reminiscent of the first book making some things feel like a recycling of already used ideas. But overall, there was a lot of new revelations, questions, and mysteries to sink my teeth into, pun intended. I'm also really excited for the budding romance between Magiere and Leesil because at the heart of it I always want a good love story. After feeding Magiere his blood to save her life in the previous book, they've both felt a connection that wasn't there before and the more they go through the closer they get. I can't wait for more!
May 2, 2008
In Book 2 of this vampire hunter tale, the behind-the-scene manipulation by the mysterious Welstiel comes to the fore, resulting in Magiere, Leesil and of course the fey hound Chap heading for the city of Bela to rid them of vampires.
I like how more details are being woven into the tale: hints about what is driving Welstiel, skeletons from Leesil's unknown heritage, the forgotten history of the world, and (what appeals most to me) the introduction of a vampire who is not a savage negative person(?) but is instead cultured and has the potential to become perhaps a good vamp? We'll see... so while the actual vampire hunting becomes rather draggy rather fast, the overall tale is still catchy enough for me to want to continue on. At this point there are a total of 6 books out, I believe, plus plans for a spin-off series.
I like how more details are being woven into the tale: hints about what is driving Welstiel, skeletons from Leesil's unknown heritage, the forgotten history of the world, and (what appeals most to me) the introduction of a vampire who is not a savage negative person(?) but is instead cultured and has the potential to become perhaps a good vamp? We'll see... so while the actual vampire hunting becomes rather draggy rather fast, the overall tale is still catchy enough for me to want to continue on. At this point there are a total of 6 books out, I believe, plus plans for a spin-off series.
December 31, 2008
Wow these books are addictive. The narrative voice is contemporary, the characters are unique and complex, and I haven't run across the premise before...which in a fantasy novel is saying something. Another testament - It's now 11pm and as I set the book down, I briefly wondered if there were any bookstore open this late.
One of my favorite parts is how (hang with me here) there are some real-life considerations that you just never read in a fantasy book, like how to pay for things, or 'oh crap, we're about to meet the nobles of this fair city and I'm wearing a dirty shirt'. Fantasy readers know what I mean.
read-a-likes: Through the Ice and Mirror of Her Dreams
One of my favorite parts is how (hang with me here) there are some real-life considerations that you just never read in a fantasy book, like how to pay for things, or 'oh crap, we're about to meet the nobles of this fair city and I'm wearing a dirty shirt'. Fantasy readers know what I mean.
read-a-likes: Through the Ice and Mirror of Her Dreams
February 24, 2014
I really loved this book. As the second book in the Dhampir series i was pleased to find the authors went into more detail about the characters past while not over complicating things. The writing made it easy to picture the characters and the world they live in.
I was especially delighted at the way the main characters relationship progressed. This book might not contain any smut but it still became one of my favorites along with the others in the series
Well worth a read if you like a bit of supernatural/fantasy in your life.
I was especially delighted at the way the main characters relationship progressed. This book might not contain any smut but it still became one of my favorites along with the others in the series
Well worth a read if you like a bit of supernatural/fantasy in your life.
December 16, 2008
All the characters in this book have solid personalities and are intertwined in an action/mystery type of fantasy that continues all the way to the last page...
September 25, 2011
Definitely better than the first book in the series, and the plot is starting to thicken up nicely. I think the next book is going to be a really good one.
April 17, 2015
Auch beim Re-Read sehr spannend! Und so ein tolles Ende.. hihi... :)
August 12, 2022
Na téhle knížce je zcela evidentní, že byla psána v daleko kratším časovém úseku než díl první, a to s velkou pravděpodobností na popud nakladatele. Taktéž se zde zjevně počítalo s tím, že většina čtenářů, kteří se k sérii dostanou, ji začne číst až od druhého dílu. Protože úvodní kapitola silně připomíná seriálové "v minulých dílech jste viděli". Snaha přiblížit sérii novým čtenářům je samozřejmě pochopitelná, avšak šlo to pojmout daleko zajímavěji, než jen suchým shrnutím a flashbackem, který je akorát zkopírovaným textem z prvního dílu.
Opakující se motiv upírské rodiny, kterou musí hlavní duo porazit, na mě nepůsobil nijak negativně, ačkoli rozhodně nepopírám, že se jedná o klišé. Z psychologického hlediska vampýrských postav a fungování jejich rasy, je nicméně tato část v knize zcela v pořádku. Osobně bych však ocenil, kdyby tak byl detailně popsán Krysaříkův příchod do města a postupné vytvoření nové rodiny.
Doplnění tohoto úseku textu by totiž příjemně uhladilo schod mezi dlouhým vyprávěním o hlavní dvojici lovců a krátkým představením jejich zubatých nepřátel. Nová postava učenky Wyn se mi moc líbila a její zakomponování do příběhu na mě působilo opravdu příjemně. Co se mi naopak nelíbilo, byl elfí zabiják Sgäle, který mi v knize přišel nějak navíc a úseky s ním na mě působily hrozně šroubovitě. Poměrně velkým zklamáním byl pro mě tentokrát i Westiel, který se od poloviny knihy začal najednou chovat naprosto zmateně a jeho "temné plány" díky tomu přestaly dávat jakýkoli smysl.
Chvílemi mi to až připomínalo hodně špatnou herní seanci Dračáku, v níž polovina hráčů vůbec netuší, co má dělat, ale současně mají pocit, že jsou nepřemožitelní a super uber-cool jako upoutávka na nový update online videohry. Jinými slovy závěr knihy mě vůbec nepotěšil a hlavní záporák, jenž mi byl v prvním díle sympatický, zde klesl na úroveň Rakeťáků z anime sériálu Pokémon.
Korunu všemu pak nasadil příšerný překlad, u něhož se mi nechtělo věřit, že ho spáchala tatáž osoba, která měla na starosti první díl série. V textu se totiž vyskytuje nespočet blbostí jako např. "zalidněná místnost" nebo "uliční směs psa". V případě zbraní je např. původní výraz "crossguard" (záštita) přeložen jako "chránič meče". "Stiletto" bez ohledu na synonyma použitá v originálním vydání je vždycky jen "dýka". A půlelfova nová zbraň, která není ničím jiným než indickým katarem s prodlouženou rukojetí, se v překladu Kateřiny Niklové proměnila v jakýsi zmutovaný rýč, jenž se "rozšiřuje do oblouků" (v originále je to ovšem "tapering" = zužovat se) a mezi těmi pak cituji: "běží napříč jílec".
Posledním hřebíčkem do rakve je překlad barvy šatů upířích obětí. Všechny zavražděné měly v originálním znění úbor v barvě "lavender" (levandulová, odstín fialové). Překladatelka to ale jednou překládá jako fialovou, podruhé jako růžovou a nakonec jako žlutou! Hlavní hrdinové si nicméně i v českém překladu svorně notují, že útržky ze všech šatů jsou v totožné barvě.
Opakující se motiv upírské rodiny, kterou musí hlavní duo porazit, na mě nepůsobil nijak negativně, ačkoli rozhodně nepopírám, že se jedná o klišé. Z psychologického hlediska vampýrských postav a fungování jejich rasy, je nicméně tato část v knize zcela v pořádku. Osobně bych však ocenil, kdyby tak byl detailně popsán Krysaříkův příchod do města a postupné vytvoření nové rodiny.
Doplnění tohoto úseku textu by totiž příjemně uhladilo schod mezi dlouhým vyprávěním o hlavní dvojici lovců a krátkým představením jejich zubatých nepřátel. Nová postava učenky Wyn se mi moc líbila a její zakomponování do příběhu na mě působilo opravdu příjemně. Co se mi naopak nelíbilo, byl elfí zabiják Sgäle, který mi v knize přišel nějak navíc a úseky s ním na mě působily hrozně šroubovitě. Poměrně velkým zklamáním byl pro mě tentokrát i Westiel, který se od poloviny knihy začal najednou chovat naprosto zmateně a jeho "temné plány" díky tomu přestaly dávat jakýkoli smysl.
Chvílemi mi to až připomínalo hodně špatnou herní seanci Dračáku, v níž polovina hráčů vůbec netuší, co má dělat, ale současně mají pocit, že jsou nepřemožitelní a super uber-cool jako upoutávka na nový update online videohry. Jinými slovy závěr knihy mě vůbec nepotěšil a hlavní záporák, jenž mi byl v prvním díle sympatický, zde klesl na úroveň Rakeťáků z anime sériálu Pokémon.
Korunu všemu pak nasadil příšerný překlad, u něhož se mi nechtělo věřit, že ho spáchala tatáž osoba, která měla na starosti první díl série. V textu se totiž vyskytuje nespočet blbostí jako např. "zalidněná místnost" nebo "uliční směs psa". V případě zbraní je např. původní výraz "crossguard" (záštita) přeložen jako "chránič meče". "Stiletto" bez ohledu na synonyma použitá v originálním vydání je vždycky jen "dýka". A půlelfova nová zbraň, která není ničím jiným než indickým katarem s prodlouženou rukojetí, se v překladu Kateřiny Niklové proměnila v jakýsi zmutovaný rýč, jenž se "rozšiřuje do oblouků" (v originále je to ovšem "tapering" = zužovat se) a mezi těmi pak cituji: "běží napříč jílec".
Posledním hřebíčkem do rakve je překlad barvy šatů upířích obětí. Všechny zavražděné měly v originálním znění úbor v barvě "lavender" (levandulová, odstín fialové). Překladatelka to ale jednou překládá jako fialovou, podruhé jako růžovou a nakonec jako žlutou! Hlavní hrdinové si nicméně i v českém překladu svorně notují, že útržky ze všech šatů jsou v totožné barvě.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2022
I will say it started out kind of slow, and I know these reviews aren't as detailed as my usual ones. But I borrowed this book from my boyfriend because this was the only series he showed any interest in.
I'll admit, at first I thought it was some weird indie series that you see Amazon always trying to get you buy for kindle, like 5 books for .99 or something. But no! They're actually REALLY good!
I enjoy the straightforward fantasy setting, of just being thrown right into a story. And the classic take on vampires, we don't get to see that anymore. They try so hard to modernize everything these days, and make them romantic, or downplay what they really are: killers. And this book does an excellent job at letting vampires be characters that you can follow and be empathetic with but doesn't hold back on their classic nature of needing to feed, and a village's fear.
And I really enjoy how we get to follow the villain.. who can't live his life like humans can, because he's not. You start to sympathise with him, trying to make a life/family like in the first one, but it doesn't work out the same. I almost start feeling bad when it turns to their lead, and Magiere and Leesil just look like killers coming to hunt them down without trying to understand their way. (I appreciate Wynn for that), but then I remind myself that these are killers, and they've killed and fed for survival, but also take great pleasure in it, over and over. They have to be stopped.
About halfway through, it started picking up the pace.. because our main character, Magiere, seemed a bit more grouchy in this one than before. They play on the fact that 'oh it's her nature, so it doesn't bother me.' But it bothers me. Fortunately, it gets settled later on, and the writing remains to be amazing. It's not overdone or flowy, but they always know exactly the best way to word something, and there were so many times where I thought there couldn't have been a better way to describe that emotion, or that action, or even that scene. It's really well done, and I want to immediately continue on to the third.
I did think that it would have been better as a 'who done it,' rather than kind of telling us from the start who the culprit was. The main duo doesn't know, and we do, so it's kind of frustrating watching them trying to figure out something we already know. (Dramatic irony?) But when you have a classic setting of a town being plagued by vampires, and we know it's a noble.. wouldn't it be fun if we also had to guess who the vampire was? Maybe by watching them interact with each suspect. But I understand that's more of a mystery, and this is clearly an amazing fantasy/action book.
Go, chap!
I'll admit, at first I thought it was some weird indie series that you see Amazon always trying to get you buy for kindle, like 5 books for .99 or something. But no! They're actually REALLY good!
I enjoy the straightforward fantasy setting, of just being thrown right into a story. And the classic take on vampires, we don't get to see that anymore. They try so hard to modernize everything these days, and make them romantic, or downplay what they really are: killers. And this book does an excellent job at letting vampires be characters that you can follow and be empathetic with but doesn't hold back on their classic nature of needing to feed, and a village's fear.
And I really enjoy how we get to follow the villain.. who can't live his life like humans can, because he's not. You start to sympathise with him, trying to make a life/family like in the first one, but it doesn't work out the same. I almost start feeling bad when it turns to their lead, and Magiere and Leesil just look like killers coming to hunt them down without trying to understand their way. (I appreciate Wynn for that), but then I remind myself that these are killers, and they've killed and fed for survival, but also take great pleasure in it, over and over. They have to be stopped.
About halfway through, it started picking up the pace.. because our main character, Magiere, seemed a bit more grouchy in this one than before. They play on the fact that 'oh it's her nature, so it doesn't bother me.' But it bothers me. Fortunately, it gets settled later on, and the writing remains to be amazing. It's not overdone or flowy, but they always know exactly the best way to word something, and there were so many times where I thought there couldn't have been a better way to describe that emotion, or that action, or even that scene. It's really well done, and I want to immediately continue on to the third.
I did think that it would have been better as a 'who done it,' rather than kind of telling us from the start who the culprit was. The main duo doesn't know, and we do, so it's kind of frustrating watching them trying to figure out something we already know. (Dramatic irony?) But when you have a classic setting of a town being plagued by vampires, and we know it's a noble.. wouldn't it be fun if we also had to guess who the vampire was? Maybe by watching them interact with each suspect. But I understand that's more of a mystery, and this is clearly an amazing fantasy/action book.
Go, chap!
February 26, 2020
Set directly after the events of the first book, Magiere and Leesil are hired to investigate the death of a nobleman's daughter in Bela. They suspect that she was killed by a vampire. Since the events of the last novel had a serious impact on the economy of Miisha, the council guilts her into accepting. Ratboy has created a new life for himself in Bela, going by his real name of Toret. He made a new family out of the nobleman Chane and the prostitute Sapphire. Once again, Westiel is pitting these two parties against each other without their knowledge.
The second entry sets up grander storylines for the series. We learn more about Westiel's motivations for "training" Magiere. It also delves deeper into Leesil's past and the elves or reveals more about Chap's fay nature, which gives the author the possibility of giving him a more active role than just a version of Lassie. All these things are very interesting.
I also enjoyed the budding romance between the sage, Wynn, and Chane, as the vampires are shown as complex beings instead of one-dimensional monsters or romantic interests.
However, the book is almost a carbon copy of the first one. They hunt down the new vampire family. Unfortunately, this new family isn't even remotely as interesting as the one in the first book. Both Ratboy and Sapphire are mostly annoying. You might feel sorry for Ratboy as he basically just wants to be loved and therefore reads more into Sapphire's entirely selfish character, but they never gripped me as much as the first book.
Magiere is her usual reticent self. Leesil starts out with his usual behavior of drinking his problems away. While he stops doing that in the course of the book, there isn't much character growth there either. Both of them remain rather bland main characters in the second book. Hopefully this will improve in the course of the series.
The second entry sets up grander storylines for the series. We learn more about Westiel's motivations for "training" Magiere. It also delves deeper into Leesil's past and the elves or reveals more about Chap's fay nature, which gives the author the possibility of giving him a more active role than just a version of Lassie. All these things are very interesting.
I also enjoyed the budding romance between the sage, Wynn, and Chane, as the vampires are shown as complex beings instead of one-dimensional monsters or romantic interests.
However, the book is almost a carbon copy of the first one. They hunt down the new vampire family. Unfortunately, this new family isn't even remotely as interesting as the one in the first book. Both Ratboy and Sapphire are mostly annoying. You might feel sorry for Ratboy as he basically just wants to be loved and therefore reads more into Sapphire's entirely selfish character, but they never gripped me as much as the first book.
Magiere is her usual reticent self. Leesil starts out with his usual behavior of drinking his problems away. While he stops doing that in the course of the book, there isn't much character growth there either. Both of them remain rather bland main characters in the second book. Hopefully this will improve in the course of the series.
January 30, 2018
Extremely frustrating book. At present, continuing series to see if it ever lives up to apparent potential.
Problems:
Two MCs never have the other's back; terrible partnership at present. Maybe they're learning?
They still suck at hunting vampires. Probably 10 times they almost kill one only to have them escape.
They were dicks to their awesome dog, Chap. At one point in their vampire hunt, Chap, their vampire-detecting dog, freaks out. Magiere assumes this is because he has to urinate, and yells at him for several pages before finally deigning to follow him to the vampire that's about to attack Leesil.
Magiere is among the most irritating characters I've ever read at this point. Constant refusal to use/understand her abilities, etc. Typical chick MC stuff taken to a ridiculous extreme here.
The only reason I haven't given up is that with so many books in the series, it seems like there must be room for improvement, and with some characters in the book pointing out how stupid the MCs are at present, the authors may be hinting towards future growth.
Problems:
Two MCs never have the other's back; terrible partnership at present. Maybe they're learning?
They still suck at hunting vampires. Probably 10 times they almost kill one only to have them escape.
They were dicks to their awesome dog, Chap. At one point in their vampire hunt, Chap, their vampire-detecting dog, freaks out. Magiere assumes this is because he has to urinate, and yells at him for several pages before finally deigning to follow him to the vampire that's about to attack Leesil.
Magiere is among the most irritating characters I've ever read at this point. Constant refusal to use/understand her abilities, etc. Typical chick MC stuff taken to a ridiculous extreme here.
The only reason I haven't given up is that with so many books in the series, it seems like there must be room for improvement, and with some characters in the book pointing out how stupid the MCs are at present, the authors may be hinting towards future growth.
October 28, 2022
I read the first book in this series not too long ago and I remember it being a fairly good story. I had been looking forward to reading this book as a result. My expectations, it turns out, were greater than the experience.
Reading this book, there are a lot of similarities between it and its predecessor. By "a lot" I mean the similarities are innumerous. This book does serve to push the series' story forward, especially towards the end, but I wanted something more than what I got. However, that explanation only merits a 3 out of 5 stars at worst. One would assume that I would have at least one more reason to knock off another star and they would be correct. Drama. This book is filled to the brim with utterly pointless bickering, infighting, backstabbing (of the metaphorical variety), and other such things. I found it intolerable to read anything more than a few pages at a time. Luckily, I was reading another book at the time, so every few pages, I would switch to the other book to calm myself down. Worked wonders for my sanity.
Reading this book, there are a lot of similarities between it and its predecessor. By "a lot" I mean the similarities are innumerous. This book does serve to push the series' story forward, especially towards the end, but I wanted something more than what I got. However, that explanation only merits a 3 out of 5 stars at worst. One would assume that I would have at least one more reason to knock off another star and they would be correct. Drama. This book is filled to the brim with utterly pointless bickering, infighting, backstabbing (of the metaphorical variety), and other such things. I found it intolerable to read anything more than a few pages at a time. Luckily, I was reading another book at the time, so every few pages, I would switch to the other book to calm myself down. Worked wonders for my sanity.
August 25, 2025
It's just a bit of a long and repetetive journey to a pretty underwhelming final act. The entire book is mostly just 'We need to find the undead before they kill more people. Let's ask some of the civillians. Okay let's get a carriage and search some places. Damn, we still didn't find them, we'll continue the investigation tomorrow'. It's almost 400 pages of what feels like the same chapter, with nothing much actually happening other than the heroes trying to find 3 undeads hiding in the city.
It isn't exactly boring, it just could've done a lot more, like it would've been nice to have more key moments in the plot. Reflecting on the book, i can't think of a single moment in the book that is a 'wow that was written really well' or 'i loved that part!'.
It isn't exactly boring, it just could've done a lot more, like it would've been nice to have more key moments in the plot. Reflecting on the book, i can't think of a single moment in the book that is a 'wow that was written really well' or 'i loved that part!'.
September 1, 2019
This one improved upon the first. It kept up with the end of the first book which was more interesting and developed. Still though, the weakest character is Maigere. It's strange to me that the headline character remains so under developed when Leesil, Chap, even random new characters like Wynn and Sgaile has so much more...depth.
However I like them, I'm really interested in the side story developing over Leesil's heritage. And Chap as well. I was hoping we'd see more of some characters than it seems like we will...but who knows, they could come back.
However I like them, I'm really interested in the side story developing over Leesil's heritage. And Chap as well. I was hoping we'd see more of some characters than it seems like we will...but who knows, they could come back.
December 30, 2025
Rounded up to 3 stars because I was generally entertained and I still want to continue the series. I'm surprised many people seem to think this book was better than the first. It felt like it had a LOT of filler and not much happening.
Also felt like Leesil dominated the POV and Magiere felt like a side character? The lack of Magiere POV was really disappointing for me.
Hoping the next one will be more interesting and I'm looking forward to continuing since I did really enjoy the first book?
Spoiler:
Also felt like Leesil dominated the POV and Magiere felt like a side character? The lack of Magiere POV was really disappointing for me.
Hoping the next one will be more interesting and I'm looking forward to continuing since I did really enjoy the first book?
Spoiler:
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