This book almost became a 5 star book for me. I struggled through most of it but the ending and what we learn at the end totally made the difference for me. It was very philosophical and full of history and Vampire lore but not a lot of story or action. We learn about several of the older dark gods and what has happened to the vampires over time. If it weren't for the Mother/Father story I might not have kept reading. But in the end it got me hooked and now I want to read the next one, Something I wasn't convinced I would look forward to.