Review: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab

I enjoyed The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab so much that it made My Top 5 Books of 2021 so I decided to give her 2025 release Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil a try. First and foremost, this is a well written historical fiction novel with multiple female character points of view. All three characters eventually intersect in this plot spanning multiple centuries and multiple countries.

Alice is our contemporary character in 2019 and a student at a university in Boston. Feeling adrift, a one night stand changes the course of her life and sets her on a path of regret and revenge. In 1521, Maria is aged 10 years old and living with her family in a small town on the Camino de Santiago in Spain. We meet the third character Charlotte/Lottie later in the book and we pick up her backstory from 1827 in London.

This is a character driven book about these three women:

"In fairy tales, big things happen in threes. Three children. Three beds. Three roads. The third bite is poison, the third gift is great, the third door always leads home." Page 338

Now that I've set the scene and have your attention, it's time to drop a bomb... this is a sapphic vampire romance. Yep, you read that right. The paranormal romance genre rarely features in my reading schedule but I took a chance on this based on the strength of the author's writing. And I was right!

The writing in Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is beautiful. The personal challenges and internal struggles faced by all three women kept my attention and the gothic setting was sublime. As they age over decades and centuries, vampires in Schwab's world start to lose touch with the values and characteristics that made them human.

"Now and then, she wakes to find another little corner of her emptied, some aspect crumbled away in sleep. Perhaps it was a shard of insecurity. A sliver of regret. Sabine probes her mind, trying to find the nature of the absence, like a tongue searching for a missing tooth, but never does." Page 265

Schwab addresses the topic I was most interested in when reading the Anne Rice Interview with the Vampire series: what is it like to be immortal? (Don't worry, there are no sparkly vampires here). The author examines the toll it takes on all three of the characters, including the challenges they face maintaining their existence in the world without revealing their secret nature and evading the dangers that pursue them.

This statement from a male vampire to one of our characters reminded me of the relationship between Lestat and Louis:

"If you wish to stay, then you may do so as my guest, and I will be your gracious host. But you will live as I do, by a certain set of rules. There will be no skulking about in shadows, no victims stolen from the street and cast in the canal. I will show you how to savor every soul you take. How to claim space, and bend minds, how to enthrall, enchant, and masquerade. How to be the last one they think of when the bodies go missing." Pages 206-207

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is a unique genre-blending novel that defies easy categorisation and will appeal to a range of readers as a result. Straddling historical fiction, fantasy and queer romance and championing strong feminist characters, this book may appeal to you even if you don't like vampire novels. And if you believe books about vampires aren't for you, consider this:

"And here is the awful thing about belief. It is a current, like compulsion. Hard to forge when it goes against your will, but easy enough when it carries you the way you want to go." Page 401

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab is about female agency, love, power, hunger, control, rage and revenge and is highly recommended for Anne Rice fans.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis by Anne Rice

Prince Lestat by Anne Rice was a disappointing read for me in 2017, which has made the next in The Vampire Chronicles series - Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis - a real worrisome presence on my TBR. Given to me for Christmas in 2016, it even made my Intimidating Books on My Bookshelf post for Boomerang Books back in May 2018.

Reviewing this post recently, I realised I was yet to tackle any of the books from the list and decided Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis was the easiest and most accessible. And I'm so glad I did. Anne Rice has returned to form and the storyline has moved quickly on from the stagnancy of the previous novel. What a relief.

The history behind Amel's beginnings were unexpected and the revelations about Atlantis were engaging. The overall message about the creation of mankind as we know it allowed Rice a particular slant on things which didn't involve religion and was therefore a refreshing take on humanity as we know it.

Our favourite vampires were present in the novel and once again we heard from some of them in alternating chapters. I don't mind admitting I found the complex relationships between fledglings and makers and their overlapping histories a little difficult to keep up with at times, but fortunately Rice continually reminds us of their connections to one another.

I enjoyed hearing about Marius's efforts to create a constitution to govern the blood drinkers and I hope to learn more about the rules established for the court in future books. Speaking of the court, classical music was played - and mentioned - every night at the Chateau and the observations about dress were present on every page. That said, there did appear to be a little less description in favour of a tad more action this time around which was welcomed.

Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis by Anne Rice cannot be read as a stand alone, but the good news is the next in this series was published in 2018 and is called Blood Communion (Book 13). I've decided to continue with the series and look forward to reading it.

Carpe Librum!

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Winner of Ghosts of the Shadow Market by Cassandra Clare Announced

Thanks to those who entered my Cassandra Clare giveaway last week to win a copy of Ghosts of the Shadow Market thanks to Walker Books Australia.

Entries closed yesterday and I drew the winner today. Congratulations to:

Michael Potter

Congratulations Michael! You've won a copy of Ghosts of the Shadow Market by Cassandra Clare valued at $27.99AUD. I’ll be sending you an email shortly with the details and Walker Books Australia will be sending out your prize directly.

Enjoy and stay tuned for more chances to win on 6 July when I'll be giving away a copy of Trails in the Dust by Joy Dettman.

Carpe Librum!

Friday Freebie: WIN a copy of Ghosts of the Shadow Market by Cassandra Clare

RRP $27.99 AUD
Published June 2019
Walker Books Australia

Fantasy lovers will be very familiar with Cassandra Clare, whose novels have sold more than 36 million copies worldwide. Cassandra Clare is the author of the bestselling Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices, The Bane Chronicles, The Dark Artifices, The Shadowhunter’s Codex and Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones is a major movie and Shadowhunters is airing on Netflix.

Thanks to Walker Books Australia, you can win a print copy of Ghosts of the Shadow Market by Cassandra Clare below. Good luck!

Blurb
A collection of all eight Ghosts of the Shadow Market stories, along with two brand new ones, about characters from Cassandra Clare's internationally bestselling Shadowhunters series.

The Shadow Market is a meeting point for faeries, werewolves, warlocks and vampires. There the Downworlders buy and sell magical objects, make dark bargains, and whisper secrets they do not want the Nephilim to know. Through two centuries, however, there has been a frequent visitor to the Shadow Market from the City of Bones, the very heart of the Shadowhunters. As a Silent Brother, Brother Zachariah is sworn keeper of the laws and lore of the Nephilim. But once he was a Shadowhunter called Jem Carstairs, and his love, then and always, is the warlock Tessa Gray. 

Follow Brother Zachariah and see, against the backdrop of the Shadow Market’s dark dealing and festival, Anna Lightwood’s doomed romance, Matthew Fairchild’s great sin and Tessa Gray plunged into a world war. Valentine Morgenstern buys a soul at the Market and a young Jace Wayland’s soul finds safe harbor. In the Market is hidden a lost heir and a beloved ghost, and no-one can save you once you have traded away your heart. Not even Brother Zachariah. The series features characters from Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments, Infernal Devices, Dark Artifices and the upcoming Last Hours series.

Giveaway

This giveaway has now closed and the winner was announced here.

Top 5 favourite things about Prince Lestat by Anne Rice

My Top 5 favourite things about Prince Lestat by Anne Rice:

1. My copy is signed by Anne Rice (wow!)
2. The cover art is divine and contains everything I love in cover design.
3. An appendix includes a complete glossary of characters and their chronology from the Vampire Chronicles series. This was extremely helpful and a joy to read through.
4. A second appendix includes a brief summary of every book in the Vampire Chronicles series. I relished re-visiting my favourite books again in this succinct format and it definitely made Prince Lestat accessible to new readers who may not have read all the previous novels in the series.
5. It ended.

I'm a huge fan of Anne Rice's writing so I was devastated to find I didn't enjoy reading Prince Lestat. I even took a break, hoping I was just in some kind of bizarre reading funk, but I just couldn't find the same reading pleasure I usually find in her pages.

The plot contains chapters from different vampires as they begin to face a crisis threatening their kind and while I should have been thrilled to read about old favourites again, the cause uniting them was a bore. There were too many stylishly dressed vampires, too many marble fireplaces, too much classical music and too much love and affection for my liking.

My signed copy

All of this made the denouement seem sudden and exciting and I'll definitely read the next in the series for completeness. I already have a copy of Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis and I'm hoping that Lestat's investigations of the lost realms of Atlantis will be a return to the Anne Rice I've come to know and love. Sadly, this just wasn't it for me.

My rating = **

Carpe Librum!

P.S. I recently watched an episode of The Book Show hosted by Mariella Frostrup where guests were asked to name the fictional dinner they'd most like to attend. Without a doubt, mine would be the Christmas celebration in The Wolves of Midwinter by Anne Rice. This was a good reminder that she is still my favourite author of all time.

Vanessa Skye vampire giveaway winners announced

Thanks to all those who entered the Vanessa Skye giveaway last week, entries closed at midnight on Friday 19th June. The giveaway included 1 signed copy and 3 ebook copies of Koven by Vanessa Skye.

Vanessa reviewed your entries (and bonus entries) and chose the winners based on your one word descriptions.

1st prize
Congratulations Alfred, you've won a signed copy of Koven for your description of a vampire as tortured.

Winners of an ebook copy of Koven are:
Elusive by Mary
Intriguing by Kate
Bloodthirsty by Sharon

Congratulations to the winners. You'll each receive an email from Vanessa Skye this week regarding the details of your win. Thanks again to all those who entered, and Carpe Librum!

Guest post and giveaway from author Vanessa Skye: why we're fascinated by vampires

Author Vanessa Skye

So who isn’t fascinated by vampires, really? Even with the current domination by vampires in the romance novel category, the fascination remains, and we eagerly await the next incarnation of this genre.

I can’t tell you how many nights I lay awake as a teen and begged for a visit from a local vampire to rescue me from my life, take me away, turn me and make me immortal. Never happened though, dammit! Instead, I decided to create my own vampire world in Koven, and the ride was indeed fun.

So why are we, as humans, so fascinated by these mythical creatures?

Vampires are powerful. At one time or another in our lives, we have all felt quite powerless, whether we are being bullied at school or work, or we are feeling put upon or taken for granted by others. So, the idea of being a powerful vampire, with superhuman powers and abilities is pretty appealing. Not only would bullying be a problem of the past, but vengeance also becomes an easy option. People always want more power, so it’s unsurprising that we love our vampires.

Vampires are immortal, and who doesn’t want to live forever? Imagine all the changes you could witness in human history? Imagine what you could achieve without the shackles of mortality limiting your potential? Enough said really.

Vampires are sexy, and not because they are always portrayed as being good looking (because they don’t have enough going for them!). They are the perfect ‘bad boy’, offering that elusive mix of sensitivity and brute strength. They are the oppressors and the protectors in a single hot package. If a vampire loves you, you’d never have to feel unsafe again. And then there are the fangs. Long, elongated, penetrative. It’s doesn’t get much more phallic than that, does it?

Vampires are above the law. You can try to catch a vampire, but it’s unlikely to go well for you. Vampires have freedom, because they can act outside the law, and with caring about consequences or repercussions. 

My fascination with vampires started when I first read Interview With The Vampire by Anne Rice.

I devoured the entire series in just days because Anne managed to capture all the frailties and sensitivities of these beings, and mix them with just the right amount of power and naughtiness. 

I loved it all. I loved Louis with his conscience. I loved Lestat in all his unashamed manipulations, indulgence and wickedness, plus his name “Lestat de Lioncourt”; I mean could there be a better name for a character in the entire history of the novel?

And Armand—so sexy. The Vampire Chronicles propelled vampires from being evil, bloodsucking minions of satan, to being these sexy, beautiful, sexually ambiguous, erotic Gods that all us sadly-mortal humans aspire to be.

This is the book that started the modern love of the vampire. Bram Stoker’s Dracula, while great, was published a century before this and had long since dropped off your average teenager’s reading list. Anne Rice brought sexy vampires to the apex of pop culture, and they haven’t left since.

We all love our naughty vampire gods!

(Entries closed midnight Friday 19th June 2015.)
_____________________________________________________________________

Koven by
Vanessa Skye

Koven will be released in eBook and paperback on 11 June, so check it out or ask your local book store to order it in for you.

You can also check out Koven on Goodreads or find out more about Vanessa Skye’s crime fiction Edge of Darkness series at www.vanessa-skye.com

To celebrate the release of Koven, Vanessa’s debut crime fiction novel, The Enemy Inside, eBook will be only US99c for the month of June 2015! Get it here! 

List of Popular Steampunk Novels

There was some discussion recently amongst book-lovers wanting to find out more about the steampunk* genre and some reading suggestions.  So, I've compiled a list (alphabetical by author surname) of some of the most popular steampunk novels from its inception in 1987, and there's something for everyone:

1. Lady of Devices (Magnificent Devices #1) by Shelley Adina
2. The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
3. Phoenix Rising (Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences #1) by Philippa Ballantine
4. The Iron Duke (Iron Seas #1) by Meljean Brook
5. Heart of Steel (Iron Seas #2) by Meljean Brook
6. Riveted (Iron Seas #3) by Meljean Brook
7. Soulless (Parasol Protectorate, #1) by Gail Carriger
8. Changeless  (Parasol Protectorate, #2) by Gail Carriger
9. Blameless  (Parasol Protectorate, #3) by Gail Carriger
10. Heartless  (Parasol Protectorate, #4) by Gail Carriger
11. Timeless  (Parasol Protectorate, #5) by Gail Carriger
12. Etiquette & Espionage (Finishing School #1) by Gail Carriger
13. Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1) by Cassandra Clare
14. Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2) by Cassandra Clare
15. Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3) by Cassandra Clare
16. The Girl in the Steel Corset (Steampunk Chronicles #1) by Kady Cross
17. The Strange Case of Finley Jayne (Steampunk Chronicles #0.5) by Kady Cross
18. The Girl in the Clockwork Collar (Steampunk Chronicles #2) by Kady Cross
19. Wicked as They Come (Blud #1) by Delilah S. Dawson
20. Cold Magic by Kate Elliott
21. Incarceron (Incarceron #1) by Catherine Fisher
22. The Difference Engine by William Gibson
23. Masque of the Red Death (Masque of the Red Death #1) by Bethany Griffin
24. The Greyfriar (Vampire Empire #1) by Clay Griffith
25. Dearly, Departed (Gone With the Respiration #1) by Lia Habel
26. The Native Star (Veneficas Americana #1) by M.K. Hobson
27. The Court of the Air (Jackelian #1) by Stephen Hunt
28. Infernal Devices by K.W. Jeter
29. The Iron Thorn (Iron Codex #1) by Caitlin Kittredge
30. The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress
31. Stormdancer (The Lotus War #1) by Jay Kristoff
32. Steampunk! An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories by Kelly Link
33. The Affinity Bridge (Newbury and Hobbes #1) byGeorge Mann
34. Kiss of Steel (London Steampunk #1) by Bec McMaster
35. Perdido Street Station (New Crobuzon #1) by China Mieville
36. Dead Iron (Age of Steam #1) by Devon Monk
37. Airborn (Matt Cruse #1) by Kenneth Oppel
38. Boneshaker (The Clockwork Century #1) by Cherie Priest
39. Clementine (The Clockwork Century #1.1) by Cherie Priest
40. Dreadnought (The Clockwork Century #2) by Cherie Priest
41. Ganymede (The Clockwork Century #4) by Cherie Priest
42. The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials #1) by Philip Pullman
43. The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials #2) by Philip Pullman
44. The Ruby in the Smoke (Sally Lockhart #1) by Philip Pullman
45. The Shadow in the North (Sally Lockhart #2) by Philip Pullman
46. Mortal Engines (The Hungry City Chronicles #1) by Philip Reeve
47. The Iron Wyrm Affair (Bannon & Clare #1) by Lilith Saintcrow
48. Corsets & Clockwork: 13 Steampunk Romances by Trisha Telep
49. Steampunk by Jeff VanderMeer
50. Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
51. The Mammoth Book of Steampunk by Sean Wallace
52. The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
53. Leviathan (Leviathan, #1) by Scott Westerfeld
54. Behemoth (Leviathan, #2) by Scott Westerfeld
55. Goliath (Leviathan, #3) by Scott Westerfeld
56. Retribution Falles (Tales of the Ketty Jay #1) by Chris Wooding

Have you read any of these? Do you have any additional suggestions? Please tell us in the comments below.

*Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction that typically features steam-powered machinery, especially in a setting inspired by industrialised Western civilisation during the 19th century.  Other features include Victorian inspired fashion with the inclusion of brass and leather, and of course cogs, cogs, cogs!

The term steampunk's first known appearance was in 1987, though it now retroactively refers to many works of fiction created even as far back as the 1950s or 1960s. Source: Wikipedia

Gothic Tales

I love a good gothic novel, so I've put together a list of gothic tales I've read and have mentioned them below. I've included links to my reviews where possible and continue to update this list each year. I would love to hear about any gothic tales you've enjoyed.

Gothic Novels*

Andahazi, Federico (The Merciful Women)

Andrews, Rosie (The Leviathan)
Bailey, Catherine (The Secret Rooms)
Bayley, Natalie (Bone Rites)
Cantero, Edgar (The Supernatural Enhancements)

Carter, Angela (The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories)
Challinor, Deborah (Black Silk and Sympathy)
Chase, Eve (Black Rabbit Hall)

Cohen, Julie (Spirited)
Collins, Bridget (The Silence Factory)
Conrad, Joseph (Heart of Darkness)
Davids, Nadia (Cape Fever)
Devenish, Luke (The Secret Heiress)
Dickens, Charles (Great Expectations)
Dickens, Charles (Oliver Twist)
Dickens, Charles (A Christmas Carol)
Du Maurier, Daphne (Rebecca)
Eco, Umberto (The Name of the Rose)
Egan, Jennifer (The Keep)
Elmas, Stephanie (The Room Beyond)

Frank, Anita (The Lost Ones)

Fox, Hester (The Widow of Pale Harbour)
Griffiths, Elly (The Stranger Diaries)
Halls, Stacey (Mrs England)
Harris, Jane (The Observations)
Harrow, Alix E. (Starling House)
Hart, Emilia (Weyward)
Hawthorne, Nathaniel (The Scarlet Letter)
Hill, Susan (The Small Hand)
Hyland, Angus & Roberts, Caroline (The Book of the Raven - Corvids in Art & Legend)
Jackson, Shirley (We Have Always Lived in the Castle)
James, Henry (The Turn of the Screw)
James, Rebecca (The Woman in the Mirror)

Jennings, Kathleen (Flyaway)
Kidd, Jess (Things In Jars)

Lyons-Lee, Belinda (Tussaud)
Lyons-Lee, Belinda (The Haunting of Mr and Mrs Stevenson)
Mas, Victoria (The Mad Women's Ball)
Maurier, Daphne Du (Rebecca)
Mazzola, Anna (The Story Keeper)
McGill, Bernie (The Butterfly Cabinet)
Meyer, Stephanie (Twilight)
Morton, Kate (The Distant Hours)
Morton, Kate (The Shifting Fog)
Moss, Tara (The Blood Countess: Pandora English Novel)
Nathan, Alix (The Warlow Experiment)
Nunn, Kayte (The Silk House)
Paver, Michelle (Wakenhyrst)
Perry, Sarah (Melmoth)
Purcell, Laura (The Silent Companions)
Purcell, Laura (The Corset)
Purcell, Laura (Bone China)

Purcell, Laura (The Shape of Darkness)
Purcell, Laura (The Whispering Muse)
Rayne, Sarah (What Lies Beneath)
Rice, Anne (Angel Time - The Songs of the Seraphim)
Rice, Anne (Interview With The Vampire)
Rice, Anne (Memnoch the Devil)
Rice, Anne (The Vampire Lestat)
Rice, Anne (Violin)
Rose, M.J. (Seduction: A Novel of Suspense)
Schwab, V.E. (Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil)
Setterfield, Diane (The Thirteenth Tale)
Setterfield, Diane (Once Upon a River)
Shelley, Mary (Frankenstein)
Shenje, Kuchenga (The Library Thief)
Stevens, Amanda (The Restorer)
Stoker, Bram (Dracula)
Ware, Ruth (The Turn of the Key)
Ware, Ruth (The Death of Mrs Westaway)
Waters, Sarah (The Little Stranger)
Webber, Andrew Lloyd (Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera Companion)
Wells, H.G. (The War of the Worlds)
Wilde, Oscar (The Picture of Dorian Gray)
Zafon, Carlos Ruiz (The Shadow of the Wind)
Zafon, Carlos Ruiz (The Angel’s Game)

* Last updated 13 May 2026

What makes a novel Gothic?

1. Setting in a castle. The action takes place in and around an old castle, sometimes seemingly abandoned, sometimes occupied. The castle often contains secret passages, trap doors, secret rooms, dark or hidden staircases, and possibly ruined sections. The castle may be near or connected to caves, which lend their own haunting flavor with their branchings, claustrophobia, and mystery. (Translated into modern filmmaking, the setting might be in an old house or mansion--or even a new house--where unusual camera angles, sustained close ups during movement, and darkness or shadows create the same sense of claustrophobia and entrapment.)

2. An atmosphere of mystery and suspense. The work is pervaded by a threatening feeling, a fear enhanced by the unknown. Often the plot itself is built around a mystery, such as unknown parentage, a disappearance, or some other inexplicable event. Elements 3, 4, and 5 below contribute to this atmosphere. (Again, in modern filmmaking, the inexplicable events are often murders.)

3. An ancient prophecy is connected with the castle or its inhabitants (either former or present). The prophecy is usually obscure, partial, or confusing. "What could it mean?" In more watered down modern examples, this may amount to merely a legend: "It's said that the ghost of old man Krebs still wanders these halls."

4. Omens, portents, visions. A character may have a disturbing dream vision, or some phenomenon may be seen as a portent of coming events. For example, if the statue of the lord of the manor falls over, it may portend his death. In modern fiction, a character might see something (a shadowy figure stabbing another shadowy figure) and think that it was a dream. This might be thought of as an "imitation vision."

5. Supernatural or otherwise inexplicable events. Dramatic, amazing events occur, such as ghosts or giants walking, or inanimate objects (such as a suit of armor or painting) coming to life. In some works, the events are ultimately given a natural explanation, while in others the events are truly supernatural.

6. High, even overwrought emotion. The narration may be highly sentimental, and the characters are often overcome by anger, sorrow, surprise, and especially, terror. Characters suffer from raw nerves and a feeling of impending doom. Crying and emotional speeches are frequent. Breathlessness and panic are common. In the filmed gothic, screaming is common.

7. Women in distress. As an appeal to the pathos and sympathy of the reader, the female characters often face events that leave them fainting, terrified, screaming, and/or sobbing. A lonely, pensive, and oppressed heroine is often the central figure of the novel, so her sufferings are even more pronounced and the focus of attention. The women suffer all the more because they are often abandoned, left alone (either on purpose or by accident), and have no protector at times.

8. Women threatened by a powerful, impulsive, tyrannical male. One or more male characters has the power, as king, lord of the manor, father, or guardian, to demand that one or more of the female characters do something intolerable. The woman may be commanded to marry someone she does not love (it may even be the powerful male himself), or commit a crime.

9. The metonymy of gloom and horror. Metonymy is a subtype of metaphor, in which something (like rain) is used to stand for something else (like sorrow). For example, the film industry likes to use metonymy as a quick shorthand, so we often notice that it is raining in funeral scenes. Note that the following metonymies for "doom and gloom" all suggest some element of mystery, danger, or the supernatural.

This list of gothic elements has come directly from the Virtual Salt website.

Review: A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

I'd been looking forward to reading A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness for a long time, however I'm sorry to say that it didn't live up to all of my expectations.

According to the blurb, it's:

"A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together."

I pretty much go weak at the knees at the word 'manuscript' and I'd been looking forward to reading this book for a while.

Diana Bishop is a scholar, a witch and the main character of the novel.  She is studying alchemy in ancient texts and manuscripts (another reason I wanted to read this book) from the famous Bodleian Library in Oxford.

On a side note, I love collecting bookmarks, and when I was selecting a bookmark to use when reading Discovery of Witches, I chose a bookmark with an image of ancient manuscripts on the front, knowing the references contained in the novel.  However, I didn't know that the main character would be studying at the Bodleian Library and would you believe it, the image on my bookmark was from the Bodleian Library, and the back of the bookmark had some info about the Library; what a weird coincidence!

Sadly, that was the most excitement I had whilst reading this book.  Sure, I enjoyed the sections written in Oxford, where Diana was studying alchemy and the illuminated texts.  I enjoyed the discussions of history and the passing of time when Diana met the centuries-old vampire, however what spoiled the novel for me was the romance.  There was just too much!  The book was dripping with romance, and if I'd known what was in store or how much, I probably would have given this one a miss.

I was in a three star frame of mind until Diana - who was in love with a vampire - referred to the vampire's 'son,' who was a couple of hundred years old as her own son, ugh! Ridiculous!!

My rating = **

Carpe Librum!

Review: Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist

Let The Right One In is a Swedish vampire horror novel set in the '80s in suburban Stockholm. Oskar is 12 years old, lives with his Mother and is a victim of school yard bullying. He has a bladder control problem (with a unique management system) and loves to collect newspaper clippings about gruesome murders.

He meets Eli in the local playground, and learns she has just moved in next door with her Dad. Oskar is glad to have a friend, but Eli is different and things aren't what they seem. After many subtle hints for the reader, Eli reveals to Oskar she is a vampire. While Oskar is trying to deal with bullies, separated parents and his first love; Eli is trying to obtain the human blood she needs to survive, and bodies soon pile up.

This is an offbeat look at what happens when you introduce a vampire trapped in the body of a twelve year old girl into a drab suburban area, already brimming with their own problems.

Some reviews claim Lindqvist to be the Swedish equivalent to Stephen King, but I've got to say I disagree. Sure the novel contains supernatural themes and is a little gory in sections, I don't believe Lindqvist reaches the literary heights and levels of complexity of Stephen King.

I enjoyed Lindqvist's ability to create so many damaged and broken down characters, all living in such a dreary, bland and miserable suburb. I also admired his ability to conjure so many pungent smells that almost leapt from the page. I almost dry retched at the stench of cat's piss in Gosta's grotty apartment containing 22 cats.

The Vampire genre has been popular for quite a while now, and perhaps not surprisingly this novel has been adapted into a film. Entitled Let Me In it was released in 2010 (in English), and I'll probably check it out.

Ultimately, this was a disappointing read for me after reading so many rave reviews, but you be the judge.

My rating = ** 1/2

Carpe Librum!

Review: Sunshine by Robin McKinley

A friend gave me this book for my birthday, and it is pitched as a 'mesmerizing SF horror romance'. In the beginning, I found it difficult to get into and equally tough to adjust to her unique writing style. However as soon as the character was 'kidnapped' and chained in a house with a vampire, I was hooked.

I desperately wanted to know so much more about the 'bad spots', the 'wars' and the 'wards' and 'part-bloods' but never received a satisfying amount of background on these topics. I would have preferred the book to cover more of this background and less about Charlie's Coffeehouse (the continual references to cinnamon rolls made me hungry every time I picked up the book). It was almost as though a level of knowledge was assumed here, although I don't think this book is part of a series.

I frequently stumbled over McKinley's writing style and constantly wanted to 'edit' her work which was a slight distraction. At the same time though, it must be said that I was immersed in her world and vividly imagined the characters and scenes she created and could easily imagine this as a movie or tv series.

Her portrayal of vampires differed to other books and was a relatively fresh take on what is a popular subject matter at the moment. I don't believe this book goes anywhere near 'blowing Anne Rice and Clive Barker out of the water' however it was a good read.

I definitely wanted to go out and stand in the sunshine when I was reading it.

My rating = ***

Carpe Librum!

Review: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

It serves me right for jumping on the Twilight bandwagon, but with the astronomical book sales, new release movie and vampire theme, I couldn't resist. I knew going into this that it was 'teen fiction' but I hoped it would work well for adults the same way the Harry Potter series of books do but I was sadly disappointed.

A great majority of the 500+ pages in Twilight is taken up with the teenage thoughts and actions of two people who like each other and want to be together. Not that I couldn't relate at all. I can remember being like that when I was a teenager, but I grew out of it soon enough and was bored to tears with this book. It was so dull and the main character got on my nerves!!

It also annoyed me that the basic vampire rules weren't followed in this book, and the main character left a lot of unanswered questions about his vampire history and that of his family. This was the only portion of the plot I was interested in and I was left unsatisfied.

I can understand why this book is so popular with the teens of today and I can certainly recognise the well publicised issues of sexual tension and celibacy here.

If you're over 20 and have read any Anne Rice books, you won't enjoy this one.

My rating = *

Carpe Librum!

Review: Dracula by Bram Stoker

Dracula has been on my list of books to read for many years now, primarily because it's a 'horror' classic. Having read all of the vampire books by Anne Rice and being a huge fan of her writing style and her version of 'vampires' I have been reluctant to read any other books about vampires.

I know that Bram Stoker is the inspiration behind many of the vampire books today, but I imagined the book was going to be outdated and as unbearable as the old black and white film Dracula. In the way that Edgar Allan Poe was well known for his 'ghost stories' in his time, when you read his stories now, they're far from spooky. So you can imagine that I was shocked and excited to discover that despite being published in 1897, the novel is still quite creepy by today's standards.

I also didn't know that this classic novel is a compilation of letters and journal entries from the main characters. I thought that jumping from character to character and letter to journal without a sole narrator could hamper the pace of the plot but it actually enhanced the story and helped to build the suspense.

All in all, I really enjoyed Bram Stoker's Dracula, and I can certainly understand why it is a 'classic'.

I started this book before our trip to Fiji, and it didn't seem like quite the right book to read in the tropics, however I was so engrossed in the book I just had to pack it with me and finished it early on in the trip.

My rating = *****

Carpe Librum!

Review: The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

Last week I finished The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, easily my favourite book of the year!! I enjoy reading historical fiction but this particular style/plot weaving was completely new to me. This novel is a combination of everything I love: mystery, danger, research, libraries, ancient ruins, murder, supernatural, ancient texts, and the basis for all this is vampire lore. 

What more could you ask for?

I thoroughly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a thriller and the search for truth.

Book of the year!!

My rating = *****

Carpe Librum!