Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Date of Publication: August 2010
Format: ARC
Pages: 336
Source: Goodreads giveaway
From Goodreads:
“Throughout all my histories, I found no one I loved more than you... no one.”
Those were some of Rhode’s last words to me. The last time he would pronounce his love. The last time I would see his face.
It was the first time in 592 years I could take a breath. Lay in the sun. Taste.
Rhode sacrificed himself so I, Lenah Beaudonte, could be human again. So I could stop the blood lust.
I never expected to fall in love with someone else that wasn’t Rhode.
But Justin was... daring. Exciting. More beautiful than I could dream.
I never expected to be sixteen again... then again, I never expected my past to come back and haunt me...
This ARC was the first book I had ever won in a giveaway. I thought the premise of the story was interesting as I have seen few
stories where vampires can become human, so I was excited to see where
this book would go.
First, the writing is elegant - that's the only way I can describe it. This did make for a slower read, but an enjoyable one. After all, the story is from the perspective of a former vampire queen who has been around for over five hundred years, so it would have been ill-fitting if she spoke and thought as if she were a modern teenager. The whole story reminded me slightly of Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles, the Gothic tone mingled with the current times, not to mention the struggle of good and evil that the narrator of the story, Lenah, has within herself.
Speaking of that former vampire queen, Lenah is a great character. I liked seeing the world through her eyes and watching her compare her new human experiences with her old vampire ones, which were mostly seen through flashbacks. These flashbacks were something I was worried about initially, as I usually don't enjoy flipping between a current plot and past events. However, the transitions were smooth and the fact that it was simply part of Lenah's character to think on her past life made them interesting and did not slow the story down. Truthfully, the story is not fast-paced or action heavy, but the story and the character of Lenah were written so well that I did not mind. I thought the learning experiences Lenah goes through were believable and really made her character endearing.
As for the other main characters, I deeply wish Rhode were a larger part of the plot. He does set the whole thing in motion, but we really only get to see him a little and mostly in flashbacks. Justin, the main love interest, was personally disappointing. As a reader, I want to fall for him as much as the main character does, but I was never sold on Justin. I thought it odd that someone who could date the typical mean girl and tease others along with her would be chosen by a smart and cultured Lenah. After reading this post by the author, however, I better understood why Justin was a good choice for Lenah, though I really didn't care any more for him than before.
I also had an issue with Justin's mean girl ex-girlfriend, Tracy. Though Lenah and her do not become true friends, the fact that Tracy's character also changes without any cause or explanation was hard to believe. Sure, love or new boyfriends can change people, but what made them that way in the first place? Was she truly an awful person or just insecure? Maybe I'm being picky, but it was a bit too neatly tied up for me. I wouldn't have minded if the change in Tracy had been explored or explained in some way.
The character I am most looking forward to seeing more of is Vicken, Lenah's other lover from her vampire life. We get to see Lenah's view of him while he was still human and then we get to see him as a vampire when the action starts towards the end of the book. In both forms he made no excuses for what or who he was, and he seemed to be the man's man type, which I liked. What happened with him at the end has me really intrigued to see where the plot leads and how it involves him.
Overall, Infinite Days is a good novel and an elegant story of an old vampire's new life. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes paranormal YA and is looking to sink their teeth into something different. While I had my issues, the lovely writing, great main characters, and unique angle on vampires makes this a novel worth trying, and don't be surprised if you find yourself immersed in Lenah's world and end up wanting more. Speaking of more, look for book two in the Vampire Queen trilogy, Stolen Nights, coming in early 2013.
Also, if you want to see something awesome, click here to see the author, Rebecca Maizel, read an excerpt from Infinite Days. She really captures the tone and character of Lenah, which shouldn't be surprising since she did create her. Go watch and enjoy!
Where you can buy Infinite Days:
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