Book Review: Emancipation

**I received a free copy of this book from Goodreads First Reads for the purpose of writing an honest review**

DETAILS: Emancipation: A Civil War Vampire Novel, Book One of The Thirsty Ones, by Pauline Ray. Copyright 2012. Historical fantasy.

SUMMARY: When plantation owner's daughter Ella Lantry's child with her slave boyfriend is taken away from her, she is determined to get him back; even if it means teaming up with the vampires that roam the land.

PROS: This book was fast-paced and engaging.  It was a combination vampire-alternate history book which I found unique in many ways.  I liked the character of Ella who is a little innocent, but vengeful to a max. The story makes sense, the character's motivations are well thought out.

CONS: Some of the black slaves talk in such thick dialect that it can be hard to read.  I could have done without some of that.  Also some of the violence and cruelty perpetrated by the white plantation owners, while possibly realistic, was hard to stomach.  This book is the first in a trilogy and the end left quite a bit hanging, which I didn't like.

BOTTOM LINE: A good, unique historical vampire book.  Three stars out of five.

Book Review: The Historian

DETAILS: The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. Copyright 2005. Fantasy.

SUMMERY: A 16-year-old girl, accompanying her father on diplomatic missions around Cold War Europe, pieces together her family's history of searching for medieval vampires.

PROS:  I enjoyed this book a lot.  It's length is a bit daunting, but it is expertly told.  Ms. Kostova weaves a story within a story within a story with a great deal of care and precision, and the story is paced very nicely and often gripping.

CONS: There was a section of the book (the first half of the third part) that lost my attention a bit and I had to keep myself from skimming.  Also, with the myriad of characters that wind their way into the story, perhaps an old-fashioned character list would have been helpful.

BOTTOM LINE:  I debated a great deal whether to give this book four stars or five.  It is very good, and I would (and have) recommended it to many people.  However, I try to reserve my five-star reviews for books I will read many times, and this book, for me, is probably a one-time read.  So, four out of five stars.