{Review} Eternal Dawn (The Vampire Queen #3) by Rebecca Maizel

Posted by Donna
Release Date: July 3rd, 2014
Finished Date: December 17th, 2014

Publishers: Macmillan Children's Book
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Romance
Source: For Review 
Format: Paperback

Pages: 400

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

Lenah has sacrificed everything -- including the love of her soulmate Rhode -- to save Rhode and the world from a vampire plague. But when the only good vampire left is murdered, she knows she must avenge his death. The problem is that the murderer is her former boyfriend, Justin, who has not only become a vampire himself, but one of the most evil she has ever encountered. Lenah knows she will have to kill him in order to save her twenty-first-century friends, but can she do it? The answer is clearer when she discovers that Justin's taken her beloved Rhode hostage and is slowly turning him into a vampire too. But Rhode no longer remembers Lenah, and killing anyone is now against her nature. Will the heartbreak of seeing Rhode corrupted lead her to take a path from which she may never be able to return?

The Review: So much has changed for Lenah since she first became human. After the events in Stolen Night, Lenah sacrificed everything for the people she loves including Rhode – her soulmate – in order to stop the vampire plague by leaving the twenty-first century.  But when news comes to her that her ex-boyfriend – who is now a vampire – is ruling the vampire world with an iron fist and is willing to do anything to get Lenah back, Lenah has no other choice but return to the world she loves to help her friends who no longer remember her.  But she knows she must do it without endangering them once again. But when Justin holds Rhode captive, Lenah can’t wait any longer, she must take the fight to Justin to save her soul mate.

Eternal Dawn is a fantastic conclusion to Lenah and Rhode’s journey! If you’d have asked to predict how this series ends, it certainly wouldn’t have been this just because it was completely impossible to predict anything about this series. It’s heart-pounding, exciting and such a gripping read that I can’t see anyone disappointed with how the series ends.

Lenah is such a complex character that it’s fascinating to get to know her. I loved her from the start of the series and I love how much she’s grown. Even as a vampire there was always just something about Lenah that makes you root for her. Now she’s human, you can’t help root for her even more. She’s selfless, kind, and loves fiercely. And I adore the relationship she has with Rhode. Even though I loved Justin too, I just feel as though Lenah and Rhode are meant to be. Not matter the events in their lives that force them apart, they always manage to find their way back to one another. It’s amazing to read.

What surprised me most about this instalment was seeing all the familiar faces but one character in particular who I never thought I’d see again but did. This book just wouldn’t have been the same without him. I really enjoyed the whole plot of the story – I was hoping for some redemption or saving for one character but I guess you can’t have everything. Still it was a great read and I’m glad I stuck with the series to the end.

In all, Rebecca Maizel proves that vampire stories can still be a hit with Eternal Dawn and even though I’m sad to see this series end I think it was the best possible ending.

Thank you to Macmillian Children's Books for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review. 

UK Blog for Stolen Night by Rebecca Maizel + Int Giveaway

The High Gate Vampire. 

To celebrate the release of Rebecca Maizels novel Stolen Night sequel to Infinite Days, we wanted to do an interesting blog tour for her amazing novel. So on our blog today we wanted to celebrate the release of Stolen Night, now if you don't know about Rebecca's novels the vampires were not so nice at the beginning, so we're going to start by telling you about a vampire story from long ago in London... The High Gate Vampire. 

1839 is when the cemetery was opened to the dead. Built by Victorian hands and sealed with the love of loved ones buried there. Hate, love and vampires hung in the air and here's the story......

Two seemingly unconnected incidents occurred within weeks of one another in early 1967. The first involved two 16-year-old convent girls who were walking home at night after having visited friends in Highgate Village. Their return journey took them down Swains Lane past the cemetery. They could not believe their eyes as they passed the graveyard’s north gate at the top of the lane, for in front of them bodies appeared to be emerging from their tombs. One of these schoolgirls later suffered nightly visitations and blood loss. The second incident, some weeks later, involved an engaged couple who were walking down the same lane. Suddenly the female shrieked as she glimpsed something hideous hovering behind the gate’s iron railings. Then her fiancé saw it. They both stood frozen to the ground as the spectre held them in thrall. Its face bore an expression of basilisk horror. Soon others sighted the same phenomenon as it hovered along the path behind the gate where gravestones are visible either side until consumed in darkness. Before long people were talking in hushed tones about the rumoured haunting in local pubs. Some who actually witnessed the spectral figure wrote to their local newspaper to share their experience. Discovery was made of animal carcasses drained of blood. 

They had been so exsanguinated that a forensic sample could not be found. It was only a matter of time before a person was found in the cemetery in a pool of blood. This victim died of wounds to the throat. The police made every attempt to cover-up the vampiristic nature of the death. Seán Manchester informed the public on 27 February 1970 that the cause was most probably a vampire. He appeared on television on 13 March 1970 and repeated his theory. The VRS, whose specialist unit within a larger investigatory organisation (now defunct) had opened the case twelve months earlier, established a history of similar hauntings that went back to before the graveyard existed. A suspected tomb was located and a spoken exorcism performed. This proved to be ineffective.

Life around high gate doesn't sound so good does it? Hopefully that vampire will turn good like Rebecca's ones. Until next time .... Mwahahaha.
  

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A Review for Stolen Night (Vampire Queen #2) by Rebecca Maizel

Posted by Donna

UK Release Date: Available now

Finished Date: July 11th, 2012

Publishers: Macmilliam

Source: For Review

Format: Paperback 

Pages: 432
Buy : Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

The pulse-quickening, heartbreaking, devastatingly powerful follow-up to INFINITE DAYS. Lenah Beaudonte should be dead. But having sacrificed herself to save another, she finds herself awakening with strange powers that are neither vampire nor human - and with a new enemy on her trail. In her vampire life, Lenah had thought that being human was all she ever wanted; but the human heart suffers pain, heartbreak and loss. With her new powers growing and the dark force of the Nex after her soul, Lenah faces a choice: between the mortal love of gorgeous Justin, whose passion fed her human soul, and taking a different path to become the mistress of her own destiny, wherever that may lead.

The Review: Stolen Night is the long awaited sequel to Infinite Days, by author Rebecca Maizel and this was one of my most anticipated reads, since I read Infinite Days back in 2010. Now after reading, I’m completely blown away by Rebecca’s writing and utterly shocked where she decided to take this series because honestly, I loved it but it definitely wasn’t what I expected. 
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When I read Infinite Days, I kind of thought I knew where the next book was heading. My prediction was; the story would centre around Lenah and Justin dealing with a now human Vicken. We’d also see Lenah come into her human life more, and see some nasty vampires turn up and cause trouble but, I was only really right about the vampires turning up. So the rest of my prediction I couldn’t have be more wrong! 
Everything I once thought I knew from Infinite Days –  in my opinion, is turned upside down with the return of Rhode. We see Lenah battles with her feelings for him and Justin during this book and honestly, I really wasn’t what I was expecting. It’s so hard not to be in love for both of these guys and I thought I was Team Justin, but nope, sorry Justin, move over because I’m so Team Rhode’s now. I actually don’t think there is a huge choice for Lenah to make between the two, because it’s pretty clear who she’s destined to be with.  This whole love triangle shocked me because I didn’t think there was a love triangle to choose from, so it caught me off guard but I really liked it in the end.
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I felt Lenah really grew in this book, despite her lack of physical strength. She’s a human trying to fight off evil vampires and I think she did a good job. She loses a lot of close friends during this book too, but she remains strong through-out. I didn’t always agree with the choices she made, but she really makes up for them in the end.  
I also really loved Vicken and thought he was a great addition and also Rhode’s – it’s hard not to love him. He's broody and dark and just lovable. Justin’s character takes a few unexpected turns and I’m eager to see where he goes next and that ending?! I need to know what happens!
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The story itself is absolutely heart-pounding, intense and heart-breaking. The trials the characters are faced with are hard and it was quite an emotional read. I can see why the author took so long to write this book because there’s so many characters to factor into the story, and how can you give them all a happy ending? Talk about a hard job but overall, I think Rebecca did a fantastic job. It proves she’s not afraid to write what she feels and even though I’m really shocked with how the story went, I think most readers will agree – it was fantastic. Rebecca’s really raised the stakes for the third book because Stolen Night was so unpredictable that you just don’t know which way the story will go. Be prepared to be blown away by Stolen Night because it’s not one you want to miss! 
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A huge thank you to Macmilliam for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

A review for Infinite Days (Vampire Queen #1) by Rebecca Maizel

Posted by Donna

Published Date: September 3rd, 2010
Finished Date: March 16th, 2011
The Blurb: When Lenah Beaudonte, a 500-year-old vampire queen, wakes up a human teenager at an ultra-cliquey prep school, she must choose between embracing the humanity she’s always craved and saving her new friends from her vicious coven. The first in a sizzling new YA series.


The Review: Infinite Days is the first book in the Vampire Queen series by author Rebecca Maizel, and oh boy, was it a great book.


The story follows Lenah who has been a vampire queen for over 500 years. She so desperatly wants to be human and  therefore she begs her former lover Rhode to perform a rutial that asks for a massive sacrifice. Once Lenah is finally human, she must try to live out her life getting to know how the world works again and also how to act like a normal 16 year old girl. When she enrolls in Wickham Boarding school, only then does her human life began to take turns that she never saw coming. And the biggest shock of all is Justin Enos - who Lenah in completely falling for. However, her happiness it short lived, when her former coven try to track her down, to return her to her right full place as their queen.


I can't say how much I loved this story. It's one of them books that has been sitting on my shelf for quiet sometime and now i've read it, I'm kicking myself for not reading it sooner.


Lenah for me, was one of the best female characters i've read about. She was such a likable person that you couldn't fault her. You see her change in ways a vampire could only dream of. As the story develops she begins to love again, laugh again and feel things she never thought of, and, reading how she finally discovers what a stereo is & snorkling is, I found it so much fun. You do see quiet a few different sides to Lenah during the story, her vampire & her human side and I love reading about both.


What I enjoyed as well, was the secondary characters like Tony and especially Justin. I was quiet glad the author didn't focus to much on the other girls in the story. She didn't do a typical, we hate you story. Eventually they accepted Lenah and become her friends and I did enjoyed how their friendship develops.


Overall, this is a unquie new vampire series. And I am now eagerly awaiting for the release of the next book - Well, with that cliffhanger, what more could you expect. :)