Infinite Days
by Rebecca Maizel
ISBN-13: 9-780312-649913
Rating: 5 ♥ / 5 ♥ – I loved it!
“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 who wasn’t Rhode. But Justin was…daring. Exciting. More beautiful than I could dream. I never expected to be sixteen again…but then again, I never expected my past to come back and haunt me.
I cannot tell you how happy I was to read about Rebecca Maizel’s vampires. They’re vicious, bloody, tormented, living in the dark – you know, real vampires. Lenah is an almost 600 year old Vampire Queen who ruled over her coven with an iron and bloody fist. Until the day comes when she begs her maker to either find a way to make her human again, or she’d walk into the sun. And so, after 100 years of sleep, Lenah is sixteen years old and living at boarding school in the 21st century – as a human. She has until Hallowe’en to leave behind all traces of her vampire self and hope that her coven doesn’t find her when they come searching.
Ok, first things first. Rebecca does an amazing job of keeping Lenah believable (as much as a 600 year old vampire turned 16 year old human can be believable). Lenah has been asleep since early 1900, so is understandably a little lost when it comes to things like cars, technology, fashion, speech, etc. While she learns about these things after becoming human, it’s not overnight knowledge. By the end of the book, she’s still not fully immersed in 21st century tech and lingo, and I loved it. The progression was perfectly paced, in my opinion. And Lenah is such a great character. She knows perfectly well that when she was a vampire she was decidedly evil. She knows that even with the curse of being a vampire, in eternal torment, didn’t mean she had to be as evil as she was. Even though Lenah acknowledges her past, and regrets it, she makes no apologies for it. It’s who she was, and though she’s changed now, that past is still a part of her.
I’m not too keen on Justin, but I think that might change as the books continue. It seemed like they got together very quickly, with little resistance. Yes, it’s explained as a vampire thing, but I just couldn’t help but find the relationship between Justin and Lenah a little rushed. Especially after her love of 600 years just died to make her human! Tony, on the other hand, I love. He’s fun, unique, and just so sweet. There is a huge plot development near the end of the book that broke my heart into little pieces and I just stared at the book in disbelief for a few minutes. That’s another thing; the plot was great. I loved the pace at which everything was presented and the anxiety and fear that Lenah feels about her coven shines through. Descriptions were spot on, and Lenah’s transition from human to vampire is a strange and wonderful journey.
Infinite Days is a wonderful debut. Amazing vampires, characters and plot ensure this is one series whose sequels I will be waiting anxiously for.
Infinite Days is part of the 2010 Debut Author Challenge
Escape Through the Pages 