⭐⭐⭐
Pros: The vampirism was a very vague concept, the transition just kind of happened with no real details but somehow, it was fitting.
Cons: Though “every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end” it seemed like Colette could never quite catch a break, it was just one death and disaster after another/Sometimes Holland would explain how Colette managed to feed even when living amongst humans but at other times, that detail seemed to be skipped over.
Full Review:
Colette LaSange is the prim, proper and intelligent mistress of a posh pre-school in upstate New York. Her students adore her and she them but every day at nap time, she sneaks away to the attic, to feed. She's a Vampire. And though she's managed to find a way to feed just enough from her many cats to keep herself full and keep the animals safe, she can feel her hunger growing and she has no idea why.
She's managed to survive amongst humans for centuries but this time, it feels different. The hunger is more powerful, almost all-consuming and there's a feeling that won't leave her, that something is coming, something big. And as dear friends, long dead begin visiting her in her dreams, she understands that there will be an ending. That Czernobog, the Slavic God of the Endings, is not finished with her.
When her Grandfather originally turned her into a Vampire, he sent her away to a remote part of the Carpathians to live with a very old and kind healer, Piroska and two identical twin brothers, Vano and Ehru. Ehru is like her, a Vampire but Vano is gentler, quieter, more intuitive. When everything comes to a head, he knows that something is coming. That the God of Endings, Czernobog, is here and all they can do is accept it.
Colette escapes and then must make her way through the world and it's no easy feat. As the years pass and she sees many friends and loved ones die and she just goes on living, she comes to resent what her Grandfather did to her though it's not all been terrible. Painting has always been something that's soothed her and during her many travels throughout the years, it's been the one constant in her life.
When a small, sad, sickly little boy, Leo, enrolls in the school and shows real promise as an artist, she can't help but feel drawn to him. Also, the fact that his parents seem to have a tumultuous relationship, at best and Leo is more or less left to his own devices, Colette finds herself getting more and more involved in their lives.
Though there were times when Colette could be maddening with her perfect etiquette and sometimes the pacing of the story was slow, overall this was a pretty good, middle of the road read. Colette wasn't your average, bestial, ravenous, red-eyed monster, she really was more or less just a human who never ages and never gets sick/wounded and who must drink blood to survive. It was an interesting take on the Vampire mythos. It was definitely unique and the ending, though dark, was satisfying.
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