kstep1805's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting start to a vampire series, particularly since it is considered Christian fiction. When picking up Christian fiction, I always worry that it will be too sanitized for a weak constitution, which is annoying when you are the type of Christian who doesn't want to pretend like the "dark side" of life doesn't exist. But this book certainly fits better into urban fantasy than Christian fiction.
The vampires in this book are scary, not sparkly, or alien, or to paraphrase a line out of Nightlight, "better looking than the average person but otherwise completely normal." These vampires, or Collectors, aren't so concerned about sucking blood as much as they are collecting souls of the weak and wreaking havoc in an attempt to hurt the NIstriam, a band of 36 immortals who carry the pain of humanity. If even one Nistriam is destroyed by the Collectors, it ushers in the end of the world.
The most significant problem with this book was that the world building was passed along mostly through inane dialogue. The main characters never got to the point and so you find yourself completely confused as to what is really going on. SPOILER ALERT
At one point you are told Gina is immortal and that all other Nistriam are not immortal, and then you are told that the original 36 Nistriam have been alive since the death of Christ.
I guess I will have to read the next book to figure out what exactly is happening.
The vampires in this book are scary, not sparkly, or alien, or to paraphrase a line out of Nightlight, "better looking than the average person but otherwise completely normal." These vampires, or Collectors, aren't so concerned about sucking blood as much as they are collecting souls of the weak and wreaking havoc in an attempt to hurt the NIstriam, a band of 36 immortals who carry the pain of humanity. If even one Nistriam is destroyed by the Collectors, it ushers in the end of the world.
The most significant problem with this book was that the world building was passed along mostly through inane dialogue. The main characters never got to the point and so you find yourself completely confused as to what is really going on. SPOILER ALERT
At one point you are told Gina is immortal and that all other Nistriam are not immortal, and then you are told that the original 36 Nistriam have been alive since the death of Christ.
I guess I will have to read the next book to figure out what exactly is happening.
shirleonelsie's review against another edition
1.0
Another one that I didn't finish. This book has an interesting concept. The undead, vampires, something that I used to enjoy reading. But in the 240 pages that I did read, there was no sense of redemption or happiness. An underlying sensual theme to most of the book also made me feel uncomfortable. I mean, yeah most of it took place with the demons (apparently they are Legion from the story of the demon possessed pigs that Jesus cast out of the man) but there was still nothing in the book that promised a happy ending.
Of course I go and buy the entire series and I was really excited about it too, since it was such an interesting concept to the vampire lore and the twist on the Bible. But it just felt dark the entire time. I have reached a point in my life where I really don't want that to be what I am reading.
Of course I go and buy the entire series and I was really excited about it too, since it was such an interesting concept to the vampire lore and the twist on the Bible. But it just felt dark the entire time. I have reached a point in my life where I really don't want that to be what I am reading.
faithfulgirl4's review against another edition
4.0
This is one of the most interesting books I've ever read. This book starts out with a graphic depiction of the death of Judas. It's his blood that allows for the Collectors to come for many years afterward.
Gina is a young girl who can't understand why her mom cuts her all the time. I thought Nikki was a little neurotic myself and she's not the kind of mom I would want!!
What made this book so interesting is that it's a "Christian vampire" novel. Seems a little oxymoronic! [a:Eric Wilson|380|Eric Schlosser|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1205336508p2/380.jpg] does a great job of depicting the scenes between Romania and the United States. I loved the rich history described in the book.
These are not your "normal" vampires. I love their method of feeding! It's a bit unique, but not one that I would want to be subject to!
One of my hangups with this book is that I think I got a little to caught up in the symbolism. I am also not a fan of books or movies that switch back and forth from present day to the future, back to the past, and so on. I have a hard time keeping it all straight!!
Character-wise, I HATED Nikki...she's purely evil. I had hoped she'd get her pay back before the book was over. My favorite character is Cal. He's just so mysterious and I hope to see him again in [b:Haunt of the Jackals|6310129|Haunt of Jackals (Jerusalem's Undead Trilogy)|Eric Wilson|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51yEn-sqW9L._SL75_.jpg|6495281].
I would give this book an overall 4.5 stars. I will be starting the sequel as soon as I whittle down a few other books for tours this month.
I am an Amazon Associate. I personally purchased this book from Amazon. I receive no monetary compensation for my book reviews.
Gina is a young girl who can't understand why her mom cuts her all the time. I thought Nikki was a little neurotic myself and she's not the kind of mom I would want!!
What made this book so interesting is that it's a "Christian vampire" novel. Seems a little oxymoronic! [a:Eric Wilson|380|Eric Schlosser|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1205336508p2/380.jpg] does a great job of depicting the scenes between Romania and the United States. I loved the rich history described in the book.
These are not your "normal" vampires. I love their method of feeding! It's a bit unique, but not one that I would want to be subject to!
One of my hangups with this book is that I think I got a little to caught up in the symbolism. I am also not a fan of books or movies that switch back and forth from present day to the future, back to the past, and so on. I have a hard time keeping it all straight!!
Character-wise, I HATED Nikki...she's purely evil. I had hoped she'd get her pay back before the book was over. My favorite character is Cal. He's just so mysterious and I hope to see him again in [b:Haunt of the Jackals|6310129|Haunt of Jackals (Jerusalem's Undead Trilogy)|Eric Wilson|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51yEn-sqW9L._SL75_.jpg|6495281].
I would give this book an overall 4.5 stars. I will be starting the sequel as soon as I whittle down a few other books for tours this month.
I am an Amazon Associate. I personally purchased this book from Amazon. I receive no monetary compensation for my book reviews.
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