Tomes of Shadowstalking

Welcome to the land of shadows, where evil is the greatest power, where nightfall marks the birth of terror, where your very soul is at risk. Join me as I investigate worlds filled with black magic and dark souls and encounter the monsters rule these wicked places.

This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the book.

That said, on to the review!

Sabrina Van Fleet has learned the truth about her "uncle" and the dark secret that has been dominating her family for nearly 200 years. In a desperate attempt to break the chain of power that threatens to consume her as well, Sabrina enlists the aid of her friends to find the book hidden somewhere in the Van Fleet mansion. However, there are others searching for the book as well: her Uncle Viktor, whose possession of the book will result in a world dominated by vampires; and one Chaunte Devareaux, the original owner of the book who wants it back so she can recover her stolen power. With the fate of the entire world at stake, can Sabrina succeed where her uncle and Ms. Devareaux have failed?

Deadly Relations closes the Blood & Lace two-book set. It's another vampire novel, with a good dosage of witchcraft thrown into the mix. Given the short length of the set--two relatively thin paperback books--you can't expect too much in the way of character and plot development; you usually have to settle for one or the other. However, the author has done a terrific job of making the characters real with the strength of the plot only wavering slightly along the way.

Like I said in the review of Vampire Heart, the vampires are handled differently than in other stories. I don't know whether this adds to or detracts from the novel's--er--novelty. To be honest, though, I preferred seeing the conflicting interactions between the heroes and the villains. It's bad enough having one evil-doer bent on conquering the world, but Sabrina and her friends--who, except for her vampiric cousin Jeremy, are only mortal--have two foes to vanquish and a traitor in their midst. And no, it isn't cousin Jeremy, who's a good guy, by the way, and I'm not talking "good versus evil" kind of guy, either. Who else would struggle long and hard against a two-hundred year old vampire to protect the one relative who could stop him?

Taken together, Vampire Heart and Deadly Relations make for good storytelling. You could probably read this aloud in front of a campfire on a dark and spooky night (not stormy, it'd put out the fire) and finish the entire set within three or four evenings. So why not give it a try, hmm?

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