Book Review 31: The Roman by Sylvain Reynard (The Florentine Series #4)

Title:The Roman
Author:Sylvain Reynard
Release Date:06 December 2016
Publisher:EverAfter Romance

Raven and her sister, Cara, are at the mercy of a small detachment of Florentine vampyres, who are delivering them as a peace offering to the feared Curia in Rome.

Though she’s unsure William survived the coup that toppled his principality, Raven is determined to protect her sister at all costs, even if it means challenging Borek, the commander of the detachment.

In an effort to keep Raven from falling into the hands of his enemies, William puts himself at the mercy of the Roman, the dangerous and mysterious vampyre king of Italy. But the Roman is not what he expects …

Alliances and enmities will shift and merge as William struggles to save the woman he loves and his principality, without plunging the vampyre population into a world war.

This stunning conclusion to the Florentine series will take readers across Italy and beyond as the lovers fight to remain together. Forever.

Rating: 5/5
Review:
I didn’t want to read The Roman when it finally downloaded to my Kindle because I didn’t want Raven and William’s story to end so soon. However, my curiosity won out and I finished it in less than a day.

Giving a thorough review would lead to spoilers so let me just say that The Roman was a seamless, breathtaking, heartbreaking, swoon-inducing, and thrilling read. Sylvain Reynard really knows how to wield a pen. SR can make you feel as if you were right next to Raven and William as they fought their battles. All of the characters, both old and new, are far from one-dimensional and very easy to envision – meaning that some other characters are downright bone-chilling (Yes, that character. And that. And that…). I love how the book was written and I can’t wait to get my hands on the paperback (I’m counting on you, Book Depository!) to read it again. I was a bit uncertain about the twist in the end but I came to the conclusion that I wouldn’t want the story to end any other way. Although, I do have a question which I can’t ask without giving anything away… Drat.

To anyone looking for something different, I highly recommend Sylvain Reynard’s works. I look forward to reading more of SR’s works in the future.

Disclaimer: I received an eGalley of this book from the author/publisher for an honest review.

Book Review 7: Party Games by R.L. Stine

Title: Party Games
Author: R.L. Stine
Release Date: September 30, 2014

Her friends warn her not to go to Brendan Fear’s birthday party at his family’s estate on mysterious Fear Island. But Rachel Martin has a crush on Brendan and is excited to be invited. Brendan has a lot of party games planned. But one game no one planned intrudes on his party—the game of murder. As the guests start dying one by one, Rachel realizes to her horror that she and the other teenagers are trapped on the tiny island with someone who may want to kill them all. How to escape this deadly game? Rachel doesn’t know whom she can trust. She should have realized that nothing is as it seems… on Fear Island.

R.L. Stine makes his triumphant return to Shadyside, a town of nightmares, shadows, and genuine terror, and to the bestselling series that began his career writing horror for the juvenile market, in the new Fear Street book Party Games.

Book Review 5: The Vines by Christopher Rice

Title: The Vines
Author: Christopher Rice
Release Date: October 21, 2014

The dark history of Spring House, a beautifully restored plantation mansion on the outskirts of New Orleans, has long been forgotten. But something sinister lurks beneath the soil of the old estate.

After heiress and current owner Caitlin Chaisson is witness to her husband’s stunning betrayal at her birthday party, she tries to take her own life in the mansion’s cherished gazebo. Instead, the blood she spills awakens dark forces in the ground below. Chaos ensues and by morning her husband has vanished without a trace and his mistress has gone mad.

Nova, daughter to Spring House’s groundskeeper, has always suspected that something malevolent haunts the old place, and in the aftermath of the birthday party she enlists Caitlin’s estranged best friend, Blake, to help her get to the bottom of it. The pair soon realizes that the vengeance enacted by this sinister and otherworldly force comes at a terrible price.

Book Review 3: Neil Gaiman’s The Last Temptation 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition

Title: Neil Gaiman’s The Last Temptation 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition

Authors: Neil Gaiman, Alice Cooper, Michael Zulli and Dave McKean

Release Date: November 11, 2014

Neil Gaiman (Sandman, Coraline, American Gods) brings shock rocker Alice Cooper’s concept album to life in a surreal sideshow of the soul! Join a young boy named Steven on a surreal journey of the soul, as an enigmatic and potentially dangerous Showman seduces him into joining his carnival. Celebrate the 20th Anniversary of this seminal Gaiman work, returned to print for the first time in over a decade. Fully remastered in color, this Deluxe Edition incorporates complete scripts to all three chapters, black-and-white thumbnail art of pre-colored pages, an original outline of the project by Neil Gaiman, and a collection of letters between shock rocker Alice Cooper and the author!

“I’m really happy that The Last Temptation is coming out for a new generation of readers, who have not seen Michael Zulli’s glorious drawings, or know of the Showman and his wicked ways,” says Neil Gaiman.

“I wrote this a long time ago, driven by love of Ray Bradbury’s dark carnivals and of Alice Cooper’s own pandemonium shadow show. It’s time for it to shuffle out onto a leaf-covered street and meet the people who don’t know about Stephen and Mercy and show what’s coming to town.”

THIRSTY THURSDAY (3): TEAR INDUCING GOODBYE

Thirsty Thursday is a weekly feature, hosted by Nikki & Keira @ Lazy Book Lovers, where we discuss all things swoon-worthy: from quotes, book covers, book boyfriends, and even that worth-the-wait book kiss.

The theme for this week is tear inducing goodbye, and this is my pick:

Book: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Why: Nobody “Bod” Owens was raised in a graveyard by its spooky inhabitants. Then it’s time for him to leave and rejoin the world of the living. The magic of the graveyard leaves Bod little by little as his departure nears. He gets to say goodbye to his ghostly parents and friends and, by the time he exits the graveyard, he couldn’t see them anymore.

Walking down Fear Street (all over again…)

The very first R.L. Stine book that I read was The New Girl (see my prized book above) and I was instantly hooked. I was too young to be going to the book shop on my own back then so I had someone get the books for me. Dull days became interesting (think magical car like the one in the Cataluna Chronicles), and hot summer days just became a little bit chilly (thanks, 99 Fear Street). When I entered high school I was just so relieved that my school wasn’t populated with students straight out of Shadyside high (maybe, I don’t know), though the books sure did make a good source of daydreams while the teachers droned on and on.

Hearing that R.L. Stine is coming out with Party Games (you can read Chapter 1 here) after twenty years brings back a lot of memories like the scent of new books and the excitement of having a pile of books waiting to be read. I can’t wait to read it and relive taking that stroll (or maybe run) down Fear Street once again.

Quote-tastic Monday (1): Blackwood Farm by Anne Rice

QUOTE-TASTIC is hosted by Anna @ Herding Cats & Burning Soup.

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