Xpresso Reads

Eeeeh, vampires à la Rhiannon Frater? Yes please!This vampire anthology gives us vampiric tales from the vengeful to the romantic. Divided in 3 parts, we've got a good bunch of unique short stories that sticks with the classic vampire beliefs. The first part's stories are very short but they're fun; perfect to get you in the mood - like those little preluding mini movies in Pixar films. Although these ones aren't so cutesy. I mean - coming from Rhiannon and all.All about strong, dependent women who don't take kindly to be treated like trash, part 2 is all about revenge on creeps who deserve it. Treating girls like a possession - manipulating and stalking them - has been ongoing in novels these days so I'm relieved when I read about empowered females who fight back. And these ones surely do. One thing I've noticed about Rhiannon's work is how she handles the fate of the hateful characters. They get everything that they deserve and my sadistic side relishes this! I could not have ended these better even if I tried. As for part 3, we get a trilogy filled with romance, magic, and a touch of heartbreak. Each short story is a different point of view showing us unique sides of this family's tale. My personal favorite - of this part as well as the whole book - is The Memoirs of Moniki the Great. It's the POV of a little girl who's only 7 years old. Her tale is tragic and heartbreaking, but so very sweet. I loved her voice, she's so compelling she basically put me in her shoes. I felt her pain, her hope, and above all, her innocence. For a short story it was surprisingly profound. It's worth a read just for this one. It's unorthodox, though, as it includes a touch of magic, but I thought it was brilliant. Just a quick note of the final story of this trilogy. It was my first venture in a 2nd person narrative so it was very different for me. I'm not sure I would enjoy reading a full length novel with it, but it was interesting to see it applied. True to its title, Blood & Love and Other Vampire Tales contains plenty of blood and an abundance of love inside this fantastic variety of vampire themed stories. Fans of Rhiannon Frater - this one's a given! Not a fan yet? You are missing out!--For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads