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CM . . . . Volume XVIII Number 2 . . . . September 9, 2011
excerpt:
The second book in Harvey's paranormal series "Drake Chronicles" begins a week after the first book, Hearts at Stake, ends. Eighteen-year old Logan Drake falls in love with Isabeau St. Croix, a French vampire princess. She has been sent by the Hound tribe (distinguished from other vampire tribes by their two sets of fangs) to begin treaty negotiations with the Drake family at the royal caves. At first, she thinks Logan is a 'pretty boy', and she distrusts his family and their intentions. Her focus is on finding and killing the Earl of Greyhaven; the vampire who left her for dead over two hundred years ago. The two vampire tribes are united in their hatred for Montmarte, an evil vampire, and, as they fight his rogue Hel-Blar vampires, the Hounds and the ancient Drake family develop a more trusting relationship. When Logan's family and new girlfriend are threatened at the same time, Logan feels conflicted about whom to help first, but he makes a choice that ensures his family's safety and a future with Isabeau. Numerous dogs are integral to the plot in this second book. The story, which is narrated alternately by Logan and Isabeau, includes the occasional French word or phrase, explanations behind the Hounds' magic abilities such as dreamwalking, and flashbacks that take the reader back in time to London and Paris in the 1700's. Before Isabeau was pulled out of a coffin by the Hounds' dogs, she lived through the French Revolution and witnessed her parents being executed by a guillotine. Two hundred years ago, Isabeau survived on the streets by pick-pocketing and robbing from the dead. After her rescue, she realizes she can survive because she is a Hound who is capable of defending herself from vampires. Blood Feud could be read as a standalone, but readers are encouraged to read Hearts at Stake, the first book in the series, to understand the war going on between the vampire tribes. Recommended. Tanya Boudreau is a librarian at Cold Lake Public Library in Cold Lake, AB.
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