Souls shrouded in darkness…
Stuck working as a barmaid for her demanding father, Anna dreams of adventure. When mysterious strangers enter the bar, she overhears they seek Zancrela, an ancient fortress filled with treasure and a magical library. Taking her chance, she offers to guide them. The conditions: deliver Zancrela or die.
As they journey through the wilderness, she discovers their secret: they are vampires. And most view her as food. One takes interest in her and her heart dares to hope, but it might not be enough to change her fate. Will Anna find Zancrela or become a vampire morsel?
I must say I had no idea I would love this book as much as I did. I also didn’t expect to devour it in two days, but I did! Everything from the plot to the characters to the world it takes place works to reel in the reader. I was enthralled.
Anna comes across as a sweet, innocent girl, working hard to follow her dreams. Her craving for knowledge and a life out from under her father’s reign drives her motivations. She is also the key to finding Zancrela, a location Victor and his clan have been searching for for months now. Not knowing what she’ll get herself into, she offers to guide the group if they’ll allow her access to Zancrela’s library upon their arrival. During their journey, she shows more strength and bravery than any of her companions would expect of a mere human. She may be a gentle soul, but she shall not break under pressure. She’s got way too much to lose should she fail.
I absolutely love Anna’s character. She was really well written. Her curiosities, fears and strengths mixed together create a strong protagonist, who you wish the very best for. I triumphed in her victories and joys and needed her to be safe.
Victor needs to keep Anna safe! Not only because she can lead them to Zancrela, despite most of his clan doubting her, but also because there’s something about her that draws him in like no other woman has in his long life. Keeping his clan at bay and trusting a human’s directions is not easy to do when they hunger for her blood.
Aaah! Simply love Victor. His tough exterior hides a softer inside. His need to protect his people is attractive in itself as it’s not the domineering overprotectiveness that leads him, but deep affection for everyone in his clan. Seeing him open up bit by bit is absolutely precious. Love him, love him, love him.
I enjoyed the whole book, but I must say my favourite part of any romance plotline is the tentative dance around the affection for each other—I mean there’s a different kind of appeal to jumping into bed with someone from the get go, but I’ll always love that bit awkward, I don’t know if they’ll feel the same way, so I won’t make a big deal about this gesture and that comment a whole lot more—and L. Diane Wolfe has really done a great job with the way Anna and Victor’s relationship grows.
The whole story is super well written. The way everyone in the group gets brought in, very masterfully done. We don’t get an overload of information about everyone in the traveling party and even though they are all there from the beginning of the story we meet them gradually as their importance to certain scenes arises.
Really, truly loved everything about this book!
I received an ARC copy of this book. The release date is 7th February. I really, truly suggest you to add it to your reading list, because WOW.