Sybrina
By Amy Rachiele
***1/2 Good book with beautiful writing
Sybrina, a Victorian era paranormal romance by Amy Rachiele is unlike most books in the genre I've read. Ms. Rachiele’s use of beautiful dialogue and unique perspective on the typical vampire story make this a book a good read.
Sybrina, as aforementioned, takes place in the Victorian era on board The Water Witch bound for England from the United States. On board in the belly of the huge ship where the lower-class passengers are housed if a young, well-educated, affluent woman, Sybrina, disguised as a young man. She is in disguise not only to keep herself safe as a young woman traveling alone, but also because she’s on the run from an evil that killed her entire family but also, she fears, may be after her as well.
Above deck in one of the upper-class cabins is a vampire named Elijah who is not only traveling under the guise of being a man of the cloth, but is there to keep Sybrina safe from the evil she fears-an evil he created.
I have to say even though I found myself interested in the journey of Elijah and Sybrina, there were quite a few moments throughout the book where I felt the pace was very slow. Indeed there were moments where I felt as though Ms. Rachiele knew there was a lull so she added excerpts from other works such as Moby Dick and the Bible. It almost felt like filler material to me and took away from the flow.
The writing of the overall book was magnificent and quite eloquent. Ms. Rachiele’s use of dialogue throughout was amazing. "'There is something harmonious about the sea and the sky...In the distance they are married, blending together...'" "'But it is a mirage. Never the two shall meet.'" The images created by her words are beautiful. I also enjoyed the change in POV that went so smoothly between Elijah and Sybrina.
Ms. Rachiele’s originality was a great change of pace when it comes to reading vampire books. She explores different aspects of vampiric lore while letting her characters debunk the myths she doesn't find plausible.
Sybrina was a good read, one I would recommend to someone looking forward to a different take on a paranormal romance featuring vampires.
By Amy Rachiele
***1/2 Good book with beautiful writing
Sybrina, a Victorian era paranormal romance by Amy Rachiele is unlike most books in the genre I've read. Ms. Rachiele’s use of beautiful dialogue and unique perspective on the typical vampire story make this a book a good read.
Sybrina, as aforementioned, takes place in the Victorian era on board The Water Witch bound for England from the United States. On board in the belly of the huge ship where the lower-class passengers are housed if a young, well-educated, affluent woman, Sybrina, disguised as a young man. She is in disguise not only to keep herself safe as a young woman traveling alone, but also because she’s on the run from an evil that killed her entire family but also, she fears, may be after her as well.
Above deck in one of the upper-class cabins is a vampire named Elijah who is not only traveling under the guise of being a man of the cloth, but is there to keep Sybrina safe from the evil she fears-an evil he created.
I have to say even though I found myself interested in the journey of Elijah and Sybrina, there were quite a few moments throughout the book where I felt the pace was very slow. Indeed there were moments where I felt as though Ms. Rachiele knew there was a lull so she added excerpts from other works such as Moby Dick and the Bible. It almost felt like filler material to me and took away from the flow.
The writing of the overall book was magnificent and quite eloquent. Ms. Rachiele’s use of dialogue throughout was amazing. "'There is something harmonious about the sea and the sky...In the distance they are married, blending together...'" "'But it is a mirage. Never the two shall meet.'" The images created by her words are beautiful. I also enjoyed the change in POV that went so smoothly between Elijah and Sybrina.
Ms. Rachiele’s originality was a great change of pace when it comes to reading vampire books. She explores different aspects of vampiric lore while letting her characters debunk the myths she doesn't find plausible.
Sybrina was a good read, one I would recommend to someone looking forward to a different take on a paranormal romance featuring vampires.