A Dance In Blood Velvet
Blood Wine, Book #2
By Freda Warrington
ISBN# 9781781167069
Author Website: http://www.fredawarrington.com/
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Caro
Beware of spoilers!
Summary:
For her vampire lover Karl, Charlotte has forsaken her human life. She thought their bond would last for eternity – until Karl’s former flame, the seductively beautiful Katerina, is rescued from the depths of the Weisskalt. Now she wants to reclaim her life… and Karl.
In despair, Charlotte turns to the prima ballerina Violette Lenoir, an ice maiden who only thaws when she dances. Charlotte is fascinated as she has been by no other human, but her obsession unleashes a far darker threat than the vampires could have ever have imagined…
Review:
The Blood Wine series was first published in the 1990’s, and now, by demand of the fans, it is being reissued with new book covers, that I’m just in love with, and a new book to the series due May, 2015.
As A Dance In Blood Velvet starts, we find out that Charlotte is still being looked for by her family. Soon after, while in the Crystal Ring, Karl and Charlotte find Katerine and nourish her back to life. At the same time, their friend Andreas is brought back by a human named Benedict Grey and his mysterious book. From this point on, the reader learns that the events taking place are all, somewhat, being caused by the death of their vampire creator, Kristian. Everything has a reason.
I was very interested on reading this book, I had been so out of focus from the vampire lure that I don’t know why I didn’t discover it earlier. I do have to admit that the first half of the book is a rollercoaster, which made the pace of it a little slow for me to catch on. There would suddenly be an interesting flashback or important information and then Karl and Charlotte’s relationship would over shine it with their lovers quarrels. I found myself rooting more for a love line between Holly and Andreas than the main characters’ one.
Speaking of Andreas, he definitely became my favorite character. He was always bright and sarcastic, very peaceful even though years of his life were taken from him. When he lost Katerina, he coped with it maturely and understood she needed to rest. He’s a vampire I would like to keep around. Another vampire that caught my attention was Ilona. She could have been a ferocious one, but she had her reasons. She was always there to keep Charlotte company, and she was a key point for Violette’s behavior.
Then, we get to the second half of the book and things start to get interesting. Katerina has somehow taken Karl away from Charlotte, and they find Ben, Andreas, and several vampires that came out of the Crystal Ring, too. Meanwhile, Charlotte, now in more acquaintance with Violette learns that her body can’t take the dancing no more and decides to turn her into a vampire with the help of Stefan and Ilona. Here is where the author mixes Jewish mythology with vampirism and the product is the Blood Wine series. There’s an extensive talk about Lilith and God, reincarnation in its way, and the belief where vampire come from. Throughout the book we get clues that at some point Lilith will become the main character of this story and then the reader is caught by how she came to be.
“Kristina used to say, ‘Our Father is God and our Mother is Lilith.’ As they do not exist, clearly we are all orphans.”
“Andreas, what would you call yourself?”
“A vampire, natürlich, unless you want to be poetic. We are Lamie, Children of Lilith. Immortals.”
This book has everything that a vampire novel should have: vampires, symbolism, occultism, love, blood, sarcasm, and a cliffhanger to make you read the book that follows. I still want to know what will Karl do with his inner struggles of accepting to be a leader, his love for Charlotte and his fear that Violette will take her away. Charlotte has quite a lot in her hands, too. She could choose to end it once and for all or live with what she has. And, then there’s the possibility that Kristian could still be alive. What if he is the one Violette has been waiting for? Let’s not forget about Katerina, who after all turned out to be colder than Violette and Ilona together.
I definitely recommend you read A Dance in Blood Velvet. If you’re like me and getting back into vampire stories, this is a good one to start again. Not to mention that the new book covers look amazing!
Favorite quotes:
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“This is what ballet is. It’s not glamorous, it’s hard work. If I don’t complain, nor must anyone else. I always tell my dancers, if you can’t endure the pain, find another career.”
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“Poor Holly. So we both are helpless. Shall we be friends in our helplessness?”
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“What’s the point? Confide in someone and you become vulnerable. They use your pain as a weapon against you. I have no friends because I have only one passion: to dance.”
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“If you want to help us, become our leader. Take Kristian’s place!”
”No.”
“You must. We need someone. You cannot slay the king and not replace him!”
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“Men are wicked, human and vampire alike; don’t let them make you sad.”
