Clay & Susan Griffith
The Greyfriar
Vampire Empire, Book #1

Review brought to you by OBS staff member Erin

Summary:

In the year 1870, a horrible plague of vampires swept over the northern regions of the world. Millions of humans were killed outright. Millions more died of disease and famine due to the havoc that followed. Within two years, once great cities were shrouded by the grey empire of the vampire clans. Human refugees fled south to the tropics because vampires could not tolerate the constant heat there. They brought technology and a feverish drive to reestablish their shattered societies of steam and iron amid the mosques of Alexandria, the torrid quietude of Panama, or the green temples of Malaya. It is now 2020 and a bloody reckoning is coming. Princess Adele is heir to the Empire of Equatoria, a remnant of the old tropical British Empire. She is eager for an adventure before she settles into a life of duty and political marriage to a man she does not know. But her quest turns black when she becomes the target of a merciless vampire clan. Her only protector is The Greyfriar, a mysterious hero who fights the vampires from deep within their territory. (via Shelfari)

Review:

I avoided this book when it first came out. A Princess is captured (by vampires), and then rescued by a masked man? It sounded too hokey and predictable to be good. But a year after it came out, it was consistently getting 4 and 5 star reviews on Amazon and GoodReads. So I bought it. I’m SO glad I did. It reads like the 30s and 40s Swashbuckling Errol Flynn movies, without any of the ridiculous posing (except from Senator Clark, Princess Adele’s fiancé. But I don’t think you’re supposed to like him). Princess Adele is a strong lead, and with the exception of a few out-of-place lines, doesn’t fit into any picture of a damsel in distress. And it was action packed. I could definitely see this as a Pirates of the Caribbean style movie.

I would have liked to see more world building (since it is alternative history), but since this one was so action focused, I’m assuming I’ll get more details in the sequels (it’s a planned trilogy). There were hints about magic or powers coming up, so I’m interested about where that goes. It had some over the top moments, but they were short and, in a way, worked with the tone. Overall it was exciting. I became really attached to the characters (I find myself thinking about them when I’m not reading). I’m really looking forward to the next two.