Danann Frost Falls From Grace
Joanne Valiukas

Summary

Seth is a vampire, hundreds of years old, born into everlasting life. He feels trapped by obligations to his family and kingdom, and bored by the constant war and ceaseless politics. Until one night he meets a creature so beautiful, a goddess, that it changes his soul. She is captivated by him too, despite warnings that her kind must beware of the Dark Ones like Seth. But when she falls in love, she falls from Grace, and absolutely everything is ripped away from them both.

Review

Fallen angels and vampires are experiencing a heyday, and while that’s good for fans of the immortals, it means there’s a risk of mediocre books landing on shelves. Luckily, Joanne Valiukas has combined the two creatures in a new and exciting way.

One thing I cannot find enough of are well written books that use myths as a basis. Seth is born in Ireland, and he believes that Danann, because of her wings, is one of the daughters of Manannán mac Lir; in Celtic mythology Manannán mac Lir’s daughters were changed into swans by a jealous stepmother. In the book, Manannan is the original vampire.

Moving from Ireland in the time when Manannán mac Lir was alive to modern day Australia, we see Danann go from being a completely innocent (and naïve) angel, to a woman fighting to gain everything back. She loves and fights and you can’t help but get swept up with her.