Review for Ordeal by T.R. Varenko:

Brought to you by OBS Staffer Udita Plaha.

This was the first novel I have ever read that was written in verse (excluding Shakespeare etc.). I have got to say, I was pleasantly surprised. The writing style was excellent, although tough to get through. Varenko did a great job incorporating an original vampire story into poem-form. The story follows Luella, a vampire-queen, cursed to live a life as a human. She doesn’t understand what she is, or why she is so different from the humans around her, but the appearance of a man, the one from her dreams, starts to help her understand what she is. The man, Derek, is her love-interest. He saved her life, and never left her alone since. He follows her and protects her, haunting even her thoughts. Luella finds herself falling for this stranger, even after discovering his identity and how he related to her past life. The chemistry between the two characters was almost tangible, it was that apparent to me. I found the story very exciting, but it seemed that there was more focus on the two characters; there wasn’t much deviation. In spite of that, it is a beautifully written, gripping, tale of two star-crossed lovers.

I must admit, it was a hard read. The style makes traditional reading tough. I had to re-read several sections. Overall, I give it 3 stars out of 5.

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