Reviewed by Katie
This was my first vampire story, ever. My generation was all about aliens, within
and from beyond; facsimiles that became sentient and boldly exploring the
unknown. I think the current fascination
with immortality at a dreadful price is the economy version of much the same
thing. It is infinitely more plausible
to create fiction in our backyard. Classical
elements of myth and mystery framed by popular culture create an enticing
reflection of what life could be. Couple
this with being part of a secret world, select and elite among the masses
trudging through an uncertain life, how can it not appeal?
So yes, I came to my first vampire story
with a bit of a condescending attitude.
I do not apologize for this any more than first time readers of
historical romance should. We all have our pre-conceived notions and if we
occasionally branch out to see what the rest of the world is reading and
thinking about, I say: Good for you!
The Grave Ajar was an interesting first
step to take. Gioia Di Terzi is working
in England. She is Italian, away from
home for the first time, intellectually gifted, mid-twenties, and paying her
dues in a civil service job. Bored where
she expected to be wrapped up in a fascinating other-life, she walks back and
forth to work, weaving an internal spell of something better by studying the
gothic Guildhall building along her route.
The day she decides to take the tour is a mistake, or so she claims, but
really, the reader knows better. Roydon
Thamesian is the Guildhall Guardian, Master of the local underworld, supernatural
not criminal. Of course, it takes her a
while to figure this out because she’s quite distracted by his gorgeousness and
compelling physique. Did I already say,
of course … oh, well.
Roydon is equally fascinated by her beauty
and mind, of course. On the other hand, there’s a crisis brewing and he doesn’t
have time to get distracted, or was that attracted; did I mention she was
enchantingly enticing? Roydon thinks
about that, a great deal, while the crisis builds. Gioia has her own internal dialogs even as
she forces her way beyond a mental erasure and his defenses to offer her
assistance. The crisis grows, the
attraction grows, the secondary characters waltz through with quirky confusions
and obvious amusement over Roydon’s falling for a chick with a good mind inside
a delightful package. Before you know it
they are a Team and the worst has happened and the reader is left with a
hanging resolution. You could stop
there, or nag for the sequel. I plan to
nag.
I probably sound irreverent regarding the
author’s work. I’m not. I spent hours enjoying this book, though not,
I suspect, as intended. I can make no comment on the accuracy of
vampire details or the current London scene.
I took facts as given and suspended reality without a qualm. The pacing, characters and tone were well
done; I could believe what I read, with the caveats I’ve mentioned. Because I frequently blame conversion
technology for misspellings and grammatical malfunctions, I willfully ignore
them when reviewing, especially when the kindle is involved. However, in this
case, a pdf I did not convert, they were, for me, the charm of this book. I *must* point them out.
I was halfway through the first chapter
when I decided that obviously, the author was deliberately using the wrong
words and grammatical manipulation to emphasize Gioia’s otherness in the
humdrum environment. She would, of
course, struggle with the language and the use of the word “stales” for
“stalls” was quirky - especially considering how much time she spent hiding in
them. The use of single and two sentence
paragraph was vaguely Robin Shonesque and since I can appreciate the staccato
tones of a well drafted paragraph, I enjoyed that too. Further, it was possible the voice of Roydon
was also challenged with grammar, punctuation and spelling issues as a means to
emphasize the fact he’s been around since 1430 and though times have changed,
his thought processes haven’t bothered to keep up with the modern tongue. I could pretty much sell myself on this until
about halfway through the book.
“He
was bloody playing through and through. Playing with his own limitations.
Playing up the attraction. Downplaying the risks.
Gioia
outed him from his usual comfort zone. To be closer to her he acted out of
character and out of the his personal sense of propierty.
She
was addictive.”
After this passage, I fully embraced the
language quirks and who cares about the vampires being sold as relics, the
danger to Gioia or the conflicted emotions of Roydon? The story was a treasure of laughing out loud
moments on a dreary Saturday morning.
And ironically, at least for me, the story advanced with my interest
held. I *did* care what happened. I have no idea whether this author intentionally
played with my mind or just didn’t give a flying fig. Perhaps the author doesn’t believe in beta
readers, spell checkers, rules of grammar or punctuation, only vampires and
hybrids. But, I WILL be reading the
second book, and not only to find out what happens, but to dig in to the
mystery of was I fooled with intention, or just so eager to give meaning to
something, I fooled myself.
