Revenant sucks the reader in immediately and maintains that grip until the end. Grieving over the loss of her grandmother, Talisen finds herself drawn to the beach where the man briefly married to one of her ancestors disappeared over two hundred years ago. Feeling as though she owes it to her grandmother to solve the mystery that absorbed her for so many years, Talisen attempts to contact Captain Ellory Benedikt’s descendant of the same name. Seemingly by coincidence, the two almost literally bump into one another on the beach. When she discovers the identity of the man, Talisen agrees to meet him at the family inn the next evening to look over his artifacts, not yet aware of what the reader knows: this Ellory is actually the same man, made a vampire on the night he disappeared over two hundred years earlier.

Meanwhile, the reader gets a fascinating glimpse into the vampire world of the novel with its hierarchy, politics, and problems. Ellory’s return to the area of his disappearance results in a power struggle with another vampire, Dylan, who seeks to destroy Ellory and either take over or annihilate the fledglings under his protection. Talisen’s safety becomes jeopardized when rival vampires threaten to either kill or turn her if Ellory does not place her under his protection. Unfortunately, this means that Ellory must reveal his true nature to Talisen much sooner than he wishes to and that he must mark her by drinking from her. Understandably resistant at first, due to a particularly unsettling attack, Talisen comes to realize the necessity of Ellory’s protection. The struggle for supremacy and survival comprises the remainder of this exciting novel.

Jones creates a dark, scary, yet realistic world populated with intriguing characters, within which she ably depicts the strong bond between Ellory and Talesin: “… her craving for him palpitated inside of her like a second heart” (127). The story’s pacing and suspense take the reader on a thrilling ride, yet the author does not sacrifice character or a satisfying prose style in order to achieve it. Though the novel contains a strong romance element with the connection between the two main characters, other relationships are skillfully developed and portrayed, such as that between Ellory and his “children,” including the two human siblings under his protection. Additionally, Jones clearly illustrates a vampire society with both touches of humanity and a truly monstrous aspect. The novel has unexpected surprises, earning high marks for the author and her exhilarating tale.

Book Stats:

• Paperback: 258 pages
• Publisher: Eternal Press (March 5, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1897559984
• ISBN-13: 978-1897559987

To purchase a print copy of Revenant from Amazon click here.

To visit the author’s website go here.
To visit the author’s blog go here.

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