Bitten by Books
When The Loss opens, forty-four years after the events of book one, The Rise, the Mikaelson siblings run New Orleans, creating new vampires to increase their ranks, rebuilding the city after the devastating hurricane summoned by the witches in 1722. While Elijah and Rebekah have worked to solidify their power and make their home comfortable, Klaus has had a completely different and secret agenda-to somehow bring back to life his beloved Vivianne who died in the siege of their home at the end of the previous book.
Klaus’ efforts finally come to fruition when the witch, Lily, daughter of the now-deceased Ysabelle, who had been Elijah’s friend and ally, agrees to perform the spell to resurrect Vivianne. As typically occurs in the world of The Originals television show, Lily has her own ulterior motives, which unfortunately Klaus does not initially see due to his single-minded approach to his goal.
Meanwhile, Elijah comes across a group of horrific (which, for one of the most powerful beings on Earth means something) undead creatures who appear to crave hearts as sustenance, even turning upon one another to get them. While Elijah seeks to discover the source of and how to get rid of the new threat, Klaus remains intent on the revival of Vivianne, and Rebekah, smarting over a recent altercation with Klaus, muses over how she can get back at him. Before long, the three will have to work together to undo the danger set in motion.
In The Loss, readers see character traits becoming more obvious: Elijah doing everything he can to make a safe-haven for his family, Rebekah attempting to make their lives pleasant with attractive surroundings even while desiring a different life for herself, and Klaus exhibiting his trademark self-involvement. The story serves to underscore Klaus’ ruthlessness familiar to fans of the show, but also provides insight to its development.
While The Loss has a smooth, fast-paced narrative easy to read and become engrossed in, its greatest appeal, as with the trilogy as a whole, lies in it serving as a prequel to the show for existing fans, and as an introduction for those not yet watching. This reviewer looks forward to the final installment, The Resurrection.
Book Stats:
- Paperback: 336 pages
- Publisher: HQN Books (March 31, 2015)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0373788908
- ISBN-13: 978-0373788903
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Books in the Originals trilogy in the order they should be read:
The Rise
The Loss
The Resurrection
Review Overview
Overall Rating
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Summary : While the book has a smooth, fast-paced narrative easy to read and become engrossed in, its greatest appeal, as with the trilogy as a whole, lies in it serving as a prequel to the show for existing fans, and as an introduction for those not yet watching. This reviewer looks forward to the final installment, The Resurrection.
