Book Review: Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel

Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication date: August 2010
ISBN: 9780312649913
Source: ARC provided by publisher

Lenah Beaudonte has spend hundreds of years as a ruthless vampire, taking pleasure in killing, and attempting to void the pain by her cruelty.  But, she finally achieves her ultimate dream - she becomes human again.  Now, she must try to fit in with the modern teenagers at her new boarding school.  She begins to fall for Justin, a boy who helps her feel more human every day, but a terrible threat from her former life looms over her new life.  Will she be able to put her past behind her or will she have to give up this new life?

Things I Liked:
I was really impressed with this new twist on a vampire story.  In a market saturated with paranormal romance and vampire stories, Maizel was able to come up with something original and interesting.  I especially loved her portrayal of the pain and constant torture it is to be a vampire and to exist in that form.  Lenah is definitely not a typical teenager, being plagued with her centuries of memories and former deeds.  I was a bit skeptical of the way the book was going, seeing that the ending seemed inevitable and I didn't think Maizel would pull it off.  But, I was truly impressed with the way she wrapped it up, not taking an easy way out.  A well written story with a unique vampire premise (which I really didn't think was possible).  Some interesting quotes:

My vampire past was a secret lodged in my heart.  I wanted to tell Tony so that someone would really understand me, see into my soul.  Vampires are haunted by pain, longing, and anger.  Every imaginable sadness is pressed upon their shoulders.  They are victims of torment and they cannot escape. p 42 of ARC

"Maybe this is why humans are so caught up in their own thoughts," I said, still keeping my gaze forward.  "They can't see what the world is really like.  If they could, they would look beyond their own dreams and preoccupations." p 211-212 of ARC

Things I Didn't Like:
I was somewhat disappointed in the romance of the book.  I preferred Tony and thought he really go short-changed through the whole thing.  Justin was ok, but he didn't thrill me very much.  Their romance seemed rather underdeveloped, especially compared to her time with Rhode and even Vicken.  Her contemporary life was not as well written and developed as her life as a vampire.  Also, because of Lenah's past, she was fairly hard to relate to as a human and a teenager.  The beginning was rather slow as well, things didn't get too exciting until well near the end.  But, still intriguing enough that I'll read the next one.

Read-alikes:
A bit like The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@
some throughout

mrg-factor: XX
quite a few instances, though none described in detail

v-factor: ->->->
what do you expect from a vampire book?

Overall rating: ****

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