"Ancient Chinese Vampires"
Jairec Connely's brother has constantly dragged him into
messes, but this time Tristan has gone too far, releasing a
powerful chiang-shih, who immediately set his fangs into
innocent and unsuspecting Jairec. According to Chinese lore, everyone has two souls. As a
newly turned chiang-shih, Jairec has only a short time to
reunite his souls, before the craving for human blood
overpowers him and his chance to revert is lost. He
believes Acupuncturist Autumn Moon has the elixir of life
that can bring his souls together. What he didn't count on was that she had no idea such an
elixir exists, how to make it, or that he'd fall head over
heels for her, even as the craving for her blood gains strength. Autumn Moon is a completely new take on the vampire genre,
or rather I should say it's an ancient Asian version retold
in a refreshing new light. I thoroughly enjoyed the Chinese
lore involving vampires, their chiang-shih, and the
interesting way these vampires exist and can be destroyed.
The author brings in a lot of insight without seeming to do
so as the hero and heroine fight the vamps while fighting
their mutual attraction. Okay, that last part is not true;
they didn't fight the attraction hard at all, they totally
went for it even knowing Jairec could lose all control and
kill her. Such is vampire love. I loved how Autumn used acupuncture to take the edge off of
Jairec's blood craving. All in all, Autumn Moon is one of
those stories that comes at you unexpectedly and takes the
vampire legend to an entirely different level.
Reviewed by Clover Autrey
Posted February 9, 2009
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