Friday, July 30, 2010

Book Review: Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel


Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Publish Date: August 3, 2010
Paperback, 310 pages


My Review:
Why I read this:  I received a copy of this from the publisher (St. Martin's Griffin) through Shelf Awareness.  I wanted it because I was completely intrigued by the plot of the book.

How is the novel driven:  For this one it's a little tough to say but I think I'm going to go with character-driven.  There is a main plot event the book is leading to, but I think learning about Lenah's character and some about the other vampires and the kids at the school really drives the book.

My thoughts:

With all the vampires out there now, it's really hard to be wowed by any of them.  Some do really wow you though and we all have our personal favorites.  Lenah is quickly becoming one of mine.  Ms. Maizel writes beautifully and crafts the story so well.  I was completely sucked into Lenah's life, both in the past and in the present.  I loved seeing how she was and who she was becoming.

As I've mentioned before I love the boarding school setting, so that was a contributing factor to my wanting to read it as well.  Here the school plays a role, but it's not a major one, Lenah really plays the major role.  The other characters were great as well.  I loved Tony who is Lenah's sidekick from the time she arrives at the school.  Yes he can be a little moody but I loved his wit and his artistic side.  Justin was pretty good as well.  He's the cliched most-popular boy at school, but through the story you learn there is more to him as well.

Overall, this book was an amazing experience.  I really didn't expect to be that swept away by this book, but once I started reading it I could not put it down.  I am already eager for the next book in the series and to what direction the series takes next.

My Rating:  4.5/5.0

About the Book:
When Lenah Beaudonte, a 500-year-old vampire queen, wakes up a human teenager at an ultra-cliquey prep school, she must choose between embracing the humanity she’s always craved and saving her new friends from her vicious coven. The first in a sizzling new YA series.

Lenah Beaudonte is, in many ways, your average teen: the new girl at Wickham Boarding School, she struggles to fit in enough to survive and stand out enough to catch the eye of the golden-boy lacrosse captain. But Lenah also just happens to be a recovering five-hundred-year-old vampire queen. After centuries of terrorizing Europe, Lenah is able to realize the dream all vampires have -- to be human again. After performing a dangerous ritual to restore her humanity, Lenah entered a century-long hibernation, leaving behind the wicked coven she ruled over and the eternal love who has helped grant her deep-seated wish.

Until, that is, Lenah draws her first natural breath in centuries at Wickham and rediscovers a human life that bears little resemblance to the one she had known. As if suddenly becoming a teenager weren’t stressful enough, each passing hour brings Lenah closer to the moment when her abandoned coven will open the crypt where she should be sleeping and find her gone. As her borrowed days slip by, Lenah resolves to live her newfound life as fully as she can. But, to do so, she must answer ominous questions: Can an ex-vampire survive in an alien time and place? What can Lenah do to protect her new friends from the bloodthirsty menace about to descend upon them? And how is she ever going to pass her biology midterm?

About the Author:
Rebecca Maizel graduated from Boston University and the Rhode Island College master’s program. She teaches community college in Rhode Island and is studying to receive her MFA from Vermont College.

Rebecca's Blog

FTC Information: I received this book from the publisher St. Martin's Griffin for review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.

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