The Last True Vampire by Kate Baxter
- By Kate Baxter
- Editions: ebook, paperback
- Expected publication: June 2nd 2015 by St. Martin’s Paperbacks
- Genre: Adult Paranormal Romance
- Source: NetGalley
- In a Flutter: Interesting start of a new series
As Michael’s eyes lit on a female not twenty feet away, he knew without a doubt that it was her blood that called to him and her scent that had awakened him.This female had tethered his soul and returned it to him.
Soul Survivor
He is the last of his race. The one true king of the vampires. Michael Aristov roams the nightclubs of L.A. after dark, haunted by his past and driven by his hunger. The last of the Ancient Ones, he alone has survived the destruction of his race at the hands of the slayers. Now he is forced to hunt and feed like a common vampire, a creature of lust. Nothing in this world can fulfill his needs…until he meets a woman who’s everything he’s ever wanted. And more.
Sweet Salvation
Her name is Claire Thompson. Her blood is so sweet, so intoxicating—the smell alone draws Michael to her like a moth to the flame. Sly, sexy, and seductive, Claire seems to be the only mortal who can satisfy his craving and seal his fate…forever. Can she be trusted? From their very first kiss, the last true vampire sweeps Claire into a world in which darkness rules desire—and where falling in love is the greatest danger of all…
~ Goodreads
Fluttering Thoughts:
Worldbuilding: The world of the Last True Vampire series is interesting, with a blend of cool paranormal elements – vampires, dhampires, berserkers, original being (Vessel) – that come together in an interesting way (for instance the vampires – dhampires link). I really love new takes on paranormal worlds, and this series shows a lot of promise in that regard.
Characters: I didn’t respond to Mikhail at all, I’m afraid. He’s the old world kind of vampire, a bit pedantic in tone and with little to no sense of humor coming through. Alpha as he may be, that makes him kind of boring to me, if I have to be entirely honest. He was king material, but not the fun, interesting kind of material as far as I’m concerned. But he was alpha to the core, uber-protective, entirely taken with his love interest and devoted.
Claire was the kind of heroine I love to read about in paranormal romances, independent, nimble on her own feet, daring, with a healthy sense of humor. However, I felt it slowly dwindled to a halt being beside Mikhail.
Because I didn’t feel Mikhail, I didn’t feel their chemistry or their romance. But maybe that’s just me. And I am quite picky when it comes to these things, and evil. There is something kind of sweet and a bit rushed as far as the romance went, and when you don’t feel the physical attraction tangent between the characters, it kind of leaves you wanting. As you know, I’m all for insta-lust and passion, and I do feel that attracts rushed romance, but I just didn’t feel it here.
I loved other characters though, like Ronan (funny, strong, charming – and par of the main couple of story #2 in the series xDDD).
It must be said I really found the antagonists interesting, the Sortiari which are Berserkers (or some of them are, at least). Strong antagonists will make for a really cool series, imho.
Plot: The romance arc wasn’t too exciting for me, and seemed somewhat downplayed and a bit insta-flavored in the romance department – I didn’t respond to it much. The action tangent felt downplayed for the first part of the novel, but I really enjoyed it in the second part though. It wasn’t a terribly exciting read for me, not too alert and not exhilarating, but still interesting. I think if you’ll respond to the hero and heroine of the romance, everything else will be exciting.
Writing: Third person, past tense narrative, his and her POV (mostly). I didn’t respond to his voice at all, but I did respond to hers.
Curb Appeal: Cool cover, hooking blurb, plus vampire trope – oldies but goldies, if you know what I mean.
All in all, this wasn’t as exciting as it might have been for me, but I totally recommend it to lovers of the Anne Rice style of writing (over more current, snarky, irreverent styles, for instance), to lovers of the old vampires coming back to life trope and more classic vampire fiction fans in general. It’s definitely an interesting start to a new series, the world of the series shows great, great potential and I am looking forward to reading Ronan’s story because him I really liked in this novel
