I knew before starting this, that this was going to be a very, very problematic book.
So i can't complain that Yes, this was very disturbing.
This book is about horrible people doing horrible things.
And the idea of love represented here is very twisted (better not try this at home).
But the author know that she was writing about horrible people, so there is that.

dracula meets the claiming of sleeping beauty. costumes, murder, sexual and emotional domination, wealth, unrequited love. this book was quite enjoyable. the downside was the frame story. totally unbelievable (for a fantasy book no less) and not on the same level as the rest of the book.

I'm not quite sure where to begin with his review. The book was very well written a beautifully haunting. It was dark and sadistic and tragic. It's a love story gone wrong and then damned further by immortality. At one point I think I could have really enjoyed it, but I ended up just feeling depressed at the end. This is the first in a trilogy, but can be read as a stand alone novel. I haven't yet decided whether I'll read the next two.

Wow. Where do I start? The writing is genuinely incredible, there's no disputing that. However, the story is hard work. It consists of a lot of violence, sex and there were several times where I had to put the book down and breathe. Having said that, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who doesn't mind some hard-hitting topics. The subject of immortality had me sceptical at times as the semantics weren't entirely believable, though it truly is an incredible read. Alma Katsu pulls off this story in an unbelievable albeit disturbing way. I don't even know what to do with myself now.

The first half of this book was so painful to read, but it did redeem itself enough in the later half that I have given it 3 stars

I tried... Really I did... I just couldn't get into the book. Too much bouncing back and forth

I really enjoyed this book which was recommended to me by my sister! Great story, fantastic characters and very easy to read!

Wow, what a ride. The first dozen or so chapters I read with my fists clenched, white-knuckled on my e-reader and my eyes devouring each word like they were starved. The rest of the book didn't hold me in quite as much thrall, but it still held my interest enough that I would be doing some mundane task around the house and thinking about this story, the characters and what was going to happen next. I think it was around the time that Lanny's "true life" ended and her immortal life began when I found my fists unclenching from the sides of my e-reader, but my fingers were turning pages with alacrity. I loved that this was historical fiction that was so well researched at it made the richness of the characters' lives come to life. Along at same vein, I liked how intelligently written this was, using words that I hadn't heard before causing me to get some use out of the click and define dictionary. I love learning new words and this story is rich with them.

What really did it for me is that this story seems so different than any I've read in a long time. It is both a historical, paranormal work of fiction with overlays of the dichotomy of good and evil AND a diabolical love story and typical love triangle. But what's not typical is that all of that love is unrequited. It makes for an intriguing story and one I can't wait to read book 2, The Reckoning. My only complaint is that the ending seemed a bit abrupt or unfinished. There was an excerpt of chapter 1 from The Reckoning that would have worked better as the final chapter of this book in my opinion, a good cliff hanger. But that's pretty minor. I think it would make a good book club book, as there are so many things that could be discussed on the good vs evil and the concept that good people do bad things and bad people do good things, as there are plenty of examples of all of that in this book.

Overall, I loved this book, and I look forward to the next one.

This is the story of Lanore and her abiding obsession with Jonathan in an early village in New England. Through many twists and turns she enounters Adair in Boston and makes a startling discovery about him. Bringing Jonathan back to Adair under false pretenses lands them in hot water. Flipping between current day Lanore and the Lanore of the 19th Century, this book will keep you reading wondering what is going to happen next. 1st in a trilogy.

Finally I am finished reading this book, thought I'd never finish