Descent Into Dust

There are no sparkly vampires here! This is a good old-fashioned vampire story. Set in Victorian England Emma lives with the stigma of her mothers madness, she has been told her mother went mad and died but events take place that will make Emma question everything she has known and believed. The cast of characters in the book was a nice mix from Emma's needy sister, the rouge Sebastian, the secretive Mr.Fox, and the even more mysterious Father Luke. As they work together to save Emma's niece Henrietta from what her parent's believe is an imaginary friend but is actually something far worse he is a vampire. Not a beautiful fall in love with vampire but an evil presence that threatens everything they hold dear. I enjoyed this book it had a nice mix of Victorian propriety and gothic mystery. Emma was an interesting character as we watch her grow into the person she must become which is a Dhampir a vampire huntress. We see her inner turmoil as everything she believed of her life is wrenched away from her. I look forward to the next installment in this series. Thank you Librarything Early Reviewers for the chance to review this book!

I found myself savoring this book slowly like a fine wine. Descent into Dust is the first book in a new series about Emma Andrews. In the beginning of this book, Emma is writing down her story from many years ago when she first learned that she was a vampire hunter and a Dhampir. It was 1862 and Emma was 23 years old and she was going for an extended visit to her cousin's manor house. Soon after she arrives there, Emma has a few visions and she becomes very concerned about her young cousin Henrietta, and her odd behavior. She also hears about a mysterious plague in the village. Emma meets a new house guest, Valerian Fox, he knows that Emma is a Dhampir and he has been hunting the great vampire lord Marius for more time and centuries than Emma could imagine. Soon one of the horse grooms attempts to kill Emma and she discovers she is Dhampir and she and Valerian join forces to try to kill Marius before he can take her little cousin Henrietta. But Henrietta's governess's is in thrall to Marius and Emma is kicked out of the house by her cousin Mary and her husband. She goes in search of her Uncle but she plans on returning in time to save her little cousin and hunt the vampire. Two others that help Emma along the way are Sebastian, and Valerian and they are part of her core group. Valerian has secrets, some of which are revealed in Descent into Dust. Oh, along with Father Luke, he was a big help to Emma in fighting the Vampire. I don't think I am giving away any spoilers here, I am not giving away the ending and I think I am just giving the highlights of the book. The next Emma Andrews book won't be out until March 2011, I for one will have it my list of books to get.

Set amidst the Victorian era, the novel debuts by introducing us to the heroine Emma Andrews, a young widow on her way to her cousin's home in the countryside of Wiltshire. It all begins innocently enough with glimpses into the life and surroundings, the somewhat fractured relationship between Emma and her sister Alyssa and the bond between Emma and little cousin Henrietta. But nevertheless, within the first few chapters, as the story progresses, Lepore manages to weave in a sense foreboding that is almost palpable, and this is maintained through the story. As I read, I felt myself being drawn into the mystery with a multitude of questions: Who is Marius? Is he real? What does he have to do with Henrietta and the Hawthorn tree? What is Valerian Fox's secret? What was the real story behind Emma's mother's "condition"? Who can Emma trust? Lepore's use of the first person perspective, through the eyes of Emma, proved very effective in building the moments of genuine, hair raising suspense and terror, which all played out initially, on a psychological level, then manifested itself on a level all too real for the characters in the novel... Descent into Dust is a novel rich with intrigue, full of flowing textured language and good old fashioned Gothic horror.

This book was fantastic. I had to stop myself from reading it too fast because I didn't want it to end. Jaqueline Lepore so expertly captures the feeling of classic gothic novel, I felt like I was a guest at Dulwich, standing right beside Emma Andrews as she comes into her own as a vampire hunter. The characters are rich and complicated. The verbal sparring between Emma and Sebastian is reminiscent of Jane Austen, and the relationship between Valerian and Emma kept me guessing through the whole book. I can't wait for the next installment!

I bought this book on a lark and I couldn't put it down. The story is great, the characters are interesting. It's a lot of fun. I highly recommend it. The only downside is that the next installment won't be out for a year and the wait is going to be tough. :)