 Title: Perpetual Light
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Perpetual Light starts off strong; the first few chapters are well plotted, the writing is fluid and the characters are engaging. Then the first catalyst hits and things really start rolling (for a little while at least). Jordan K Rose’s version of vampire slayers is a little more religious than what I’m used to but not so much so that it ended up being over the top. It’s also obvious from the get-go that this is a love story; there’s a deep connection between Lucia and Vittorio. But then, nothing much happens for almost the rest of the book. By the end I found myself skimming, had lost all desire to read, and was on the verge of giving up all together. For a story that started out with so much promise, I’m sad to say that it just didn’t live up to its potential.
The book opens with Lucia, her family and her career. She’s a buyer in the fashion business heading out to a work function with her new coworker in tow. I enjoyed Rose’s descriptions of the clothing and jewelry, and the back-and-forth between Dicomano and Peter. The tone is light and fun with a splash of fashionista. Then the vampires make their entrance and it looks like readers are in for a wild ride. Unfortunately, this lasts for roughly about five chapters and was my one and only favorite part of the whole book.
Lucia is a “Pharo of Redemption” a.k.a a vampire slayer. Terms like “The Abyss” get tossed around throughout the book and yet they are never really explained. I would have loved to have found out the history of the Pharos, their origins, where their powers come from, etc. I understand that Lucia has no memory of her previous lives and as a result doesn’t really know much about her calling but on the flip side, I don’t think that keeping readers in the dark as well was the best decision. I felt frustrated, confused, and there’s no “big reveal” at the end. I walked away with pretty much the same amount of information some 270 odd pages later.
The focus of this novel was the relationship between Lucia and Vittorio. I’m talking about a love that knows no bounds, conquers all, and is eternal, type bond. For me personally, an author can only talk about a couple’s infatuation for so long before it starts to get repetitive and tired which is exactly what happens in Perpetual Light. There’s not much action in this book and minimal background information on the slayers. Plus, the power couple doesn’t even get it on until the final pages, so there aren’t any carnal diversions from the monotony either. *sigh*
Finishing this book was a really struggle for me. Even though it starts off strong, the story quickly fizzles and then eventually just dies. No problems are resolved, no key plot twists are revealed; I just felt that the overall book was a whole lot of nothing. The structure is good and it’s grammatically sound so I can’t in good conscience rate Perpetual Light lower than a three. Sorry Jordan, but if there’s a second installment I’m going to have to pass unless many plots tweaks are made.
| Recommendation: | For all of the hopeless romantics out there who enjoy a splash of vampires on the side. |
| Like this, like that: | Felicity E. Heaton’s vampire books and the Danann Frost series by Joanne Valiukas. |
About the Blogger
I review Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance books with a focus all things werewolf. Based out of Ottawa, Canada
Owner, designer and main blogger behind Rabid Reads. Avid book reader, snowboard bunny, video gamer and Supernatural fan. I love all things paranormal, werewolves especially. Oh, and I’m Canadian, eh!
a strong start and then a fizzle…eek. This is a great review, i love the synopsis and may save this for a library pick.