31) The Greyfriar by Clay & Susan Griffith

The Blurb -

In the year 1870, a horrible plague of vampires swept over the northern regions of the world. Millions of humans were killed outright. Millions more died of disease and famine due to the havoc that followed. Within two years, once-great cities were shrouded by the gray empire of the vampire clans. Human refugees fled south to the tropics because vampires could not tolerate the constant heat there. They brought technology and a feverish drive to reestablish their shattered societies of steam and iron amid the mosques of Alexandria, the torrid quietude of Panama, or the green temples of Malaya.

It is now 2020 and a bloody reckoning is coming.

Princess Adele is heir to the Empire of Equatoria, a remnant of the old tropical British Empire. She is quick with her wit as well as with a sword or gun. She is eager for an adventure before she settles into a life of duty and political marriage to a man she does not know. But her quest turns black when she becomes the target of a merciless vampire clan. Her only protector is the Greyfriar, a mysterious hero who fights the vampires from deep within their territory. Their dangerous relationship plays out against an approaching war to the death between humankind and the vampire clans

My Thoughts -

This was one of those books that everyone else seems to have read and were raving about while I sat adding it to my wish list and wondering why it had escaped my radar. The reviews were good and the blurb sounded pretty cool but I wasn't sure. Did I really want to read this? Then I ended up with a copy and the decision was made. I was going to read this but was I going to like it?

At first I wasn't sure. There are always those first few chapters of doubt and with the amount of praise this book has received I was scared I was going to hate it. However in the end I was left surprised by how superb this story is! There isn't anything in the genre with the same feel to it as The Greyfriar. This book is truly unique, unforgettable and will definitely be on my list of favourite reads for 2011. None of the reviews really did it justice and I am sure mine won't either.

The authors have really mixed things up in this new series and found a super recipe. You have all the paranormal goodness of vampires and then there is a soft subtle tang of steampunk. Also thrown in is a romantic undertone that really doesn't spoil the mood when the action and adventure flows out of the pages. I loved Adele and quickly fell for Gareth's charms. The setting, despite the state the vampires have left it in, was original and scary.

Wow! I am really in awe of this one and can only highly recommend you go buy it. I am desperate for a second part and I already have this series on my must read list. The Greyfriar is a wonderfully satisfying read and it has made all other books on my to be read pile sound boring and not worth my time. Are you still here? Go buy this book!