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Indlæser... The Lights of Prague (udgave 2021)af Nicole Jarvis (Forfatter)
Work InformationThe Lights of Prague af Nicole Jarvis
Indlæser...
Bliv medlem af LibraryThing for at finde ud af, om du vil kunne lide denne bog. Der er ingen diskussionstråde på Snak om denne bog. I kept changing my mind about this book. It's incredibly uneven but undeniably entertaining. It's got all the elements you might imagine from reading the title and description. In that sense the novel doesn't disappoint. It's a wonderful romp through Victorian Prague, a Prague plagued with vampires and other supernatural beasts. Unfortunately the book is plagued by a number issues that keep appearing frequently throughout. Issues big enough that it takes you out of the story again and again. Most of these could have been fixed and caught in editing. Most are glaringly obvious. But many of them are integral to the structure of the book and would require major shifts. The voice is very uneven, changing from time-appropriate voice and dialog to current day dialog. With the voice comes an issue with pacing. Many, many times the characters disrupt the ongoing flow of events by questioning their motivations and their thoughts at length. Towards the end when the two main characters finally team up this effect becomes almost comical. I'm fine with the book being predictable, that's not why you would read a story like this. It's all about adventure and immersion. When I read a story about 19th century vampire hunting I want to find myself there and then. I don't care that it's not a Poirot worthy whodunit. The Lights of Prague by Nicole Jarvis is nothing more than a mediocre story regarding vampires and vampire hunters. And just like almost every other vampire story, not all vampires and other baddies are all that bad just as not all of the perceived good guys are good. The story contains the typical red herrings and false clues to distract and drag the story forward. The main character is a bit too naive and too damn good to be an interesting character. In fact, all of the characters are one-dimensional. This is one vampire story that has no bite to it. ingen anmeldelser | tilføj en anmeldelse
"In the quiet streets of Prague all manner of otherworldly creatures lurk in the shadows. Unbeknownst to its citizens, their only hope against the tide of predators are the dauntless lamplighters - a secret elite of monster hunters whose light staves off the darkness each night. Domek Myska leads a life teeming with fraught encounters with the worst kind of evil: pijavica, bloodthirsty and soulless vampiric creatures. Despite this, Domek find solace in his moments spent in the company of his friend, the clever and beautiful Lady Ora Fischer - a widow with secrets of her own. When Domek finds himself stalked by the spirit of the White Lady - a ghost who haunts the baroque halls of Prague castle - he stumbles across the sentient essence of a will-o'-the-wisp, a mischievous spirit known to lead lost travellers to their death, but who, once captured, are bound to serve the desires of their owners. After discovering a conspiracy amongst the pijavica that could see them unleash terror on the daylight world, Domek finds himself in a race against those who aim to twist alchemical science for their own dangerous gain"-- No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Indlæser... GenrerMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyVurderingGennemsnit:
Er det dig?Bliv LibraryThing-forfatter. |
I also found Domek a pretty bland protagonist, though I did like Ora. She is not without standard-issue "one good vampire" angst, but fortunately it's not the sole focus of her character; I was interested in her efforts to hold onto some autonomy as a woman in both human and vampire society, and her relationship with her late husband (whom she married while already a vampire) and his sister. Her romance with Domek, of course, didn't do very much for me, but I enjoyed her lovers-to-enemies-to-uneasy-allies relationship with her vampire ex, Darina. (If your ears perked up at that, I have to say that sadly I don't recommend reading the book just for this plotline, which is introduced about halfway through the book and receives comparatively little focus.)
All in all, it's a perfectly decent book; it's just treading some fairly well-trod ground. ( )