Hannah Schmidt pines for Jacob, the boy who saved her life. But Jacob is gone, buried. Levi Fisher loves Hannah. But he knows how much Hannah loved his brother Jacob. He also knows the troubling event that took Jacob out of their lives.
So when a stranger named Akiva comes into their community, he carries with him two secrets: he is, in fact, Jacob. And he is now a vampire.
When secrets are revealed, Hannah must choose between light and dark, between the one she has always loved and the new possibility of love—a decision that will decide the fate of her soul.
This is a such a simple yet interesting story. The characters are interesting but what makes it such an exquisite read, are the contrasting themes that permeate the book: love and loss, light and dark, good and evil. Most importantly the vampire in this story is dark and evil the way vampires should be, not shiny, sparkly, and happy.
Here are my thoughts on why I enjoyed this book so much:
- Hannah is so young, religious, innocent, and honorable. I just wanted to hug her and tell her what to do in this situation.
- Hannah loved Jacob with every fiber of her being, and her loss and subsequent depression were heart wrenching. To then see someone manipulate her through her feelings for Jacob, made me angry!
- Jacob never loved Hannah as much as she loved him. Jacob was never comfortable being Amish and probably would have never returned if it wasn't for his experience in New Orleans
- Levi is honorable and good and although his choices drove me crazy from time to time, he was true to himself and his religion
- Jacob is not so different than Akiva; only that Akiva is more out in the open and actionable
- Although there were times I felt bad for Jacob and his lost innocence and love, I wasn't completely sold on him. There was always something lurking in the back of my mind. Although he became Akiva he never lost his love for Hannah, but I think it was because she was a means to an end. Not a star crossed lovers thing. I think everything he was when he was Jacob was more pronounced when he became Akiva. In other words, Jacob and Akiva are a lot more alike than you may think. (Hope this makes sense.)
- Roc Girouard, the detective looking into a string of gruesome murders, is a tortured soul. I hope he eventually finds peace.
- There is a religious overtone to this book, it's set in the Amish community, but it flows with the story. It shows how vulnerable the Amish are to outside influences they know little about or refuse to acknowledge. I don't mean this in a bad way, it's just the way their culture is.
- The Amish community was depicted beautifully and added so much to the story. The virgin landscape, the clean life simple life they lead; it evoked strong protective feelings in me towards Hannah and her family and friends.
- I better see Roc Girouard in another book because his story is not finished.
For more information please visit Leanna Ellis' website: http://www.leannaellis.com/
Please be sure to stop by on Monday August 8, 2011 for an interview and giveaway with Leanna
My Rating: 97/100
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Genre: Fiction
Trade paperback, 432 pages
Book Source: Sourceboks
Thanks to Danielle from Sourcebooks for my review copy.
