Horror Book Reviews

More Details... Price: $7.99

Title: Dhampir Author: Barb Hendee and J.C. Hendee Rating: Not available Avg. Score: 4 Submit Comment Hits: 24

Review of Dhampir (Noble Dead)

[ Back to Homepage | Back to Horror Movie Reviews Index ]

HellHorror.com not responsible for reviews/comments and they may be removed at any time.

Submit Comment

Comments for Dhampir

• Posted on 2008-04-25
  Enjoyable yarn, thoughtfully written if a little flawed
  
  I recommend this book, and the three-star rating I'm giving it feels a little harsh. (Three and one half stars, anyone?) Barb and J.C. Hendee have created an appealing protagonist, essentially a vampire slayer a la Buffy, but not a carbon copy of Whedon's creation at all. Her personality, background and hang-ups are certainly her own, not stuck somewhere in Sunnydale. Her companion, Leesil, has an interesting backstory himself, and such a thoughtfully conceived character earns his share of the narrative!
  I also appreciate the fact that the authors have made the vampires three-dimensional characters, earning some empathy even as they wreak havoc.
  The plot is a strong point here, which is unusual, as vampire novels often collapse into a soapy mess of blood-red roses and heaving bodices. Instead, the story is subtler and more interesting: the orbits of vampire and vampire hunter creep ever closer, a process born more of gravity and inevitability (dare I say fate?) than of any desire to fight.
  So, all that and only three stars? I'm on the edge of four here. But one thing this book didn't do -- it didn't hook me. It didn't make me stay up way past my bedtime just to find out what happens. I think that some of the "in between" passages felt too static, the rhythm perhaps a bit unsettled as action and intrigue give way to exposition and backstory without keeping the blood pumping.
  Before I spout another blood analogy, I think I'd better stop here and sink my teeth into the sequel: Thief of Lives.
  Score: 3
• Posted on 2008-03-31
  The 2 main characters are interesting, the story and the writing are terrible
  
  The only thing that kept me moving through this book was that I wanted to find out what happened to the 2 main characters. I give the authors credit for that
  
  Unfortunately, that's all they got right. The writing is unbearably flowery. Nothing is black or red or hot or cold. Instead, everything is "garnet" or "the color of freshly picked dill" or "as warm as a mother's kisses" or something like that, which is both awkward and not particularly informative. In one passage they actually say that a guy has hair "the color of black cornsilk"! Now come on, how is that different than black?
  
  The passages having to do with the various characters' motivations are just as murky in meaning and over wrought in word choice. They take 20 words to tell you something, and then you're not sure what they just told you. In one section they actually take a 5 sentence, with very long sentences, paragraph to tell you that a guy is standing on a catwalk watching his workers work.
  
  
  The actual story itself is 2 steps forward, 2 steps back, all the way up to the last 20 pages or so. Nothing happens. They fight some vampires, the vampires get away. The vampires ambush them, they get away. You realize things about 200 pages before any of the characters do, then they spend the whole book laboriously hinting at those same things you already figured out, only to stun you with it at the end of the book like you would have had no idea what was coming
  
  All of that adds up to a book that was an incredible chore to slog through. It did get better towards the end, so I bought the next one in the series. I immediately regretted it, since it starts everything all over back at square one, and you have to go through all the boring hints and super descriptive language that doesn't actually describe anything all over again. So discouraging
  
  Take a pass on this one, and on anything else by these two. You could literally teach a writing class on what not to do with their books as examples, that's how bad the plot and prose are
  Score: 2
• Posted on 2008-01-19
  Fun!
  
  I'm not really much for vampire stories normally, but this is a well written set of books. the characters are compelling even the evil ones. The stories have a lot of action, but can get a little moody as is common in vampire and vampire hunter novels. Probably not for someone trying to break into the fantasy or vampire genre.
  Score: 5
• Posted on 2007-10-21
  Good Idea
  
  I really liked this book, the idea was different. I am always looking for new and exciting plot twists. I have since purchased the remainder of the books in the series and I have noticed that her characters and writing style has improved with each book. If you enjoy sci-fi I would recommend this as a good read.
  Score: 3
• Posted on 2007-10-16
  Refreshing Vampire Story
  
  Pros:
  -"Characters are not perfect"
  The main characters have shady histories, secrets, emotions that present them as human which makes it easier to relate to them. For example, the half elf does not follow the goody-two shoe stereotype and has a drinking/gambling problem.
  -"Vampires are not mindless"
  Vampires aren't necessarily treated as another version of a zombie that wants blood instead of brains. They actually have wishes, desires, and each vampire has a personality that is different from the other presenting a non-cookie cutter character.
  -"Character Histories are not obtrusive"
  The histories of the characters in the story are presented in a way that doesn't jar the storyline.
  
  Cons:
  -"Predictable Events"
  It's not hard to guess at what will happen in future pages as the story goes along.
  -"Difficult to connect with the Villagers"
  There are a few deaths that occur with the villagers that really didn't hold anything for me and yet I felt like they should to illustrate how dire the situation was for the town.
  
  Other:
  -"Welstiel - Felt slightly dues ex machina"
  The way Welstiel pretty much walks in and out of the story at times with nary a clue to his background proved to be more irking than mysterious to my tastes in the way the story was written. I have not read the next two books of the series yet though. Depending on how Welstiel is presented in those books, reading them might change my opinion on this.
  Score: 4