Customer Reviews

Embraced by the Shadows

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3 1/2 STARS

As a child of 12, while on vacation with her mother in Turkey, Alana Piovanetti is mesmerized by an oil painting of fallen angels. A man in the shadows reminds of her of the angels on the canvas or did she just imagine his face? Sadash an ancient vampire, turned during the time of the Ottoman Empire, is enraptured by the child. A child he follows through the years.

Nearly 10 years later Alana has graduated from college and returned to her island home of Puerto Rico to live with her childhood friend Valeria Acosta. It's a rekindling of a friendship and a new beginning for both girls. Though Valeria has a good job and is settled in her life, Alana is struggling to find her place in the world until an ad in the paper catches her eye. A new night club, the La Cueva del Vampiro, is about to open and is advertising for a manager. Throughout her life Alana has been drawn to darkness and the occult. She feels the job is made for her. Alana applies for the position, despite the fact she has no restaurant experience, and is hired. During the opening night festivities Alana is surprised by a face in the crowd. It's the face of the man who lingered in the shadows that day in Istanbul. The face reminiscent of the fallen angels in the painting she had wanted so desperately.

Embraced by Shadows is not your usual vampire tale. This is a dark fantasy with elements of romance and mystery but without the sexuality or eroticism prominent in many of the vampire genre written today. This is not a vampire who can walk in the sun or have sex with abandon until exhaustion of his partner. This is vampire whose sole nourishment is blood and sex is an impossibility and an enjoyment of life not missed. The blood is everything.

What I liked initially in the story was the relationship between Valeria and Alana. They were childhood friends, supportive of each other through their years in school, then through the death of Alana's mother; and now as they begin their working lives and relationships.

What I didn't like about the story was the character of Sadash. He is not a likeable character. SPOILER ALERT He was drawn to a child that years later, he admits reminded him of his dead daughter. Yet despite that initial reaction to Alana, he follows her through the years and seduces her. Her dreams of a vampire, and midnight flights are steeped in a reality blurred by the vampire's power. She doesn't have a chance and too soon her life as she's known it is over. From this point on, Embraced by Shadows takes an unexpected turn and the heart of the story becomes how Alana's mother really died.

I would have enjoyed this story a lot of more if the author wove these two story lines into a synchronistic plot, weaving the stories together to a simultaneous conclusion; or at least as close as possible. Instead, two story streams are awkwardly pulled together by two characters -- Valeria and Alana and the transition is blunt from one to the other.

Overall, I found enough to like in Embraced by Shadows that I would read another work from Ms. Calvani based on the uniqueness of this story.

Embraced by Shadows by Mayra Calvani has a good storyline and characters that are very relatable because each one has their own flaws. I loved the author's choice of setting because I haven't read many books that take place in Puerto Rico. The character of Sadash was too similar to another vampire from a popular book series in some ways. I did really like how Mayra Calvani made Sadash - and other vampires nearly impossible to kill.That's how I pictured vampires to be.They're immortal so there shouldn't be much that can kill them. The characters each had their own backstory and author Mayra Calvani made sure to include that in the story so that the readers can get to know each character.

* Received for review

First of all a definite 5 out of 5 tiara wearing bats for this little story.

Do you ever feel a presence watching you from behind, following you and protecting you. Could it be that you have a Guardian Angel? No that's just your vampire stalker. This book draws you in and then keeps giving you reasons to read more and more.

I like that the mortal who bonds with a vampire starts to gain little traits that allude to it (i.e. eating nearly raw steaks, unstoppable urge to watch the bloodiest movies and shows to see the gore, and licking raw liver leavings.)

It is interesting how things lead into each other in this book. It ties everything together really nicely even with a couple of sub plots all going on at the same time. Oh and the mystery with her mom's death is done very well, I didn't even have a clue until the reveal.

I want the clubs and restaurants from that world to exist. If Fangs was located around here I would definitely be a regular. And that serpent necklace would so have to be mine it sounds so pretty.

This is a wonderful read that will keep you wondering and really draw you into the story. I liked the unique view of vampire society.

The prologue introduces us to a mysterious vampire, Sadash, lurking in the shadows watching a girl with long red curls. We are instantly aware that he is mesmerized by this girl. Now twelve years later, Alana, who was the little red haired girl, is having strange and morbid dreams. Sometimes they are about a panther and other times about a creature caressing her with his long fingernail. Her best friend and roommate Valerie informs her that she is also sleepwalking. Alana knows she should be checked out but she is too busy with her new job as a restaurant manager at La Cueva del Vampiro, a new nightclub. This new job is just the stepping stone to her new life with Sadash who has been waiting patiently for Alana to grow up so that he can make her his for eternity.

Right away I will tell you this book was not the most exciting book that I have read. It has the typical brooding vampire and his obsession with a mortal woman. Of course he must turn her and now teach her the art of being a vampire but first she must discover certain truths that he cannot help her with. The uniqueness of Calvani's vampires is an interesting aspect but I felt it feel short in the romance department. These vampires are not love-making machines; in fact it isn't even possible for them. Calvani's vampires are all about feelings. The feeling that they get from drinking blood is the same as they had made love. Even Sadash's "love" for Alana isn't love but instead a left over feeling from his love of his daughter, who looked like Alana.

Vampires never really leave their feelings behind in their mortal life; instead they become transferred onto others. Alana and Valerie's friendship is a prominent theme throughout the book and is put to the ultimate test at the end. Because of their very tight bond; Alana is unable to leave her behind but she knows she doesn't want Valerie to have to live this way. Valerie who seems very loveable at first has her own dark side that she has kept hidden from Alana. The mystery that surrounds Alana's mother's death did keep me reading the book and when all was revealed at the end it was a bit of a surprise but not a complete shocker.