Blood on Silk (Awakened by Blood) [Paperback]

This is not going to be a lengthy review, but I figured since there are only 8 reviews on this awesome book right now, I should weigh in! I immediately enjoyed how this book was different from typical vampire romance stories. Yes, we get the all-powerful-thousands of years old vampire, but our heroine is smart (she's working on her PhD), quirky (she takes the opportunity to interview the vampire hunters for her thesis), and very self-aware, which is refreshing. I liked how the story unfolded and we gradually learn the details of Elizabeth and Saloman's pasts instead of having everything explained to us. Saloman, in particular, was a well-developed character. He is a realist without being depressingly cynical or world-weary as many of the vampires we see are. Yes, after thousands of years, life does get boring. But Saloman accepts this and does not brood (much). By that I mean that if you dislike the angsty, brooding immortal character (a la Christine Feehan and JR Ward), I think Saloman fares comparatively well. He is, as others mentioned, somewhat of an anti-hero because he kills innocent people. However, he never pretends to be noble and is even confused about his own reasons for sparing those who have betrayed him. I did feel some compassion for him and I think he does have redeeming qualities. He kind of reminds me of Bones from Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress series in his protectiveness, possessiveness, and peculiar moral code.

He is also very matter of fact about taking over and ruling the world again. My favorite quote in the book was:

"Is this what you really want?" she blurted. "Just revenge and meaningless power? While the world around you dies in chaos?" His gaze, opaque, full only of darkness, connected with hers. "In this new, urban world of wealth and freedom, music and technology? Of course not." He smiled. "I want to have fun."

I am looking forward to his attempts and maybe his success. It would be interesting to see how the world would change under his leadership. Like he says, it's not like we haven't made a mess of it ourselves. I am also looking forward to how Elizabeth and Saloman will get their happily ever after, since they are officially on different sides of this battle.

If anything, I felt like the events of the book were a bit rushed, which was not helped by everyone traveling all over the place. I wish more screen time had been devoted to each scene, as some felt glossed over, and the latter bit delayed to later books. I can think of several places where the book could have ended, though I do like the ending we are left with. I would sacrifice the ending for more meat in the rest of the book. After all, I am in it for the long haul, so take your time!

The Plot:

An academic researching her thesis, Elizabeth Silk finds herself falling head first into the one myth she's trying desperately to debunk: the existence of vampires.

Believing that vampires are merely an excuse to explain or justify communal threats and unlawful killings, Elizabeth's research is doing a marvelous job at proving her point except for the persistent re-occurrence of one man named Saloman. An enigmatic being that crops up again and again since the birth of Christianity through to the nineteenth century, Elizabeth can't find any evidence of his birth or death as she has for all the other famous "vampires" in her thesis. Frustrated that Saloman's existence jeopardizes everything that she's worked so hard for, when a Romanian villager claims to know of Saloman's final resting place, Elizabeth wastes little time locating his tomb. But when her voracious curiosity has her unwittingly awakening the ancient vampire from his three hundred year sleep, Elizabeth's life is about to be turned up side down.

Saloman awakens to a burning need for blood followed quickly by revenge. Three hundred years ago he was betrayed by those closest to him, murdered in a sense by his friends and lover. Now, while his instinct as an Ancient is to drink his Awakener dry, the spunky courage of his female intrigues him to the extent that he lets her go virtually unscathed. However, she'll not go far for he eventually must kill Elizabeth to regain his full power but in the meantime he'll soak up as much of her as he can. Saloman must also protect Elizabeth from other vampires. There will be those that don't want him to regain his former strength and influential power rendering Saloman's arrogant decision to leave his Awakener alive as dangerously stupid for both him and her. But Saloman wishes to savor his Awakener and will do whatever is necessary to protect Elizabeth for while her death is a surety, he can at least make the moment the most pleasurable of her life.

Clinging to her cynicism, Elizabeth at first believes that the frightening experience in Saloman's tomb was simply an elaborately orchestrated hoax and when three people arrive at her hotel room door the next morning she fully expects to hear their apology before she boots them to the curb. But these people aren't just random pranksters, they're vampire hunters and they need her help to stop the evil that she, in her naivety, unleashed upon the world. They claim Saloman is insane with ambitions to conquer the world and enslave humans to his every whim. As an Ancient, he's nearly impossible to kill and if he's given the opportunity to kill Elizabeth as his Awakener, as well as kill the vampires who conspired in his death, than he'll be absolutely unstoppable. While Elizabeth wants to right the wrong she's inadvertently committed, there's one little problem: she's in love with Saloman.

My Final Thoughts:

BLOOD ON SILK is at times a difficult and complex read but its also rewarding. Utilizing old vampire myths, Treanor soaks her novel in a decidedly gothic and dark romanticism. Her vampires are every bit of the cloak and dagger beings from which their haunting legends arose from. They're dangerous, sensual beings with no humanity to speak of and care little but their own existence and the power they feel they're entitled to. The vampire hunters with their slashing wooden stakes also bring a distinctly historic flavor to the read but their advanced technology swiftly brings you back to the present with resounding clarity. This is a layered and beautiful read that if given a chance, one where all angles are viewed, a reader can easily appreciate what the author has done with such antiquated and redundant myths.

A rarity in the romance world, Treanor's use of the anti-hero is a welcomed delight. Saloman's death sentence for Elizabeth is one that feels very real and he's a being that's fully capable and willing to make due on his promise. And while his blossoming love for Elizabeth is perplexing, Saloman does little to reject what he feels for his Awakener. Instead he embraces her and learns from Elizabeth's humanity, implementing her intelligence and researcher heart into his own thought process thereby stilling his lethal instincts. Elizabeth is Saloman's Awakener in every sense of the world. She awakens his heart, his breath, his love, and ultimately his humanity.

As if BLOOD ON SILK couldn't get more any more interesting or complex, there is no traditional Happily Ever After to be had in this gothic romance. However, reader disappointment is eased with the fact that Saloman and Elizabeth's story doesn't finish with simply "the end" but continues on with Book Two, BLOOD SIN. Thank the book gods!

For die-hard vampire romance lovers, don't miss BLOOD ON SILK. If you find that the first third of the novel is slow and thoughts of desertion arise, push through it for the remaining two-thirds are more than worth your earlier efforts.

Saloman, a vampire, has been imprisoned in a crypt for slightly over 300 years. Betrayed, his time has been spent planning revenge.

Elizabeth Silk is writing her doctoral thesis on the social conditions that inspired and fed vampire superstitions. Totally unaware, Elizabeth is part of a plan to release Saloman. He then can seek revenge, beginning with killing her. That was the plan, but something about Elizabeth intrigues him.

Readers who believe this book is a romance are in for a surprise. True, there's plenty of sexual tension, but Saloman is a complex creature, never revealing whether he's good or bad until close to the end. It's been a long time since I've been tempted to read the ending in order to see if a main character will live.

To add to the drama, the regional leader of the vampires also wants to drain Elizabeth of her blood. She will soon understand its value and her lineage.

Bottom line - I loved this well-paced story. How the vampire hunters obtain power by killing vampires adds a nice twist. BLOOD ON SILK is a nice addition to the fantasy genre. So far, there are three books in this series:

1. Blood On Silk (2010)
2. Blood Sin (2011)
3. Blood Eternal (2011)

In book one, the ending is clear. It's not over between Elizabeth and Saloman. Not even close.