Valerian has loved Brenna (now Daisy) for hundreds of years, throughout many of her different incarnations and the only way to save her more pain is to change her into his own likeness, as a vampire. Magic shows in Las Vegas are common, but the shows that Valerian provides are far above the norm. His shows truly seem impossible to complete and they are, because Valerian is a vampire with strong magical abilities. He has spent years looking for the newest form of his soul-mate. Her body and physical appearance changes from one life to the next, but his soul will always find hers. Unfortunately, the newest form is known as Daisy and she is a savvy, Las Vegas police officer with little time for magic, tricks or entrancing magicians.
Click here to see the rest of this review...
We are also shown information about Valerian's human life, death and existence as an undead being. He has only been granted a brief period of time to spend with his beloved each century and soon after they share time, she dies. Ending the cycle is relatively simple, in that if she dies, she cannot be reincarnated. To love Daisy, he will have to kill her and bring her back. The problem with that plan is that the same creature that has killed her in each form over the last 700 years is in town and killing other people.
Given that vampires are able to travel into the past and anywhere on earth at whim, Valerian is tasked with tracking down the murderer. Even when he knows who the offender is, he must accrue enough power and knowledge about his location to destroy him. We are also reunited with creatures that were mentioned in previous novels, like Nemesis ( the leader of vampires) and Nathan ( the head angel) with whom he must make agreements in order to find and terminate his enemy. In addition, Maeve, Calder and their child are re-visited in these pages.
The identity of the being that hates both Valerian and Daisy is finally shown and it is Valerian's own brother. Following a battle, Daisy and Valerian make love, despite his horrific injuries at the time. It is almost possible to feel their connection becoming stronger at each stage of the book. Finally, Valerian kills his brother, which sets the stage for the eternal love of Valerian and Daisy to continue.
Best part of story, including ending:
I liked the fact that this tough, 700 year old vampire has a soft spot and a soul-mate, which would not have seemed possible in previous books. In addition, I loved that a woman who had devoted her life to the law, as a police officer, was in love with someone who has broken many laws over his lifetime.
Best scene in story:
In a scene with Nemesis, we see how much Valerian truly loves Daisy, because he is willing to go to the depths of hell with the king of vampires. He does so in order to save the woman he loves, and does not do so to get any type of credit, but because it is the best option for Daisy.
Opinion about the main character:
I consider both Daisy and Valerian to be the main characters and therefore, both have flaws that should be considered. I found it odd, given vampire lore, that there was no biting/bloodletting between the two and I wish that its absence had played a bigger role.
