4 stars

This is an intense book. It took me about three months to finish, partly because it is very long, but also because it requires a decent amount of mental effort to read. It is not a book that you want to read after a long day. You really have to be in the right mood. But when you are in the right mood, it’s a great book to binge read. It is very easy to get swept up in the story.

I thought it was a fantastic book. Well-written, intriguing plot. I loved the use of letters and the frame-stories-within-frame-stories-within-frame-stories format. It was a bit confusing at times, but definitely a great adventure.
The text is written in that kind of old-school way, much like Bram Stoker’s Dracula, with lots of detailed descriptions and drawn out emotions. I think it was fitting for the themes of the story.

The reason I gave this book four stars instead of five, is that I think by the end, that drawn-out style worked against it. It took so long to get to the pivotal point, that when it finally occurred, it was kind of a let down. The end was a bit anti-climactic and didn’t seem to fit with the rest of the book. It felt rushed and not as well planned out as the rest of the plot.

Overall, a great book, but I wished the ending was better. The rest of the book was absolutely fantastic. A wonderful vampire story filled with various mysteries lost over time.