I’ll just pop these two into one post, shall I?
I’ll start with Eyes of the Seer, the first book in Peter Dawes’ Vampire Flynn Trilogy. (As I understand it, the trilogy has recently been expanded. While ‘series’ is not quite as poetic as ‘trilogy’, it is also the mark of a good business move. I’ll definitely keep buying for as long as these things keep coming out.)
Summary: I liked it.
Eyes is definitely character- rather than plot-driven. The protagonist, Flynn (Also known as Peter) is a sadistic, schizo, bloodthirsty vampire assassin who – unfortunately for his fun – has a higher calling that comes with extra-special seer powers. Vampire slayer powers. Awkward. The psychological exploration of a bisected mind is fascinating stuff, just unbelievable enough to make it appropriate for a vampire, just realistic enough to make it terrifying. The agony of the story is palpable, and each character brings a particular piquancy to the narrative. The story itself is fast-paced and engaging, with plenty of kinks (in multiple senses of the word) thrown in for spice.
The book only covers the first part of his journey, though, and as such, closes with little actual closure. It absolutely does not work as a stand-alone. Of course, it isn’t meant to.
The only thing that detracted, and only in a few instances, was the language. The bad-guy vampires are fond of flowery language and of nicknames for one another that all seem to include the word “dark.” It makes sense to encourage decadence and corruption if those things are what ensure your power, but it was just too frequent for my taste. I also noticed the word “loathe” used often as a noun, which threw me off.
The second book, Rebirth of the Seer, far outdid Eyes.
The character development absolutely explodes into a fireworks display of nuance as Flynn begins to realize his calling and as a result is thrown headlong into conflict with vampires, other seers, sorcerers, and himself. Yes, himself. He’s schizo, remember? He’s getting better, but he’s still still got little shards of his own personality floating in the wreckage of self that his vampire maker left behind.
And his struggle is intensely real.
We also get a lot more development from other corners, especially Monica, his watcher, who is hot and badass and hot and sarcastic and hot… and hiding something. Following close on her hot and badass heels is a trio of Scooby Gang-esque ex-vampire slayers with a charmingly frat-society vibe. Unfortunately, they also happen to be a bit prejudiced where vampire-seers are concerned.
Rebirth is a lot more plot-driven than was Eyes, and the plot is vastly amped-up. The fight scenes (and there are a lot of them) were pulse-pounding (at least for those of us with a pulse), and the interaction is a lot sexier, for lack of a better word. Romance under fire. The plot focus also shifts from the “vampires are bad and nasty people” of Eyes to “let’s do something about that.” Things move quickly straight from the beginning, cycling through violence and romance as they build up to… another cliffhanger. Damn.
Long story short, I dig these books. I’m looking forward to the next in the series. Find out more about them at vampireflynn.crimsonmelodies.com
They sound very interesting indeed! Thanks for sharing 🙂
By all means! It’s a good series.