Michelle R. (mreneerouser) -
Helpful Score: 3
I just do not get it. I need to go over a few things before I can write this review. 1) You were a strong, powerful, bloody vampire for over 500 years but you are not any longer because your guy/fellow vampire/former lover (who left you for a long period of time so you took another lover) knew how to do this curse (or is it a blessing not sure) to change you into a human. I am sure you are following right. 2) You are sent to a boarding school because that is the safe place to hide from your former/current coven. Obviously, that is the first place you think about hiding when you have no social/world skills as a human and need to blend in with other humans. Makes total sense to me. And finally, 3) You develop a crush on the popular guy who all the girls swoon over which is totally human girl like quality but of course, you still maintain the memories of a 500 year old vampire. This guy has no qualities whatsoever other than being super good-looking and a bit of a daredevil.
Infinite Days was a rough customer for me. The parts of the book that I really enjoyed were the flashbacks. The author seemed to handle writing about Lenahs former vampire life with ease and it absolutely captivated me. If I could take all the human parts of the book out, I would have loved this book. Nevertheless, that is not possible.
I am giving this book 2.5 stars. I would probably give it 2 stars but I did like the flashbacks.
Infinite Days was a rough customer for me. The parts of the book that I really enjoyed were the flashbacks. The author seemed to handle writing about Lenahs former vampire life with ease and it absolutely captivated me. If I could take all the human parts of the book out, I would have loved this book. Nevertheless, that is not possible.
I am giving this book 2.5 stars. I would probably give it 2 stars but I did like the flashbacks.
Helpful Score: 1
This book has a great premise. An old vampire queen decides her undead status is no longer worth "living" and wants a way out. Rhode, her maker, decides that he is willing to let her go or watch her burn. He finds away to reverse the vampire process and makes Lenah human once again. Once this happens her memories from her vampire life are juxtaposed to her new human life and I think that this really brings out Lenah's story in a very original way. You can really feel her remorse for her vampire ways as well as everything she lost by turning so young.
My problem with this book comes with her association with several very shallow people. I can see how she was initially drawn to these people since they are very similar to her coven. People who's main concern is the self. I would have thought her new education back into mortal life she would have made better choices. Plus, her new beau just didn't fit her at all. With her background and intelligence, I couldn't see her with someone so immature. I can see her wanting to experience it, but I couldn't see it lasting. It made sense that she drew her new best friend to be in that crowd since they were thrill seekers and she wanted to experience a huge range of emotions, but I also wondered about that. I would have thought any emotions would be at first overwhelming, and then curiosities. I don't think she would have so easily tolerated those shallow kids and would have had to see more of their true selves for it to have made sense to me. It's not good when you are rooting for the one person that could utterly ruin her because it just made more sense that she'd be better off with Vicken (one of her vampires).
So, how do I rate this book? Parts of the book was just brilliant. Loved the comparisons of her world. The other part just failed me. Not to the point of me not liking the book, but I just couldn't get behind her human choice. So, I give this book 3 1/2 stars. It is worth a read and I am very curious as to how the author is going to continue the series since the ending really didn't seem like a cliffhanger (which is a good thing IMHO).
My problem with this book comes with her association with several very shallow people. I can see how she was initially drawn to these people since they are very similar to her coven. People who's main concern is the self. I would have thought her new education back into mortal life she would have made better choices. Plus, her new beau just didn't fit her at all. With her background and intelligence, I couldn't see her with someone so immature. I can see her wanting to experience it, but I couldn't see it lasting. It made sense that she drew her new best friend to be in that crowd since they were thrill seekers and she wanted to experience a huge range of emotions, but I also wondered about that. I would have thought any emotions would be at first overwhelming, and then curiosities. I don't think she would have so easily tolerated those shallow kids and would have had to see more of their true selves for it to have made sense to me. It's not good when you are rooting for the one person that could utterly ruin her because it just made more sense that she'd be better off with Vicken (one of her vampires).
So, how do I rate this book? Parts of the book was just brilliant. Loved the comparisons of her world. The other part just failed me. Not to the point of me not liking the book, but I just couldn't get behind her human choice. So, I give this book 3 1/2 stars. It is worth a read and I am very curious as to how the author is going to continue the series since the ending really didn't seem like a cliffhanger (which is a good thing IMHO).
Stephanie S. (skywriter319) -
I tried to keep my expectations realistic before going into this book. Just because the premise is a reversal of all other bland vampire romances out there--female vampire turns human again, has human love interest but is conflicted with her loyalty to her own vampire clan--did not necessarily mean it was going to be a groundbreaking and memory tale. And unfortunately, INFINITE DAYS was almost exactly as I'd expected: a lukewarm, tru-luv vampire romance (plus set at a boarding school) that is aimed straight at the Twilight-loving crowd.
Within this YA niche, INFINITE DAYS does some things very well. I enjoyed reading about Lenah's slow adaptation back into the human life, could really understand her as she marveled at physical sensations and the different customs of 21st-century teens. I liked Tony, the Japanese guy who was Lenah's first (and best) friend after she became human again, even though he displayed borderline obsessive-compulsive behaviors sometimes. He had a sort of personality, spunk, and originality that sidekicks in bland paranormal romances always seem to have, making them so much more interesting than the actual love interest. I was even okay with Lenah's aloofness (product of her getting used to her humanness) and people's subsequent fascination with her (she's beautiful and aloof: even I'm mesmerized by girls like her).
However, INFINITE DAYS falls short in other aspects. Justin Enos, the love interest, has no discernible qualities--good or bad--at all, and the only way I can justify his "deep and all-consuming" attraction to Lenah is that she gives off some sort of post-vampirism aura that males are still lured in by. At least Edward Cullen was overly protective and had old-fashioned morals; Justin Enos (whose constant double-name references was obviously an influence of our famous vampire)...was popular? liked racing boats? had a classic *ahem* mean-girl girlfriend? Well, if you think that makes for a wonderful crush...
Furthermore, numerous elements of Lenah's transformation from vampire to human are glossed over in the story. The process by which Lenah became human again is unique and touching, but was just barely given explanation, something that is terribly necessary in speculative fiction. Lenah's rehumanization is inconsistent: she's stumbling, unused to working muscles in one minute, chowing down food like she's done it all her life in the next. I was left feeling unsatisfied with the worldbuilding, which, as it is, seemed like a good placeholder for setting while the story relied too much on our love of insta-luv paranormal romances for its commercial appeal.
Overall, I quickly realized that INFINITE DAYS--and indeed, probably this whole subgenre of YA more generally--is no longer for me. It lacks the thorough development and definition that I crave in my readings. However, readers who are still willing to give alternative vampire stories a try, and who have found themselves greatly enjoying post-Twilight paranormal romances, should keep an eye out for INFINITE DAYS. This will be right up your alley.
Within this YA niche, INFINITE DAYS does some things very well. I enjoyed reading about Lenah's slow adaptation back into the human life, could really understand her as she marveled at physical sensations and the different customs of 21st-century teens. I liked Tony, the Japanese guy who was Lenah's first (and best) friend after she became human again, even though he displayed borderline obsessive-compulsive behaviors sometimes. He had a sort of personality, spunk, and originality that sidekicks in bland paranormal romances always seem to have, making them so much more interesting than the actual love interest. I was even okay with Lenah's aloofness (product of her getting used to her humanness) and people's subsequent fascination with her (she's beautiful and aloof: even I'm mesmerized by girls like her).
However, INFINITE DAYS falls short in other aspects. Justin Enos, the love interest, has no discernible qualities--good or bad--at all, and the only way I can justify his "deep and all-consuming" attraction to Lenah is that she gives off some sort of post-vampirism aura that males are still lured in by. At least Edward Cullen was overly protective and had old-fashioned morals; Justin Enos (whose constant double-name references was obviously an influence of our famous vampire)...was popular? liked racing boats? had a classic *ahem* mean-girl girlfriend? Well, if you think that makes for a wonderful crush...
Furthermore, numerous elements of Lenah's transformation from vampire to human are glossed over in the story. The process by which Lenah became human again is unique and touching, but was just barely given explanation, something that is terribly necessary in speculative fiction. Lenah's rehumanization is inconsistent: she's stumbling, unused to working muscles in one minute, chowing down food like she's done it all her life in the next. I was left feeling unsatisfied with the worldbuilding, which, as it is, seemed like a good placeholder for setting while the story relied too much on our love of insta-luv paranormal romances for its commercial appeal.
Overall, I quickly realized that INFINITE DAYS--and indeed, probably this whole subgenre of YA more generally--is no longer for me. It lacks the thorough development and definition that I crave in my readings. However, readers who are still willing to give alternative vampire stories a try, and who have found themselves greatly enjoying post-Twilight paranormal romances, should keep an eye out for INFINITE DAYS. This will be right up your alley.
I received an ARC of Infinite Days through LibraryThing Early Reviewers. I will admit that I was skeptical about this book. So many of the YA vampire books that have come out lately have the same feel to them. This book took a little different approach in that the vampires were dark and terrifying. Lenah, a 592-year-old vampire queen, who has created her own coven to be bound to her, yearns for humanity. She is almost mad from wanting just to feel again, to not feel numb all the time. Simple pleasures like a touch or smell elude her in her vampire form. You see, Lenah was turned vampire as a young girl. Ironically, the same vampire who turned her will give her life back to her. The thoughts and feelings that Maizel describes in Infinite Days made me keep picking this book up to see what would happen next. I kept coming back to the word used in the ritual to bring Lenah back to her human form; intent. Fighting against the coven of monsters she created, Lenah soon finds out just how important that word is as she tries to save herself and the ones she has grown to love.
Infinite Days is a fascinating story that I highly recommend reading. Maizel's gift of storytelling and characterization is impressive. Her characters are powerful, imperfect, infinite, and the trip that lies ahead of them is filled with danger and adversity. Infinite Days is a must-read for those who love the vampire genre.
Infinite Days is a fascinating story that I highly recommend reading. Maizel's gift of storytelling and characterization is impressive. Her characters are powerful, imperfect, infinite, and the trip that lies ahead of them is filled with danger and adversity. Infinite Days is a must-read for those who love the vampire genre.
I went into this thinking it was going to be your typical YA vamp book, but it was so much more than I expected! These vamps aren't your normal suave vamps, nor your moping broody vamps, they were so much more and still a combination of both. These vamps feel nothing, all of their nerve endings are dead. They literally live a life of internal torment and the only thing that eases it is the kill. What's great about this one is that although these vamps are completely evil, with no redeemable qualities, once Lenah (who was the queen-bee vamp) becomes human she's one of the best characters I've ever read.
How can a vamp that lived a vicious, murderous life for centuries still charm me with her innocence? Her joy at the first time she felt the textures of fabrics, or the rain on her skin after becoming human was completely infectious. Lenah was one of the most complex characters I've ever read. She's a complete genius, yet completely naive about everyday things. She's was completely lost when she saw a stereo, but could speak 25 languages fluently. I just loved her so much, even in the flashbacks to her evil days.
Rhode, although only in the book for a short time, still managed to charm me completely by his love and devotion to Lenah. A man who literally would lay down his life for his woman, swoon!
Tony was a fantastic quirky, artist, best friend character. So funny and reliable!
I also liked that in this book, even the mean girls ended up being redeemable before everything was over with!
Action-packed and full of mystery and intrigue, this book kept my attention and made me feel for these characters so much. I really came away from this book thinking of Lenah as a friend and I can't wait to see where book two will take us after the way this one ended!
How can a vamp that lived a vicious, murderous life for centuries still charm me with her innocence? Her joy at the first time she felt the textures of fabrics, or the rain on her skin after becoming human was completely infectious. Lenah was one of the most complex characters I've ever read. She's a complete genius, yet completely naive about everyday things. She's was completely lost when she saw a stereo, but could speak 25 languages fluently. I just loved her so much, even in the flashbacks to her evil days.
Rhode, although only in the book for a short time, still managed to charm me completely by his love and devotion to Lenah. A man who literally would lay down his life for his woman, swoon!
Tony was a fantastic quirky, artist, best friend character. So funny and reliable!
I also liked that in this book, even the mean girls ended up being redeemable before everything was over with!
Action-packed and full of mystery and intrigue, this book kept my attention and made me feel for these characters so much. I really came away from this book thinking of Lenah as a friend and I can't wait to see where book two will take us after the way this one ended!
I enjoyed that this novel put a spin on what we're used to seeing in paranormal teen romance nowadays. Vampire Lenah Beaudonte bemoans that she hasn't seen the sun in over 500 years. Her motivation to be human again comes from wanting human experiences - everything from emotions to taste and touch, and the feeling the sun. She sacrifices being an immortal evil bloodsucker for a chance to be a real 16 year old girl again. She gets to experience human life, and this is where I felt the author pulled back from fully exploring into Lenah's new emotions and experiences. I was expecting for some really moving scene when she finally enters sunlight again. Instead, Lenah hides from the sun underneath shade and floppy hats for most of the book.
Lenah is likable enough, but it feels as though she never appreciates what shes been given. The love story was piss-poor and felt forced the entire time. I never once believed she was actually in love. Instead, I felt the chemistry bubbling up between her and another character. And so did he. How did Lenah (and the author) miss this?
The last quarter of the book felt rushed to me and not at completely thought out, which is when this book dropped from a 4 star rating to 3 stars. However, the book gets mega points with me for originality, but the writing was nothing special (Ive never read the word "languid" so many times). The plot couldve been a bit more special, though. Thankfully, Lenah finally got her priorities right eventually. Im a little annoyed that some of the hyped-up action happens off-screen, but that's the downfall of first person narratives. I loved that the author invented her own vampire mythology, and I love that the vampires are actual scary, bad-ass killers here. Overall, it was a good-ish book that I'd recommend to fans of paranormal teen romance.
Lenah is likable enough, but it feels as though she never appreciates what shes been given. The love story was piss-poor and felt forced the entire time. I never once believed she was actually in love. Instead, I felt the chemistry bubbling up between her and another character. And so did he. How did Lenah (and the author) miss this?
The last quarter of the book felt rushed to me and not at completely thought out, which is when this book dropped from a 4 star rating to 3 stars. However, the book gets mega points with me for originality, but the writing was nothing special (Ive never read the word "languid" so many times). The plot couldve been a bit more special, though. Thankfully, Lenah finally got her priorities right eventually. Im a little annoyed that some of the hyped-up action happens off-screen, but that's the downfall of first person narratives. I loved that the author invented her own vampire mythology, and I love that the vampires are actual scary, bad-ass killers here. Overall, it was a good-ish book that I'd recommend to fans of paranormal teen romance.
Incredible! Love the spin on this vampire story!!
My favorite quote from this book was when Justin was comparing Lenah turning human after being a ruthless vampire to bungee jumping. He says "You're standing there on a bridge and you know you're about to do something supremely stupid. But you do it, anyway. You have to. To feel something. Because doing something that crazy is better than just standing around living life with all your mistakes and stupid responsibilities. You jump because you have to, because you have to feel that rush. You know you'll lose your mind if you don't."
Just incredible writing! Beautiful and poetic at times. This will be a must read for anyone!
My favorite quote from this book was when Justin was comparing Lenah turning human after being a ruthless vampire to bungee jumping. He says "You're standing there on a bridge and you know you're about to do something supremely stupid. But you do it, anyway. You have to. To feel something. Because doing something that crazy is better than just standing around living life with all your mistakes and stupid responsibilities. You jump because you have to, because you have to feel that rush. You know you'll lose your mind if you don't."
Just incredible writing! Beautiful and poetic at times. This will be a must read for anyone!
While I enjoyed this different twist of the popular vampire theme right now, I was left feeling kinda confused and empty. I understood the miserable, depressing worthlessness the vampires feel, but to me it didn't feel like "enough" for Lenah to want to change to a human. She was practically a queen with enormous power, with not just one but two loves of her life. I can't help but wonder WHAT else brought her to the decision to give up her power and vampire loves. I also had a very hard time believing the Justin/Lenah romance. I found myself rooting for Tony. He seemed far more "real" to me than Justin because we were aware of some of his passions and interests. The only things we knew about Justin were he's popular, handsome and a daredevil. It didn't seem to be an appropriate fit for a vampire queen to suddenly fall in love with. I couldn't understand it. I wouldn't recommend this book. Just my opinion.
i really enjoyed this book.. looks like its gonna have a second book to it called stolen nights cant wait to read it
This is one of my favortie vampire books now! It's perfect becuase it has everything you could want from a book like this! The main female character is so unique. At some points it would be easy to hate her, but then it's also easy to love her and want everything to work out for her. Maizel did a great job with Lenah's character! Most books I read like this aggrivate me to no end becuase the main female character makes foolish mistakes to often, or keeps running away just when things get really interesting. Not Lenah! She makes choices that are realistic, ones that readers can understand.
One thing I loved about this book is that just when you think something is not possible, there's no way Maizel will take the story in that direction she does! I love it when a book I'm reading surprises me like that! The ending was perfect. It leaves so many possibilities open for the next book! My only complaint is that I don't have book two already.
One thing I loved about this book is that just when you think something is not possible, there's no way Maizel will take the story in that direction she does! I love it when a book I'm reading surprises me like that! The ending was perfect. It leaves so many possibilities open for the next book! My only complaint is that I don't have book two already.
I LOVED LOVED LOVED THIS BOOK! I WANT TO READ IT AGAIN! CAN'T WAIT TILL THE NEXT ONE COMES OUT!
