Sweep of the Blade by Ilona AndrewsMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Vampires in Space
I am a huge Ilona Andrews fan. I pretty much love all of the stuff written by this husband and wife author team. This book is the fourth in the series, but I think it can possibly standalone even though a few references will be lost without reading the earlier books.
I originally read this story in weekly chunks, as they were released for free, but unedited, by the authors on their website. I couldn’t wait for each installment and hated any delays. It was so good to read the story in it’s entirety.
So as you can guess, this review is going to be positive. I enjoyed the free version and then downloaded the book, obviously I liked it. The reason I like it was that Maud is an amazingly strong, intelligent and fierce woman. She was raised as an innkeeper, a race of humans who provide hospitality in a neutral setting on earth for intergalactic guests. The human population at large does not know about the inns or the guests, and the innkeepers have magic provided in conjunction with their inns to house their guests appropriately and keep the peace between the various races.
Maud left her parents’ inn to marry a vampire and they had a child together. Vampires are an intelligent, political and martial race. Strength of arms is a vital component of their society. When they were then cast out of her husband’s House when her husband’s scheming endangered his brother, the Lord Marshall of his House, because of his jealousy, they were exiled to a lethal planet to live out the rest of their lives. Being cast out taught the fierce Maud how to survive no matter what, so she could ensure the safety of her daughter, even after the death of her vampire husband. Though innkeepers have magic, it is mainly through the inns themselves that their magic manifests. Maud was mainly human whilst trying to survive the horrors of her exile.
It is against this background that we see Maud travelling to a new home after being proposed to by another vampire, they love each other, but there are huge hurdles to surmount.
I love Maud who above all wants safety and security for her daughter. She wants her half vampire child to have a full and satisfying life, which she would not be able to have on earth because of her vampire DNA being so evident. I really admire that Maud is willing to try loving another vampire after the way she was treated previously by another House. Though willing to try this new life with the vampire she loves, she is very hesitant to marry and rely on her husband for her position.
This is not so much a traditional romance, it's about the time after a proposal. It's about already being in love, but having to make a life together when both of the people involved have very different backgrounds.
There is everything in this book, there is politics, military maneuvering, romance, family angst and fierce battling. It’s a great sci-fi story and I loved every page. This authoring team writes superb books, I recommend you go and read some of them immediately.
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