Sunday, April 4, 2010

Vampire Lore

This was my first YA novel and I have to admit that it surprised me, mainly because the story had so many depths to it. The creation of a unique vampire lore made the book incredibly involved and entertaining to read. Here are a few points that I found particularly interesting:

*There was nothing anyone could do to bring on the Change. The whole" if you get bit by a vampyre you'll die and become one" thing is strictly fiction. (pg 22)

*Vamp stereotypes that are true: They avoid sunlight, they're most powerful at night, they need to drink blood to survive and they worship a goddess who is known as Night Personified. (pg 47)

*Cats have always been closely allied with vampyres. Cats choose us;we don't own them. (pg 53)

*Vampyres, adult or fledgling, don't explode, or any other such fictional nonsense, if subjected to direct sunlight, but it is uncomfortable. (pg 54)

The use of a scientific explanation for vampires brings new and exciting details to the lore of vampires. In certain people hormones trigger the Change, and that person is Marked by a Tracker and brought to the House of Night. If the body accepts the Change then that person will become vampire, otherwise, they die.


What part of the lore did you enjoy? Was there a particular myth that you thought definitely added to the story? Would you have spent your teen years hoping to be Marked, or would you have reacted like Kayla and been appalled?

1 comment:

The Angel and Demon Within said...

I liked the way the scientific explanation was developed. I didn't care so much for the fact that they had the marks between their eyes. Wouldn't that have made it hard to hide from public in the past? I read all six of the books this past week. I thought the first one was slow to start but loved the rest. Now, just waiting until the end of the month when book 7 comes out. :)