Born in the dawn of man’s history, Amara is neither human nor vampire and yet fully both; a killer, a child, a lover, a monster.Wandering the world, she seeks redemption and vengeance in equal measure. Discovering love in its many forms and loss in its deepest agony, her life circles around two others who return to her again and again, until their fates are set right.“The ancient game is played … ancient game is played out as three souls, born together in the lost pages of time, are as they were meant to be. But to tell that story, my story, I must go back to the beginning. To the time before I came to be.
Before any of us had come to be.”
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The cover of Forever speaks of a gothic read, of hauntings, perhaps, or maybe something even darker. Forever is a vampire story, the third I have read this year, and not being a fan of paranormal fiction, I was relieved to find behind this gloomy and disturbing cover, a satisfying dark and engaging story written with a deft pen.
The protagonist, Amara, is not a regular vampire. She is part human, and this sets up an internal conflict as by turns she fights against and gives in to her vampiric tendency to drain humans of their blood. Amara is on a journey of discovery when, as a misfit repelled by what she sees her vampire kin do, she takes the difficult path of leaving them behind to find her way in the world of humans. When she leaves the Family of bloodthirsty vampires headed up by three brothers and sets off on her own she cannot know the adventures and conflicts that lie ahead. Soon she befriends a mortal, Jesse, who has a deep interest in the ancient traditions. When Jesse slays one of her own, Vahe, the two are hunted by the Family. A love interest grows between the pair as they flee, only to find themselves having to confront the powerful Crenoral, Amara’s step-father. From here, the story continues as Amara searches for ways to belong to her human family, and to say more would spoil the plot.
Forever, a tale that is highly atmospheric and spans eons of time. There is plenty of bloody action packing the pages and Case displays excellent world building skills, a requisite for any fantasy author, dark or otherwise. Throughout the novel, Case explores themes of alienation and belonging, and of identity, tackling the age old dance of passion versus morality, as Amara resists her own innate and powerful desires. I particularly enjoyed the first person perspective of an older wiser Amara reflecting back on her life.
Very well written, with complex characters created with a sympathetic eye, Forever will appeal to fans of vampire fiction with an epic flavour who are after a classic read.
An exquisitely written autobiographical journal detailing the life and history of Amara – half-human, half-vampire. This gothic account of spans the centuries of Amara’s existence, from the dawn of her memories right up until the present day.
It is an extremely well-crafted work and I found the author’s style very beautiful, and as such, well suited to the tale. The world she has created is well detailed and highly imaginative. I also enjoyed Amara as a (half) person – she is thoughtful and civil, but wouldn’t think twice about ravaging somebody’s neck for the lifeblood that she needs to live on. Or simply for revenge or survival. The author also managed to avoid confusing me as a reader with endless names and scenarios to remember, as she seemed to just focus on one or two aspects at a time – so this was helpful.
All in all, it was a good and full read, but you need to take your time with it to absorb the full history of this horrific ‘family’.