31 January 2008

Book Banter -- If Angels Burn

Title: If Angels Burn (Darkyn, bk. 1)
Author: Lynn Viehl
Genre: Paranormal
Length: 298 pages
Plot Basics: Dr. Alexandra Keller is one of the top plastic surgeons in the country and she keeps getting requests for her medical service from a reclusive man in New Orleans. Finally she accepts the job. What she discovers in New Orleans in a man with a completely disfigured face and an uncanny ability to heal, almost instantaneously. Alex agrees to take the case and finds herself drawn in my this man and the group he belongs to nearly immortal beings who call themselves the Darkyn.
Banter Points: This was the book that got lost in the IMCPL hold system for a while that Word Nerd whined about a week ago or so. Turns out, the wait was pretty much worth it. Viehl's series is another entrant into the crowded market of vampire novels and it's not bad. The Kyn (short for Dark Kin) have the basic run down of vamp powers -- mind control, super strength, etc. -- but they may also be suffering more from a disease than a curse. Word Nerd's seen vampirism done as an infection before where it didn't work, but Viehl pulls it off.
Bummer Points: A group of French-speaking vampires in New Orleans? The acknowledgement page lauded Anne Rice, but honestly...on the heels of Rice and Hamilton, is there a bigger vampire cliche than that?
Word Nerd Recommendation: If you like the genre, it's worth reading. Word Nerd's trying to get book two through Inner Library Loan since IMCPL is missing that one. She promises no more whining about the time it takes to find the books in this series.

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