A big Thank You to Lee Rudnicki and Bewitching Book Tours for the opportunity to read and review My Immortal and be a part of the tour. Click on the picture above to see all the other stops on the tour.
My Immortal The Vampires of Berlin
By Lee Rudnicki
By Lee Rudnicki
Genre: Horror
Publisher: 23 House
Date of Publication: March 9, 2012
ISBN-10: 0984645810
ISBN-13: 978-0984645817
Number of pages: 306
Synopsis:
A supernatural adventure set in present day and 1945 Berlin. Our heroine is Eva, a shell-shocked young vampire who is found wandering around in the ruins of Berlin Cathedral on the last day of the war by soldiers.
Excerpt:
Eva sat on the riverbank as the sounds of battle resounded in the distance. She didn't say anything when Sebastian sat down next to her. Nor did he expect her to.
“Guten Abend,” he said. “Not the best time for a picnic on the riverbank, is it?”
Eva didn't respond.
Sebastian didn’t believe in vampires until he met one. Until one bit him. Now, the sight of blood excited him and his strength was growing by the hour. He knew what the other men only suspected. Eva was a vampire and he was turning into one himself. He also instinctively knew that their survival depended on Eva, for reasons known only to God—assuming that God was still in Berlin. Somehow, he needed to get through to her. He tried again.
“Eva. Do you understand me? Do you know where you are? Please, talk to me.”
If Eva heard him, she didn't show it. Opening the lines of communication with the young vampire was going to be far more difficult than Sebastian had anticipated. Discouraged, he turned her towards him. “Look at me. That Luftwaffe pilot over there...”
“Axel,” Eva said softly.
“Yes. Axel is about to die from burns he got when a vampire torched his face. He got hurt saving you.”
Eva blinked hard and then pointed to the sky. “It’s in the stars, Sebastian.”
Sebastian looked up. There were no stars, only a dark gloom lit by the flash of sporadic explosions. Before he could ask another question, an artillery shell exploded in the river. The freezing water that cascaded over them brought him crashing back to reality.
Sebastian got up and took Eva’s hand. It was time to go.
My Review:
I have been dying (no pun intended) to get my hands on My Immortal for a long time so I jumped at the chance to be a part of this tour. I have to say, it was not what I expected...in a good way. I expected the book to be about vampires - but it was so much more. My Immortal crosses many genres from Historical WWII Fiction to Horror to Fantasy to Mystery. Vampires are a part of the book no doubt, but I would say that it is a book about war with vampires as opposed to a vampire book set during the war.
We start in present day Berlin with a "Professor" known for his books on conspiracy theories. However, what he has in his brief case is so much more than what the pyramids represent or UFOs. What he carries is a dossier on Operation Tristan; Hitler's secret weapon. When a fan of the professor's hacks into his computer to find what he is working on, he is shocked by what he finds and alerts the United States government to the situation. No one can know what is inside the briefcase; in fact, the president doesn't even know what it entails. The CIA attempts to thwart the professor's plan to release the information publicly and a set of events occurs that has you wondering what is so important. What is Operation Tristan? The scene then changes to Berlin, 1945. The German army is losing the war and Hitler will do anything -anything- to stop the Red Army from taking over.
Lee's writing is superb. He details the atrocities of the war in horrific detail without being overly gory. The interaction between the soldiers was realistic and reminds the reader that not everyone was an automaton; that people did what they had to in order to survive. Hitler is portrayed as a manic, unstable man who wants nothing more than to see the world burn. The glimpse into his mind is frightening. The vampires were created in the traditional form: they had fangs, no reflection, and incredible speed and strength. And even though they looked human, they were anything but. The story is told from many points of view, which I am generally not a fan of, but Lee's transitions were clearer than some.
Overall, My Immortal was a suspenseful, thrilling read that will keep you on the edge of your seat, and if you are like me biting off all your fingernails in the process! Through war ravaged Germany, the story unfolds and you will find yourself immersed in Sebastian and Eva's plight. I recommend to history buffs, conspiracy theorists and horror fans alike.
FTC Advisory: I received this book from BBT in exchange for an honest review. I am never paid or compensated in any way for my reviews. No backroom deals or whispered promises are made.
We start in present day Berlin with a "Professor" known for his books on conspiracy theories. However, what he has in his brief case is so much more than what the pyramids represent or UFOs. What he carries is a dossier on Operation Tristan; Hitler's secret weapon. When a fan of the professor's hacks into his computer to find what he is working on, he is shocked by what he finds and alerts the United States government to the situation. No one can know what is inside the briefcase; in fact, the president doesn't even know what it entails. The CIA attempts to thwart the professor's plan to release the information publicly and a set of events occurs that has you wondering what is so important. What is Operation Tristan? The scene then changes to Berlin, 1945. The German army is losing the war and Hitler will do anything -anything- to stop the Red Army from taking over.
Lee's writing is superb. He details the atrocities of the war in horrific detail without being overly gory. The interaction between the soldiers was realistic and reminds the reader that not everyone was an automaton; that people did what they had to in order to survive. Hitler is portrayed as a manic, unstable man who wants nothing more than to see the world burn. The glimpse into his mind is frightening. The vampires were created in the traditional form: they had fangs, no reflection, and incredible speed and strength. And even though they looked human, they were anything but. The story is told from many points of view, which I am generally not a fan of, but Lee's transitions were clearer than some.
Overall, My Immortal was a suspenseful, thrilling read that will keep you on the edge of your seat, and if you are like me biting off all your fingernails in the process! Through war ravaged Germany, the story unfolds and you will find yourself immersed in Sebastian and Eva's plight. I recommend to history buffs, conspiracy theorists and horror fans alike.
★ ★ ★ ★ ½
About the Author:
Lee Rudnicki is an entertainment lawyer, producer, and writer in Los Angeles. Lee has a law degree from the University of San Francisco, a music degree from San Jose State, a Certificate in Screenwriting from UCLA and studied international law at Trinity College, Ireland and Charles University, Prague. Before law school, Lee was a world-class rudimental drummer and drum corps instructor.
It is definitely different from what I usually read. Would make a great movie.
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