Revenge of the Vampir King by Nancy Kilpatrick
Crossroad Press (February 2017)
290 pages; $26.99 hardcover; $14.99 paperback; ebook $4.99
Reviewed by Peter Tomas
Revenge of the Vampir King, a blood soaked tale by Nancy Kilpatrick, is the story of a male vampire, a human girl, and the chaos which surrounds them as they interact with one another. Valada, the princess of the humans, is sent to the vampire king, Moarte, as an unwilling gift by her father Zador, the evil human king. Through a mess of emotions and erotic interactions, the two become wed, and the world around them becomes rife with treachery, confusion, lust, and hurt. They must fight their way to Zador’s throne to end his terrible reign and, with any luck, save their marriage, and the people they love most.
From the first page of the novel to the last, I found myself being treated to vivid, colorful descriptions, interesting conversations, and overall enjoyable prose. Every scene is painted in a light that keeps the reader interested, while also providing just enough detail as to not go overboard. The portrayal of each individual character’s emotions, desires, and ambitions made each of them stand out in a unique light, and their interactions were both thoroughly engaging, and almost always tense. The action was satisfying, albeit occasionally spattered in massive quantities of blood, but that is understandable, considering the novel’s vampiric nature. There were equal measures of merriment and stress, adding up to a well-rounded base upon which the story could unfold.
However, during these sequences of general tension and blood-guzzling, there were several parts of the story which left me hungry for more. For instance, throughout the unfolding drama that is progressively unveiled to the reader, there are a series of complex conspiracies that, unless followed rather closely, are very easy to lose track of. In one instance, when one of the characters killed another for a specific reason, I had to go back and reread who just killed who and why, because I had found myself lost in the tangle of names and motivations.
That being said, it is a story to take slowly, as there are many pieces of important information which could be easily glossed over if not paid proper attention to. Aside from this, there was a certain focus on the sexual side of Moarte and Valada’s relationship when contrasted against the emotional. However, the erotic scenes are written in great detail, and for their intended audience, I believe they will hold up nicely.
All in all, Revenge of the Vampir King proved itself to be an interesting and entertaining novel, packed with romance, treachery, and emotion, keeping me reading for hours on end. If you’re a fan of vampires, action, and eroticism, this book is definitely for you.
