The Last True Vampire, Kate Baxter
Release Date: June 2, 2015
In
some ways, I am conflicted as I write this review. Did I enjoy the
book? Yes. I can honestly say that I did. This is also where the
conflicted feelings come in. Almost immediately, actually within the
first chapter, there was something familiar in the story. Soon, I
realized what was bothering me. The basics of the story is extremely
similar to the Dark Prince book written by Christine Feehan. The
more I read The Last True Vampire, the more similarities I was
finding. Let me explain in the following breakdown.
The
Last True Vampire by Kate Baxter
The
vampires in this story are born but are considered “dhampir”
until they are transformed by a true vampire. At the time of
transformation, the vampire loses their soul. They must find their
mate, who carries their soul, to have their soul restored to them.
Vampire
leader/king is named Mikhail
His
mate is a human female, Claire
Fear
that if he transforms her into a vampire that she will become
deranged and die/be killed
Upon
meeting Claire, his soul is restored
Blood
bond is necessary between Mikhail and Claire to strengthen the bond
between them for her safety
Mikhail's
right hand is named Ronan
Nemesis
of the story is a secret society bent on the total genocide of the
vampire society
Key
Nemesis is named “Gregor the Black”
Claire
is nearly killed by a secret society member who uses a knife to
assault her
Mikhail
is forced to risk transforming Claire into a vampire to save her life
Dark
Prince (Dark Series) by Christine Feehan Released Date Aug. 1, 1999
Carpathians
are immortals, similar to vampires but are not evil nor kill their
prey. Once a Carpathian male kills his prey, he loses his soul and
becomes vampire. A Carpathian male, as he becomes an adult, loses
his ability to feel emotion and see colors. He must find his
lifemate, she is the light to his darkness, to become whole again.
Prince/Leader
of the Carpathians is named Mikhail
His
mate is a human female, Raven
There
is fear that converting her to become Carpathian will cause her to be
deranged and have to be killed
Upon
meeting Raven, Mikhail's emotions/soul is restored
Blood
bond is needed to help keep Raven safe
Mikhail's
father's, Prince Vlad's, second in command was named Roman
Nemesis
of the Carpathian series is a secret society bent on complete
genocide of the Carpathian race
Mikhail's
second in command is named Gregory, also known as the Dark One
Raven
nearly dies after being attacked with a knife by a secret society
member
Mikhail
is forced to risk converting Raven into a Carpathian to save her
life.
As
I read the story, The Last True Vampire, I simply could not separate
it from Christine Feehan's book. Though the specifics or details of
the story were different, the theme and flow of the book was eerily
familiar. So much so that when I talked about The Last True Vampire
to my husband, he thought I was talking about Ms. Feehan's book.
Which leads to my conflicted feelings. Did I like this book on it's
own merits? Or did I like it because it resonated so strongly with
the Dark (Carpathian) series which I have been a fan of since its beginning?
I honestly cannot say. What I do know is that I truly wish that the
book was more original in it's content. It would make reviewing a
lot easier. Bottom line is that the book is good, but I wish it had
something that set it apart from another author's work.
