Review: Stolen Nights by Rebecca Maizel (Vampire Queen #2)

Title: Stolen Nights by Rebecca Maizel

Published: January 29^th, 2013 by St. Martin’s Griffin

Source: eGalley

Format: eBook

Challenge(s):

Grade rate: C

Lenah Beaudonte should be dead. But having sacrificed herself to save another, she finds herself awakening with strange powers that are neither vampire nor human—and a new enemy on her trail. In her vampire life, Lenah had thought that being human was all she ever wanted; but the human heart suffers pain, heartbreak and loss.
 With her new powers growing and the dark force of the Nex after her soul, Lenah faces a choice: between the mortal love of gorgeous Justin, whose passion fed her human soul, and taking a different path to become the mistress of her own destiny, wherever that may lead...

My Review

Finally!  I read Infinite Days in 2010 and let me tell you, two years is an awful long time to wait, especially when I loved it (and the cliffhanger, thank you very much)!

I’m a bit ambivalent about Stolen Nights, I’m not sure what I was waiting for, but I felt that this book to a whole new direction from where it was going.  Am I the only one that felt that way?  I think my biggest issue was Lenah, she went from being a kick-ass queen to a simpering, weak and selfish girl.  Evidently, having lived for so many years didn’t mean she gain any wisdom whatsoever.  She used Justin really badly and I just can’t stand that kind of behavior from anyone.

Don’t get me started on Rhodes.  From the first book and Lenah’s flashbacks about him, he was supposed to be this wise, handsome, loving vampire.  Although, it’s obvious that he loves Lenah, he is so difficult and restraint.  As I said, I just don’t understand where this is going.

One of the redeeming points of the book is Vicken.  He turned out to be a true friend; he is funny, loyal, brave, ready for action and quick to sarcasm.  Lenah’s friends are dying all over the place (since book one, so I’m not giving anything away), and this doesn’t seem fair. I feel like Maizel created these characters just for fluff, with the sole purpose to kill them off.   Also, what is up with the Aeris?  If they are so powerful, why on earth didn’t they help more?  And the explanation about why Rhode and Lenah can’t be together doesn’t even make sense! 

The plot was all over the place.  I did like the writing, it is beautiful, but not enough to love the book as much as I did the first one.

I just can’t tell you how disappointed I was about this book.  I wish that Lenah didn’t wait until the end to do right, and I can’t understand the purpose of the ending or how is the next installment going to proceed.  This was supposed to fix everything and evidently, it didn’t.   

Quotes:

"Promise me. Promise me that no matter what happens, you will always be ther for me". I pulled away and looked into Rhode's vampire eyes. So glorious, they were the color of the summer sky. My sky. "We don't know what will come, but if I know you will always be there for me, I can bear it" 
"I promise", he said. " No matter what may come"  - Lenah to Rhode

"This love is so deep, it cannot be undone" - Rhode

"Vicken exhaled heavily, then said, "I don't know about yoiu, but this house says to me: Come inside if you want to die" - Vicken

About the cover:  It’s a beautiful cover, BUT I liked the original cover (see on the left) that matches my pretty copy of Infinite Days :(

Have you ever been disappointed in a sequel?  Did you continue the series?  Did you read Infinite Days?