Descent into Dust

By Jacqueline Lepore

This was a random choice from the new fiction shelf in the library. As vampire novels go, it was about average. It was entertaining, there were some thrills and scares, and it’s certainly set itself up for a series. The plot was done moderately well; it was somewhat predictable, but there was a darker/creepier tone to the book that helped me ignore that as a reader. I particularly liked how Emma, the protagonist, is known to have a mother who went mad, and so everyone around her is waiting for signs that she, too, is going mad – added some nice tension between her and other characters. The core idea (a vampire hunter who is half vampire herself) is nothing new, and in fact I think Jeaniene Frost does a much better version of that in the Night Huntress series. I do give Ms. Lepore kudos for somehow pulling off a character named Valerian Fox, though his back story definitely needs some work – I would hope that is addressed more in the future books of this series. Also, she spends a bit too much time trying to impress the time period upon the reader, in a kind of stilted way. It doesn’t make it feel authentic or natural, but ends up being a bit distracting, like she’s trying to prove she did her research. I think she should’ve focused a bit more on character development and relationships instead of setting. The most developed and interesting character in the book was a little girl of about 8 years old, which is a problem when she’s not the narrator. But overall, an easy mostly enjoyable read, perfect for a rainy afternoon when you just want to knock through a quick novel.

I give it 2.5/5 stars.