Eternal by Cynthia Letich Smith
Walker, 2009. ISBN 9781406325003.
(Age 15+) Zachary is Miranda's guardian angel but
he has a
problem - he is in love with her. Instead of letting her die he reveals
himself
in the forbidden angel form and rescues her, only to have the King of
the Mantle
of Dracul overpower him and swoop her to off his palace. There Miranda
becomes
a vampire princess, the life of the party. She is expected not only to
drink
blood but to occasionally kill anyone who displeases her. Meanwhile, in
disgrace,
Zachary is given one last chance of eternal redemption, and poses as
Miranda's
personal assistant, planning the King's Death Day gala. Will he be able
to save
her soul and rescue the human Bleeders imprisoned in the dungeons?
This is an entertaining romp of a story, told in
alternate points
of view by Miranda and Zachary. I had quite a few chuckles from the
witty
language, and enjoyed the passing references to Anne Rice and other
vampire
books as well as A tale of two cities. What lifts it above some
of the
other
vampire/angel books I have read recently is the fact that Miranda
manages to
shake off her quiet persona and come into her own by the end of the
story, turning
into a feisty heroine who makes really hard decisions about her future.
Zachary
is an appealing fallen hero who also has a hard time coming to grips
with what
redemption means. Supporting characters are fully formed and lots of
fun,
especially Harrison, the starchy human personal assistant to the Master
and
Lucy, Miranda's best friend, who sets up a blog appealing for any
information
about her disappearance.
Smith's vampire world is well developed, dark and
gruesome,
and there is plenty of action to delight fans of horror and vampire
tales.
There is a companion book, Tantalize, and another one, Blessed,
to
follow.
Pat Pledger