Jacqueline Lepore: Descent Into Dust

Descent Into Dust is the first book in the Emma Andrews series. Here’s the cover blurb:

Twenty-five-year-old widow Emma Andrews grew up in the shadow of her mother’s madness, so when she arrives at Dulwich Manor in the midst of a mysterious plague and soon thereafter begins to see specters, her family fears fate has finally caught up with her. But one guest among them knows Emma’s visions are more than a trick of the mind. Valerian Fox has hunted the great vampire lord Marius through time and across continents, and he knows Emma has a remarkable destiny. She is Dhampir—a vampire hunter.

Surrounded by those who would use her powers for their own ends, Emma does not know who to trust or what she can believe. But when her young cousin is marked for death, she must embrace the terrible inheritance that lies in her very blood to save those she loves.

An extraordinary saga of courage, love, duty, and honor, of darkest destiny and ancient evil . . . and of the shadow of the Dracula himself. It begins.

Descent Into Dust is a dark gothic novel that weaves European folklore, catholic tradition and horror to create a fresh yet familiar series. The story takes place in England, 1862. Emma has hungered for answers about her mother most of her life and the changes going on inside her make the need more information even more crucial. Emma’s dhampir gifts reveal themselves in a startling way and changes everything she thought she knew about herself. Emma is an interesting character who is very different from ladies of that time period (as emphasized by her delicate half sister, Alyssa). She’s clearly a woman who is comfortable and confident on her own.

The novel is not a romance but does have romantic elements and as the series progresses I expect that the relationship between Emma and Valerian Fox will continue to develop. Valerian is a dark and secretive character yet he has qualities that make him very attractive to Emma. She’s not quite sure if she can trust him but they will have to trust each other in order to survive their encounter with a powerful and evil vampire.

Descent Into Dust is a nice change from the more popular urban fantasy story. It’s closer in style to Colleen Gleason’s Gardella series but is darker and less glamorous. Lepore’s vampires are true monsters rather than the beautiful human-like vampire; Marius is more Nosferatu than Lestat. I’m very much looking forward to seeing where this series goes. The vampire lore in the story is so rich and detailed that there’s lots of opportunities for trips to exotic lands and meeting other interesting dhampirs like Valerian’s friend Naimah. If you enjoy gothic and historical novels I think you’ll enjoy this series.

Click here to read the first chapter of the book.

Release Date: March 23, 2010
ISBN-10: 006187812X
ISBN-13: 978-0061878121

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