4 out of 4 stars
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Sylvio: Past and Present tells the story of a vampire named Sylvio. The story is two-pronged and tells not only of present events but also how Sylvio came to be who he is. Rachel is the narrator of the story. She is one of a group of people that allow Sylvio to feed off of them in exchange for health, a place to live and an allowance.
Rachel was dying of bone cancer when she made a deal with a vampire. If she allowed Sylvio to feed off of her, his blood would in turn heal her. She agreed and moved into one of his houses with five others. It was then that she learned that she was a witch. She is still learning about her powers but has already used them to defeat demons in the past. The time may soon come when she’ll need to draw on those same powers again.
Sylvio started out like any other person. His father was a powerful man who became the King of the Vandals. However, his mother was a house slave. As he was part royalty, he was bound for a life of fighting which was better than being a slave. He was a strong fighter, but one of the battles became too much for him. He suffered a mortal blow. He was not meant to die, however, as a vampire brought him back from the brink of death. This vampire then made him his slave.
I was unsure about reading this book after perusing the summary and Amazon. I learned that it was the second in a series, and I always hate feeling like I’m missing something. However, after reading the book, I was pleasantly surprised to find I had no need of the first novel. The author, R. E. Beebe, has written the story so well, that there are no gaps whatsoever. I can guess at what the first novel was about, but she seamlessly integrates that into the back story of this novel. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it done quite so well.
I also enjoyed the fact that the author puts her own spin on vampires. There are a lot of similarities but enough differences to keep me intrigued. For example, Vampires in this story can walk around in daylight if the good in them outweighs the bad.
I will say that this book is not for the faint of heart. There is plenty of violence in this book from the vampires, the demons, the witches and even some werewolves. The scenes can be graphic at times. If that bothers you, I would recommend not reading this book. In the same light, the vampires have a lust for sex while they are feeding. There are no explicit sexual encounters, but there are sexual situations and language that would not be appropriate for some readers.
Overall, I would rate Sylvio: Past and Present a 4 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed each moment of this novel. I loved learning more about what powers Rachel had as well as how a “good” vampire like Sylvio came to be. I am definitely putting the first book in this series on my to read list, and I hope that there are many more to come.
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Sylvio: Past and Present
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