3 out of 4 stars
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The Witch of Endor: Vampires is the first instalment of the wonderful series penned by R.K. Wheeler. Wheeler masterfully intersperses myriad elements from the Bible, Greek mythology, and paranormal lore to create this brilliant paranormal romance.
This magical tale tells the story of a girl named Lilith, who has the ability to communicate with ghosts. When she reaches puberty, she becomes the wielder of a powerful magic. As a result, her parents move to the town of Endor. With time, she gains better control of her magic, and opens up a shop. However, circumstances force her to flee Endor and take refuge in Mount Moreh. There, she meets the mysterious Lamech. But to her disgruntlement, he only visits her at night. During the nights, Lamech’s love becomes Lilith's “heart's desire”, but her mornings are plagued with doubts. Finally, she decides to investigate Lamech's whereabouts. Little did she know that her quest for love would change her life forever.
Yes, I admit that the premise was cliché due to the presence of the age-old tiff between vampires and werewolves. However, that was more than redeemed by the commendable narrative style employed by the author. Each chapter starts with a poem which foreshadows the events that follow. Wheeler uses her words to captivate the readers and transport them to a dark magical realm. In a span of fourteen chapters, he takes the reader on an entrancing journey across ancient Israel and Greece. I also liked the way the book ended at a cliff-hanger. It leaves many questions unanswered, and makes the reader wait with bated breath for the sequel.
I have to mention that Wheeler does a wonderful job at characterization. All the characters are beautifully developed and are not merely type characters. I found the author to be very brave as he took many creative liberties in giving differing identities to vastly known characters of the Bible and Greek mythology.
I find Wheeler's use of third person point of view to be perfect as it gives a detailed insight into the minds of the various characters. The protagonist Lilith is truly one of her kind. We see myriad shades of her. However, her role as a mother truly stole the show for me. No matter how powerful her love for Lamech is, her affection for her child trumps all. She does not recoil from her gorgon daughters. In fact, she cherishes them, and protects them with all her heart. Lamech is also a well developed character. Cursed to be the very first vampire, after accidently killing Cain, he is truly a tortured soul. Though, I have to mention that it was Medusa who touched my heart. Abandonment by her father had made her insecure. In addition to that, her turning her suitors into stone made her always question herself. All she longed for was a companion. However, this did not turn her into a shrinking violet. Whenever the need arose, she fought with an enviable determination.
The book could have been a bit more engrossing for me without the few grammar and typographical errors that were present. For instance, in one place “Zeus" was typed “Zues", and “borne" was written as “born". I believe the book would be absolutely perfect after a round of editing and proofreading.
Keeping in mind the pros and cons, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. Despite a few errors, Wheeler does a marvellous job of creating a magical tale that would be a treat to anyone having a keen interest in all things paranormal and a passion for romance, and mythology. However, I do not think that staunch Christians or stickers of History will like this book very much. I recommend this book to anyone willing to immerse themselves in a world of myths, mythology, and romance.
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The Witch of Endor
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