I do not regret it. :)


So we meet a girl on brink of an adult life, who suddenly learns that she possesses unique strength and skills – and a destiny to kill vampires. She doesn’t mind killing vampires, but she would rather have a normal life – with balls and entertainments, beautiful gowns and dances, and with handsome men who would want to marry her. Sound familiar? Duh!

She is not the Vampire Slayer, she is the Venator, and she is not the chosen one, though she has the potential to be the best. Her name is Victoria, and she lives in Regency London.

I have to admit, the first pages were like an old game of “find 10 differences in these pictures”. After a while, the story found its stride and sucked me in with its setting and the characters and the mythology.

The setting is so familiar and comfortable for us Regency epoch. Vampires don’t seem to be out of place there, but it is amusing to see how the presence of vampires influences a typical Regency romance. Apparently, it is much harder to hide a stake in a empire dress, and big purses are not yet in fashion, so our heroine has several stakes in different colours that her maid hides in a fancy hairdo. I think it was the blue-colored staked that won me over. 

The characters grew on me fast enough – Victoria, her grandmother Eustasia, Marchess Rockley, maid Verbena, gloomy Italian guy Max, mysterious guy Sebastian…

Rockley is that perfect Regency hero that we are used to seeing as the ultimate reward for the heroine. And he really is that good. He is handsome and rich, and brave and generous in spirit… However, he has all the historically appropriate values. How would he react to his chosen bride hunting vampires at night? Hmmm….

Victoria herself is just a product of her time, yet she takes everything that happens to her in the stride. Well, more or less. She is brave, stubborn, reckless, smart, she makes mistakes and learns from them. And she really enjoys dancing.

One more thing I liked about this story is the vampire mythology. Let’s face it, Buffyverse mythology has more holes in it I can count, which I all forgive, because the story works for me on emotional and metaphorical level. This story has much less holes in it. It’s vampire myth is based on some Christian apocrypha, on the legends of Judas, and in this context vampires’ dislike of Christian symbols actually makes sense.

Another thing I liked that Victoria’s strength is a part of a legacy, and as such is in her blood. But when handed this destiny she still can refuse to follow it and forget all about vampires. On the other hand, one can be unrelated by blood, and still to choose the destiny of a Venator.