Infinite Days

Vampire Queen #1

by Rebecca Maizel

“Throughout all my histories, I found no one I loved more than you... no one.”

Those were some of Rhode’s last words to me. The last time he would pronounce his love. The last time I would see his face.

It was the first time in 592 years I could take a breath. Lay in the sun. Taste.

Rhode sacrificed himself so I, Lenah Beaudonte, could be human again. So I could stop the blood lust.

I never expected to fall in love with someone else that wasn’t Rhode.

But Justin was... daring. Exciting. More beautiful than I could dream.

I never expected to be sixteen again... then again, I never expected my past to come back and haunt me...

Genres: Vampires, Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

308 pages, Paperback

First published August 3, 2010

About the author

Rebecca Maizel hails from Rhode Island, where she teaches high school literature at her alma mater the Wheeler School. She tries not to force her students to read her books, though. Rebecca is the author of several published novels for young adults, and recently achieved an MFA in Writing for Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She also enjoys Indian food, her dog Georgie, and running moderately long distances.

Reviews

[Janina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Contains small spoilers for the first half of the book.

I have to admit that I was lured into wanting to read this book by its very pretty cover. Unfortunately, it didn’t deliver.

Lenah Beaudonte, the 500-year old Queen of a powerful vampire coven, is human again; given back her life by her lover Rhode, who has sacrificed himself for her.
Now, after 100 years of sleep, she has to face her new reality: as a 16-year old girl at an expensive boarding school. While she tries to adjust to the 21st century, she doesn’t only have to deal with the everyday problems of being the new girl and falling for the most popular boy in school; she also fears that her coven will finally find and destroy her.

Actually, I found this to be a quite unique idea and was really looking forward to reading the book. I even liked it okay at the beginning. But the longer I read on, the worse it got.
Now I have to say that the only things I really liked about Infinite Days were, well, the pretty sparkling cover, and the flashbacks to Lenah’s life as a ruthless queen. I liked that the vampires were decribed as cruel and unforgiving, not caring about human life at all and that their eternal life didn’t come without the price of suffering.

What I couldn’t understand though was that Rhode, sacrificing himself for her and planning her new life for almost a hundred years, didn’t do a better job in preparing Lenah for what would come. He left her a letter explaining what happened in the years that passed and enrolled her at a fancy boarding school. Concerning that he’s immensely old and wise, he could have done much more in my opinion. Created a false identity maybe? Given her some time to accustom in a quieter atmosphere?
Or, as the hibernation wasn't part of the ritual to become human again, why didn't he wake her years earlier, so she could have lived her life without her coven knowing about it at all?

As he didn’t, Lenah starts attending school like every average teenage girl. And actually, from this point on, she began to annoy me rather quickly. Despite the fact that she is thrown into a world that must be totally foreign to her, she shows almost no problems accustoming to it. She sees cars, computers, cell phones, race boats; but she never seems frightened or uneasy. She uses words like ‘digital’ as if they have always been part of her vocabulary, which I found rather unseasonable for a person from 1910.
And then, of course, she has to excel in everything: languages, history, anatomy, even botany. There is nothing she doesn’t know or can’t do. However, this is explained by her long and boring existence, but I just found it to be another annoying character trait that made Lenah less dear to me. Another thing that’s basically totally unimportant but that made me cringe: At some point of the book she begins to refer to her special ability she got to keep from her vampire life (extrasensory perception) as ESP. Sorry, but are you serious?!

Then there is the love interest, Justin Enos (trust me, if you’ve read the book, you know why his name is in italics). He is gorgeous of course, a sports star and every girl has a crush on him. Lenah falls for him, too, but I really couldn’t understand why. There is absolutely nothing that makes this guy any special. I felt absolutely no spark or chemistry whatoever between him and Lenah, but apparently, for them, it’s love.
Also, Lenah starts to treat her friend Tony in a rather mean way, by practically forcing him to go with her when Justin invited her along (“But only if Tony goes.”) and then mostly ignoring him.

Tony was another one of the characters I really wished had shown more development. I really liked him at the beginning, but then it turns out he is in love with Lenah as well (“for, like, ever”, although they’ve only known each other for a few weeks) and even shows a little bit of a stalker-like obsession. That was the point when I decided to stop reading and only skimmed the pages for the rest of the book.

So, sadly, for me this turned out to be a book I shouldn’t have judged by its cover.

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

I should know better than to judge a book by it's cover. Because if that logic was true, this would have been a very good book. The cover even sparkles a little bit, probably a ref to Rhode or Twilight, who sacrifices himself by turning in a little pile of glitter so Lenah, the love of his life, could turn human.

Lenah was 'one of the oldest female vampires ever known' or something like that. You'd think a person would be interesting if they lived that long. Lenah, on the other hand, was so caught up in her own beauty, that she forgot to evolve past the emotional age of a 16-year old. And that's exactly what Rhode makes of her: an average, plain, typical, annoying little girl. I know brick walls with more personality.

I don't get why she was buried for 100 years so Rhode could prepare everything to make her human again. I honestly can't imagine what he did with all that time.

Lenah is supposed to keep a low profile, because she has to remain hidden for her coven. So she makes the most obvious choices: Pose for somebody who will probably win something that will draw a lot of attention. Immediately fall in love with the hottest, richest and most well known boy in a 50-mile radius. Let everybody know you speak 25 languages. Show off your tattoo (which I find to be stupid and meaningless). Giving something close to a royal burying to a frog that's been dead for weeks, and show off some more languages by saying stuff like 'ignosce mihi'.

Tony is inches away from becoming a sick stalker. Lenah walks in on him while he is looking at the 200 pictures he took of her and she doesn't even think it's a little bit odd. (no because it's normal for people to obsess over her)

I don't understand what her relationship with Justin Enos (who is only called Justin Enos and never just plain Justin because the author must think I'm confusing him with Justin Timberlake or something if she just says Justin) is based on, aside from the part where they are both so beautiful it hurts. One minute she's feeding him flowers and the next she is meeting his parents. They have nothing in common, their relationship doesn't develop, it's just there, suddenly. "Hi there, you look hot. I look hot. Let's hook up in the greenhouse?" *eyeroll* Please.

The Three Piece girls are quite possibly the lamest girls I've ever seen. I would rather kill myself than walk around in matching outfits.

I liked the parts where they mention Lenah's past and the other vampires in her coven. Those stories were actually interesting and fun.

I didn't finish this. After a while I just couldn't bear it anymore. It goes against my religion to harm a book, but I'm positive I'll be using this book to keep me warm some day.

There is a lot more that annoyed and/or frustrated me but I'm going to give it a rest now. I know all of this sounds pretty bitter but I wanted to like this. At first I even did like it. But this just wasn't my kind of book I guess...

[Emily May · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually won a hardback copy of this quite a while ago and I have to admit that, as much as it is nice to win anything, I was a little disappointed that I didn't get one of the other available books. This book has never appealed to me, I've passed it so many times in my local book stores and never felt any inclination to pick it up. So I was definitely surprised when I found the book to be enjoyable on the whole and I spent a lot of the novel thinking I might give it a four star rating. What stopped me was countless annoying little things that gradually built up and resulted in me having to knock a star off the rating, one or two I could have easily disregarded but eventually there were just too many to ignore.

The positives are plentiful and the story really interested me; Lenah has spent five hundred years as a vampire (part of which was spent as queen of a coven) but now she longs to finally become human again, to have the chance to feel alive and experience the world with human senses and emotions. This requires a sacrifice from her maker - Rhode - and the story opens up where the ritual is being completed. Lenah's past as a vampire is told in flashbacks, whilst at the same time she tries to fit into a modern day boarding school, come to terms with technology and slang terms (part of the ritual involved her spending the last hundred years underground) and generally convince everyone that she is your average sixteen year old girl.

Because she was previously a vampire queen leading a coven of male vampires, Lenah is not like many of today's young adult paranormal heroines. When they are studying Kate Chopin's The Awakening in class, she states that she "doesn't like to be controlled" and it's true that she never lets herself be. Yes, she has a crush on the school stud, but when he appears to insult her she tells him where to get off. At last! I liked Lenah, I liked the historical references and I liked Lenah's friend Tony. I also liked how the ending left me with excitement for book two without being overly cliffhanger-ish.

Now for what I didn't like. Rhode was meant to be the love of Lenah's life for hundreds of years and yet she seemed to get over him very quickly. In fact, she didn't really seem to care that much at all. And on the subject of love interests... well, there were so many in this book you could drown in them. Forget love triangles, this is at least a love pentagon. Was it really necessary? In fact, I can tell you the answer to that one: no, it wasn't. But I think worst of all was the horrible mean girl stereotyping. You know the kind... she's pretty, she's blonde, dates the hottest guy who our heroine has a crush on... and, naturally, she's a complete bitch. Apparently, she has to be a complete bitch in order for it to be okay for Mr Hotness to leave her for Lenah. At one point while they are still going out, sexy guy - Justin - openly ignores her to flirt very obviously with Lenah. When Lenah points out that she is watching, Justin says "I don't care"! Really? Because, you know, those pretty blonde girls obviously don't have feelings so what's the point in wondering whether you might hurt them or not? This pissed me off.

BUT... I like the story and I like the protagonist. And for that I am still going to check out Stolen Nights and see where the author takes us next.

[Stacia (the 2010 club) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Otherwise known as : Stacia is forced to do math...again. I "think" my final rating is 2.75 stars. I enjoyed the book for entertainment purposes, but a few massively cliche details triggered my eye twitches.

PART I : The historical story featuring Vicken and Rhode - 3.5 stars

This is where the book rocked it out. I was captivated with all of the 'past' scenes. There was a very romantic and gothic feel to the setting and details. The imagery might have felt overdrawn to some, but this author's attention to detail worked for me in this book. I felt like I was in the past along with Lenah, Rhode and Vicken. It was easy to find interest in a world where vampires were ruthless killers, having no remorse for the lives they had taken. We had dueling personality types with the anti-hero Rhode and the suave, yet disturbed Vicken. Each man had a reason to make you want to read more about them.

PART II : The present day story featuring Justin and Tony - 2 stars

This is where the book floundered. It was easier for me to gravitate toward Rhode and Vicken bonding with Lenah in their parts of the story because of the primal need that a vampire would have to want to possess (through death or bonding) another person. I had a harder time with the insta-love scenarios that Tony and Justin brought to the story. This isn't really a spoiler imo, because you find out pretty much right off that both of these guys are crazy about Lenah, even when they know nothing about her. Tony's feelings were sweet in a way because he was the "nice" best friend type. Justin, however, was another perfect man-whore who never showed any personality other than just showing up and being attractive. Perhaps this is realistic for a girl to be drawn to the attractive guy even when not knowing much about him, but it doesn't make for an interesting hook when you see nothing to a character (for a good portion of the book) other than his outwardly perfection.

I wish that I'd read this book a couple of years ago because I would have felt less twitchy about the "fast fall" issues back when it was the norm for the genre. We literally had 4 men from various time periods who were ALL instantly drawn to Lenah, whether she was in human or vampire form (so we can't use the charm/glamour excuse). And each of those men were declaring extreme feelings within a short period of time (some did it instantly, others waited at least a few weeks, haha). And then by the end of the book, we had people willing to pretty much risk everything for other people, to the point where I'd have thought we were on book 2 or 3 in the series at least, with such a rapid progression of extreme emotion.

...but here's why I think the story has a unique PoV for the genre...

Regardless of the throwaway cliches, there was enough in Infinite Days for me to enjoy.

If I can shut out the issues and focus on the story itself, I can honestly say that this is a halfway decent series starter. The characters have tripped a few wires which might set off some explosives in the books to come. I'm sure that there will be plenty of danger ahead for Lenah and the people she chooses to associate with. Book 2 looks like it might turn out to be very promising indeed.

[All Things Urban Fantasy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review courtesy of AllThingsUrbanFantasy.blogspot.com

INFINITE DAYS is a grab you by the throat, ignore the world around you, fall completely in love with kind of book, the kind I haven’t really read since Twilight. Yep. I just used the T-word.

The mythology of vampires in INFINITE DAYS is refreshingly unique in that it removes all the romanticism from vampires without reducing them to feral monsters. Yes, they are pale super beings who crave human blood, but they are truly cursed in a way that a mere nocturnal immortality can not begin to rival. Their senses are as dead as they are. They have no sense of touch or taste (apart from blood). Lenah is explains it this way:

My existence as a vampire meant that all my nerve endings were dead. Only by remembering what things felt like as a human would my vampire mind understand whether I was touching something soft or hard. The only senses a vampire retained were those that heightened her ability to kill; the sense of smell was linked to flesh and blood, sight was super sight, detailed down to the minutiae, its sole purpose to find prey within an instant. – INFINITE DAYS

Of course, that complete deadness as a vampire contrasts beautifully with Lenah’s first human weeks infusing the simplest experiences with a childlike wonder: the achingly beautiful sound of music, the mouthwatering smell of pizza, the intoxication of attraction felt for the first time, the heady thrill of a human kiss. And author Rebecca Maizel captures each moment so beautifully.

But what stuck with me the most is how Lenah, when she becomes human, doesn’t spend the whole book in self-imposed agony over the thousands of lives she ended as a vampire. She clearly distinguishes between her two lives and doesn’t drown herself in guilt for having acting in accordance with her vampire nature. Her humanity was hard won, and she doesn’t waste the gift she was given mourning a past she cannot change. As a human, she chooses to live, and feel, and love in a way that is completely alien to her previous vampire existence.

I honestly wasn’t expecting great things from INFINITE DAYS. The blurb didn’t intrigue me and the cover didn’t grab me, but the story itself left me reeling by how good it was. I completely fell for this story of a vampire’s taste of humanity, her myriad of firsts as a human, the dangers from her past, and the love that brought her to life. Beautiful from beginning to end.

Sexual Content: References to sex. A scene of mild sensuality. Kissing.

[Arlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating Clarification: 3.5 Stars

Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel presents an interesting and enticing perspective on the vampire lore, and quite frankly I rather enjoyed it.

Most of the vampire books out there tend to paint the picture that these creatures are alluring characters living an appealing existence. But in this book, you get a chance to read a whole different take, which comes across as more honest and palatable IMO. The vampires in Infinite Days are evil and have no redeeming qualities. They lose their humanity, ability to feel emotionally and physically and are consumed with bitterness, hatred and sadness with no possible outlet. Overall, they are downright scary, unappealing and emotionally broken, so much so that one of the strongest, most gifted vampires wants to regain her humanity. I like that...

In this story, Lenah Beaudonte was once a vampire of the worst order, a leader of her coven of night wanderers. As the centuries go by and she destroys life after life with little regard, her sanity began to wane and her maker, Rhode, starts to regret his decision in changing her. Then one night in her attempt to hunt the purest of blood, she k!lls a child and Rhode abandons Lenah for over 175 years in a quest to discover the magic that will restore her soul and sanity.

I liked the contrast between Vampire Queen Lenah and the sixteen year old, human Lenah. Her memories from her vampire life are creatively juxtaposed to her human life in such an intriguing way that it makes the story original and appealing. I feel Maizel did a great job of describing Lenah's restoration of feeling, eating, breathing, tasting and loving again as a human; that I found myself sympathizing for her character early on. It was refreshing to read that even though she survived her transformation from vampire back to human, her mind still bordered on destructive/vampiric tendencies especially when she came across people that didn't treat her right. It was entertaining in a sick sort of way to read how she'd check someone's pulse, emotions and reactions to her to determine their weaknesses and her musing over how easily she could have k!lled some of these characters if she were still a vampire.

Rhode was my fave character probably because of his ultimate sacrifice for Lenah. He actually gave up his existence to save her… very swoon worthy IMO and will earn a spot on my shelf of literary crushes. I'm shallow… I know. I loved reading his flashback moments and his quest to find the magic that would restore Lenah's humanity even when it meant abandoning her for so long and ultimately sacrificing himself. The guilt and torment he felt was moving.

I'm removing one and a half stars for a couple of reasons. First, Justin Enos could have used a little more character development, and that goes for the relationship between he and Lenah as well. I didn't quite understand how all of a sudden they fell so deeply in love. That was rather abrupt, but not a huge head shaker because Lenah's relationship with Rhode and the members of her coven more than made up for it. Also, there were one too many shallow characters in this story and the whole Three Piece was just stupid and unnecessary, but no biggie. Second, Tony was not a hit for me. Yes he's artistic, quirky and funny, but let's face it... he has stalker tendencies that border on c.r.e.e.p.y!! Laying out over 200 pictures of the girl you love and obsessing over a portrait of her is not healthy, don't care how cute you try to spin it. Ewww!!! And no thanks!!

But overall, I enjoyed this enticing story and felt the plot and style was rather unique. There were opportunities for better character development, but hopefully the sequel will correct that and I look forward to revisiting this vampire world that Maizel has created.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this story! Especially loved the flashbacks to Lenah’s life throughout her existence.... it was fascinating... I think I need a prequel of Lenah in her earlier vampire years!

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by Infinite Days... I was a little skeptical, with the worldly, elderly vampire queen passing as a teenager. I mean, knowing what I know now, there is no way if I went 'back' to being teen.... that I'd be able to pull it off. But I think it worked incredibly well for Lenah. She was worldly... she was smart, aknowledgeable, she knows several languages, had read books throughout her existence, yet she hadn't matured since the day she was changed!.... BUT... it worked. Because of the vampire that she was, she had no reason to mature beyond the age she was when she was turned. She was spoiled, she was mean, she was for lack of a better word, a bitch! Why in the world would she ever need to grow beyond that, she was the freaggin' vampire queen, she had no need. So, Lenah may have been almost five hundred years old, but she passed for a teenager.... well besides the whole technology lapse. But she picked that up rather fast.

After I felt comfortable with Lenah as a character and saw that Maizel was actually going to be able to pull this off, I was absolutely sucked (no pun intended) into the story. I could NOT put it down. I loved everything about it, the characters, the flashbacks, the plot line... there was something incredibly addicting about the whole thing. The writing was awesome, so easy to read, and those flashbacks... so beautifully descriptive.... I found it hard coming back to the 'present' day chapters.

I only have a few small complaints .... minor things really.. One would be Justin and Lenah's relationship. I liked it.... but something about it felt a little off. Maybe because I was instantly Team Rhode, but I thought the relationship between Justin and Leenah moved a little bit to fast. Sure Justin was cute.... but what else did Lenah like about him..... and perhaps it bothered me just a little bit when he sort of dropped his girlfriend like an old dirty hat. Who knows, maybe I would have felt differently had he been hanging solo before his big soiree with Lenah.

The climax of the story was a little fast for me.... it just seemed like we were building up to this moment for most of the novel, but then when it came down to facing it.... it was over before it began. The ending of the story... wow... I think it might have made up for that though.

Overall... there were a few things that kept it from being perfect, but I loved the story nonetheless! I can't wait for book two!

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Going into Infinite Days, I was not expecting much. A couple of my friends on GoodReads had read this prior to me picking it up and hadn't had much good to say about it. Me, I like to read 3-star books and see if I can find something that others missed. Ultimately, they were pretty spot on.

I can't complain about the plot originality and bass-ackwardness of Infinite Days. A vampire turning human? STFU.

Lenah's story appealed to me because it consisted of about 90% here and now and 10% flashbacks. Flashbacks, FTW. Seriously. Lenah has been a bad, bad girl. Malicious, cold-hearted, apathetic. I, for one, loved it. I've grown tired of the run-of-the-mill stories where the vampires are striving for altruism and run away from their inner monster. Lenah was so bitter due to super old vamp Rhode stealing her away from her family, her orchard, and her humanity. She capitalized on her vampness.

Apparently, eternal maleficence wasn't in the cards, if you ask Lenah. She longed for mortality.

And that's where it all went downhill.

Lenah-as-human didn't strike as strong a chord with me as vamp!Lenah. Reading about her transition into human life was comical, at times (in the listening room, namely.) I also giggled when she had murderous thoughts about the mean girls, but that's not a nice thing to say. She met up with best guy friend, Tony, who falls in love with her. But of course, the heroine of a story can never go for the guy who is interesting, has depth, can participate in meaningful conversation, and is artistically gifted.

Nope. She falls for justinenos (he may as well not even have a first and last name, because readers are constantly reminded which Justin in the story she's talking about. And there are so many of them.) Much emphasis was put on his rebellious nature, but there wasn't much to back it up. He raced boats and smirked a lot. Rhode and Vicken ENDED LIVES. Lenah's point of view on rebellion is rather skewed, methinks.

Why must MCs be punished by falling in love with the wet noodle? Tony was awesome. Rhode was awesome. Heck, even Vicken had more spark and life than justinenos. The romance wasn't believable. It was too quick, "ILY" after a week, and I didn't feel the chemistry.

Regardless of choice of companion, Infinite Days was a compelling story. Rebecca Maizel can write, there's no doubt about that. She's a wonderful storyteller! I'm just sorry that she didn't spend more time on creating a more intriguing boyfriend. I will still read Stolen Nights in hope of getting some of my questions answered....and I really freaking want some more flashbacks to BAMF Lenah.

[~Tina~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I'm sure I have fellow goodreads friends that will disagree with me, I have to be honest here, there was a moment there that I wasn't quite sure about this book, but when it's all said and done. I really liked it.

Infinite Days turned out to be a promising new series that has a very unique spin to Vampire paranormal, taking a concept that goes against traditions and making it fresh and fun to read about.
Lenah is a conflicting creature and I very much enjoyed understanding her struggles with her inner vampire violence opposed with the need to be human. But it was her Vampire memories that I really enjoyed the most. I liked how her thoughts would linger to dark and malicious to light and compassionate with almost every page.
I also really loved Rhode. He is so composed and confident and I adored the way Lenah took him with her. Always. Everywhere. Even though we didn't get all of him, what we did get was hauntingly sweet and I felt connected to his love and sacrifice through out the story.
I also really enjoyed Vicken's character and even felt sad for him. He wasn't as evil as I thought he would be and I'm hoping we get to know him in later books.
The only downfall is Justin, there was nothing in particular that I disliked, but I guess I just didn't feel any real connection to his love for Lenah. What pulls them together? Why was there love so unique? Special? He did have some moments, but in the end I felt more for Rhode and Vicken then I did him.

Overall, I thought the writing was strong, the plot was well crafted with an unpredictable ending and held a cast of very interesting characters. I look forward to reading the sequel and hopefully will find Rhode in all his glory;)

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book through Goodreads First Reads.

[Mel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, if it weren't for the excellently researched vampire mythology, this book would have gotten a flat out one star. But because this author obviously did research I decided to be nice in at least one area.
But well researched vampires aside, this book was shallow. Really shallow, and that's sad because the idea would have worked so well if the author didn't use Twilight as a source material.

Lenah was meant to be like... 590 something? Yeah right. Mentally she was at least fourteen. I could see the author tried to make her sound ancient in several bits, but just because she calls something 'curious' it doesn't mean that all of a sudden she's ancient and wise. Nope, the random bits of 'old people speak to make her look old and wise' were completely out of place, especially since it was shoved into a sentence of teenage thought.
Lenah remains emotionally and mentally stuck in the sixteen year old teenage mindset for more than five hundred goddamn years. I don't know if the author intended it to be this way, but it makes her less interesting and takes away complications of being a 590 year old woman trapped in a teenagers body, which would have been really interesting to see. Sure the vampire suddenly a human again concept was interesting too, but Lenah got used to being a human too quickly, considering how long she's been a vampire compared to how long she's been a human (also a human in a completely different period) Also you'd think she'd have matured over a period of several centuries, but nope. And it's not like it can't be done, heck anyone who's read Interview with the Vampire would know Claudia, and Claudia was a 30 year old woman stuck in a five year old's body. But the thing is she DID act like an adult woman. So it can be done. She didn't mentally remain a five year old kid.

Lenah was boring, except when she was a vampire. As a vampire she was kickass. But as a human she's just shallow and annoying.
One part that really made me facepalm was the whole 100 year burial thing. It was meant to hide her, or something, but then AFTER she was released and turned into a human they had the moment of 'wait a minute, the fledgling is going to come and look for me, the coven is going to know and come after me'. What a waste of fucking time and braincells!! If Rhode was going to do that, why not, say, CLAIM to have buried Lenah for... a thousand years, and the next night turn Lenah into a human, so that by the time the coven finds out she's missing Lenah will be long dead and would have managed to live a peaceful human life without the coven looking for her. Dawkins almighty.

The romance, or lack thereof, was sooooo shallow. I know I tend to repeat the word 'shallow' quite often in this review, but it's for a reason. Anyway, SHALLOW. Another reviewer Kim described their 'relationship' as 'you're hot, I'm hot, let's hook up in the greenhouse' and that's exactly how that was. Justin had little to no personality and no interests outside of sports or whatever and checking out Lenah. Plus he reeked of potential rapist vibes, practically stalking Lenah and appearing randomly. And the day after they get together, she's already meeting his mum, almost getting laid, and he's like 'we're gonna be together forever'. Why? I dunno. And why is he attracted to Lenah? I dunno, cuz she's hot. Why is Lenah attracted to Justin? Cuz he's hot. That's all. -shrugs-
Tony would have made a better love interest damn it. He was my favourite thing in the book. He was a good, sweet guy with a damn personality. Then again Twilight was used as a source material, therefore we cannot have the nice, normal guy as the love interest. Nu uh, remember kids, if he's hot and popular, he's the one.

I do not care to go on with this book. I have lost all feeling for it. It's a shame, it really did have potential. And the author did a great job with vampire characteristics. Like, a really good job. The vampire flashback stories in general were really good. But... oh goodness... so... GUH.
I'll probably end up donating this to the library or something... maybe someone will pick it up and like it and my precious 15 bucks wouldn't have gone to waste entirely...

[hayden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tired of incessantly predictable vampire novels rife with love triangles?
Then this book is for you!

Hi, my name is Hayden, and I just read a book called Infinite Days.

My ultimate goal today is to get you to want to read this book. If my catchy hook at the top of this review didn't grab your attention, hopefully the rest of this review will.

Section 1: I Can't Believe It's Not Like Every Other Vampire Book!

Yes, folks, it's true. This book is actually unique. I know this word isn't paired with many books of its kind, but I think it applies here.

I know, I know! I was surprised, too!

Infinite Days distinguishes itself from the crowd in many ways. Here are just a few:

1) The book features the mean, evil vampires we don't see many of these days. Most of the vampires we catch glimpses of are Twilight-y and sparkly and nice. Not this time, folks! These vampires are bloodthirsty and evil.

2) The absence of a love triangle, which I will cover in further detail later.

3) The heroine actually possessing a brain. Turns out, she's a 500-some-odd year-old vampire and the beginning of the novel is filled with -- *gasp* -- intelligence! Something practically unheard of in the world of YA! Used to "he went here" and "she did that"? Fear for your brain cells no longer! This book will make you smarter rather than dumb you down.

4) Lenah doesn't want to be a vampire. Yes, that's right. You heard me correctly. No more "Bite me, Edward"'s. Lenah hates vampires. Even though one of her loves is one, she still didn't want to be a vampire. This part requires a bit more explaining (see Section 3).

Section 2: Love Triangle 2.0
Tired of love triangles? Yet again, Maizel delivers, yet I'm not sure everyone is going to be so happy about this one. Lenah, our main character, has been alive for 500-ish years, so obviously, she's had her fair share of romance, and odds are she hasn't spent all 500 years with one person. She's engaged in a love pentagon of sorts. As the novel progresses, she crosses some of those corners off, but she's in quite a sticky situation.

This might bug some people, how it makes Lenah seem very Mary Sue-ish, but I don't think she is. She's very smart, and she's aware of that. For goodness' sake, she was a vampire. She knows she's smart. She's not a shy and docile type heroine, which is refreshing.

Section 3: Synonyms
This is probably my favorite thing about Infinite Days. If I had to choose one word to describe Infinite Days, it wouldn't be unique. Although that word does apply, it's not the main one I would use. That word is unconventional. From the get-go, we are thrown face-first into a dilemma: Lenah wakes up naked on a floor, disoriented, not sure what's up. It turns out she has been transformed from a vampire back into a human. Her vampire lover, Rhode, went through a complex ritual to restore her to her original state. Soon after, she's enrolled in a boarding school and meets some interesting people.

I love how a lot of things are different than normal about the book. Maizel really knows how to add emotion to scenes: in one, I nearly began crying, even though it was only a page or two. I really felt for the characters.

In conclusion, I'll hop to the conclusion of the book. The book ends on such a massive cliffhanger. It was absurdly awful. I would be ranting a lot more right now, rather than being so calm, if there wasn't an excerpt from Stolen Nights in the back. ;) That excerpt gave resolution to the cliffhanger, so now I'm happy.

Overall, Infinite Days was a refreshingly unconventional book. I really enjoyed it, and I think you will, too!

(Hopefully, this review worked and you want to read the book now. Just sayin'.)

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, I have to admit that when I bought this book, I bought it because of its beautiful cover. I didn't even know what it was about and had never heard about it before. But I'm happy to report that in this case, judging a book by its cover did work because this book has a beautiful cover but inside it, it has an even more beautiful story.

This book is a vampire story but it's not your typical vampire story in the sense that the protagonist Lenah, just doesn't reminisce about her human days - she actually gets to be a human again (Which I loved reading about) after reigning as a vampire queen.

Things I loved about this book:

1. Lenah. She is such a strong female character. She looks 16 but she is really almost 600 years old and she is a very intelligent and observative person and she does not make excuses for any wrongs she's done in the past. She admits her faults and tries to move on.

2. Prose. Oh Rebecca, I loved your writing. It was, I don't know how to say it, sophisticated? is maybe the word I'm looking for but I just thought the writing was amazing, very fluid and beautiful even.

3. Rebecca doesn't just tell, she shows. Everything Lenah feels about being human again and about being awoken and human in the 21st century - you will feel too.

4. Rhode. I don't want to give anything away but he is the most amazing male character I've read about in a while. So swoon worthy and my #1 literary crush at the moment. This is a man who truly sacrifices everything for the woman he loves. He is selfless, has a conscience, and is caring. He may not be in the book as much as some other characters but man oh man, does he leave a massive impression on you. I can't wait to read more of him (LOVE RHODE).

5. The flashbacks. I don't want to give anything away, but I loved reading these.

6. The vampires in this story are bad-ass. Forget about vampires who glitter in the sun and are sensitive (not that I have a problem with that but I know some people do). These vamps do not disappoint for those of you who stick to original vampire lore.

7. Amazing characters. Lenah, Rhode and a few others. I just loved how some characters especially Lenah were so reflective and wise when it comes to what humanity entails. The observations made about life were so amazing and might I add, philosophical (which I loved).

8. The ending. OMG, the ending of this book is just wow. Just when you think you had everything figured out, Rebecca Maizel just throws a massive curve ball at you. Her cliffhanger was like no other I have read. It was epic and left me wanting to read the sequel desperately.

Things I didn't like about this book:

1. Justin as a love interest. Not swoon worthy enough. His personality was lacking. I hope he improves in book 2.

2. Tony isn't a a best friend id like to have. I thought he was a bit obsessive, annoying and creepy when it came to Lenah. He did have his funny moments but there was something off about him for me.

3. The climax wasn't real good but Thank God for that ending. That ending redeems it.



** My Advise: Read this book. It's amazing. I now consider it my favorite book. Which is a big thing for me, considering that I can be a bit indecisive about books sometimes (there are just so many good ones out there, that how do you choose?). But I have no problem in saying that this is my favorite book ever (: **

[Joan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like it, and at the outset I believed that I genuinely would. After all, there was a supernatural ritual; a mysterious vampire willing to give his (un)life for the heroine; a (true) love lost! But I didn't like it and part of the fault is probably mine for being over twenty-five and reading a young adult novel. I have several problems with the young adult genre, all of which were (unfortunately) contained in this novel.

First, Lenah. There is absolutely nothing to like about her. I guess I'm supposed to like her because she's mysterious, dresses differently, and has a tattoo. But in my reality, I found her to be a selfish know-it-all who discards her first (true) love days after he's (theoretically) given his (un)life to save her humanity. I couldn't find anything redeeming about her--not in the way she thought about her old coven; the way she treats her first friend, Tony; or the forced moments where she purportedly experiences empathy. (She never meant to hurt Tracy by hooking up with her boyfriend?)

Speaking of the boyfriend, Justin, I am tired of reading novels where the audience is presented with a total hunk and then told that we should like him. Why should I like him? It's certainly got nothing to do with his biceps, or ripped abdomen, or the way his eyes pulsate into mine. It's not because he's got more money than sense and looks (and smells!) amazing after lacrosse practice; I have known lacrosse players and seen them after practice and they look feverish and the smell could stun a yak.

But here's where the novel really fell apart for me: directly after having (unprotected?) teen sex, Justin (Bieber, but really Enos) asks her to the prom. And I had so hoped that we were going to avoid that particular device! At this point in the novel there might be more important things to concentrate on, like the coven of really bad-ass vampires you abandoned who are now hunting you down like a dog, but no, prom instead.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Quick and the Dirty...a fresh and exciting view of vampires, friends and choices in life...and regrets.

Why I was tempted to read this...it sounded romantic and vampire-ish, what's not to love?

Cover thoughts...loved it..makes more sense when you read the book, ha ha

Romance Meter...oh yeah...there are long-time loves that would give their life for you and fresh new romances to keep you interested.

Character and Plot...I really loved this book! This isn't your average sweet vampire book...no these vampires are brutal and ruthless...and Lenah only wants her humanity back. When Rhode gives up his life for her, Lenah gets to experience things like emotion, rain, touch, taste, and sun...all things that were void from her long life as a ruthless vampire queen. The book starts at current day but flips back to the past often to give you needed background information and let you get a true sense of Lenah's life as a vampire and her coven. When she meets Justin she knows he is different and he feels the same connection about her. But all is not fine in Lenah's new world...when she doesn't awaken back to her vampire life like she is supposed to, her coven comes looking for her, and they are willing to take out anyone in their way. This book kept me at the edge of my seat and flipping pages. The plot wraps around and doesn't let you go and at the end...you sit there and look back over the ride this book just took you and go WOW....there better be a sequel LOL

The Ending...the ending..OH the ending...things happen at toward the end of the book so you think you know how it will end but there are still surprises...and cliffhangers...and there better be a sequel! I checked the author's blog but I didn't see a date or title. It cannot end this way, Ms. Maizel!! LOL

[Nic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Infinite Days was a interesting and unique take on vampires. It had plenty of suprises and overall was an good start to this series.

This book had a mixed bag of characters. Lenah, the main character, I liked her but I struggled at times with how she adpated so quickly to the present day after being buried for a 100 years. I found myself prefering the flashbacks scenes to when she was an evil vampire. I really liked the characters Rhode and Vicken both of whom where in the flashbacks and a little bit of the present day. I think I understood their connection they had with Lenah better than the present day characters.
Now on to Justin Enos. He was probably the most dullest love interest. He was the typical gorgeous, most popular poor at school that everybody wants to be or do. I didn't really get why Lenah loved him especially after being in love Rhode and then Vicken when she was a vampire. Both of whom are strong and interesting characters. Hopefully he either will have some character growth in the second book or Lenah will dump him.

The ending is of course is a big cliffhanger. There is a sneak peek of book 2 at the back which helps out if you are waiting for sequel.

Overall, I liked it and interested to see what happens in the Stolen Nights.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lenah Beaudonte is almost 600 years old. A vampire queen that reigns terror everywhere she goes. But some how she got her one wish- to be human again. At 16 she doesn't have much to worry about except for learning the ways of the 21st century. That is until her former coven comes looking for her.

This was a beautiful story. Heroine Lenah Beaudonte is an exciting character, I liked her a lot. While Lenah was once a vicious killer- she is now just a girl. Between trying to learn the ways of the new world and reliving the memories from her bloody past it's no surprise that she feels like she's on emotional roller coaster. On the outside she may just look like a pretty girl, but really she's quite complex.

Infinite Days is a very unique story. If action, danger and romance is what you seek, you will find just those things in the pages of this book. Some of the chapters are flashbacks to when Lenah was a vampire, which I just loved. It gave the story depth and insight into Lenah. Ms. Maizel has created a fresh new twist on vampires that I think readers will enjoy.

[Em Chainey (Bookowski) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 yıldız. Ergen olmasaydı 4 yıldız verecektim. Vampir olan kızın tekrar insan olması ilginçti. Hele onun için kendini feda eden Rhode için ciddi üzüldüm. Bir geçmişte bir günümüzde geçiyordu. Lenah'nın yeni insan sevgilisini sevmedim. Bence en yakın arkadaşı Tony daha sempatik. Ama Rhode bir başkaydı ya:( Okunası bir kitap. Devamını merak ediyorum:)

[Annerie RooibosReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book! Wow! It's such a brilliant new take on vampires and it took my breath away.

The writing is so beautiful and the storytelling and detail in this book is spectacular! I didn't get bored once during this book and was never confused!

I recommend this to anyone who loves vampires, romance and self-sacrifice.

[Ellis van Zijll · Rating 1 out of 5]

Het nadeel van alle boeken uit je kast willen lezen is dat je ook de boeken moet pakken waar je geen verwachtingen van hebt. Dit boek was daar een van. De cover is prachtig, evenals het binnenwerk.

Helaas houd het daar wel een beetje op. Vanaf bladzijde 1 is het eerste wat me opviel: het ontbreken van een geloofwaardigheid in het verhaal. Een vampiervrouw van 600 jaar oud dwingt haar geliefde van diezelfde leeftijd, zijn leven op te geven om haar weer mens te maken. Na een honderd jarige slaap ontwaakt ze en sterft hij kort daarna om het ritueel te voltooien. Haar geliefde heeft haar ondergebracht op een kostschool en dat is ook alle bescherming die haar biedt tegen de vampierclan, die haar geheid zal vinden en haar iets aan zal doen.
Je zou wel denken dat als je 600 jaar iemands zielsverwant bent, je die niet zomaar vergeet. Hoofdpersoon Lenah wel. Zodra ze naar buiten loopt heeft ze de heetste jongen van de school al ontdekt en laat haar interesse merken. Naast haarzelf en de knappe Justin kraakt Lenah iedereen af. De een is vreemd, de ander fatsig, de ander lelijk. Hoewel ze het niet letterlijk uitspreekt lijkt niemand goed genoeg voor haar.
Ik heb het 100 pagina’s volgehouden en ben daarna gestopt. Helaas bevatte het verhaal ook onwijs veel clichés en het einde had ik helaas al geraden vanaf begin.
Wel vond ik de schrijfstijl in het boek goed. Er werd een brede woordenschat gebruikt en het las erg vlot. Alleen maakte de bovengenoemde factoren het toch geen prettig boek voor mij.
Hoe graag ik dit boek ook leuk wilde vinden, het lukte niet. Ik raad het boek dan ook niet aan.

[Dark Faerie Tales · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick & Dirty: A highly original and truly extraordinary read.

Opening Sentence: Those were the last words I could remember.

The Review:

Lenah Beaudonte, a 592 year old vampire queen, awakens disoriented and shocked to find that, after more than five centuries, she’s human again. She has wanted to be human again for so long, desperate to escape her brutal vampire existence. Lenah needed this, not only to save herself, but all of the innocent people who could cross her path. With help from her vampire sire and former lover, Rhode, Lenah’s dream has been realized. Rhode discovered an ancient ritual to assist him in their endeavor. Unfortunately, Lenah had no way of knowing how her transition would affect the one who performs it. Forced to cope with her new reality, Lenah struggles to fit in. Rhode has enrolled her at the very secluded and exclusive Wickham Boarding School. He wants Lenah to have the life and experiences that he robbed her of when he decided to take her for himself. Rhode also gives her a crash course on technology and societal evolution. The modern world is a marvel to Lenah because she’s been hibernating for the past century. Once her crypt is opened and her vampire coven discovers her missing, the hunt begins. Lenah knows that she’s living on borrowed time because her deadly vampire coven is compelled to search for her, linked to her by dark magic. They want their queen back and now that she’s human things are about to get ugly.

It’s so hard for me to convey how much I loved this book. Infinite Days is unlike any other book that I’ve read in the vampire genre. I am pleased to say that Infinite Days more than exceeded my expectations. Ms. Maizel is a powerful and provocative new voice in the vampire genre. Infinite Days is a much more authentic portrayal of immortals, much closer to the grittiness of True Blood than the sparkles of Twilight. Lenah is one of my all-time favorite fictional characters. Despite all of the horrible and evil things she did as a vampire, I have so much sympathy and compassion for her. The harsh reality is that Lenah is a victim as well as a villain. Born in the 1400’s, Lenah is a product of her time and environment, making it completely understandable why she scourged Europe for so long. She was concerned with her survival and feeding the pain that plagued her everyday of her life. The boredom of immorality and hopelessness also played a role in her nefarious behavior. Lenah had nothing but time on her side, which she used to plot creative ways to kill and seduce her victims. With such a bleak future and faced with the prospect of never achieving satisfaction, release from the dull ache, Lenah is driven to dark places. She also has the sexiest men in her life. Just when I think I have to have Rhode all to myself, some other sexy guy enters the picture and Vicken is his name. Vicken, a member of the coven and Lenah’s lover, is absolutely delicious. He’s a deadly killer, yet he’s also a gentleman. Well, in a sort of vampire gentlemanly way. Vicken also has an amazing connection with Lenah. He has sacrificed so much for her, and has a hard time understanding why she would forsake him.

Just when I’d switched sides and I started rooting for Vicken, along comes Justin who casts a shadow over Lenah’s former immortal lovers. Justin is strong, loyal, devoted, and will do anything to save Lenah from the coven. I became so attached to his character. The vivid scenes and the gripping emotions behind this love story really broke my heart. The romance is sincere and heartfelt and you won’t be able to get enough. The conflicts that the characters face are brutal and realistic. Ms. Maizel did an amazing job bringing these characters to life. Stellar plot development and a stunning conclusion bring this story and these characters full circle.

Overall, Infinite Days is a captivating story and I highly recommend reading this book. Ms. Maizel has an amazing gift for storytelling, characterization, and this story won’t be easily forgotten. Ms. Maizel has crafted such a beautiful and compelling story. The characters are intense, flawed, multi-dimensional, and their journey is fraught with tragedy and danger. Infinite Days will undoubtedly become a must-read series for lovers of the vampire genre. I can hardly wait for the sequel.

Notable Scene:

Rhode looked me up and down and I realized he could see through my sleeping gown. He ran a fingertip from my throat down through the middle of my breasts and ended at my belly button. I shuddered. Out of nowhere, he hooked a hand around my waist and brought me against him. It all happened so languidly as through it were choreographed. The slap of our wet bodies when Rhode brought me close, and the feel of his palm on my forehead as he wiped a string of hair out of my eyes. He groaned when he met my eyes. And in that instant, Rhode sunk his teeth into my neck so fast that I didn’t notice the sound of my skin breaking.

FTC Advisory: St. Martin’s Press provided me with an ARC of Infinite Days. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. In addition, I don’t receive affiliate fees for anything purchased via links from my site.

[Hallie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, I promised that I'd explain why I was reading this, and continuing to read despite being driven round the twist by the prose, when I finished. Which I did by reading every page, rather than setting it aside! It was a birthday present from Becca - a very friendly small group doing a book club, sending out a book a month, based on your reading preferences, as described by the donor. Bec could see the dangers in that as well as I could, but it's also a bit of an adventure, and no great loss if the book is a flop. This one was entertainingly bad, at least.

I've quoted enough to give people a flavour of the writing, so will quickly run through the two stories contained in this book, as I see them. Some spoilers; you've been warned. (Yes, that is intended to be taken in two ways.)

First we have the ages old vampire story - Lenah is beautiful, evil, and oh-so-tortured. The vampires suffer constant pain, of the sort that no mere human could ever understand - alleviated only very briefly by the usual - killing humans, sucking their blood, enjoying their terror. But evil, because they are. Except then the vampire who made Lenah back in the 1500s (Rhode) sacrifices himself so she can become human, which doesn't totally fit with the evil vampires bit. (He seems to have gratuitously murdered a professor at the boarding school she's going to go to, just so she can get his rooms, but that must be part of his deep, abiding love for her.) So then she's human, he's dead, and she knows that the coven she formed is bound to her and will come get her. We're told a lot of times that the magic that binds them will make them come for her, and then that the magic that binds them will make them kill her if she shows any signs of weakness (i.e. humanity). It's made really, really, extremely clear what the consequences of that binding magic are.

Story 2 happens, and then - shocker! - they come get her, bring her back, turn her vampire again or, she looks like a vampire, but -- wait, I'll quote this: "My legs were firm, my abs tight. I was rock hard and vampire-like. Yet my mind was a hundred per cent human." It's so good to be told what she's like! So, human mind, not evil, won't torture a little girl, even though they'll know! Except that it takes her a shockingly long time to muster a bit of unselfish feeling for Vicken, one of her coven, whom she'd made, and who had loved her forever and was willing to risk his existence because it was worthless without her... Because EVERYBODY JUST LOVES LENAH.

The evil/not-evil line is really muddled, and it became increasingly annoying. There was another short passage that kind of highlighted this messiness for me. "I hoped that all souls could go to heaven, even vampires who were victims of their own evil. [???] Maybe one day I could go too. And in that moment of death I thought that maybe I would never be absolved of my atrocities, that maybe I would die and the transformation would go wrong. Hell wouldn't be so bad, would it? [?!?] I'd made thousands live it. If I died, I wouldn't be able to hurt anyone else. I wouldn't murder or defile." Just - what?

Second story is Lenah at the exclusive boarding school Rhode found for her, and it may help explain my annoyance at the Everybody Loves Lenah part. So. It's actually a nice idea, of a 592 year old, super-educated (except hasn't seen the last 100 years, as she was napping in her coffin) vampire-turned-human, going to a boarding school. Nice idea. Lenah is set up in her super-luxurious suite at the school, tests off the scales on everything, especially languages, and luckily is a quick learner about modern language, computers, CDs, cars, etc. On one of her first trips out of her room, she goes to watch handsome rich-boy Justin doing his annual daredevil speedboat race with his brother, and is promptly befriended by the required arty, poor and not part of the cool gang boy, Tony. First meeting, he tells her that Justin is the guy all the popular girls drool over, tells her the mean girl group (called the Three Piece - because there are three of them and they always hang around together - please shoot me, someone), is, uh, mean, and then they're all snotty to Lenah, even Justin. She promises Tony that she won't become one of the mean girls and desert him! Yay, friendship! And she certainly won't drool over Justin! Except that she goes on to do pretty much all of that, because of a terrible, desperately serious case of Instalove. For Justin, who's an utter nonentity. But he teaches her how to be human! (No, really, she says that, though exactly what he does other than dump his bitchy girlfriend for her and take her bungee-jumping...??) So, she looooves Justin, will always love Tony (though he's a bit stalkerish and admits he's loved her, like forever - despite the fact they'd only met maximum of two months before), and - wait, the coven is coming. Did y'all forget that? Lenah almost did. But they do, and she's stupid, and people die and EVERYBODY STILL LOVES LENAH. By that point even I, the weepiest sap of all times, couldn't have cared less about any of the characters.


(Anybody want to place a bet about whether I'll be reading the second in the series?)

[Vatodaletra · Rating 1 out of 5]

Podríamos decir que el argumento es aceptable y que podría tener tirón. Una ex-vampiresa que, en Estados Unidos, desconoce lo que es el Día de Acción de Gracias, puede llegar a ser, cuanto menos, divertida. Además, no se trata de una vampiresa cualquiera, sino que ella ha sido una reina dentro del mundo de los vampiros, pero ¿utiliza este recurso la autora para darle potencia al personaje? ¿Resulta divertido el libro? ¿Me he querido pegar un tiro mientras lo leía? No, no y sí.

Reseña completa aquí: https://vientoenpopaatodaletra.blogsp...

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel was the kind of read where you find yourself a week later still thinking about the world, characters and possible outcomes for book #2. When I first began reading, I found myself upset - sad even, to the point of tears. By page 30ish I was tearing up in the lunch room at work because of the consequence of Lenah (the main characters) becoming human. Rhode is forever held deep within my heart and I treasured every moment he spoke or Lenah flashed back to him. His self sacrifice was immensely touching.

So Lenah is a Vampire Queen, turned by Rhode (her soul mate) and she lived a life of carnage and reckless behaviour for over 500 years. The one thing she yearns for seems impossible but she is unwilling to except that there is a possibility to become human again. What she doesn’t realize upon Rhode vowing to make her mortal, is that this magic runs deep and the person who performs the ritual must have the proper intent. As we find out in the opening pages, Rhode loves Lenah and has never loved anyone as deeply and true as he does her. He willingly sacrifices himself for her happiness.

Lenah finally gets to live the life she has wanted for so long - to be a 16 year old girl at school. What I loved about Lenah’s adventure as a reborn mortal and a girl far beyond her years - her appearance says sixteen but her mind says over 500 years old- is the way everything is described. She has the same sense as a vampire and she still perceives things with a vampire mind set. The description of her being able to read people and how she can tell certain things by staring at their veins was exceedingly well done.It was eerie but at the same time a token of who she was and what she left behind. She meets Tony who quickly becomes her best friend and a character whom you cherish and feel sorry for as the story unravels.

Then there is Justin. Justin is your typical surfing looking, athletic school hottie that all the girls want and all of the guys want to be. Lenah tries to stay away from Justin, but there is something different and alluring about his presence that forces her to fall for him. At first, I found their relationship rushed and the way Justin was able to part with Tracy -his then girlfriend- was a bit disturbing. No one wants to think of a relationship as that disposable and of no consequence. Plus, if you find yourself team Rhode from the beginning, you end up being mad and Lenah for falling so easily. As the novel progressed however, I began to love Justin. The reasons for loving him were completely different from how I felt about Rhode but the love was there none the less.

When the novel hits its climax you are quickly thrown back in time but things for Lenah are drastically different. The end leaves you hanging but if you have the copy with the prologue and teaser chapter of Stolen Nights, then you know the outcome right away. However, do not approach this teaser lightly. There is a HUGE possible revelation that leaves you angry with the 2011 publication date. I can’t stop thinking about the events that may unfold and Rebecca is very sneaky. I need to talk to someone about this, so please feel free to e-mail me with any theories or anything you want to say about those few pages.

I highly recommend this book. You are given everything - romance, history, and the lengths one is willing to go to forever change the outcomes of the ones they love. I loved this book and found it easily placed amongst my favourites.

[Apatricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5
Este livro foi F-A-B-U-L-O-S-O, realmente já não lia um livro de vampiros tão bom como este à um bom par de meses, tiro-lhe o chapéu!
Adorei a história envolvente e como nos faziam sempre pensar sim ok estou a perceber esta a acontecer isto e vai haver uma solução... e depois o nosso coração é arrancado fora porque acontece totalmente o contrário!
Adorei! Venha o próximo.

[Morten · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Quizás es por esto que los humanos están tan ensimismados en sus pensamientos -comenté, manteniendo la vista al frente-. No ven cómo es el mundo en realidad. Si pudieran hacerlo, verían más allá de sus sueños y preocupaciones.”

[Danny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was mesmerizing, it was absolutely captivating and it occupied my thoughts for the last three days. This is how long it took me to listen to the full audiobook (nearly 9 hours). I so didn't expect to like it that much, but I did.

Let's start at the beginning. There is Lenah, who is an evil 500yrs old Vampire Queen. She's among the strongest, most gifted and most powerful Vampire in the world and she created the post powerful coven in creating 4 unique Vampires that are bond to her for eternity. Yet, she craves to be human again. Dealing with all the pain she has to suffer as a Vampire makes her wish nothing more then to feel again. Rhode is her creator and also the love of her Vampire existence - they are bond to each other by love, since love is the only thing that keeps Vampires sane when existing for such a ling time.

The only possibility to become human again is by an ancient ritual where one Vampire needs to give up his own life in order to let the other Vampire life. Rhode loves Lenah so much, that he's willing to do this for her.
So Lenah hibernates for 100 years during which Rhode searches everything to complete the ritual for her.

The story starts with Lenah waking up after 100 years of sleep. Rhode has completed the ritual and Lenah is human again - with all the emotions and feelings humans have and Vampires have not. Rhode scarified himself for...

This happens in the early pages/minutes of the book and this was already my first tears I spread. Although we don't know him long and good enough, Rhode is a intriguing and deep character that directly went into my heart.

Rhode enrolled Lenah at an expensive boarding school so that she can life a normal live, as an 16 year old Teenager and that she can try to grow up. We follow Lenah adjusting to the new century, since she missed the last 100 years and we see her making friends.

The story is driven by Lenah's character and I loved being in her head. From time to time there are flashbacks to her former life, so that we get to know her better, how she was when she was a Vampire. And she was evil, truly evil. Yet, the casualty in which the story is told makes is intriguing to get to know Lenah better. How is she now as a human? Did she lost all evil, does she feel regret?

Although I'm normally not into flashback scenes, since they always keep the normal plot from moving forward, here I absolutely loved them! It showed the transformation Lenah made, and getting to know also her coven and Rhode better was captivating.

When Lenah befriends Tony, an art student and falls in love with Justin she starts feeling more human and open up to the world around her. I loved Tony her best friend so much! He was cute, sweet and a wonderful best friend for her. Justin is the typical rich, super gorgeous, sporty boy and first Lenah is just fascinated by his beautiful features but then she gets to know him better and falls in love.

I'm most and foremost in love with Lenah, she's such a unique character - turning from Vampire to human that I really fell in love with her. Normally I always in love with the male lead, yet here it's Lenah. Oh well and I don't deny that I love Rhode so much that I'm still hoping he comes back - however that might be possible... (or not..)

Life for Lenah changes again when her coven discovers that she#s missing and they start searching for their queen...

The ending is shocking and my heart stopped a few times and I had to catch my breath. Tears were falling and I was so sad when I finally reached the end.

This book takes a unique take in the Vampire field. Vampire here are soulless creatures that are truly evil, yet there is the one that wants to become human again and the one that loves her so much that he sacrifies everything for her dream. The characters were wonderful and Lenah is a deep character you wish to explore more. I can't wait for the next book and the moment it will be released I will have it in my hands!

A few words about the audiobook:
The narration was flawless and I adored the British accent from Justin Eyre. She was most definitely the perfect match for this book and I enjoyed every minute I listened to her. Absolutely 5 stars also for the audiobook..

And this my friends was one of my longest Reviews ever...

[Steph Su · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried to keep my expectations realistic before going into this book. Just because the premise is a reversal of all other bland vampire romances out there--female vampire turns human again, has human love interest but is conflicted with her loyalty to her own vampire clan--did not necessarily mean it was going to be a groundbreaking and memory tale. And unfortunately, INFINITE DAYS was almost exactly as I'd expected: a lukewarm, tru-luv vampire romance (plus set at a boarding school) that is aimed straight at the Twilight-loving crowd.

Within this YA niche, INFINITE DAYS does some things very well. I enjoyed reading about Lenah's slow adaptation back into the human life, could really understand her as she marveled at physical sensations and the different customs of 21st-century teens. I liked Tony, the Japanese guy who was Lenah's first (and best) friend after she became human again, even though he displayed borderline obsessive-compulsive behaviors sometimes. He had a sort of personality, spunk, and originality that sidekicks in bland paranormal romances always seem to have, making them so much more interesting than the actual love interest. I was even okay with Lenah's aloofness (product of her getting used to her humanness) and people's subsequent fascination with her (she's beautiful and aloof: even I'm mesmerized by girls like her).

However, INFINITE DAYS falls short in other aspects. Justin Enos, the love interest, has no discernible qualities--good or bad--at all, and the only way I can justify his "deep and all-consuming" attraction to Lenah is that she gives off some sort of post-vampirism aura that males are still lured in by. At least Edward Cullen was overly protective and had old-fashioned morals; Justin Enos (whose constant double-name references was obviously an influence of our famous vampire)...was popular? liked racing boats? had a classic *ahem* mean-girl girlfriend? Well, if you think that makes for a wonderful crush...

Furthermore, numerous elements of Lenah's transformation from vampire to human are glossed over in the story. The process by which Lenah became human again is unique and touching, but was just barely given explanation, something that is terribly necessary in speculative fiction. Lenah's rehumanization is inconsistent: she's stumbling, unused to working muscles in one minute, chowing down food like she's done it all her life in the next. I was left feeling unsatisfied with the worldbuilding, which, as it is, seemed like a good placeholder for setting while the story relied too much on our love of insta-luv paranormal romances for its commercial appeal.

Overall, I quickly realized that INFINITE DAYS--and indeed, probably this whole subgenre of YA more generally--is no longer for me. It lacks the thorough development and definition that I crave in my readings. However, readers who are still willing to give alternative vampire stories a try, and who have found themselves greatly enjoying post-Twilight paranormal romances, should keep an eye out for INFINITE DAYS. This will be right up your alley.

[Lexie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book may have just made my best YA of the year. Its hard to say just how appreciative I am that Maizel crafted a story that didn't just say it was 'unique' in a genre that is saturated, but was truly refreshing. The vampires in this book are brutal, merciless and live to quench the despair they feel through violence and bloodshed. And Lenah was one of the worst.

Even Lenah as a human was intriguing. She didn't feel guilt over what she did exactly, or remorse that she was no longer part of that world. She was a Vampire Queen, she was very good at what she was and that was the order of things. She felt regret that she lost a part of herself that she couldn't so easily replace--her family. She missed the camaraderie and shared knowledge that came from a close knit group of people who understood each other and cared for each other. Though perhaps its better to say that there was obsession on all their sides--Lenah was obsessed with protection, with finding a way to fill the emptiness that Rhode left within her when he disappeared. She wanted an unbreakable bond--and in doing so created 4 men who would kill her to save her from herself.

The story would flash between the 'present' (Lenah as a human) to memories of her past. Meeting Rhode for the first time, forming her new family, meeting Vicken and needing him...becoming human. We see snippets of her life as a Vampire Queen and she was ruthless. Cold. Merciless in her quest to fight the pain she felt. But through it all her love, her affection for Rhode was clear and present. He was her everything, her world and she never forgave him for leaving her alone.

Lenah as a human finds it hard to adjust at first. Used to being the top dog in any given situation she finds it bemusing to be considered part of the lowest rank as she tries to 'fit in' and acclimate. She's given limited time, 2 months, to adjust to her human life before her coven will come to find her and take her back. So she does what any young girl does--she studies, she lusts after a certain guy, makes friends with a quirky art student.

I admit at first I thought he stalker attitude towards Justin was...unsettling. But then for 500 years this is what she did, what she admits to be old practice for her; learning her prey and then setting to make the prey hers. I can't say I'd be as cool with it if she had been human, but it made sense from her viewpoint.

I won't go further without spoiling things so I'll leave the last half of the book at this: I felt so bad for Lenah. So very bad. The choices she is forced to make, the actions she has to take...some of it is because she feels so indebted to Rhode for the gift he gave her, but some is for Justin. I'll give Maizel credit, helping another vampire become human is almost, but not quite, a paradox and it transfers nicely into the changes that Lenah faces later on.

The ending is...almost but not quite ambiguous. Its not what I expected at all and that makes it wonderful.

[Mai is a Happy Bibliophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Evil be he who thinketh evil."

And I'm thinking a LOT of evil stuff to say right now. I am a mixed ball of confusion. There are a lot of things that I don't like about this book, but I also have positive ones to hopefully balance it out.



First, KUDOS: Lenah and Rhode. Ahh.. a good dose of history and romance always gets any reader's attention. Lenah Beaudonte is a vampire who lived for almost 500 years and decided to go into hibernation and become human again. Rhode, her maker, is an interesting character. I can't help but think that there is more to him than the story let on. I like Rhode better than Justin Enos.

EPIC FAIL: Lenah and Justin Enos. I don't buy Justin's character. He is supposed to be all dreamy and hunky, but No. Just Nuh-Uh. I can't feel the chemistry between him and Lenah.

KUDOS: Beautiful Writing. Rebecca Maizel has a gift for beautiful words. I think she portrayed a very different Lenah way back when she was still a vampire queen and presently as a teenage student.
The words she used are poetic and natural.

EPIC FAIL: Three Piece. Hell, mean girls alert. But I suppose, I'll just stay on Neutral Ground about this one, they proved to be good friends half way through the book.

KUDOS: Deviation from Normal Vampire Theme. A vampire queen who wants to be human is new to me. I think it deviates a bit from the usual vampire genre we got used to.



Yeah.. No, not really like that. But, anyway, this is a good book but it's just not for me.

3.5 out of 5 stars.