Twilight Forever Rising: A Novel of the Vampire Clans

by Lena Meydan

Darel Ericson of the Dahanavar clan is a rarity among his vampire brethren: he's an empath, strong enough to occasionally read thought as well as emotion. For centuries, his power has given the Dahanavar a significant advantage against the machinations of the other vampire families, an advantage which makes Darel both a powerful tool and a highly visible target.

Fortunately for Darel, it is more useful for the heads of the other clans to maintain the centuries-long peace between the houses than to remove him. But, the cunning and violent head of the House of Nachterret is tired of the truce, and of hiding his presence in the world. The Nachterret would like nothing more than have free reign over the helpless human cattle upon which they feed.

Darel, and the human woman he loves, become central to the Nachterret's scheme to plunge the Houses into all out war. Darel is ultimately forced to face the question: is one young woman's life too high a price to pay for peace?

Genres: Vampires, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Paranormal Romance

400 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2001

Reviews

[Kaylee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a pretty good read. It was a bit confusing with all the names/titles. On one page the person was called by their first name, then last name and then title. This happened with a lot of the characters so it was a little confusing at first and there are a bunch of different families/clans, so a bunch of different titles/names.

The whole Loraine/Darel relationship seemed a little forced and I didn't really enjoy the Loraine character at all.

It's unfortunate that the book just ends. From what I've read this book is part of a series from a Russian author and this book was the only one translated so far. That was in 2010, so I'm not very optimistic that the other books in the series will be translated to English anytime soon.

[Booklover · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok Ms. Meydan, I'm ready for the next book!

[Tatiana Coțofan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been 10 years since the publication, so I guess the world won't find out what happened next.
I love the original Russian series, and the fact that I can't share my favorite series with my friends without teaching them Russian first makes me really sad.
It is definitely more than just a book about vampires, it is about the tragedy of immortality and the beauty of life.
I first read the original series when I was 18, and these books explained a simple truth to me: one's age doesn't depend on the body, but on the soul, it is the soul that gets cynical, tired and old.

[Lannister · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is nothing like your typical urban fantasy story. There is no feisty heroine tackling an evil threat to the world, and the romance is extremely understated. Instead, the story revolves around several vampire clans and their rivalries and plotting against each other. The central character, Darel, is a 'scanner' or a kind of telepath or empath, who can pick up on others' thoughts and feelings. Darel is feeling somewhat jaded by all the negative emotion he constantly encounters, so when he meets Loraine, her open and honest mind is like a ray of sunshine to him. His rather taboo attraction for her sets off the events of the story.

I enjoyed learning about the different clans, each with their own magical abilities. There are 'good' clans, and there are downright evil clans. Yet every one of them believes they are superior to the human 'cattle' they live off, and quite happily meddle in human politics, business etc. in order to further their own interests. A theme of the book was how, as vampires age, they lose any spark of humanity left in them. Because Darel can look into human minds, he isn't quite as apathetic toward them as the rest of his blood brothers. This conflict drives much of the plot.

I've read some other reviews of this book, and I agree somewhat with the points they make. The book is a little slow to start, as it takes some time to establish Darel's world, but it does pick up and it's worth staying with it. I'd also agree that it's a little confusing initially to place the various clans and their members, as they are fairly numerous, but things fall into place as you read on. I can't agree with criticisms of long descriptions. Provided these don't go on for pages and pages, I actually find descriptive paragraphs helpful in creating an atmosphere and allowing me to immerse myself in the story. I can't say in all honesty that I even noticed excessive descriptions in this book. Perhaps if you picked up this book expecting a non-stop-action kind of UF, you might be disappointed, but if you want a story with characters of depth and a sense of history behind them, then I doubt you'll find the descriptive parts tiresome.

I found myself getting sucked in as the story progressed, which is always a good sign, and I was actually quite sorry when it ended (and it ends extremely abruptly!) I have no idea when or if the next book will be released, which is rather disappointing. There is a great deal of plotting and intrigue as the story progresses, and everything isn't resolved at the end, so I'm desperate to know how things play out! I'd highly recommend this story if you want something different from the usual UF fodder. It's a complex, beautifully written book.

[Elke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dieses Buch hat sofort meine Neugier geweckt: ein Vampirroman aus Russland? Das verspricht (hoffentlich) Abwechslung von den ueblicherweise amerikanischen Blutsaugerstories. Bisher kannte ich aus russischer Feder nur die Waechter-Romane von Sergej Lukianenko, und die waren richtig gut und anders. Die Sprache - ok, in der Uebersetzung veraendert sich die Sprache natuerlich - fuehlt sich immer ein bisschen kalt und sachlich an, ist aber gleichzeitig komplex und faszinierend in ihrer Wortwahl und Satzbildung. Vor allem die Beschreibung von Gefuehlen wirkt immer irgendwie gezuegelt und reserviert. Das ist einerseits positiv, weil manche Autoren sich doch zu sehr mitreissen lassen was dann schnell uebertrieben dick aufgetragen wirkt. Andererseits braucht man viel laenger, um mit den Personen warm zu werden und sich mit dem Buch anzufreunden. Hat man das aber erst einmal getan, kann man auch hier richtig mitgehen.

Nun aber zum Roman selbst, und da kann ich kurz und buendig sagen: ich bin begeistert! Die Autorin schafft eine faszinierende und wohldurchdachte Vampirkultur, wie man es nicht oft sieht. Es gibt verschiedene Clans, die sich durch besondere Fähigkeiten voneinander unterscheiden. Und natürlich sind sich die Mitglieder der Clans mehr oder weniger wohlgesonnen, so dass Intrigen, Kaempfe oder Buendnisse ausgefochten werden, was mitunter an mafioeses Gehabe erinnern laesst.
Darin eingebettet wird die Geschichte von Darel vom Clan der Dachanawar, der als Telepath Gedanken lesen kann und dies als Beruf fuer seinen Clan oder auch als Dienstleistung fuer andere Kunden ausuebt. Diese besondere Gabe bringt es mit sich, dass Darel im Gegensatz zu den anderen Vampiren nach seiner langen Existenz immer noch sehr starke Gefuehle spueren kann und den Menschen stark verbunden ist. Als er sich in Lorraine, ein sterbliches Maedchen verliebt, macht ihn das allerdings sehr verletzlich und angreifbar.
Also doch wieder eine Vampir-Mensch-Liebsgeschichte? Ja, aber ohne Kitsch, Schmacht und Schwulst, sondern basierend auf Freundschaft, Hingabe und Opferbereitschaft.

Obwohl das Buch fuer meinen Geschmack normalerweise zu lang ist um spannend zu sein, kommt hier absolut keine Langeweile auf und am Schluss wollte ich nur eines: die Fortsetzung lesen. Die gibt es zwar schon (Wizard from the cland of death), ist bisher aber leider noch nicht in der Uebersetzung erschienen.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this book is ever so much an urban fantasy of sorts it really is a unique vampire novel. The whole focus of the book is on the several vampire houses and the politics that come with being a vampire in they year 2000 or so.

All vampires in this novel are three dimentional, have drama in their lives, love, fight and seek to be the top of the world.

However, this novel should come with an extreme warning. Here are the warnings.

1. It is very very slow to start. So painstakingly slow that I am sure many readers would toss it to the side. However, that slowness builds character so don't be too quick to leave it.

2. The book just ends. I am not sure if there is a sequel, or what but it ends. And the reader will have 10000000000 questions that will sadly not be answered. See here's the problem, this whole book is based on a pending war and politcs of the family. Yes the WHOLE book. So.... the book ends right when the "war" might start.

That being said. I enjoyed this book but found the ending blunted my LOVE for the book and will have to see if there are more books in a pending series before I can judge this book.

[Vicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Winner of Russia’s highest literary award for fantasy fiction, this is definitely not a quick teen read. There is none of the teen angst so prevalent in most of the current vampire novels. This is dark, almost gothic in flavor with a high level of writing not usually seen in “pulp” fiction. The world building/mythology is complex with vivid descriptions. The characters are well-developed without stereotyping. It is a beautifully written story that will appeal to lovers of higher level fantasies.

Drawbacks: At times, the descriptions of setting and scenery are too long, slowing the pace down to a near stop. If you like details, you will love it, otherwise just skim those parts because the story is worth a few slow spots. Being translated from Russian, some of the names are a little tongue tangling, but this only adds to the flavor of the book.

Overall, this was one of the better vampire novels I’ve read, mainly because of the more literary style as opposed to a “teen” read. I definitely recommend it for vampire fans who want a higher level of writing and a good story.

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5.0 stars.

This was a gripping read. I need to find the next book because I'm hooked now. Full review to be posted on the Bitten by Books website: http://bittenbybooks.com.

[Aleshia · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a bit of a slow starter but I really enjoyed it once I got into it.

[Nadja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ein solider Vampir Roman. Hatte am Anfang ein bisschen mit dem Buch zu kämpfen, aber nach 80-100 Seiten war ich in der Geschichte drin. Eine interessante Wahl die Vampire in verschiedene Clans mit verschiedenen Kräften unterzubringen. Schade das es keine weiteren Bänder zu der Reihe gibt. Hab im Internet keine gefunden. Ich hätte weiter gelesen. Am Ende ist nur ein kleiner Cliffhanger.

[Runar Munroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Schade das es nie weiter aus dem Russischen übersetzt wurde 🥺

[ReadWithE]

Dnf. Not feeling it. #tryachapterchallenge

[Jade Kuhn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did like the book and storyline. What I didn't like were the names. It was kind of difficult to keep up with the names because they would bounce back and forth from different names, and the names were not easy. I liked the main character, but was unable to connect the amount of passion he felt for Lorraine with reason. I saw no build up to the way he felt so it was a bit confusing. Lots of confusion and unanswered questions for me on this one. Still a great read though. :)

[CedarMoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every now and then you find an Author you really enjoy. In this case I thoroughly enjoyed her style of writing and how she re-wrote the classic vampire mythology while still treating it with respect.

The story centers around Darel Ericson of the Dahanavar clan. Although the perspective switches from vampire to vampire, giving the reader an all over glimpse of the way this particular vampire world runs. Darel is an Empath. His clans interests lie in politics and as such he is a very important and influential asset. But as is the way of love, boy meets girl, boy turns out to be vampire, girl doesn't run screaming the other way but instead throws her arms around him and gazes into his eyes adoringly...

It seems that love is the center for every good vampire novel these days. Whether this is due to Twilight moving paranormal romance into the mainstream, and therefore every woman dreams of HER never dying, all controlling man or not is debatable. And this debate rages on in every new novel that comes out. One thing this particular Author does is create a novel that does not center around love alone. Which is fantastic. Take out Loraine, the human woman who's soul sings of spring and Darel's love interest, and the novel still stands.

The characters are well thought out. Quiet Gothic in their styling. The clans take on parts of mythology and parts of history to create something that is believable. Of all the characters, the lonesome dealer of death, Chris is probably one of my favorites. Although he shares that spot with Paula.

I do have to say that the ending is quite annoying. I know that these days most books are set up for a sequel, or a trilogy. Occasionally seven. And if we are really unlucky lucky fourteen or fifteen or maybe never ending (I am talking to you Ms Harris and Ms Hamilton). However the ending in this is so ambiguous. So many questions left unanswered. So many threads blowing in the wind. ho-hum.

Over all this is a very agreeable novel, and I am hoping that the next novel is to be translated soon... That is one thing I hate about series - the waiting...

[Mandy Kava Kava · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wie hier schon öfter erwähnt, ist dies wirklich ein Buch auf das man sich einlassen muss. Durch den Schreibstil und die Komplexität der Geschichte ist dies kein Buch das man eben so herunterlesen kann.
Was einerseits anstrengend und anfangs schwer zu überblicken war habe ich später sehr geschätzt. Die ausführlich beschriebenen verschiedenen Clans konnte ich mir zu Beginn gar nicht recht merken, doch später als ich in diese Welt weiter eintauchen konnte, machte es mir die Spannungen unter den Clans interessanter und vor allem begreiflicher. So viel dazu.
Die Geschichte an sich, also das "Worum-geht's-hier-eigentlich", ging für mich teilweise verloren. Wenn ich das Buch mal zur Seite legen musste und später weiter las musste ich mich tatsächlich öfter sammeln, um mich daran zu erinnern was nun eigentlich passiert und was die Charaktere vor hatten. Das lag vermutlich eben an dieser bestimmten präzisen Schreibweise.
Dann sind da Charaktere. UND DARREL. Wow. Einfach wow. Ich kann es mir nicht recht erklären, aber ich fand ihn einfach großartig. Super sympathisch. Aber nicht auf diese gezwungene "Ich-bin-der-Protagonist-also-musst-du-mich-lieben" Weise, sondern so erfrischend anders toll :D
Ich glaube, dass gerade er der Grund war, dass ich dem Buch immer noch 4 statt 3 Sterne gegeben habe.
Denn alles in allem fand ich die Geschichte dann doch sehr ... unrund. Es gab hier und da Stellen, die mich als Leser einfach nicht befriedigt haben :D Zu wenig Erklärung. Und damit meine ich nicht, dass die Erklärung extra fehlte um Interpretationsraum zu lassen, sondern dass einfach Informationen fehlten, die Sachen klar stellten.

Würde ich das Buch weiterempfehlen?
Ja, wieso nicht? Wenn man, wie ich, eine Schwäche für tolle Hauptcharaktere hat und sich mal mit einem etwas anderen Vampirroman befassen möchte, der KOMPLEXER ist und indem nicht Friede Freude Glitzerkuchen ist. Dann GO FOR IT! :)

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twilight Forever Rising takes place in a world of vampires that is dominated by family “Houses” that imbue their members with skills and magic specific to their vampire lineage. The story follows the vampire Darel, an empath of the house of Dahanavar as he navigates through the political intrigue of rival houses struggling for power and domination. Darel’s love for a human girl complicates things as he tries to stay above the fray.

As the first book of a series, Meydan does a good job of introducing us to the key players and alliances as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the various houses. As this book was translated into English, I am not sure where to best place the criticism, but the story was unnecessarily complicated by using a large number of names to address individual characters (especially the head of the Nachterret clan). I also felt that the book ended rather abruptly. I think there might have been a more natural place to end while maintaining the open ending for a sequel.

This book is solidly centered within the vampire perspective of the world. I would recommend this book to those more interested in the political wranglings of immortals with a touch of magic thrown in, but it doesn’t delve too deeply into paranormal romance.

[Bodea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think Twilight Forever Rising's biggest problem is that a lot gets lost in translation and it's quite obviuous, at least to me. Also, it's a little too long on the description in parts (ok, a lot of parts). The story centers arounds four powerful supernatural families that are on the very brink of war and all that's needed is that final push. Darel, our main character, is at the center of it all. He's a empath that finds himself falling for a human girl and this only adds to his list of problems. Ok, the main driving force of this novel is Darel's ability and his relationship with the human girl. The author does a good job developing Darel, bringing us into his world, and introducing us to his abilities as an empath. It's clear why he's both hated and a hot comodity. However, his relationship with Loraine leaves a lot to be desired. It's there on paper, but it doesn't really do anything for me. I appreciate the fact that Loraine does not take what Darel and his kind are and how they view humans lightly. The writing is also great. The most exciting parts for me were the scuffles between the families. All in all, this is an ok, but forgettable read.

[Jennifer Monzon · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I began reading this book it was difficult to follow. It’s full of translations, and all these types of different vampire families and their war against each other, which made it difficult to follow/remember who belongs to who and what their stories are in the plot. However, it’s a very well written book and I enjoyed learning about a whole new world of vampires and their special powers and the story explains all of this through the plot and not any introductions, which I thought was unique. After the beginning, the story started to make more sense and I understood each character’s part, however the descriptions in this book were really long and I could have gone with out that much detail. Overall, while I enjoyed reading this book, it’s not a favorite.

The story begins with Darel, who is an empath and the center of a war between four powerful supernatural families. Darel falls in love with a human girl, Loraine which adds more problems to the current situation. With the families at the very brink of war and his undying love for Loraine, Darel is forced to make a very hard decision.

[Jen. · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took a good deal of time to get into this book. So many characters and such a new world, it took a while to fully understand them.

There are competing vampire houses that are busy plotting, conspiring, and working with each other. Darel Ericson of the Dahanavar clan is an empath, is the leading figure in the book. He becomes attached to a human female. Being an empath, being around humans keeps him from feeling void like all the rest of his blood brothers. The human becomes his weakness, something no vampire wants to be exposed and expoited.

Miklosh Balza, the head of the Nachterret house, is the very essense of the house -cunning and violent. The Nachterret want free reign over the human population and feel nothing should stand in the way of vampires killing human -they're cattle. The Dahanavar house wants peace and don't want the human population to be demolished. Miklosh conspires to bring all the houses to war and Darel and his human become the center focus for his scheme.


I truly regret not reading this sooner. Amazing world created by Lena Meydan.

[Once · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story begins with Darel, who is an empath and the center of a war between four powerful supernatural families. Darel falls in love with a human girl, Loraine which adds more problems to the current situation. With the families at the very brink of war and his undying love for Loraine, Darel is forced to make a very hard decision.

It’s full of translations, and all these types of different vampire families and their war against each other, which made it difficult to follow/remember who belongs to who and what their stories are in the plot. However, it’s a very well written book and I enjoyed learning about a whole new world of vampires and their special powers and the story explains all of this through the plot and not any introductions, which I thought was unique. After the beginning, the story started to make more sense and I understood each character’s part, however the descriptions in this book were really long and I could have gone with out that much detail.

review link: http://www.onceuponatwilight.com/2011...

[Katy Wight · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published in Russian in 2005 (the same year as that other vampire book with a similar title), and slated for release in English in September 2010, this is the tale of a young sensitive vampire who battles other clans (including a pack of werewolves) to save the life of a human girl he has fallen for. It does contain much more political intrigue and a more diverse cast than similar tales. It is thankfully lacking in teenage angst. And a higher level of writing results in a much darker - unsparkly - almost gothic moodiness.

The title of this book is rather unfortunate. I understand the publisher's motivation to jump on to the vampirewagon before it drives away, but I think, given the similar plotlines, a different title might have served this book better.

[Michelle Tucker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received Twilight Forever Rising from a Goodreads giveaway.

When I first started reading this book, I found it quite difficult to get into the story line. Perhaps I was thinking it'd be a much "lighter" vampire book due to the title. If you can get past the first couple of chapters, and get into the relationship between the main character "Darel Ericson" and Loraine, you might enjoy it. Don't expect a lot of vampire cheese with this one.

I did enjoy learning about the different "groups" but had to write it out in paper to keep it straight due to the long unfamiliar names. Perhaps, for here in the U.S., they could have used different, more familiar, names for the groups. Thank you to goodreads for giving me the opportunity to read this one!

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book took a bit of time to really get into. There are several "houses" of vampires all working with and against each other. It is like politics! There were several chapters about specific people of each house, so I could get to know and understand them.

Darel and Chris, my two favorites! Once all the chess pieces were set in place the game started and what a game, the last 150 pages flew by! Unfortunately, I was left wanting more of the story. It ended by the chess game goes on.....

[ThereSheReads]

I went to my old house to pick up a package. What could it have been? An advanced uncorrected proof of Twilight Forever Rising by Lena Meydan! My first win from Goodreads giveaways. I'm so excited to start! It will take me a while to finish since the semester has started and classes are already kicking my butt, but I'm happy because I'll get to slowly read it and take it all in.

I'll finish this up once I'm done.

[Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twilight Forever Rising was an enjoyable enough story, but not an easy read. There was a several different clans of vampires that had different talents. It definitely took some focus to keep this part of the story straight. The book starts out a little slow. It is a good story that give you a hopeful ending. It's a book that I would borrow from a library versus purchase as I probably will not reread it.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an incredibly powerfully written book. While it's introducing you to a whole new world, it never feels like it because it's teaching you through plot, not instruction. The mythology is beautiful and precise, tying together things that I've always seen defined separately. The characters are complex but easy to empathize with. I loved it.

[Michael Gawlinski · Rating 3 out of 5]

First Reads win.

This was one of the few books that I can say I felt truly neutral about. I didn't love it nor hate it, and found it just interesting enough to keep reading it. If your looking for a half-decent vampire/human love story that could qualify as quality literature and lacks a fan base consisting of over-hormonal teenage fan girls, this is for you.

[Jenny T. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a free book from the Goodreads First Reads giveaways!
I had some trouble sinking my teeth (oh, sorry - bad pun) into this vampire story. The writing was good and the characters were interesting, but the plot meandered and had no closure whatsoever. I enjoyed learning about the different houses/philosophies of the various vampire families in this particular tale.

[Lora Osborn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a good read... a vampire book with a bigger focus on the lives/internal world of the vampires. It was pretty in depth with the different vampire families, but still enjoyable to read. Translated from Russian, which makes the names make more sense. Hope it's a success in the US!

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

has NOTHING to do with THAT twilight... Took a while for me to get into the book, which might in part be translation issues. Not sure I'm going to continue the series, but there are definitely some interesting things going on, and translation or no, it's still better than that other book....