Infinite Days: A Vampire Queen Novel (Vampire Queen, 1)

by Rebecca Maizel

Book Overview

The first in the delicious new Vampire Queen YA series, a tale that rewrites the rules of blood-sucking eternity "I never expected to be sixteen again...then again, I never expected my past to come... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312649916
• Release Date: August 2010
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.74 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.8" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Infinite Days

I received this ARC from the publisher at one of the conferences I attended this year. It is a book I have been hearing a lot of buzz about so I was excited to read it myself and see what everyone was talking about. Let me just say, whatever I was thinking this book was going to be about, I was wrong. It took me completely by surprise and I was immersed in this world from page one. Lenah is not just a good girl playing the part of a vampire, she was an evil queen who had no soul and no remorse for any of her actions. She was heartless! Throughout the book you are taking in to some of her memories and they are horrific. I am not sure I was ready for that once I read this book, I thought it was going to be a little lighter than it was, however, I was happy to be wrong. I think it is a nice change to read a darker book and not always know what to expect. Lenah has a very dark past and this novel is her trying to come to terms with that and move forward. One of the things I especially loved about this book was watching Lenah get acclimated to our world. She has been out of society for a hundred years and the world has come a long way since she has been "hibernating". I actually am not going to make a separate section for "language love" this time because this next paragraph is it and I want to talk about it here in the review. This is when Lenah hears music on a CD for the first time: The aria was Handel's "Se pieta" and it moved throughout the room, wafting over the foam walls and carpeted floor. finally it settled on me. The feeling of the drawn-out strings, the vibration of the cellos, flowed through my body like blood. Violins-many of them-how many, I could not decipher. I could almost feel the bow moving across the stings. My lips parted, and my breath escaped in a slow exhale. The cellos came next-the low melancholy stings made goose bumps roll over my arms. I reached forward and touched the tiny holes of the place where the mus came out. I could feel the machine vibrating from the sound. How on earth was this possible? I love how she is so in touch with the music and so fascinated by how technology has changed how we listen to it. When you read her describe her life experiences it is almost like you are experiencing them for the first time too. It also reminds me that we sometimes take a lot of things for granted. Little things that vampires in this world cannot experience, the warmth of the sun on your skin, the soft touch from someone you care about, these are things a vampire cannot feel and when I saw these things through Lenah's eyes, it made me look at them in a new light. I was really not expecting that when I picked up this book. Justin is also an interesting piece to this puzzle. At school he runs in the popular crowd, he is a jock and he has girls swooning all over him. He also does not seem to immediately take to Lenah. She sees in him the previous life she had with her coven, reign over the peopl

BookWhisperer Review: Infinite Days

There is so much to say about this book I am uunsure of where to even start. The story line is truly original and will take all readers by surprise. Vampires are not the gorgeous loving heart felt creatures that we have learned to love in the literary paranormal rave. This novel give them a gruesome, dark, and terrifying personality that would once have been expected in a Vampire story. Unique as this story is I had no problem following it or feeling confused by the change in the Vampire persona. Maizel is a very talented and creative writer that enthralled me with her examples to help the reader to understand and experience what it would have felt like to be the characters of her book. The first example I found this experience was her description of rain in the first fifty pages. "Tiny splashed hit my face, and I could feel the drops run down my cheeks, A Chill ran through my body. In my vampire state, I would have felt nothing but the drop hitting my body, like a body gone numb. I would have known I was drenched but would have felt nothing." (pg 52 Infinite Days) I felt throughout the entire novel that this author was exceptionally talented in allowing her readers to physically, by comparison, understand what the character were truly feeling and experiencing. With this incredibly detailed writing it was easily to feel as though I was this character. Even more astounding was delving into this book, and discovering myself to be so emotionally committed even though we no nothing of the past. Once the present situation is established in the first chapter the author then lead you through learning the story, and understanding the depth of the story through flashes and memories that would present their selves to the main character. Even more mystifying was the author's ability to create a novel that was from page one was an emotional punch; with characters that the reader has not yet learned or had a chance to grow into loving. The ending was a punch to the gut that left me speechless. All I can close in saying is that I hope somehow this storyline will continue, and that this is not a stand alone book. It has been quite sometime since I have finished a book, and wanted to cry my eyes out and this is definitely one to be added to that list. Don't miss out on this one. Infinite Days is well worth the time spent reading, and for most will be a permanent on your shelves.

Warm, Illuminating, Bright Read

Okay, so it's 2010, and the world is overly saturated with vampire novels. I mean, almost every blogger/reader has read at least 234,567,123 books about vampires (I know I have!). Now, it seems as though any more vampire novels written are bound to be over-used and predictable and un-original. But no, INFINITE DAYS is like, so damn creative. It is for real one of the best vampire books I've read--it compares to House of Night, even! Today in second period I said to Emily, "Omigod, you have GOT to read this when I'm done." And she replied, "What's so good about it?" That's such a great question. What is so good about INFINITE DAYS? I have no clue, I loved every single bit of it. Especially the characters. The book opens with Lenah, waking up. The last thing she remembers is begging her long-time vampire lover, Rhode, to find a way to turn her back into a human. Lenah is yearning for a human life. A life without evil. This all took place nearly one-hundred years ago. Lenah awakes, and the year is 2010. And she is human. Puzzled, she then has to face the grief of Rhode dying. Turns out, he has sacrificed himself to give Lenah her humanity back. How sweet, right? As time passes, she remembers her horrid life (or un-life?) as a vampire--all the nasty, hateful things she did. She's so relieved she's a human again. Rhode has left Lenah in a super-exclusive boarding school, Wickham. Where the girls are majorly preppy and bitchy. And the guys are majorly jock-ish and smexylicious. As she grows more comfortable living as a human, she finds herself intriguingly attracted to... a boy. But her new-found life and love-life doesn't last long. Her vampire coven, the coven she ruled over for hundreds of years, wants her back. And they mean business. Lenah is so... original. I mean, I've never read about a vampire from the fifteenth century trying to fit in at a twenty-first century boarding school. Have you? I'm sure not. It was so funny seeing the way she reacted to things as simple as dance clubs and computers. And I ESPECIALLY loved how Lenah goes about making friends and (no spoilers, you all remember the SPD?) *cough cough* boyfriends. There's this character, Justin, and he is ri-diculously yummy. (Justin sorta has a crush on Lenah, and Lenah sorta has a crush back. Yay! Just one big love-fest!) One of my favorite parts of this book is also how I got to see another side of Lenah--the vampire side. See, the chapters/scenes alternate. One may be in the present, while Lenah is human. And the next scene may be when Lenah was a vampire, maybe in the 1700's. It was great seeing the difference between the Lenah's. I totally loved the human Lenah, the vampire Lenah was a bitch. There was not a single point in INFINITE DAYS where I, as a reader, grew bored. If there wasn't some historical vampiric events going on, there was a sweet, romantic lovey-dovey part. The vampire killing/fight scenes are matched equally by the romantic

Wow

Infinite Days is about Lenah Beaudonte who recently became human... again. You'll follow her around on her discovery of the 21st century and what it truly means to have friends. At times you may even question how we act today because of her innocent views on todays society. Infinite Days takes you on a journey of discovery and at the same time makes you think. I had no idea what to expect when I received this book and now all I can say is, wow. Rebecca Maizel has not only captured my attention, but also my loyalty. I will be reading all of her future books and hopefully... a sequel to Infinite Days. Lenah has become one of my favorite female heroins in a novel in a short time. She is a smart character who will also make you laugh and will teach you things. Following her on her journey of re-discovery was not only interesting, but also fun.You will want to read this book over and over. The book grabbed me from the start and didn't let go, even at the end. I felt the pain and sorrow, the joy and happiness, and the confusion and curiosity on every page. This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. Overall I will probably read the book again (which I don't usually do) and I recommend it to everyone. Rebecca Maizel gives vampires a makeover and adds in love, discovery, and makes a breathtaking novel.

Tears and Fears

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. We