Author: Ghostwritten
Publisher: Harlequin Books
Publication Date: 27th January 2015 (USA) | 5th February 2015 (UK)
Pages: 352
Source: NetGalley Review Copy
Rating: 3/5
Purchase: Amazon US | Amazon UK
Family is power. The Original vampire family swore it to each other a thousand years ago. They pledged to remain together always and forever. But even when you're immortal, promises are hard to keep.
Arriving in New Orleans in 1722, Original vampire siblings Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah Mikaelson believe they've escaped their dangerous past. But the city is lawless, a haven for witches and werewolves unwilling to share territory. The siblings are at their mercy…especially after Klaus meets the beautiful and mysterious Vivianne. Her impending marriage is key to ending the war between the supernatural factions—and Klaus's attraction to her could destroy the uneasy alliance. As Elijah works toward securing a piece of the city for his family, and Rebekah fights her unexpected feelings for a French captain, will Klaus's volatile desires bring their world crashing down—and tear them apart for good?
The Vampire Diaries is one of my favourite programmes, and with the introduction of Klaus my first thoughts were (shockingly now) that I didn't like him. Now, he's one of my favourites the show has created and the Mikaelson family getting their own show, The Originals was very exciting. I'm not a fan of The Vampire Diaries book series, in comparison to the show it's a really poor series, yet I did enjoy Stefan's Diaries which was a prequel to the show rather than something completely separate. The Rise is written as a prequel to The Originals, written by a ghostwriter it's not the best written book in the world but in terms of story and characterisation, it totally does The Originals justice, adding even more depth and intrigue to what I think is an incredibly fascinating family. As the first in a trilogy I can't wait to get my hands on book two.
Arriving in New Orleans in 1722, Original vampire siblings Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah Mikaelson believe they've escaped their dangerous past. But the city is lawless, a haven for witches and werewolves unwilling to share territory. The siblings are at their mercy…especially after Klaus meets the beautiful and mysterious Vivianne. Her impending marriage is key to ending the war between the supernatural factions—and Klaus's attraction to her could destroy the uneasy alliance. As Elijah works toward securing a piece of the city for his family, and Rebekah fights her unexpected feelings for a French captain, will Klaus's volatile desires bring their world crashing down—and tear them apart for good?
The book works best if you have already watched The Originals and are familiar with the characters, knowing the actors and their stories helps you to have a more vivid picture in your mind. Joseph Morgan is phenomenal as Klaus, and I'm a huge fan of Rebekah's character and very much enjoyed seeing this early side of her. Elijah was one of my favourites at first, yet it soon became Klaus, Rebekah and then Elijah. Klaus in particular was once a man of mystery, yet we've seen many different sides to him throughout the series and in this book we again see a completely different side to him, understanding further how he has become the person that he is today. Seeing him in love was almost strange, yet reminiscent of when he met Caroline. I found the story a little slow to get going, but persevere and it'll definitely be worth it. The author has really captured the personalities of the siblings, yet at the same time shows us a new side to them.
All too often TV tie-in books can seem lazy, written more as a cash-in book rather than something that serves to improve the show yet what we have here is a book written by somebody that knows the characters, and can write in a way that makes this book a fantastic companion to a brilliant TV series. Fans of The Originals should definitely pick this book up, and fans of TVD that haven't yet read Stefan's Diaries should also take a look at those books as well. Luckily we don't have all that long to wait for book two as The Loss is scheduled for release in April and after a preview of it at the end of this book, I'm more than ready for it!
3/5
great
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