At the time when I read the first book in this trilogy, I was only semi interested in Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah Mikaelson. I had heard about the television series but had not watched it. Since than I have checked this show out and absolutely love it. I was hooked from the first episode. I think that Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah all balance each other out very nicely. Even though they may be a very dysfunctional family, they truly do have each other's backs.

My favorite of the three Mikaelsons' has to be Klaus. Yes, he is the ultimate bad boy but I feel for him. I feel that he is misunderstood. Partly due to the fact that if he was to let his guard down, he would feel something and show that he might actually have a heart. Now, after reading this book I have a better understanding of just who Klaus is and why he has a wall up. If I had to compare Vivianne Lescheres to someone in the television series, I would say that she is a little bit like Camille. In the way that Camille has a little bit of a hold on Klaus. When she needs something, he does not think twice. Although, I did not only knew Vivianne for a short while, I felt the love between she and Klaus. Fans of the television series will enjoy this book. ( )

Based on the Vampire Diaries, this is the second book involving the Mikaelson siblings; the original vampires. This is set in New Orleans in the early 1800s and involves what someone will do in the name of love and the consequences of using magic in an unnatural way.

When agreeing to read this book, I had not been aware this was tied to the Vampire Diaries TV series, or that this was the second book in this offshoot. I did learn this prior to actually reading it and yes, it’s obvious that a book came before it. But I found this story easy to follow and don’t believe my lack of knowledge in any way affected my enjoyment of the story.

It’s not an especially complex story, but it does involve not just the vampires but also witches and werewolves, with the story told from the points of view of the vampire siblings; Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah.

I found this to be both an easy read and an engaging story with plenty of action. And as I mentioned, it’s not necessary to be aware of this world or these characters before reading this book.

I read this from an ARC, which also contains the first 3 chapters of the next book. ( )