[Read for Fantasyland: Round 1] 
 Gah! This book confused me! 
 Some parts I really liked, some parts I didn't so I think I'm going to have to make a list. I'm probably going to spoiler everything so I can just speak my mind. 
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 Things I liked: 
 ~ I thought perhaps Carling would be a problem for me but she wasn't. I did like her as a heroine though she seemed completely different to the Carling we saw in SH, which was a bit disappointing. I wanted her to be the powerful sorcerer and Vamp Queen who stopped everyone with just her voice. 
 ~ I did like the whole time-thing (apart from the weird bit at the end where I assume Rune found the key to time-travel which wasn't discussed) with Rune visiting Carling in the past. Though I'm not sure how happy I was with him altering her life but whatever I guess. 
 Things I didn't like: 
 ~ I just couldn't connect to Rune, he was *whispers* a little flat. And a lot dumb. I mean he's supposed to be as old as the Earth itself and yet the whole Oracle scene where he started shouting at Python, I was just like JUST SHUT UP AND LISTEN!! He just didn't seem to have the whole long-lived feel like Dragos had. You can't just say a character is that old and then make them like any normal human 20-30 year old. Also, the whole not-being-friends-with-Dragos-thing was so stupid. He must have been through so much with him yet he doesn't trust him suddenly and cuts him out. He acted in a much worse way towards Tiago in SH and both Tiago and Niniane forgave him, so I think Rune was being a bit hypocritical and childish. 
 ~ Carling is over a thousand years old, knows not to trust Rhoswen, but still gets stabbed? 
 ~ Rune dressing Carling up and putting make-up on her. Erm, yeah. Since when has Rune ever put make-up on someone? He's a fighter, a primal beast but apparently he's one which can highlight great bone structure. Please! Even if I could swallow that (which I can't), I found it so uncomfortable. Surely this confident, powerful woman who'd lived for so long already knew how to make the best of herself - plus ideally shouldn't he be wanting to see her natural beauty and encourage her to stay that way? 
 ~ I guessed what the "cure" was straight away, I have no idea why it took them so long. The old vampires stop drinking blood and then go mad... hmmm, it's a mystery... 
 ~ The pacing was a bit rubbish. The beginning dragged on (as well as some parts between her episodes) and all the action happened in the last 30 pages 
 ~ I didn't feel the connection or love between Rune and Carling. The HEA was a bit off as well. I understand Carling had to sacrifice certain things but I was a bit saddened with the loss of her power. I know I shouldn't but I kind of felt like it was saying: women can't have power and love. 
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 Okay so it's definitely easier to list the things that I disliked but it wasn't all bad. I'm looking forward to the next book because of the next pair, maybe it was just my mood where I couldn't let things go for this one. I will keep going with this series.