4/5 - Full review at: http://emileereads.com/blog/2017/3/19... 
 Despite my limited vampire novel experience, I really enjoyed this one. I liked the time and place it was set in. A riverboat in the mid-1800's? That's something I know nothing about, so it was nice to go to a new place mentally. I can't verify if everything was 100% historically accurate, but Martin did a great job at immersing the reader. The misty nights, riverboat races, and processes of operating a boat were all explained in detail. 
 The two main characters, Joshua and Abner, were a weird pairing, but I liked the chemistry they had going on. Their partnership turned into as much of a friendship as it possibly could have. Joshua was easy to root for because of his morals, and I found his backstory to be creative. Abner was gruff and stubborn, but loyal to Joshua when he learned the truth of Joshua's mission and deemed it worthwhile. There were tense moments when I thought the characters would all die (since it was GRRM) and deep questions that probed into the morality of the most polarizing issue of that time: slavery. Good versus evil, slave versus master, vampire versus human: each character had to face what they were and overcome it or be destroyed by it. 
 I liked this book enough to give it a 4; it's not my favorite of George R.R. Martin's works but it was an entertaining read since it's different from his norm. A Martin - or vampire - fan should definitely read it, but if you haven't read his stuff before I'd still recommend Game of Thrones first.