A very good continuation of the series. If you're a lover of historical fiction and horror fiction, then I think this series is a must-read. Dark, well-written, and gripping. Recommended.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Russia – 1917. Zmyeevich, king of all vampires, is dead.
History records that the great voordalak – known across Europe as Dracula – perished in 1893 beneath the ramparts of his own castle, deep in the mountains of Wallachia. In Russia, the Romanov tsars are free of the curse that has plagued their blood for two centuries.
But two decades later and Tsar Nicholas II faces a new threat – a threat from his own people. War has brought Russia to her knees and the people are hungry for change. Revolution is in the air.
Mihail Konstantinovich Danilov – who himself carries Romanov blood – welcomes the prospect of a new regime. Like his ancestors he once fought to save the Romanovs from the threat that Zmyeevich brought them. Fought and won. But now he sees no future for a Russia ruled by a tyrant. He is joined in the struggle by his uncle, Dmitry Alekseevich - a creature born in a different era, over a century before. For more than half his existence he has been a vampire, and yet he still harbours one very human desire; that his country should be free.
But the curse that infects the blood of the Romanovs cannot be so easily forgotten and Mihail soon discovers that it – that he – may become the means by which a terror once thought eradicated might be resurrected...

This is book 5 of the Danilov Quartet. And what a great series this has been...

When I started this series, I had grown bored of vampires, and their ilk, as it had been done to death and I didn't feel like there was anything new on offer. Then I found Twelve and everything changed.

The best thing about this book (and the series as a whole) has been the connection to historical events. This one ties in with the Russian Revolution and the story-telling here is just fantastic. I found myself wondering how this series was going to finish and, although there were some hints along the way, I was pleasantly surprised with the conclusion.

The only downside for me was that, at times, the pacing of this novel was just a bit off. I felt like the story dragged through the middle parts - like it was just waiting to get the end. But once the end arrived, it was brilliant!


Paul
ARH