Alexander & Rebecca is my first book by Marianne Knightly.  I thought this book was well written.  The characters are lovable and there's plenty of action, suspense and spice to hold your attention.  Alexander and Rebecca's story is fast paced.  I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from Marianne Knightly in the future.  Alexander & Rebecca is book 1 of the Royals Of Valleria Series and can be read as a standalone.  This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.

Following her showdown with Elizabeth Bathory, Jackdaw Hammond is running from her past, hiding from her future, and hoping to contain her newfound thirst for blood. Buying an overgrown home in the middle of nowhere seems like the perfect place to escape…at least until she finds herself in the sights of a murderous family with a terrible secret and a penchant for dark magic. Meanwhile, her old ally Felix Guichard has gone to New Orleans to conduct his own investigation into the nature of blood magic, but is soon sucked into the intrigues of the city’s occult underworld. But Jack will need Felix more than she knows, for the battle for her soul is set to begin.
 
Her only salvation may lie with the secrets of 16th century master occultist Edward Kelley, and a dangerous mission he undertook in Venice to confront the Inquisition, the darkest deeds of his own past, and the fearsome power of Elizabeth Bathory.

- from the back of the book

This book is the second in a series; my review for book 1, The Secrets of Life and Death can be found here http://readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1302848/post.

This book combines historical fiction with the supernatural. Before I read the first in the series, I had never read a book like this before. In order to follow the story, I had to really focus. The historical part was fascinating to me, a real serial killer (Elizabeth Bathory) is included in the story and made into something supernatural. 

Jack is a flawed but likable character. Drinking Felix's blood has changed her, but even she isn't sure exactly how. The garden behind the house is a character in itself. It protects itself and the occupants and responds only to Sadie. 

I really don't want to give the book away, so I won't add any more details. 

For more information on the author:

http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2136050/rebecca-alexander/

For more information on the book:

http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/237072/the-secrets-of-blood-and-bone-by-rebecca-alexander/

I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for this review. I have not received any monetary compensation for this review.

Recommended to:

Fans of urban fantasy mixed with historical fantasy. Whatever that means. :)

Ich finde es immer sehr spannend, wenn ein Roman historische Fakten mit uralten Mythen und moderner Fantasy verknüpft. Wenn das gut gelingt, macht es dem Leser das Unglaubliche glaubhaft und schlägt sozusagen die Brücke zwischen Realität und Fantasie. Und was soll ich sagen - meines Erachtens ist es Rebecca Alexander in "Das Geheimnis von Leben und Tod" wunderbar gelungen! Das Buch hat mich von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite gefesselt und unterhalten, ich konnte es wirklich kaum mal weglegen (und hoffe jetzt auf eine Fortsetzung). Was soll ich sagen: Schlaf wird überbewertet, manchmal ist ein gutes Buch einfach wichtiger...

Die Fakten, die die Grundpfeiler der Geschichte bilden:

Elisabeth Báthory gab es wirklich: sie war eine ungarische Gräfin, die im Jahr 1611 als Serienmörderin unschuldiger Kinder verurteilt wurde, woraus der Mythos der "Blutgräfin" entstand. Was damals wirklich geschah, darüber streiten sich die Gelehrten, aber die Autorin macht aus ihr in diesem Buch eine unheilvolle und dennoch merkwürdig tragische Präsenz, die im Zentrum einer originellen, frischen neuen Geschichte steht.

Auch über den zu gleicher Zeit lebenden Mathematiker und Astronom John Dee sowie seinen Gehilfen Edward Kelley gibt es historische Belege. Es wird überliefert, dass Eward Kelley laut eigener Aussage als Medium mit Engeln in Verbindung stand, und dass Dee und Kelley zusammen die henochische "Engelssprache" entwickelten. Zweifelsfrei ist auch, dass Dee einmal der schwarzen Magie angeklagt wurde.

Auf einer Zeitebene (spätes 16. Jahrhundert) folgt die Geschichte den Tagebüchern von Edward Kelley, der mit seinem Meister (mithilfe der Engel) die kränkliche Gräfin Báthory retten soll, aber zunehmend das Gefühl hat, in etwas Dämonisches verstrickt zu werden....

Die zweite Zeitebene (Gegenwart) folgt fiktiven Charakteren: zum Beispiel Professor Felix Guichard, der als Experte für archaische Glaubenssysteme von der Polizei zu einem Mordfall hinzugezogen wird, oder die junge Jackdaw Hammond, die am Tatort gesehen wurde und angewiesen ist auf Dinge, die die meisten Menschen entweder als abergläubigen Blödsinn oder bösartigen Okkultismus bezeichnen würden. Obwohl sie völlig unterschiedliche Dinge glauben, versuchen sie gemeinsam, ein junges Mädchen zu retten.

Ich fand alle Charaktere wunderbar geschrieben, die erfundenen genauso wie die historischen! Besonders Jack hat mich mühelos überzeugt. In vielen Dingen ist sie sehr unerfahren und unschuldig, da sie notgedrungen ein sehr abgeschiedenes Leben geführt hat, und andererseits kennt sie sich aus mit archaischen Ritualen und verhandelt knallhart auf dem magischen Schwarzmarkt... Sie ist eine widersprüchliche, schwierige aber auch interessante und liebenswerte Persönlichkeit!

Mich hat sehr beeindruckt, mit welch endloser Kreativität die Autorin immer wieder neue Ideen aus dem Hut zaubert, und ich fand die Geschichte sehr komplex, gut durchdacht und spannend. Wie sich die Puzzleteilchen nach und nach zusammensetzen, ist einfach genial!

Auch der Schreibstil hat mich überzeugt. Atmosphäre, Sprachrhythmus und Fluss - da stimmte für mich einfach alles.

Fazit:
In meinen Augen ist "Das Geheimnis von Leben und Tod" eine intelligente, gut geschriebene Mischung aus Fakt und Fiktion: Serienmord im 16./17. Jahrhundert, Alchemie, angebliche Engelsvisionen, die Leiche einer jungen Frau, die mit archaischen Symbolen übersät ist, Leihzeiter und Wiedergänger... Das fand ich überraschend und zutiefst originell - und vor allem machte es mir einfach jede Menge Spaß. So muss Fantasy für mich sein!

In modern day England, Professor Felix Guichard is called in to identify occult symbols found on the corpse of a young girl. His investigation brings him in contact with a mysterious woman, Jackdaw Hammond, who guards a monumental secret--She's Dead. Or she would be, were it not for magic which has artificially extended her life. But someone else knows her secret. Someone very old and very powerful, who won't rest until they've taken the magic that keeps her alive....

In Krakow in 1585, Dr John Dee, the Elizabethan Alchemist and Occultist, and his assistant Edward Kelley have been summoned by the King of Poland to save the life of his niece, the infamous Countess Elisabeth Bathory. But they soon realize that the only thing worse than the Countess' malady, is the magic that might be able to save her...
As Jackdaw and Felix race to uncover the truth about the person hunting her, it becomes clear that the answers they seek can only be found in the ancient diary of John Dee's assistant, Edward Kelley. Together they must solve a mystery centuries in the making, or die trying.

 

-- Book Blurb

I received a copy of the sequel to this book to review. After a couple of pages, I decided I had to read book 1 first. I felt lost and the book sounded interesting, so I figured if I was going to review the sequel, I could at least read the first book.

I found that this book required me to really focus. Between the back and forth from the present to 1585, and all the names and the old language, I had a hard time following the story if I didn't. Now, this is not necessarily a bad thing, but it took me longer than usual to finish the book. I enjoyed the story, but I didn't expect it to require that much concentration.

By the time I finished the book, I was hooked on the story. And I wanted to find out what happens next. And, btw, the next book seems to require just as much focus.

Recommended to:

Fans of urban fantasy mixed with historical fantasy. Whatever that means. :)

Description (Goodreads):

In the stunning follow up to The Secrets of Life and Death, Rebecca Alexander has created a gripping supernatural thriller that bridges time, legend and the power of blood.

Following her showdown with Elizabeth Bathory, Jackdaw Hammond is running from her past, hiding from her future, and hoping to contain her newfound thirst for blood. Buying an overgrown home in the middle of nowhere seems like the perfect place to escape…at least until she finds herself in the sights of a murderous family with a terrible secret and a penchant for dark magic. Meanwhile, her old ally Felix Guichard has gone to New Orleans to conduct his own investigation into the nature of blood magic, but is soon sucked into the intrigues of the city’s occult underworld. But Jack will need Felix more than she knows, for the battle for her soul is set to begin.

Her only salvation may lie with the secrets of 16th century master occultist Edward Kelley, and a dangerous mission he undertook in Venice to confront the Inquisition, the darkest deeds of his own past, and the fearsome power of Elizabeth Bathory.

My Thoughts:

This is the second installment in the Jackdaw Hammond series by Victoria Alexander. In this book there are two different stories being told at once. One is set in the present time following a Jack.

This was slightly confusing. Every other chapter is in a different time setting. There are a lot of characters to follow. The haracter development wasn't very strong so it was easy to forget who everyone was. 

Present day, you have one girl, Jack, who was saved from death by magic struggling to understand what she has become as a result. Another, Sadie, fighting for her life. Both girls have some weird abilities, which, in my opinion, is really the only thing that saved the book. 

The parts set in the past were boring and gloomy. I really think these parts of the book should have been trimmed down because they seemed to drag on forever. Actually the whole book could have been trimmed down, and would have been much more enjoyable if it had been.

To be honest, this book was all over the place, and slow moving. I am still confused about things, and not because of the way it ended in a cliffhanger. I didn't read the first book, but I don't think it would have made a big difference. I am a huge fan of books from this genre, but this one was just blah. I really wanted to like this. I was excited after reading the synopsis and had seen reviews of this book stating that it would be okay to read it as a standalone.

Also, there is a rather descriptive sexual assault scene. If those things bother you, stay away. The incident is brought up over and over.

Excerpt:

"Borrowed timers are always skinny." Jack thought back to the moment when she had augmented her life - preserving magic with a mouth full of fresh blood. It had infused her with energy, enough to last three months. For a moment, the craving for Felix''s warm arm, the cut skin against her tongue, the slow pulsing of salt into her mouth, overwhelmed her.

About the Author: 

REBECCA ALEXANDER is the author of The Secrets of Life and Death. She has worked in psychology and education, and has an MA in Creative Writing. She lives with her husband on the coast of England.

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00R04MD7W/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1446229916&sr=8-1

I recieved a copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.