I didn't mind the unoriginality (if there is such a word) of the story, because in general, most books lack originality these days, yet they're still enjoyable. The story was intriguing and the world was a colorful one. The writing was admittedly a little more than I could take sometimes--a blatant attempt to imitate the verbose writing styles of the type-authors of today's fantasy novels--but my real issue was the dialogue and characters. I never really fell in love with any of them. Every character seemed a little too similar to some shell of a character with unlikely words falling from his mouth. Eragon was by far the best of them, probably because he spoke the least, but I was definitely disappointed by the lack of soul in them. I hesitate to read the sequel for fear of another let-down, but I do suspect that Mr. Paolini has made improvements over his starter.

If I could make a recommendation to the author, it would be to unpublish his book (were it possible) and edit it with his present knowledge. It had the feel of a second-time rewrite rather than a fleshed-out novel. I suspect he could have done a more thorough job, perhaps this time not driven by the excitement of looming publication.

Perhaps I tried to read this book too quickly while on semester break, but I definitely went back and forth on whether or not I liked it. I must say in all sincerity that I believe Ms. Kostova is a blossoming author with a genuine talent in both description and research. I could tell that her characters had great depth, however, I do not believe she delivered them well. I felt every character shared the same dialogue patterns and the descriptions in diary entries and letters were obscenely lengthy and detailed. Were I writing a letter to my daughter warning her against the dangers of Vlad Tepes as well as informing her of her mother and our research, I do not think I would include a sumptuous description of my meal on a patio of an "exquisite" restaurant.

What saved this story for me was its originality and (probably) my infatuation with the vampire legacy. She had an excellent story to tell. I just wish that she had spent more time in the present and less in the very verbose past.