Stolen Nights: A Vampire Queen Novel

Stolen Nights - Rebecca Maizel It's books like this that remind me why I really like reading paranormal books. I have gotten away from it lately in favor of other genres and it's been quite a while since I read a really great vampire book. I really love Rebecca Maizel's writing and how she really immerses you in the story. I also really love that she didn't recap everything that happened in the first book like some sequels tend to do. I fell back into this world rather quickly. What makes this book wonderful is the suspense, the emotional turmoil, and the increased danger. Things are much more crazy in this second installment and the intensity has been turned up a few notches.Lenah has gotten used to being a human for the most part, but her adjusting is the least of her worries. She now not only has to worry about her own safety, but the safety of those who she cares about. She has to endure more deaths while also suffering the agony of heartbreak. Still trying to heal from losing her best friend, and not really knowing where things stand with her boyfriend Justin, she realizes that being human is far harder than she thought. She is also fighting her inner demons. The memories of what she was, how vicious and evil she was as a powerful vampire queen. I loved watching how she grows in this one and how she does anything she can to protect everyone. She is a bit selfish, but she realizes it and really wants to change and be a good person. Not just for her, but for everyone. I loved seeing that side of her come out. There is a new, very powerful vampire who wants the ritual Lenah used to become human. She is determined to kill everyone Lenah has ever cared about one by one until Lenah gives it to her. It will make her the most powerful vampire to ever exist. She is smart and dangerous. Far more dangerous than Lenah or anyone expected. She will stop at nothing. She is not afraid to attack in public or even go onto the school grounds or Lenah's dorm. This is one scary vampire chick, that's for sure!I think that what I loved most was the interactions and emotions between the characters. Lenah wanting to love Justin, but not knowing how after having loved Rhode for literally hundreds of years, Justin trying to forgive Lenah for still loving Rhode and doing anything he can to make her happy, and Vicken... oh, he just cracked me up half the time. He had some of the funniest lines. What surprised me the most was Tracy. She seems so quiet and hidden inside her own shell after all of the events that have happened, but she really amazed me at one point. She was so different from how we see her. I don't want to say anything else about that. What I am trying to say is that the characters just have so much depth and it just takes a while of stripping away each of the layers to see all the sides of them. Fantastic story continuation, amazing character development, and a great ending that leaves you wanting more, but is not a major cliffhanger. This book was really great and it has renewed my love for vampire novels.