The Witch of Endor (Vampires: Book 1)
The Witch of Endor (Vampires: Book 1), by R. K. Wheeler
Hey guys, welcome back to Bookish Beyond.
How have you been?
Today, I’m reviewing The Witch of Endor (Vampires: Book 1), by R. K. Wheeler
So, if you’ve got your favourite drink to hand and are all settled in, let’s begin.
About
Lilith, once a powerful witch, was later turned into a vampire by her dearest love, Lamech. Now, she finds herself in Greece, where she must learn to survive on her own.
After being introduced to her present situation in Greece, we are taken back to the time Lilith first met Lamech, where she learned about his curse and decided to take it upon herself. We watch as the pair fall deeply in love, and as they are tragically separated from one-another.
As the years pass, Lilith forms her own coven of vampires, creating her own little family.
Meanwhile, Lamech encounters an old friend in his ultimate quest to be reunited with his lost love.
Characters
Lilith, a vampire witch, was born with the unique ability to communicate with the dead, developing her full magical ability during her adolescence. She is portrayed as being sensual, assertive, and strong-willed, holding true to the original biblical descriptions. She was also strategic, a good business woman, protective of her kind and all those close to her, as any mother would be. Although I came to like Lilith as a character, I wasn’t sure what her goal in life really was, aside from protecting her daughters and just trying to survive day to day along with her coven.
Lamech, known as the first vampire, was cursed when he originally slew the biblical son of Adam, Kane. He was a confident and resourceful man, with charm to spare. Both smart and cunning, he always found ways to get himself out of tricky situations, usually through talking his way out. If that didn’t work, he could always enchant others into aiding him in whatever quest he was on. Seeing his pain at losing Lilith and how he longed to seek her out again made me warm to him. Despite technically being a monster, there was still something profoundly human about him.
Positive Aspects
There were a mix of positive elements and less favourable aspects to The Witch of Endor. The following are some of the positive elements which I identified whilst reading.
- I enjoyed the short poems at the start of each chapter. They were a welcome touch to the story, feeding into the biblical context and deepening the story world.
- The third person close narration works well, with first person passages interwoven throughout, providing a range of perspectives on the story overall.
- I loved that despite Lilith and Lamech being vampires, there was still a sense of humanity within them. Their sense of empathy remained intact, even if it was mainly for their own kind. The fact that they weren’t complete monsters was refreshing.
Neutral Aspects
Below are some of the more neutral aspects I identified.
- The character’s motivations and feelings are explored, although at what I felt was a surface level.
- The biblical tales included were at times interesting, however, I would have liked to have learned more about Lilith as she appears to be the main character.
- The story has a simple, clear writing style which was easy to read. The story told was interesting, however, it lacked any real sense of plot. Things would happen, but it all felt a bit jumbled, as though there was no linear causation for events, until close to the end.
Negative Aspects
Despite there being some positive and neutral aspects, I also identified some less favourable aspects of the story.
- There is no clear indication of when the setting changes, which led to some confusion while reading. For example, one moment Lilith was on the docks and the next sentence, she was back at her hideout with her daughter Medusa.
- Although the inclusion of the odd bible verse was interesting at first, they quickly became tedious when multiple were used (some repeated), interrupting the main story.
- The book was very factual sounding in random places, which I feel detracted from the story as a whole. It pulled me out of the story regularly, particularly when such facts had nothing at all to do with what was happening in the story.
- Unfortunately, there was no main goal for either of the main characters in the story. As such, it felt like a story with no real sense of plot.
Overview
The Witch of Endor was an interesting, short read that can be finished in just a few sittings. I found the story to be intriguing, with plenty of paranormal features to interest me, however, the fact that there was no main goal for the main characters made it hard for me to truly care about their endeavours.
My Rating: 3 Stars.
Recommended to: lovers of paranormal / mythological fantasy which has a more free form structure.
Would you like more information?
To learn more about The Witch of Endor, you can visit its Goodreads page, HERE.
Or, to find out more about R. K. Wheeler, visit his Amazon author page, HERE.
As always, thank you for joining me for today’s review.
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Have a wonderful week,
Ellie. xoxo
