oyceter | Gleason, Colleen - The Rest Falls Away

Also known as: Regency!Buffy

Some things are changed: Slayers are Venators and can be born or trained, there are definitely more than one per generation, and most are male, but Victoria Gardella Grant is clearly a Buffy take, and the book has a few homages to the series.

More notably, the book focuses on the main conflict of S1 Buffy; namely, how does one have a social life and romance and all that fun stuff while vampire slaying? Even more so when one is a Regency lady? I think the book loses something by not having the high school/vampire metaphors extended the way Buffy could, but on the other hand, the social pressures on Victoria are even greater than those on Buffy.

Plus, her maid decorates her stakes and puts them into her hairdos!

Also, this book is being marketed as a paranormal romance (or so the spine and the shelving tell me), but it's not. I mean, I haven't read enough paranormals to say, but this book has almost none of the trappings I expect from a romance novel, including a central romance. There is romance, but it's very clearly a side element, and it doesn't follow any of the normal developments a romance-romance would. If I had to put this in a genre (outside of fantasy), I would put it in "superhero origin stories."

Spoilers

I nearly fell off the bed laughing when I found out where Max's vis bulla piercing was. Nipple rings! BWAHAHAHAHA!

I generally figured out Philip was doomed when I read the backs of the second and third books to figure out if Max was a romantic interest or not. I am a little sad Philip doesn't become Lilith's immortal vampire consort and one of the Big Bads, because that would have excellent angst potential, but I'm perfectly satisfied with him being Victoria's man in the refrigerator. As such, I wasn't too concerned with the fairly boring Victoria/Philip scenes. Anyway, Philip is the main reason why I would classify this book as a "superhero origin story;" the book is all set up for later plots and set up for Victoria's (and the reader's) emotional investment in Lilith's defeat.

I see that Sebastian is a romantic interest of sorts, which I just find dreadfully wrong. I didn't find his scenes with Victoria sexy at all; in fact, they creeped me out. Possibly this is just because I am very, very tired of the guy oozing seduction from every pore.

On the other hand, I found Max very sexy, and I love the scene with Victoria changing clothes in the carriage. Possibly I just like watching guy control freaks lose it. Besides, the tension between him and Victoria is much more interesting, and when you throw in Victoria seeing him basically powerless at Lilith's feet, there is some excellent potential for later books.

Anyway, I found this a fun read, though I was never caught up emotionally or worried about Victoria. Still, I am getting the next book from the library because I am shipping Victoria/Max and want to see if anything will happen.

Links:
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magicnoire's review
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oracne's review (spoilers)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Score! Another Victoria/Max shipper!

And yeah, I really can't consider Sebastian a romantic love interest at all. I know he has his fans but the only way I can (barely) tolerate him is by parsing him as a step in Victoria's evolution as a person and woman.

ETA: Rises the Night did not have nearly enough Max for me and far too much Sebastian but I consider it necessary for the uber-angst potential and the events that happen in The Bleeding Dusk.

I... yeah. Sebastian generally just bores me; he's like a Gambit stand in, only without the backstory, angst, glowing eyes, and accent.

Max, on the other hand, is all kinds of interesting.

Also, I just can't stop giggling over the nipple ring!

I giggled over the body piercings in general, but definitely the nipple ring most of all.

Ha, just got your edit!

Ok, I thought the second book would have too much Sebastian for me, just from the back cover. But book 3 has lots of angst, you say? Mmmmmm....

Mmm. I looked at this a while ago, I think, and was annoyed by something I thought I detected. Does Philip being the man in the fridge = a very nice guy whose sole purpose is to be killed off mid-relationship and thus create an Angsty Barrier to the we-all-saw-it-coming relationship with the Alpha Male?

Because, what*ev*er.

Does Philip being the man in the fridge = a very nice guy whose sole purpose is to be killed off mid-relationship and thus create an Angsty Barrier to the we-all-saw-it-coming relationship with the Alpha Male?

Yes to the first half, and maybe to the second? Right now, it reads more as though killing Philip is there to give Victoria personal motivation to go after Lilith and to harden her resolve as a Venator, though I'm sure it'll pop up in future romantic relationships. But most of the book concentrates on Victoria's struggles with being a Venator and very little of it is actually on the romance as a romance (the romance functions more as a reason for Victoria to cling to normal life), if that makes sense. Which is why I'd not shelve the book as a romance at all.

Thanks for the clarification!

It depends, I think. His death definitely affects Victoria and makes her never ever want to become part of proper society again and realizes she can never have a "normal" life. At the start of the second book, she leaves England, so it certainly follows the classic superhero origin model.

I personally believe Victoria ending up with Max makes the most sense but the legion of Sebastian fans implies that the "We All Saw It Coming" is not universal. (I actually find the uncertainty regarding who she will ultimately choose kind of stressful, which is kind of funny.) Despite the two potential love interests though, I came to the conclusion the series doesn't feature a love triangle so much as an evolution of a single character and how that development affects who she chooses to become romantically involved with. Based on some stuff the author had said (written) online, I believe that's the series's intent regarding that particular subplot.

I still think V/M is a "We All Saw It Coming" big time, but I do have to give the author props for uh...yeah, I can't say, I'll just say book 3. Wasn't expecting that.

Eh, I don't know about Angsty Barrier, exactly. Think of certain phases Buffy went through in her career and you'll know what I mean. Of course I'll get killed if I spoil, but it isn't quite as stereotypical as it sounds.

With regards to Max, he has plenty of his own Angsty Barrier going on.

The third book is the best for ~~Snape~~ Max stuff. There are more hijinks with vis bullae, don't worry.

Victoria continues to go back and forth with Sebastian, I think because she's uncomfortable with the idea of having a boy toy. It's my hope he will eventually grow up and go his own way (this is starting to happen, I think), and Victoria and Max grow up enough for each other.

Did you find the hijinks with the vis bullae in book 3 to be kind of kinky or was that just me?

I WAS LAUGHING MY BIG FAT ASS OFF.

Awesome! I thought it was hysterical when I realized what had happened.

Looking forward to book 3 EVEN MORE now!

Um. Possibly spoilery, so no plot points for future books, but how would you compare Victoria to other romance heroines when it comes to sex?

I say this because I am SO TIRED of romance heroines who are passively seduced and literally or figuratively tied up and not in charge of sex.

Hmmm. She is sometimes passive, sometimes active; but I think the sometime-passivity is a choice on her part, because she could totally fight off Sebastian's advances if she wanted, but She Has Needs which a Lady would not admit to. I think she isn't sure what she wants at first, and gradually figures it out. She becomes more active, going after what she wants. She doesn't always make the right decisions, but she seems to learn from each experience.

Hrm, ok. This will be interesting... I am much less invested in Victoria being active in the Sebastian relationship, and I'm probably not interested in the Sebastian relationship precisely because Victoria tends to take on the passive role. I did read her as doing such willingly as well, but I think I'm just so sick of the romance trope of the woman being ashamed of her desires and therefore finding freedom in giving up control.

Er, not that I have anything against that in RL, but as a trope, it's gotten overused and boring.

Somehow it reminded of the wandplay in HP7. "Who's got the what, now?"

B-b-b-but Max is sexier than Snape! Or at least younger and less greasy (I adore Snape, but his description in the books certainly leaves something....)

Also, yay, I am really looking forward to book 3 now.

Well, cleaner and younger and he has a vis and all that. But his angsty past, revealed later, had me howling "Snape! Snape!"

Maybe it's just me.

I like Snape.

HEE!

Oh, I loooove Snape. I've just read too much fic that transforms him into a Gothic broody handsome hero, which... sort of takes away what I love best about Snape (knife-edge morality, snark, complete unRomanticism).

Gleason, Colleen - The Rest Falls Away

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