Leila has had tragedy in her past, and many of her current
decisions have the sole purpose of escaping future tragedy.
However, to do that, Leila has had to escape normal social
interaction and stay out of the figurative spotlight by
remaining in a literal one: an Olympic-quality gymnast,
Leila feels most comfortable traveling from place to place,
getting to know no one but the other circus and carnival
people, those who understand what it's like to be stared at
just a little too long. However, Leila's days of hiding have
come to an end because she accidentally revealed her
abilities, and the villains want to use them for power and
revenge.
A power in his own right, Vlad Tepesh lets no one into his
mind but other vampires, and even then, only as far as he
allows them. When he is surprised by Leila's presence in his
mind, she works to try to bring him to her in order to save
her and her friends. However, is requesting the Dragon's
help akin to using an incendiary device to swat a fly?
Neither Vlad nor Leila feel they can trust the other, but
they need each other, not only to keep people safe, but also
to try and thaw their hearts.
I loved ONCE BURNED. I liked the strength of the female
protagonist, her friends, and her reactions. I felt the
reactions of her family were realistic and well-described.
In addition, I like the cognitive dissonance between Vlad's
way of solving difficulties (like punishing his staff for
not following his directions to the letter) and modern
thought because Frost does not sparkle-up the historic
figure responsible for Stoker's most popular work so much
that he has left his gruesome past behind. I also like her
research on his history: Vlad Tepesh (the historical person)
did a lot of horrible things and also had a tragic
childhood, so I'm glad Frost included that information in
the exposition of her character's history.
I follow the "read everything by Jeaniene Frost" rule of
thumb, and ONCE BURNED did not disappoint. Vlad has appeared
in her previous works, so a full book about his experience
is excellent. Fans of Cat and Bones will be happy to see
their brief cameo in this work, and those who fall in love
with ONCE BURNED will want to get Jeaniene Frost's other
works to tide them over until the next Night Prince
novel is
published
After a tragic accident scarred her body and destroyed her
dreams, Leila never imagined that the worst was still to
come: terrifying powers that let her channel electricity and
learn a person's darkest secrets through a single touch.
Leila is doomed to a life of solitude...until creatures of
the night kidnap her, forcing her to reach out with a
telepathic distress call to the world's most infamous
vampire...
Vlad Tepesh inspired the greatest vampire legend of all--but
whatever you do, don't call him Dracula. Vlad's ability to
control fire makes him one of the most feared vampires in
existence, but his enemies have found a new weapon against
him - a beautiful mortal with powers to match his own. When
Vlad and Leila meet, however, passion ignites between them,
threatening to consume them both. It will take everything
that they are to stop an enemy intent on bringing them down
in flames.
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