Title: Blacker than Black
Author: Rhi Etzweiler
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Mystery, Vampire (non-traditional)
Length: Novel (327pgs)
Publisher: Riptide Publishing (23rd January 2012)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥5Hearts
Reviewer: Pixie
Blurb: Apparently, my twin and I are two of York’s most notorious criminals. We’ve been Nightwalkers in the blue-light district since the vamps took over the world. Don’t know how many years it’s been. Long enough that a stream of fellow ’walkers have come and gone. Most don’t last long selling their chi. End up face-down in the gutter, or worse.
For us, one night and one sale change everything.
Monsieur Garthelle is the first john to hunt me down. He calls me a chi thief in one breath and offers absolution—servitude—in the next. Maybe I’m a sucker, but I like living and breathing. Strange that such a powerful vamp would show leniency to a mere human. And something’s not right with the chi I took from him. It won’t go away.
Neither will he, and he’s forcing us to spy on his peers. Then a vamp turns up dead, and we go from playing eyes and ears to investigating a murder. This isn’t what I signed up for. All I ever wanted was to sell a little chi, maybe steal some in return. I should’ve kept my damn hands to myself.
This is my story. Look through my eyes.
Purchase Link: http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/blacker-black
Review: Black and his twin Jhez are Nightwalkers. Selling their chi to survive in a world where vampires (lyche) rule; humans are nothing and they have no rights. But Black has been caught stealing chi he now has a choice… do what Garthelle wants or die, well really not much of a choice is it.
A well written novel that takes vampires into an interesting and unique new direction. Black and his sister Jhez have been on the streets since they were about twelve years old. the old world is gone and the new world is ruled by Lyche’s (humans call them vampires). Black and Jhez survive by selling their chi to the lyche’s and stealing a little bit of chi off the lyche’s, but Black has been caught out by Monsieur of York (Garthelle the main Lyche of the area). He now has a choice, do as Garthelle wants or else. But, Black realizes that this time something went wrong, he can’t dispel the chi he took and he now has a connection to Garthelle.
Okay , I am not going to say any more than that because you really need to read the book yourself as there is so much more going on that it would take me ages to write about it. Black and his sister have secrets that nobody can know about; Garthelle has secrets that he won’t let get out. There are quite a few things going on that keep you reading but they all come back to the same thing… Black and Jhez.
Black and Garthelle have a complex bond and neither of them knows how it happened, as the book progresses we see the deepening of the bond and the effects it has on both of them. The progression of their relationship is moderate and it is far from easy. The story-line is strong and the plot very good, the characters are well-developed and I really liked the twists as the story progressed. I must admit that there is a lot of information to take in and I got completely lost on the lyche circles and how they worked.
The mystery surrounding Black’s background intrigues me and I hope there will be a sequel to clear it up. The interaction between Black and Garthelle is very good and the sex is scorching hot, but mistrust comes between them and it takes a lot to straighten it out.
This book I will recommend to those who love complex and dark stories, mystery, intrigue, twists, complex relationships, really hot sex and something a little different about your vampires.