Rowena’s review of The Originals: The Rise (The Originals #1) by Julie Plec.
Family is power. The Original vampire family swore it to each other a thousand years ago. They pledged to remain together always and forever. But even when you’re immortal, promises are hard to keep.
Arriving in New Orleans in 1722, Original vampire siblings Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah Mikaelson believe they’ve escaped their dangerous past. But the city is lawless, a haven for witches and werewolves unwilling to share territory. The siblings are at their mercy…especially after Klaus meets the beautiful and mysterious Vivianne. Her impending marriage is key to ending the war between the supernatural factions—and Klaus’s attraction to her could destroy the uneasy alliance. As Elijah works toward securing a piece of the city for his family, and Rebekah fights her unexpected feelings for a French captain, will Klaus’s volatile desires bring their world crashing down—and tear them apart for good?
I’m not going to lie. I wanted to read this book because I’m a fan of the show. I love me some Klaus and Elijah and I’ve come to love Rebekah. I have followed the Mikaelson’s from Mystic Falls to New Orleans and I went into this book with high expectations. I ended up liking it but not nearly as much as I thought I would.
The first part of the book was really slow for me. It took me FOREVER to get through it but once the action picks up, the story got better. It’s a completely different experience reading about what is going through Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah’s mind instead of watching them on TV. I was glad that we got all three POV’s and not just one of them because this book was about all three of them.
Getting into their heads and seeing their thought processes made me really see who they were. They’re not all rainbows and sunshine all, well any time but they’re such interesting characters. Julie Plec did the unthinkable for me when she introduced Klaus on Vampire Diaries. She made me fall for the bad guy. Not just the bad boy but the villain. LOL.
In this book, Klaus is building an empire. Rebekah is falling for a French Captain and Elijah is trying to keep the peace so that he can build a home for his family. They’re each chasing something different and in true Mikaelson fashion, they’re doing it with a whole lot of dramatic flair.
I liked this book but I think that I liked this book as much as I did because I watch the show. The characters and the story lines are familiar to me. I don’t think that readers who don’t watch the show will enjoy this book as much as I did. I didn’t really get the sense that this book could be a stand-alone book. I don’t think that the characters will be fully understood or even liked if they don’t know who they are going into the books. I hope that makes sense.
Anyway, this is an enjoyable book for fans of the TV series and I enjoyed getting into the heads of the Mikaelsons. I can’t readily recommend this to people who don’t know the Mikaelsons but again, for the fans? This is a treat.
Grade: 3 out of 5
This book is available from HQN Books. You can purchase it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.