★★★
Three stars.
I received this book through Goodreads First Reads.
Daughter of a rabbi, Sarah Engelmann quickly finds herself thrust into a world where myths and religion are one & the same after a brutally tortured corpse shows up in 1913 Salem. Hell breaks loose when an ancient vampire resurfaces, in search of the holy trumpet of Gabriel. He must be stopped, or else the end of days will be upon them. He's paired up with a witch craft practicing pastor, demon succubus and Egyptian gods, each with their own intentions. Sarah, with the help of her friends- sibling trio Sam, Anne, and Emily-, Greek immigrant Alex, her wise father, and God, must be the ones to stop them, as affirmed by recurring holy visions.
I'm not really sure what to make of this book. No doubt about it, the author has definitely done his research on both religion and myths. The background stories in this novel are described richly and simple enough to understand. His writing is lovely and dark, which adds to the drama of the story.
With that being said, I think this book was too much. The mix of stories and legends of Judaism, Christianity, and ancient Egypt & Greece, mixed with a constant change of character perspective gave the book a hazy, unclear plot at the start. And remained so, until about two-thirds in. From that point, the story was great, and I finished it in no time.
I didn't really care too much what happened to Sam and Anne, admittedly. But the tension between Sarah and Alex more than made up for it. So much so, that I would read the sequel to this (should one arise), despite the unclear, over packed first parts of the novel. Overall, it was enjoyable, if only a bit slow moving.
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