Review: Almost Final Curtain by Tate Hallaway

Book Description via Goodreads:

Paperback, 273 pages

May 3, 2011, NAL

Craving the spotlight is in her blood.

Ever since high school student Anastasija Parker discovered she was vampire royalty, her life has been sort of crazy. The half-vampire- half-witch just wants some normalcy, and trying out for the spring musical seems like the perfect fix.

But when the ancient talisman that stands between vampire freedom and slavery to witches is stolen, Ana has to skip rehersal and track down the dangerous artifact before someone uses it to make this year's curtain call her last...

Source: NAL & Kayleigh (Thank you!)

My Thoughts:

The humor that I loved in Almost to Die for was toned down in Almost Final Curtain. The story became darker as Ana faced the reality of her being a half-witch, half-vampire and her struggles with her lovelife. She could no longer be with the witches after failing her initiation, aside from her mom and her bestfriend, Bea. After refusing to join the vampires, Ana’s dad didn’t bother her anymore. She felt that she was stuck in the middle, neither vampire nor witch but possessed the strengths and weaknesses of both. It was a problematic situation that she will be stuck in forever.

Being betrothed to the vampire knight, Elias, has complicated Ana’s lovelife. He became one of the constants in her life – the guy who gave her time and listened to her ramble and whine. I found Elias to be endearing and a perfect gentleman. Despite harassment, danger and sarcasm, he kept on minding his manners, unruffled. In this novel, Ana spent more time with Elias. But Ana has a boyfriend in Nikolai, Elias’ rival. Nikolai was in a band and every girl wanted him. Most importantly, he was a vampire hunter.

I liked the background in the vampire world. Their origin, nature and customs fascinated me. The ancient talisman’s role in the lives of vampires and how it changed their fates was a nice touch, coupled with the history woven into it. Their music and revelry, surprisingly, were like the music and revelry of the fey. I was able to see another side to their wildness.

Some of the characters changed while the others stayed the same. Thompson, the jock at Ana’s school who hated her, started to be more civil and he even began to show his friendly side. I had my hunch about Thompson in book one. It was starting to show, floating to the surface but it hasn’t fully surfaced yet. Bea was still pining for Nik, taking every chance to be with him and to get one step closer to being his girlfriend. The big changes were in Ana’s parents, caused by the Nile goddess talisman. Throughout the novel, there were scenes planted that aroused my curiosity. The ending was the bomb of all secrets and twists. One twist in particular took me off guard. I never expected it.

Witty and humorous, with a darkness that lurks over the characters, Almost Final Curtain was an intriguing read. I recommend this to readers of vampire and witch novels and paranormal romance readers.

Rating: