"...so I finished Craving quite a while ago, but sitting here and thinking about it to write this has brought the story and the character pretty easily to the front of my mind again. The philosophy/spiritualism is a little on the heavy side for some, I think, so it would certainly not be everyone's cup of tea; it wasn't preachy exactly, but if you're looking for more of a "mindless" read to just kick back and get through, I don't think I'd recommend this one.

That being said, I rather enjoyed Craving, in part because it ended up being very different from what I'd expected. Based on the sisters' names and on the title, I thought this would be a Judeo-Christian morals in disguise kind of thing - Eva and Lilith? Yeah. Not very subtle, or so I thought. But most of the philosophy in the book centers around Buddhism, which is something I honestly don't know too much about, so if anything is inaccurate, I wouldn't know. It all sounded very well-researched to me, so either way, it made for some fairly rich storytelling. The vampire element was interesting and because of the nature of the rest of the plot, Meister has given the reader an "unconventional" take on that niche that might be at least a little more palatable to vampire "purists" than the sparkling variety presented by Meyers in the Twilight saga..."

For full review, please visit me at Here Be Bookwyrms on Blogger:

http://herebebookwyrms.blogspot.com/2013/07/craving.html ( )

Book Info: Genre: Dark Urban Fantasy/Metaphysical Thriller
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Anyone to whom it appeals
Trigger Warnings: violence, murder, suicide

My Thoughts: This is a very strange—but absolutely amazing—book, full of mysteries and hallucinations. The reader never quite knows if something is really happening or not, which can lead to a bit of confusion at times, but the story is beautifully written, with gorgeous language. In many cases, at least for me, this can make all the difference between loving a book and being so confused I can't finish it. An example of the sort of writing I'm talking about:
“The immense windows that made up the north-facing wall were tinted so that the entire scene had an aura of man beating materials into a sterile kind of submission. A bank of elevators shone behind the security guard's head in a vicious silver beam, but dinged cheerfully. Clones in every kind of suit moved around like ichor in the fat, hardened, corporate arteries, their leather shoes clicking impatiently.”

Described as a metaphysical thriller, I've added “dark urban fantasy” to it, due to the monsters and mayhem that lurk at the edges of the story. Or do they? Again, I was never quite sure what was real, what had really happened, and what was just a dream in the main character's mind.

I spoke to the author of this book shortly after I started it to tell her I was enjoying it, and she wrote back to let me know that there are lots of little clues sprinkled throughout the book, things that will help with understanding the rest of the trilogy as it is released.

This is a trippy little story. It was certainly not what I was expecting from JournalStone, but I absolutely loved it. If you're interested in metaphysics, Buddhism, enlightenment, or just a wonderful story, check out this book. I'm already looking forward to reading it again, when the second book in the trilogy is released. Highly recommended.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this e-book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewer's program in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: After a messy divorce and the suicide of her younger sister, Lilith Pierce sets about the responsible task of cleaning up Eva's final mess. She orders the casket, cleans the apartment, but is plagued by a frighteningly prophetic conversation preceding Eva's death. When Lilith begins to investigate the bizarre details of Eva's life, she has no idea the path of personal transformation she has embarked upon. Down the rabbit hole, she dives, into a world of strange powers, koan-spouting immortals, and dangers to humanity only she seems destined to prevent.

"Angels, Demons, villains, vampires . . . they don't stand a chance."

Stephenson's "Snow Crash" meets "Siddhartha" in this fascinating metaphysical thriller from debut author Kristina Meister. "Craving" is a suspenseful tapestry woven through with the golden threads of myth, philosophy, and sarcasm, exploring the nature of love, faith, and how ideas can change the world. ( )

A thoroughly intriguing story with fascinating philosophical concepts mostly Buddhist). Interesting characters, unexpected story turns and a fresh take on a contemporary genre. Got a bit bogged down in the middle but persevere because it returns to form. I didn't know what to expect of this book and was pleasantly surprised with its intelligence and entertainment value. Don't read anything with spoilers!! ( )

There is only one thing that really bugs me about books. I get infuriated when books aren't consistent throughout. I don't care if a book is terrible from the beginning to end as long as it's consistent. I've read some terrible books that I actually enjoyed more than this one.

This book starts off incredibly strong. I started this book in the middle of the day, but I found the first two chapters to be really creepy. It was a promising start with a "who-dunnit" kind of premise. The writing was fantastic, and the beginning really drew me into the story. I wanted to know Lilith and I wanted to take the journey with her to find out the mystery surrounding her sister's death. I was addicted to the first 30% of this book. The strong writing, the interesting characters, the mysterious elements combined with the slight philosophical writing made for a great combo. I was forced to expand my mind to understand some of the ideas and I really liked it.

And then it lost me. It went from a mystery story with some philosophy to a philosophical book, completely putting the mystery on back burner. Lilith started to grate on my nerves and it was a chore to plod through this book. I don't think I've sighed so much in all my life. Half of the time, I couldn't even understand what they were talking about. It wasn't the Buddhist philosophy I had trouble with, it was the fact that these characters seemed to spout wisdom without any reason to. Every sentence was so pretentious. I finished this book, though not happily. The best thing I can say about it is that it ended.

If only the end had been as great as the beginning. Alas. ( )

The premise is cool, the voice seemed believable, but I couldn't quite stay with it long enough to find out where it was going. I may be able to get back to this and fill out my impressions.