The Lights of Prague

I kept changing my mind about this book. It's incredibly uneven but undeniably entertaining. It's got all the elements you might imagine from reading the title and description. In that sense the novel doesn't disappoint. It's a wonderful romp through Victorian Prague, a Prague plagued with vampires and other supernatural beasts.

Unfortunately the book is plagued by a number issues that keep appearing frequently throughout. Issues big enough that it takes you out of the story again and again. Most of these could have been fixed and caught in editing. Most are glaringly obvious. But many of them are integral to the structure of the book and would require major shifts.

The voice is very uneven, changing from time-appropriate voice and dialog show more to current day dialog. With the voice comes an issue with pacing. Many, many times the characters disrupt the ongoing flow of events by questioning their motivations and their thoughts at length. Towards the end when the two main characters finally team up this effect becomes almost comical.

I'm fine with the book being predictable, that's not why you would read a story like this. It's all about adventure and immersion. When I read a story about 19th century vampire hunting I want to find myself there and then. I don't care that it's not a Poirot worthy whodunit. show less

Set in a 19th century Prague where bloodthirsty creatures roam the streets at night, The Lights of Prague is an atmospheric and enjoyable read. It follows Domek, ostensibly a humble lamplighter, but really a monster hunter by trade. He protects the citizens of Prague from vampiric creatures known as pijavice. When he comes across a curious artefact when saving a young woman on Charles Bridge, he becomes enmeshed in a conspiracy that could irrevocably shift the balance of power between denizens of the day and night. Domek faces this threat along with Ora, a noblewoman with a dark secret.

The main characters are well-developed, gaslight Prague pops off the page, the plot is engaging, and the Eastern European twist on vampire lore is show more interesting to explore. This is a basic tale of good versus evil, which makes for a generally predictable read. Overall, highly enjoyable and I would have rated it higher if vampires were my thing. show less

The Lights of Prague's historical Czech setting is fresh and distinctive, but otherwise the book does little to distinguish itself from the massive number of vampire novels out there. If you can't get enough of power struggles between quasi-aristocratic vampire factions and romances between a vampire hunter and the one good vampire who doesn't drink human blood, you might well enjoy this book. I've got my own sets of tropes that I'll read a million times without getting tired of them, but these aren't among them, so I had a hard time maintaining interest in the goings-on. (There are also a number of little details of how vampires work in this universe that, taken together, gave me the impression that the author was substantially show more influenced by Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which contributed to the "I've seen this all before" feeling.)

I also found Domek a pretty bland protagonist, though I did like Ora. She is not without standard-issue "one good vampire" angst, but fortunately it's not the sole focus of her character; I was interested in her efforts to hold onto some autonomy as a woman in both human and vampire society, and her relationship with her late husband (whom she married while already a vampire) and his sister. Her romance with Domek, of course, didn't do very much for me, but I enjoyed her lovers-to-enemies-to-uneasy-allies relationship with her vampire ex, Darina. (If your ears perked up at that, I have to say that sadly I don't recommend reading the book just for this plotline, which is introduced about halfway through the book and receives comparatively little focus.)

All in all, it's a perfectly decent book; it's just treading some fairly well-trod ground. show less

The Lights of Prague by Nicole Jarvis is nothing more than a mediocre story regarding vampires and vampire hunters. And just like almost every other vampire story, not all vampires and other baddies are all that bad just as not all of the perceived good guys are good. The story contains the typical red herrings and false clues to distract and drag the story forward. The main character is a bit too naive and too damn good to be an interesting character. In fact, all of the characters are one-dimensional. This is one vampire story that has no bite to it.

I found myself totally immersed in this story. I loved all the characters, felt transported in time, and loved every part of the book. I was hooked from start to finish.

Vampires, vampire hunters, ghosts, and spirits, all in gaslit Prague!