A Taste of Blood Wine

Well written, but slightly overlong, novel about a parallel universe of vampires. Karl von Wultendorf gatecrashes Madeleine Neville's eighteenth birthday party, keen to learn the meaning of his unnatural existence from her scientist father. Instead, he meets and falls in love with Madeleine's reserved but intelligent sister, Charlotte.

Overall, I enjoyed Freda Warrington's novel, though less so than her sequel to Dracula. There is a strong fantasy element in Blood Wine, replacing familiar devices of the traditional vampire mythology with a sort of mystical otherworld - the Crystal Ring - where vampires can enter a spiritual realm and exist apart from people, that was a bit too hallucinogenic for my taste, but the vampires themselves are show more suitably cruel and cynical. Karl's sarcastic friend Pierre is my favourite, but Ilona, Stefan and religious nut Kristian are all wickedly gothic.

The Neville family are also well crafted as distinct, sympathetic personalities, and I associated with pre-Karl Charlotte more than I would care to admit to! She is a strong, smart woman, frustrated by her father's emotional dependence and her sisters' popularity, and her sense of isolation is almost palpable. Yet her grand, all-conquering love for Karl comes across as wholly unconvincing and deeply disturbing. Desire for him supposedly brings her personal and physical freedom, but all she really does is replace her family's control over her life with a besotted infatuation for her lover. Granted, the story is set in the early 1920s, but for all Charlotte's suffragist posturing, her obsession with Karl is rather ironic. Without the central love story between Karl and Charlotte, the novel would have been about 300 pages shorter - much of the narrative is taken up with repetitive dialogue about how Karl must leave Charlotte for her own good, and how Charlotte cannot live without him - and far more effective. I prefer vampires who are truly evil, and not haunted creatures looking for love.

So, Karl and 'Charli' (her ridiculous pet name) - and the cliched Hammer House of Horrors cover - aside, I'm glad I tasted Blood Wine, but won't bother with the rest of the trilogy. show less

There’s something beautiful about the Gatsby era, something that’s slightly innocent yet new. The Gatsby era is a change in humanity’s way of thinking, but traditions are still important. There’s more freedom, but still rules. A Taste of Blood Wine by Freda Warrington brings a tale of blood, vengeance and love to the table that is set in an Edwardian world where people are still grasping to the previous century’s traditions, while trying to keep the future in mind. Charlotte Neville hopes to be an independent woman, one who can continue working alongside her father, a renowned scientist. Unfortunately her aunt has other ideas, which places Charlotte in a precarious position. What’s more is that her father decides to take the show more mysterious Austrian on-board in his lab, which makes her life all the more difficult. Karl is fascinating, but dangerous, but Charlotte catches his eye and before long he has her climbing out of her shell, much to the dislike of her family, but he has a deep, dark secret… one that could cost her life.

As far as vampire books are concerned, A Taste of Blood Wine was a good read. The writing was fantastic and the descriptions enjoyable and natural. The vampire mythology is rather different to what we’re usually used to and a distinct religion vs science theme is at play throughout the book. Of course, this is only the first book in what I suppose is a trilogy, but it’s got a lot of awesome scenes and some action-packed moments already (also, it does make for a good standalone).

I particularly liked Illona though. This vampire vixen is one of those characters that you love to hate, and although Charlotte came across as a bit meek in my opinion (and Karl a bit too broody), I did like the supporting characters immensely. Stefan and Pierre and Illona had a naughty side to them that I particularly enjoyed, even though they weren’t present often. I’m hoping that the second book will have more of them in the story though.

All in all, I enjoyed A Taste of Blood Wine and I think it’s a great book to spend a weekend with, especially if you’re missing out on new vampire reads.

(review originally posted on www.killeraphrodite.com) show less

My Booklist review:

Channeling the tone of a Gothic romance, Warrington presents a 1920s version of Bram Stoker’s Dracula that focuses on the vampires rather than their stalkers. Powerful vampire Kristian is having trouble keeping his minions in line, especially Karl, who rebels against Kristian’s heavy hand. Trying to gain scientific knowledge of vampirism to help him destroy Kristian, Karl ingratiates himself into the family of Cambridge professor Dr. Neville and wangles his way into the doctor’s laboratory as one of his assistants. There he meets Charlotte, the doctor’s quiet daughter, and they fall in love. Trouble besets them not only in the form of Kristian’s malicious attempts to rein in Karl but also in the jealousy and show more spite of Charlotte’s family, especially her sister and aunt, both of whom have fallen under Karl’s spell. As they fight the forces against them, will Karl and Charlotte find happiness, or are they doomed to be apart in loneliness or even death? The first of Warrington’s Blood Wine series will sate those hungry for classically melodramatic vampire sagas.— Pat Henshaw show less

I've read and enjoyed Freda Warrington before, and this got the inter-war atmosphere well, but somehow it didn't quite catch me. It wasn't bad but the angst and posturing got to me. Charlotte meets Karl, a strange man who has caught her sister's eye, he catches a lot of people's eyes and in particular her sister's. But she discovers that he's in fact a vampire and his cohorts are about to make life complicated.

Not a bad read but I wanted more.

Honestly, not as straight-up dirty as I had hoped, but beautifully executed. Complex heroines and a complex take on this familiar forbidden romance. On to Book #2!

I'm not a Twilight fan but this was my Twilight before Twilight existed. I love this book and read it over and over again before sharing it with my friends who all fell in love with it. I see it's being re-released in April and I would love to get my hands on a new copy as my one is dog-eared. If you want vampire romance this book is it.

I've never read a vampire novel quite like this before! The writing was so mesmerizing and lyrical, such a beautiful book