I enjoyed 'Seraphympire, Guardians of the Gateways' for its large cast of diverse and richly-textured characters, their shifting loyalties, and the epic-level of violent emotions at play. It definitely works as Paranormal Fantasy Romance, a vampire tale with a difference. Kayla/Makayla makes a complex, sympathetic, and visceral double heroine. Alexander, Zack, Reece, and the tangibly evil Zobiana all combine to create an above average vampire tale. Overall the characters are both believable and larger-than-life, a nice balance.
The plot would benefit from a tighter focus, perhaps set within a 3-Act frame. Even so, it was always clear what each character wanted, why, and the decisions and actions they each take in trying to reach their goals. So the characters' roles within the plot works fine. The climax in Act 3 is especially good, and succeeds in bringing Makayla's story to a satisfying, provisional, and resounding close. Her struggle will continue in Book 2 of Guardians of the Gateways.
From the book description:
The world is on the verge of apocalypse. A designer drug contaminated with a mutated strain of the Porphyria virus, V5, has hit the streets of London. Humans are on the threshold of an evolutionary change that will bring about their extinction – they no longer need to be bitten to become Vampires. An ancient artefact, the Trinian Globe, has been stolen, and a sinister force is preparing to take control of Earths hidden gateways.
Makayla Uriel is the one being that can stop the world’s inevitable destruction; and the one person least likely to. She lives on the edge – the fringe of a world that is not her own – where legend is reality. Most days she wants to escape what she is, a Seraphympire, a Vampire Seraphim with two souls, and a craving for rare bloods. When she is saddled with a new partner, she is forced to confront her demons – realising that it’s alright to trust another, even if it means sacrificing all that she has ever known.
The clock is ticking. Will Makayla and an elite group of warrior’s, the Shadow Seekers, save the inhabitants of Earth from annihilation? Can they stop the global distribution of V5 and discover who is behind the burgeoning Newblood infestation before it’s too late? More importantly, will they recover the Trinian Globe before it’s used to destroy Earth?Who will triumph?
