3.5 stars, maybe 3.75. I liked this even though i t wasn't what I was expecting. We get multiple point of views with alternating chapters. Meaning we get a chapter or two of Pheobe, then 1-2 if Diana, then 1-2 from Marcus. I thought this was going to be a straightforward Marcus biography of sorts it wasn't. I was not liking that at first but I adjusted.

I, as always, loved the historical parts. I also enjoyed seeing the birth of a vampire so to speak. And I also enjoyed seeing how Diana's kids are doing. We get a look at a lot of the other secondary characters which is like visiting old friend D's and catching up.

What I was somewhat disappointed by was how little we delved into the problem times of Marcus' life as a vampire. They seem glossed over. His time with Veronique and in New Orleans is very quickly covered compared to his human life. I was somewhat modified by the last chapter which seemed to imply this was done on purpose. So Marcus' human life had a bigger influence maybe. That made me bump my rating up a bit as I don't feel so bitter anymore. But honestly, it may be that those times did have a huge influence on Marcus but they were not a big deal on the whole as far as vampire society is concerned. I don't know.

Overall, I think Harness did a better job balancing the historical, romantic and paranormal elements than in the All Souls trilogy but its still a bit awkward. Some parts get more attention to detail so seem grounded in reality then others melodramatic.