Book Review: Evelina by Tim Pearsall

Synopsis from Amazon:

Evelina is a mutation. Some would say an abomination. Created by Pagan magic at the death of Christ she feeds on the suffering of others, and her curse is longevity. 

She tramples down the ages with revenge on her mind, drawn to the miseries of mankind, where there is war and suffering you will find her. At times a warrior, a mercenary, an assassin, a whore.
In modern London, Evelina tangles with an ordinary young couple and their lives are changed forever. The huntress becomes the hunted culminating in a showdown with the son of a former adversary. Flashbacks of her former life both illuminate and complicate her unnatural character. The pace is fast, the action bloody and furious. 

My Thoughts:

Evelina: Love you to Death, is the first book in the Evelina series. I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As soon as I found out that this book was about a woman who fed off the suffering and pain of others, I was hooked. I needed to read this book, and I have to say, it did not disappoint. It may just be my new favourite novel, and I will definitely be continuing the series.

Evelina, or Eve as she’s commonly known as, feeds off other people’s misery and pain, sort of like a vampire with less teeth. She can sense their brainwaves, and this is how she keeps her youth. I found myself really liking Eve. Even though she has some questionable morals, Pearsall makes her human. She is a twinge psychotic, but it’s not as simple as black and white. She’s not presented as pure evil, as people seldom are in stories nowadays. We get to see all sides of the story, and even though half the characters are crazy, they all have their good and bad points. Except Sir Clive. He’s just a nut job.

The story is told in a series of flashes, rather than having a lot of chapters. I liked this method as it allowed for many different points of views, and it made it quite easy to follow the different storylines happening. We also get to see some of Eve’s past, how she came to be and what she did for the first bit of her life, which I found interesting. The flashes also move the book along at a good pace.

This book is rather dark, but I quite liked that about it. It doesn’t go overboard, though. There are descriptions of murder in the book but it’s not like it goes on and on. It’s just enough to get the point across and there are lots of other things that happen in the book besides murder. The opening scenes really set the tone for what kind of book it’s going to be. But amidst the darkness there are moments of compassion, and a few unlikely connections between characters. Like I said before, it’s not black and white, but life seldom is.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes dark thrillers, or is interested in reading something a little darker than they normally would.