Ivona Knight, Vampyress

Reviewed by Michelle Ellis © 2006

Wild Child Publishing.com © 2006

Title: Dark Tales 1: Vampyress
Author: Shannon Leigh
Publisher: Wild Child Publishing
Genre: Horror
ISBN: 978-1-935013-10-5

A tempest erupts, and a bridge's collapse ensures the occupants of a tavern won't be travelling anywhere any time soon. Ivona Knight, a sultry vampyress, prepares for a long night of waiting for the storm to pass. An urge to seek out the soul of someone who taints her own overwhelms her, yet for centuries, she has managed to hold The Evil within her at bay.

The tavern's customers express dismay at having to stay locked inside the inn. There is no food except one sandwich and a few chips. The main conversation changes from the weather to food.

One woman suggests that everyone should tell a story, which will not only help to pass the time, but also determine who eats the food--the teller of the best story gets a meal.

Ivona Knight begins her tale, going back in time to hundreds of years ago, relaying her past. A haunting and sometimes graphically horrific story emerges of days gone by from the era of Dracula. The life shown in this tale was intriguing.I saw many images: killings, bloodshed, and impaling.

While telling her tale, Ivona drinks blood from a chalice, though only one other bar patron suspects this. This person, Lucian, soon realises his past is intertwined with Ivona's in ways he could never have imagined. Tales from his own heritage closely mirror Ivana's.

Attracted to one another, yet knowing their union could prove fatal, Lucian hides his soul so that Ivona cannot read it. Ivona, on the other hand, tries to hold The Evil inside to stop herself from changing into a vampyress in front of the tavern's patrons. Periodically, her face changes, scaring the listeners. With the limited lighting, the patrons decide Ivona's facial changes are a trick of the eye. Thunder and lightning still rages outside, lending Ivona's tale a frightening slant.

This is an interesting tale told from the POV of both Ivona and Lucian. With the tavern as the main setting, and the second one as the place her tale is set, this story is compelling and interesting.

Well written, told with a voice that has a scary, unsettling edge, I would recommend this tale to anyone who likes vampire tales.

Rating: 4 cats

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To find out more about how to purchase Ivona Knight, Vampyress, visit Chippewa Publishing.