Dreaming Big
  • Home
    • Staff
    • Members Only
  • Contact
  • Our Books
    • Non Fiction
    • Fiction
    • Poetry
    • Children's Books
    • Audio Books
  • Coming Soon
  • Blog
  • Opportunities
    • Call For Submissions
    • Submissions Guidelines
    • FAQ
  • Gifts and More

Fiction Book Review for 'Sinfonia, First Notes on the Lute' by David Landrum, reviewed by Amy

7/9/2016

0 Comments

 
Sinfonia: First Notes on the Lute
By David W. Landrum
Published by Dreaming Big Publications
Reviewed by Amy Owings
 
ABOUT THE BOOK
 
Sinfonia: First Notes on the Lute records the life of Nelleke Reitsma, a young lutenist who befalls a series of misfortunes that eventually leads to her transformation into a vampire. Leaving her native Netherlands for England, she finds herself embroiled in a fight to save the vampire community of London from destruction. She encounters Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth, and, using her connections to government and the theater, uncovers the last followers of an ancient religion that possesses power capable of destroying Nelleke and the coven of vampires to which she belongs.
 
Genre: Suspense/Fantasy
156 pages
 
MY REVIEW
 
4 out of 5 stars
I loved the world and characters that Landrum created for this story. The historical setting of 17th century England was a pleasant deviation from most contemporary vampire stories, which are often set in the present day, and it allowed the introduction of characters like Shakespeare, which was fun to see. Nelleke was a strong, liberated character who was easy to root for. She conquered every challenge with courage and tenacity rather than playing the part of a damsel in distress. My only disappointment with this story was that it failed to develop some situations that seemed important, such as Nelleke and Izaak’s relationship, Anita’s childhood, and Nelleke’s transition into a vampire—I wanted more introspection from Nelleke to show us how she felt about all of this. Overall, though, it was a fun and suspenseful read.
 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
 
David W. Landrum lives and writes in West Michigan. His fiction, poetry, and scholarships have appeared in journals and magazines around the world. Landrum has published over 150 short stories in such journals as The Horror Zine, 34th Parallel, Black Denim Review, Silver Pen, Erotique, Non-Binary Review, Night to Dawn, The Lorelei Signal and in many others. His novellas--The Gallery, Strange Brew, ShadowCity, The Last Minstrel, Le Café de la Mort, Mother Hulda, The Prophetess, and The Sorceress of Time, along with his full-length fantasy novel, The Sorceress of the Northern Seas, are available through Amazon. He has also published a great deal of poetry and many academic studies.
 
DISCLAIMER
 
I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for writing a review. I was not obligated to give a positive review, and all thoughts are my own.
 
https://smile.amazon.com/Sinfonia-First-Notes-Vampire-Chronicle-ebook/dp/B01F8BMZJ4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1466704415&sr=1-1&keywords=sinfonia+first+notes

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    January 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    February 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Picture
    Challenge Participant
    Parajunkee Design
    I review for BookLook Bloggers
    Professional Reader
    Book Reviewer Sign Up

    1888PressRelease
    YA Bound Book Tours

Services

Ask A Therapist
Blog
Our Books
Coming Soon

Company

About Us
Staff
​

Support

Contact
FAQ

Find and follow us on social media 
© COPYRIGHT 2015. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.