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It's hard being a Twilight junkie like myself and not seeing the similarities in every other vampire-themed book I read now. This book was rough starting for me - it took me about halfway through before it picked up and got to a point where I started to enjoy it. I was too invested to give up and being a fan of Cabot, I figured it would eventually get better. But I definitely saw a lot of similarities...instead of Edward Cullen it was a Romanian Prince of Darkness...instead of Jacob Black it was a Palatine Guard who slays Vampires. Both vying for the love of the girl. And the battle at the end was another version of the battle in Eclipse. I think once you read one vampire series, it's hard NOT to think they are all copying. But I did see where Cabot was trying to switch things up...with the main character being completely annoyed by the idea of vampires and the dragon at the end (?!)...that was unexpected. What I enjoyed most was that her story was actually based on some fact. I have never read Dracula, and did not realized Stoker based it on a true story about a real guy. Makes me want to read Dracula now. Overall I was entertained and she left it wide open for a sequel, that I know I'll read, just to see what happens next.