I was unable to get situated into this book and story and it ended up being a DNF for me. I think others will really dig this, but it ended up not being my cup of tea.

I was really looking forward to reading this book, but unfortunately it fell short of my expectations and I do think that is more on me than the author because the story I got was different than the one I was expecting. The story started out promising but it really slowed way down, and it never really picked back up. Some of the characters were really underdeveloped and almost uninteresting after we met them because we didn't really get to spend time with them. And considering how far into the FMCs inner monologue we go I'm surprised the author didn't elaborate on some of the characters more.
Again my biggest gripe was the pacing, I was 60% and I felt like literally nothing was happening, maybe because the author is over descriptive? Her story and I just did not mesh. For a "vampire and horror" book it was actually surprisingly bloodless and gutless. Definitely more of a historical novel than anything else. I can see why some people enjoy it but again it was not for me.

Thank you Flatiron Books for the ARC.

Hooray for a truly original spin on the vampire novel!

I love vampire stories where instead of becoming a blood sucking robot, people who are turned retain their original personality and have to figure out how to deal with their new, um, immortality and feeding habits. This is a terrific spin on that trope, with a lovely and lovable protagonist who is probably the first ever….vampire preschool teacher!

This is definitely a slow burn read, so fair warning. It’s also less creepy and atmospheric than a lot of the best vampire stories, but because this is more character study than horror novel, the pacing and style make sense.

It’s an interesting dual timeline structure, going back and forth between the present and Collette’s history since she was turned. The modern timeline can get irritating at times (the family with whom our teacher gets over involved with is a bit tropey), but the bones of the plot are good, and produce a satisfying ending.

The God of Endings is long on inner monologue and short on action, but I thought it worked well for this truly original twist on the gentleman (or in this case, gentlewoman!) vampire.

Finally a vampire story with no shiny dudes or fake high schools scenes! I really liked how it captured the vampire fever of late 1800s where people forced others to cremate their loved ones or rip their hearts off before burying them because they for some reason decided to exhume bodies and saw signs of struggle (they had a tendency to bury people before they actually died and imagine waking up in a coffin). It later moved into witch hunts and blaming older women who live alone away from the villages for all their misfortunes. I liked how back story was anchored by historical events.

Collette (or Anna or Anya) lost her parents and her brother to consumption and she was about to die of it herself. Though her grandfather had different plans for her. She woke up as someone who would bloom but not wither. Life after that was all about learning how to control her urges and figure out ways to survive. After many experience ps that she preferred to forget, she settled in her grandfather’s house in the US to run a private kindergarten for privileged kids. All was under control until she found herself too much into one student’s life and at the same time her biggest fear was catching up with her.

It was going so strong and I was so excited to find another 5 star book. But I really need an explanation for the god of endings. It might be me being thick when I read that part, but I thought ending was cut too short to really understand what or who was the god of endings. I might read this book again after few years to see if I would form a better opinion, but still I highly recommend this book

Collette LaSange is a vampire. Her story alternates between Collette's 19th century origins and present-day 1984, where she runs an elite preschool in upstate New York. Collette has a stable and pleasant life teaching her students, but all seems to change when her hunger for blood increases without warning and one of her student's unstable home life begins to intrude on Collette.

This is an unusual vampire novel that's light on blood-sucking and heavy on introspection and incorporeal forces. (The sort of vampirism is cleared up very early on when we learn that a female vampire's human genitalia ceases to exist upon their transformation…! I still don't know what to think about this.) A key conflict, again and again, is the question of life being worth living, and its an revealing contrast to the setting of a peaceful children's school or a French village overrun by German soldiers. The main villain, if there is one, is Czernobog, the titular God of Endings, who seemingly haunts Collette.

It's an interesting set-up and addition to the canon of vampire books, but there were several aspects that lessened my enjoyment. The early sections of Collette's life are meandering and overpower the present day scenes. Collette's increased blood appetite has no apparent cause, and she sakes hew new thirst in both dangerous and stupid ways (seriously lady, get a goat or something) . She somehow forgets to ask someone who might know about the change. I was waiting for most of the book to learn more, so the dangling thread made me grumpy.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the novelty of the book and the deep emotions portrayed despite the lack of satisfaction — it might be the first book that could be categorized as pastoral vampirism. Recommended for readers interested in a different take.

A beautiful reflection on life and relationships, told over the span of decades from the point of view of a woman who cannot die. I really enjoyed some of the tender and heartbreaking interactions and character relationships within this story.

Half of the story follows Anna from the time that she in a child and her past, growing up, living through important times in history, coming to understand herself and humanity. The other half follows a short timeline of Anna, now in 1984, as a teacher/caretaker who operates her own elite, private preschool. There was a lot more focus on preschoolers and teaching than I would have thought going into it, which I found distracting from the story, but still really loved the developing affection Anna experienced for little Leo.

A very interesting, unique look at vampires.

I did not expect to like a vampire book this much. It did not feel campy or kitchy or any of the other things I was worried about. Rather, I could not look away. The writing was absolutely exquisite and put me in a bit of a trance. This is brilliant as that is exactly what "vampires" do. I can't recommend this more.

The God of Endings is lyrically written a unique Vampire story blending with historical fiction.The two time lines adds so much to the story I was drawn in and fascinated throughout.#netgalley #flatiron

This book pulled off a difficult feat of being a literary character study, a horror novel, a work of historical fiction, a suspenseful mystery/thriller, and a fantasy novel with consistent world-building. Not to mention the beauty of the relationship at the heart of the work between Anna and Leo. I was never sure what to expect next with this book, and the character of Anna was built so skillfully and realistically. This book was heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful, but not in a saccharine way. I felt that the ending was very satisfying and well-earned. I would love to read a sequel to this work! I found myself remaining curious about Anna's grandfather and other characters, and interested to see how Leo would adjust to his new life. This book also presented a really compelling meditation on the purposes of art and the life of artists. I thought that the pacing was masterfully done, and all of the relationships felt real and serious. Overall I enjoyed this book quite a bit and I am eager to read anything else from this author.

To be honest, I approached this book with a little bit of weariness. I just feel like there have been a lot of stories about vampires who hate being vampires and never want to feed on humans, and I don’t know, I just miss the campy fun of vampire books. God of Endings is very existential about living forever, and needing to feed on people to do so, and I definitely felt like it didn’t have that much new things to say on the matter. However, it is such a well-crafted book, I was still riveted by it. All the compliments to Holland, for making a book with a hook that I didn’t find all that exciting brim with urgency. She’s such a good storyteller, and God of Endings is so tightly paced, I found myself reading it over a couple of days even at a time when I’m struggling with reading. I can’t wait to see what she does next.

Collette LeSange is a vampire. She has lived for centuries. She has seen and felt pain that others can never imagine. Currently, she leads a quiet, mostly solitary life heading a French art school for children in New York. She has finally found a kind of equilibrium. A way to exist that keeps her happy and in which she is not a threat to anyone around her. But that’s about to change. There is a new student whose home life she can’t seem to ignore. She also finds herself always hungry—very worrisome given her dietary requirements. And, she can’t help but feel as though she is being stalked. She has a dark feeling that things are about to change....and ending is coming but she doesn't know what that means.

My Thoughts

One word: Spectacular.

That is a word I rarely use to describe a book and that I have never used regarding a 1st novel.

This is not the kind of book that I typically read. I do read horror and there is a vampire—but it’s not at all a typical vampire story. I generally read thrillers or mysteries. Books where there is a clear path. A premise is set early on, and the book is a constant progression toward resolution. While I suppose there are aspects of that in this book (Collette’s drive to figure out who is stalking her or why her life seems to be changing), the book is more so an exploration of her and of life itself. The real mystery being delved into is existence.

Holland builds a narrative with expertise rarely seen in a new author. She is able to seamlessly move between timelines, countries, cultures, languages, customs, and settings. She turns typical literary tropes upside down and explores how vampires are terrorized by people—not the other way around. Collette is very much a “humanistic” vampire. She has killed, but never for herself. She spends most of her life either trying to avoid people or defending those who can’t defend themselves. And she can’t die, which is a vehicle to dig into life itself. Is life a blessing or a curse? Are people inherently good or bad?

I REALLY enjoyed this book, and not at all for the reasons I thought I would.

This was such a different read, considering that we have had many vampire lores before this. I really enjoyed the direction the book took so the readers and our main character can reflect back on the life of immortality and what it is like to live such a life.

I went into this book thinking it would be similar to Anne Rice with vampires on the prowl. However, this book wasn’t focused on vampires, but more on love and family.

This was the life of a young girl who died due to a virus that struck her entire village 200 years earlier. Her grandfather gave her a chance to live forever again, yet she was on her own and was never prepared to live alone and amongst adults.
This was her story of how she was able to grow up as a vampire and still feel like she was only a child.

Great story and well done, but it was overall too long.

I used to not really be a fan of vampire stories, but I think this book has changed that. It’s not all gore and is more a range of historical fiction, introspective, and dystopian. I really enjoyed how each chapter switched eras in time for the same person.

Jacqueline Holland crafts a masterful new take on the classic vampire tale. Wherever the protagonist goes, the god of endings seems to follow and destroy her happiness. Relive the narrator's struggles, her loves and losses, as she lives multiple lifetimes across the US and Europe. Great for fans of introspection, historical fiction, and vampire tales. This book has mild to moderate gore and plenty of losses as vampire fiction. Will she finally out run the god of endings and find happiness? Please note that I was given an advance reader copy to review via Net Galley.

I wrote about this on The StoryGraph (with buzz and link sent to Mastodon) and on GoodReads (with link sent to Twitter). My thoughts can be found at those sites.

DNF @ 50%

I was so excited for this, but man was it slow.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

The first chapter wowed me so much that I ended up reading a quarter of this nearly-500 page novel before I could put it down and go to bed. There are two storylines to follow here, told in alternating chapters. One chronicles the beginning of Anna's life as a vampire, in a superstitious Europe hundreds of years ago, and the other is set in the 1980's, when she has become Ms. Colette, headmistress of an American art school for children. The juxtaposition of two different timelines unfolding simultaneously can be unwieldy; to balance them as gracefully as Holland does here requires considerable labor and storytelling power. This is an extremely well written book, especially considering it's a first novel for the author.

I wanted to like this so much more than I did.

First, alternating chapters between the past and present. When the hell is that trend going to die? I'm sick of trying to read a book's prequel and the follow-up at the same time. It only ruins the narrative flow and pacing for both stories and leaves both feeling staggered. I despite it. All of the chapters set in the past were just things I had to get through until the actually interesting story (present-day) started up again, and even that was more domestic drama than "vampire."

I hope people enjoy this book, but I feel like it's not enough of any one thing to be satisfying to anyone in particular.

"The blood is the life." (Bram Stoker)

Jacqueline Holland creates a journey into the macabre in The God of Endings. That journey will take us into unexpected realms of existence involving a dark dance with mortals being shadowed by the depths of the immortal. What we'll find here is a rare glimpse into one of these night creatures who is tormented by her own being and her own nature.

Anna lived long ago in a small village where tuberculosis, "the wasting death", had taken over the population Antiquated mindsets feared that these dead would have an impact on the living. Anna's father could hardly keep up with his business of engraving headstones for these recently dead. But soon, he will be taken by its grip as well as his wife and baby daughter.

Before long, fever visited upon Anna herself and she died of the affliction and was buried in the cemetery alongside other family members. But an awakening was destined for Anna. She rose from the mounds of dirt sealing her coffin from the living. Anna's grandfather came for her. He bestowed upon her a gift that she never asked for.......the gift of immortality. The weight of it will follow her to infinity.

Holland waves us into the future at this point. It's 1984 and we come upon Collette LeSange in upstate New York. Collette is the head mistress of an art pre-school for the elite. We will be taken with Collette and the love she has for those in her charge, especially one artistically gifted boy by the name of Leo. Collette realizes that Leo's family life will become a great concern throughout this novel. Our admiration for Collette will continue to grow. But we will stare long and hard at what is a definite reality for Collette.

Jacqueline Holland is a superbly gifted writer. Her descriptors and panoramic scenes are breathtaking in The God of Endings. Please note: Don't cross into this one if you are not by your own nature intrigued by classic vampires and their exploits. But this particular creature of the dark is lined with a compassionate soul and a sense of duty to those within her circle. Her encounters with others through years upon years will leave us turning pages madly. Collette will battle her inner longings continuously. And we as readers will follow her to the ends of the Earth.

This is my first 5 Star review of the year 2023. It deserves that and more. Believe me, keep your eye on Jacqueline Holland. She is a rare gift, indeed.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Flatiron Books and to the talented Jacqueline Holland for the opportunity.