"My Sword Hand is Singing" the Praises of the Nook...

I have been looking forward to reading something by Marcus Sedgwick for quite a while.  A galley copy of My Sword Hand is Singing has been on the top of the "To Read" stack but I just hadn't picked it up.  Then I bought a Nook, the e-reader from Barnes & Nobles.  I decided to combine these two enterprises, and read My Sword Hand is Singing on the Nook.  What a pleasant surprise, on both fronts.  The Nook was easy to use and navigate, and after about the tenth page, I barely noticed I was reading an digital book.

I was greatly surprised and delighted at the complexity and historical accuracy of Sedgwick's novel.  The strange vampire legends that Sedgwick cobbles together make for a compelling read.  The book is fresh in this time of vampire tripe and a quick read, yet had a very grounded feel to it.  The Gothic setting and authentic atmosphere adds an element of anxiety  for the reader, and an urgency to the plot.  Frankly, it reminded me of Michael Cadnum's The Book of the Lion, in the way the fantasy/historical fiction aspect of the novel is appealing, and are not wrapped up in the tropes of the genre.