Black Miracles is the second book in Karen Koehler's remarkable vampire series, Slayer.

The book consists of two novellas, "Dragons's Blood" and "Immortal." The first one, "Dragons's Blood" starts several years after the events of the previous book, Slayer.

The lead character in the Slayer series is Alek, who is a dhampiri--a half-human, half-vampire being--who used to belong to the police force of the vampire community, but had to turn against his fellow slayers and his master, Amadeus, after revealing a horrendous conspiracy.

He still has to fight a lot, as slayers still often appear wanting to kill him. However, the real problem for him is being alone and without a purpose. The appearance of a young woman, Robyn, who has to be saved, comes at the right time. He promises to protect Robyn and her son, Danny. By doing so, Alek becomes involved in the affairs of the local Yakuza organization, who also employ vampires and other monsters to do their dirty work.

In the second story "Immortal," Irena, a young dancer, gets killed on a dark night, but she later regains her consciousness in the morgue. She turns out to be a dhampiri, and finds a master in Alek. The slayer has to face a very dangerous enemy, but, this time, he may also find love.

The author manages to live up to readers' expectations, which are, after the first book, high indeed. Both stories are excellent. These are great tales of fighting, loving and mourning, with many exciting action scenes. The vivid images and detailed descriptions of the dark and extraordinary world behind ours are both realistic and amazing. Each story has great surprises for the reader, as, again, nobody is who or what he or she seems to be.

It is advisable to start the series with the first book, in order to have a better understanding of the stories. Black Miracles is as highly recommended as the first book in the series.

Reviewed By Ilona Hegedus
© July 2005