Snow by Mikayla Elliot | ★★★★☆ (4.5)

As a note, a copy of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.

Snow is everything I wanted it to be and then some. Unique, enthralling and positively stunning, Snow set a new standard for not only vampire stories, but for how a trilogy should begin. In short? I adored it and devoured it once I got into my reading groove. Mikayla Elliot is a force to be reckoned with and a highly promising voice in fiction.

As far as worldbuilding goes, Elliot is only just getting started when it comes to the world(s) Snow is set in. It is as crisp as winter's air. I am intrigued to see where she goes with it in the next installment and have high hopes in the pace that she is developing both the world and the stories within it. Snow has a lot to offer, but if there's one thing you should know of it is that the writing Mikayla Elliot offers us is incredible.

One might shy away from Snow due to the genre becoming less and less appealing in the aftermath of, let's call it, vampire mania, but you should know that this isn't your typical vampire novel.

Readers have been quick to compare Elliot's prose to Anne Rice and I couldn't agree more. While I've only read a handful of Rice's books, the assessment is fair enough while still determining a clear line between Rice and Elliot's writing.

I thought the story was mysterious and completely captivating. There's this almost dream-like tone to Snow that only amplifies the reading experience. In many ways, readers learn about this world right alongside main character--and resident chosen one--Neva. Neva is the perfect lead character because she is as in the dark as us at the beginning and we are with her every step of the way as she uncovers what it means to be a vampire, why she appears to be the key to everything and just what the past has held for her.

This is going to be a bit of a spoiler, so if you've yet to read Snow turn away, but I loved that Elliot was able to tangle up vampires with past lives. As I've said before, in previous reviews, the idea of reincarnation has always (and will always) be intriguing to me. In the case of Neva, she has lived an unknown amount of lives in the past and I found this to be one of the most intriguing parts of the story.

I feel like the way that Elliot explores, or briefly notes, past lives is everything that I wanted the Fallen series by Lauren Kate to be. Where Fallen failed, Snow succeeded. While the past lives of Neva are yet to be fully explored, it still adds an extra layer to the story that makes it all the more appealing.

There's a certain level of sadness, too, in Snow that will tug at your heartstrings. I could list several moments that broke my heart, but I won't to avoid spoiling the experience for you all. The manner in which Neva comes to be a vampire kind of, ah, killed me. And her backstory, and how it ties into her present, will tug at you, too.

Overall, Snow is a definite must-read for vampire lovers and former vampire lovers. It's the perfect remedy to the novels that put you off the genre. I'm so excited to read its sequel!