Review: Legends of Marithia Book 1 by Peter Koevari

Title: Legends of Marithia: Book 1 Prophecies Awakening
*The Extended and Uncut Second Edition*
Author:Peter Koevari
Series:Legends of Marithia
Publisher: Createaspace (self)
Date of Publication:May 23, 2012
Format: ebook, 210 pages
Source: I received a copy from the author for my honest review
Get your copy at: 

Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Goodreads Summary:
When her sorceress mother and vampire king father are brutally murdered, Kassina makes a pact with Shindar, the Demon of Darkness. In exchange for her soul, Kassina obtains power to become the most feared sorceress in all the lands, and vows to exact her revenge on the people for the deaths of her parents. Granted eternal life, Kassina and her evil are never far away. 
For many years, the humans and elves of the mystical world of Marithia have lived in an age of peace. But that peace is shattered when King Arman is slain by his own son, a pawn of the vampire sorceress Kassina. Arman’s murder sparks the most brutal and bloody war ever seen between the Forces of Darkness and the peaceful Marithians. 
In the midst of the conflict, Vartan, a young knight wrongfully outcast from King Arman’s court, reluctantly discovers he is the subject of a prophecy involving the fabled weapon, Talonsphere. In alliance with the legendary dragons, he finds himself with the opportunity to rid the world of Kassina and her dark armies forever, and finally return Marithia to an era of peace.

My Feelings:
This is one of those stories where I found myself knowing the antagonist was evil and horrible but...I felt for the losses she occurred before she became the evil sorceress and destroyer.
Yes. I pitied Kassina.  And yes I also know of the terrible things that she does.  But hey remember there is gray areas.
Legends of Marithia is a high fantasy with elves, dragons, knights, and then...wait for it....vampires.  I know right?!!
Mr. Koevari takes two genres, horror and fantasy, and combines them to create this awesome novel!
I have to admit the Prologue was one of my favorite parts of the story because it shows us the how and why everything started. So we get that peek into why Kassina decided to be the most powerful and evil vampire of all time.  Basically one action by some dumb idiotic fake king (I guess I was affected a little) set this war in motion.
There is a little bit of romance in this, just a little bit. That isn't really the important part in this story, though it is the binding emotion in the background,  love for your family, for you people, and love for chosen one.  I think loyalty is the emotion that I found to be the strong suit for many of these characters.
You have to give props to some of these people that gave their lives for those faiths that they believe in, including the royal family.
The plot was complex and had many different strands that connected everything together but still left questions unanswered.
The characters are pretty interesting to me.  Most of the time, elves are the ones I automatically find myself drawn to, but not in this story.  In this fantasy, I fell in love with the Dragons.  They are such noble, proud and smart creatures and they do not disappoint in this story.
Vartan, one of our protagonists, is a true knight in every sense of the word.  He grows as a character and I really liked the fact that he plays such a huge part in the story.
There are many other characters that are important and I am sure you will find one to fall in love with too.
All in all, this is a great mix of epic fantasy with horror sprinkled throughout that could satisfy fans of both genres.
I gave Legends of Marithia: Prophecies Awakening four hearts!