The Originals The Untold Story book number two from Julie Plec is available tomorrow. Check out our review and see how you can win a copy of book number one, The Rise, signed by Julie Plec and Charles Michael Davis!
Since we’ve got another week of hiatus left before new episodes of The Originals resume again (for a six-episode uninterrupted run to the finale) if you find yourself in need a Mikaelson fix, you should definitely check out the first two books in Julie Plec’s new series: The Originals The Untold Story: The Rise and The Originals The Untold Story: The Loss.
The first novel was released just this past January, and gives some incredibly rich history of the Mikaelson’s history in New Orleans. Most importantly, this is information straight from the pen of the show creator, so it’s easy to believe that this is show canon as well. These books will definitely give you a leg up on your other Originals-watching friends, and will help to explain why Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah are the way they are.
The Official Description
“After a hurricane destroyed their city, Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah Mikaelson have rebuilt New Orleans to even greater glory. The year is 1766. The witches live on the fringes in the bayou. The werewolves have fled. But still, Klaus isn’t satisfied. He wants more. He wants power. But when Klaus finally finds a witch who will perform a spell to give him what he desires most, she secretly uses Klaus to unleash a curse—one that brings back hundreds of her ancestors—and begins a war to reclaim New Orleans. As the siblings fight off the attack, only one thing’s for certain—the result will be a bloodbath.”
The Story
Each of the Mikaelsons starts, once again, with their own agenda in mind, which is nothing new to fans of The Originals. While Elijah is most concerned with governing the city and keeping order, Klaus is preoccupied with resurrecting his fallen love from the first book, Vivianne Lescheres, and has spent the 44 years that have taken place since the end of the first novel searching for a witch willing to bring back the only woman he truly loved. While Elijah and Rebekah try to have each other’s backs, Klaus is interested in only his own means, with little regard as to how his actions could influence the world his siblings inhabit.
While the Mikaelson siblings bicker and argue, one witch is amassing an army that even the Original vampires cannot dispense of so easily. Lily Leroux, descendent of a witch that Elijah had counted amongst his friends, is no longer happy to dwell in the shadows of New Orleans. She has every intent of taking the city for the witches, and to replant them as the governing faction once again.
The Characters
This is Klaus as we’ve never seen him before. Sure, we’ve seen him with a vested interest in women before, including Caroline, Cami, even Elena on occasion, but his single-minded determination to bring back this one love is almost worthy of Rebekah’s brand of romance. Blinded by his own infatuation, Klaus misses a few things (nothing new there), and may just have to pay for his mistakes.
Elijah plays the role of peacemaker more eagerly here than ever before. He tries to broker peace rather than simply slay all those that stand against him, but when the other supernatural factions seemed determined to keep him at arm’s length, Elijah must take matters into his own hands. He must put a stop to Lily Leroux and her plight to dethrone the vampires, it’s just a matter of which means to use. Despite the power struggles, Elijah, too, finds himself smitten with a young vampire, and grows fond in a remarkably slow amount of time. We’ve watched Elijah grow increasingly fond of Hayley on The Originals over the first two seasons of the show, so it’s no surprise that Elijah is no monk in 1766.
Rebekah, as always, flirts with the line between protective younger sister and a vengeful victim. Yes, she and Klaus get off on the wrong foot in this book, as so many chapters of their lives have started before, but Rebekah gets herself in more trouble than it’s worth when she decides to prank her brother on an already vulnerable occasion. When she witnesses something unnatural and strange, she feels compelled to share the knowledge with her hybrid brother, but animosity between them keeps him from taking her at her word.
Final Thoughts
There is never a dull moment with the Mikaelson trio at the helm, and this book is no departure from the recipe that has made The Originals such a successful tale of the complications of a family that can live forever. Klaus is the lone wolf, determined to do as he sees fit to protect himself and whatever he holds dear, even if that means abandoning the city they fought so hard to control. Elijah proves that he doesn’t have to take the path most-traveled to achieve his goals, but that ultimately all he wants is stability in a world fraught with unpredictability. Rebekah has always let passion rule her, whether it be for love, her family, or her own agenda, and that doesn’t change in The Loss any more than it has since her time on The Vampire Diaries.
Julie Plec has gifted us with a way to fill the long hours of hiatuses and breaks between episodes with a pair of novels chock full of Mikaelson family drama. If you consider yourself a fan of the show, these books are a great way to spend hours amongst your favorite supernaturals of New Orleans without having to binge-watch old episodes. If you’re new to the world of the Mikaelsons, this book will help pave your way to understanding what makes these Original siblings tick. Whether the supernatural siblings are working separately toward their own ends or banded together for strength in times of trouble, every story with a Mikaelson at it’s center will entertain, and that’s ultimately what any good Originals fan is craving more of all the time.
Win a copy of ‘The Originals – The Untold Story: The Rise’ from Harlequin signed by Julie Plec and Charles Michael Davis!
The giveaway will run until 11:59pm next Sunday night and winners will be contacted for shipping information Monday morning, April 6, 2015. Good luck to all!! (Open to U.S./Canada only)
