Court of the Vampire Queen

Court of the Vampire Queen builds upon the legacy of several vampire series. In her dedication, Robert says, “To everyone who was Team Damon, Team Spike, and far too into Dimitri Belikov” (ii). Damon is a character from The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith, which was adapted into a television series. Elena, the protagonist of this series, is in a love triangle with brothers Damon and Stefan. This is reflected in the initial love triangle of Mina, Malachi, and Wolf in Court of the Vampire Queen.

Spike is a character in the television show and comic book series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Like Damon, Spike is a moody bad-boy type who can be contrasted with Angel, who is a nicer boyfriend. The protagonist, Buffy, dates both vampires. Dimitri Belikov is a character from Vampire Academy, a series by Richelle Mead that has been adapted into a film and a television series. He is the love interest of the protagonist, Rose. Rose is a dhampir, the offspring of a vampire and a human, like Mina. There is a large age gap between her and Dimitri, but the gap is smaller than the gap between Mina and her lovers.

Robert’s work also echoes Twilight series author Stephenie Meyer’s portrayal of vampires. In Twilight and New Moon, there is a love triangle between the protagonist, Bella, the vampire Edward, and the werewolf Jacob. This can be compared to the initial love triangle of Mina, Malachi, and Wolf. Meyer’s vampires are not harmed by the sun, like the vampires in Robert’s world. However, Robert’s vampires don’t sparkle in the sun: “Sunlight is barely an inconvenience for vampires, no matter what the human legends say, but most of them prefer to keep nocturnal schedules to avoid the irritating brightness” (32).

In Breaking Dawn, Bella becomes pregnant with a half-human, half-vampire baby. This is a novelty in Meyer’s world, while Robert’s world has a good number of bloodline vampires: those who were born into vampirism rather than being turned. However, Mina’s pregnancy can be compared to Bella’s, as they both have extreme morning sickness, and the fetus has its own magic. Both their babies are involved in plays for power among supernatural beings: Cornelius wants to control Malachi’s bloodline with Mina’s baby, and Jacob’s pack wants to kill Bella’s baby. However, Mina’s pregnancy is the same length as a normal human pregnancy, and she is already a supernatural being when she becomes pregnant, unlike Bella.

Robert’s work can be compared to Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles regarding its extensive sex scenes. The orgasmic bites from bloodline vampires in Court of the Vampire Queen can be compared to the vampire bites in Interview with the Vampire. In The Vampire Lestat, Rice introduces a vampire queen, Akasha. She has special powers as the first vampire, which can be compared to Mina’s seraphim powers. Like Robert, Rice has demons interact with vampires in Memnoch the Devil. Throughout her series, Rice features sex between men. This is reflected in how Mina’s men have sex with one another before and after meeting her.