Place in the Mythos
The Weight of Memory continues the cozy-goth vampire series by turning the question inward: Rowan was not a strange exception. She may have been the complete version of what vampires were supposed to remain.
The second book follows Viktor as restored conscience, willing blood, grief, and connection reveal a darker possibility than any enemy attack: the old vampires may have crippled themselves and mistaken the injury for maturity.
The dog thread, the memory burden, and Viktor's new soul-spark make the question intimate rather than abstract. The pain is not the point. Feeling what you care about is the capability.