Posts Tagged "Vampire Fiction"

The heat is on. Rose is entering the final stages of her guardian training and before she can graduate into a fully qualified guardian, she is required to undergo six weeks of field experience first. After spending two years of her life guarding Lissa from real attacks, Rose thinks that the field experience will be a piece of cake. But the Academy throws her a curve ball and assigns her to guard Christian – Lissa’s boyfriend and the very same Christian that Rose doesn’t exactly like. Rose finds herself suddenly confronted with a whole stack of new challenges that have absolutely nothing to do with guarding and protecting the life of a royal.

As if spending six days a week with Christian isn’t enough drama for Rose to deal with, something weird is going on with her. She’s been seeing Mason, like really seeing him, and she thinks that maybe she’s going a little crazy. But Mason died, she saw him slip away with her own two eyes. So what, or who, is she seeing now? Ghosts aren’t real, right? Maybe not, but maybe they are… Rose desperately wants to talk to someone about ghost-Mason, or whatever it is that she is seeing, but she knows that sharing her story would lead to no good. No good at all.

Then there is Dimitri. Even though she’s tried, Rose just can’t shake her feelings for him. How could she, when he’s everything she’s ever wanted? How many girls can say they found their dream guy, their soul mate, during their adolescence? Not too many, I would assume. Rose however, has found her soul mate, it doesn’t take a genius to figure this out – she just can’t have him. It’s a cruel twist of fate, but soul mates or not, Dimitri and Rose know that guardian/guardian relationships are strictly forbidden. Will that be enough to keep them away from each other, or can love really conquer all? Loving Dimitri is the scariest thing in Rose’s life, and she knows that if anyone found out, both their lives could be ruined forever. Rose and Dimitri face some very interesting challenges indeed. Will they walk away from their guardian destiny to be with each other, or will they continue to deny themselves, deny each other?

Just when Rose thinks that her life couldn’t possibly get anymore complicated, the Strigoi launch a surprise attack on the Academy and suddenly everyone Rose ever cared about is unsafe. This time, the Strigoi fight dirtier than ever before and take something of Rose’s that will change her life forever.

“I ran. I didn’t look back. I didn’t ask what he was going to do because I already knew. He was going to stop as many Strigoi as he could so that I could get help. And a moment later I heard grunts and hits that told me he’d found another. For only a heartbeat, I let myself worry about him. If he died, I was certain I would too.”

Prepare yourself for a monstrous cliffhanger ending that will leave you gasping for breath.

Rose learns a lot in this installment and watching her develop as a person is a humbling experience. In all the loss, through all her trials, Rose never loses sight of who she is, or what she stands for. She is stubborn and fierce but she’s also selfless and loyal – qualities that are a rarity in today’s society.

Richelle Mead has outdone herself with this installment. Fabulously written, full of action and nail-biting suspense, Shadow Kiss is an unputdownable read.

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Zachary is an angel – literally. He’s had many charges over the years but being Miranda’s guardian angel is his toughest gig yet. See, he’s in love with her and love just complicates everything. Deep down Zachary knows that he would do anything to keep her safe – he’d even risk his own position in heaven. When Miranda heads out one night with her friend, Zachary sees trouble coming a mile off – trouble of the vampire kind. In the process of trying to protect Miranda from becoming a meal, Zachary breaks the one rule guardian angels are never allowed to bend, under any circumstances, and he reveals himself in human form.

As punishment, Zachary is cast out of heaven and sentenced to life on earth, as a human. Knowing he failed the love of his life, Zachary begins on a downward spiral of destruction. Someone upstairs, however, thinks that Zachary deserves a second chance and the heavens assign him a task – to kill Dracul, the most bad ass vamp around. If he succeeds, he’ll win back his place in heaven and his guardian powers will be returned to him. When he gets to the Dracul castle, however, he doesn’t expect to find Miranda all vamped out and running the show. This complicates things, just a little. See, even though she’s now a vampire, Zachary can’t shake his feelings for her and embarks on a mission to not only eliminate her master, but save her soul from her vampire self.

Miranda is a lousy vampire. She’s not evil enough, nor scary enough to throw her authority around like her master expects her to. Some of the servants even like her a little. Then, Zachary arrives at the castle and she’s drawn to him immediately. He makes her want to be a better person – if its possible for a vampire to live like a person at all. She stops drinking human blood, opting for animal blood instead, and helps Zachary orchestrate his plan to eliminate the master. But the question remains – can Zachary save Miranda, or is she destined for a life of eternal damnation?

Eternal is narrated through both Zachary and Miranda’s points of view. I love this technique of dual narration because it allows the reader to really get both sides of the story. Zachary is an adorable character whose strength and conviction is admirable, at the very least. I found Miranda’s failed attempts at being evil humorous at first, but towards the end her self-pity was a little on the annoying side. Even so, I was compelled to keep reading. You know the author has some serious talent when you’re interested in reading about a character you don’t like very much. For Zachary’s sake I found myself hoping for the best. Does he get his girl and his place in heaven back? Or does the Dracul master ruin his life forever?

Only the pages of Eternal have the answers…

Set in the same world as Smith’s previous novel Tantalize, Eternal will draw you in – fangs, angel wings and all!

Available February, 2009

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If you’ve been living under a rock somewhere, you might not have heard of this book. In case you haven’t, Frostbite is the second installment in the Vampire Academy series – a very popular series by Richelle Mead.

Those that have been following the site will be aware that I did not enjoy the first Vampire Academy book. Although I didn’t think my review was overly harsh, the vast majority of visitors that read it did. Nearly everyone disagreed with me, and some not so politely, either. So I made it my New Year’s resolution to read the rest, just to appease you guys – and I’m so glad I did. I picked up Frostbite yesterday afternoon and I read it all in about five hours.

Before I move on, I’d just like to say that I stand by my original review of Vampire Academy. The characters were shallow, and being inside Rose’s head was annoying. However, reading Frostbite changed my opinion of Rose and reading her narration was an enjoyable experience, rather than a tedious one.

The sexual tension that was more than evident between Dimitri and Rose in Vampire Academy kicks up a few gears in this installment. Rose has it bad for Dimitri and pines for him through most of the novel. Alas, Dimitri is still her mentor and – as people tend not to age backwards – is still much older than her. Would you defy everything, and everyone, for love? And at seventeen, is it really possible that Rose loves Dimitri in a ‘for life’ kind of way? Rose is a reckless girl, and clearly, is a bit of a slave to her emotions. And let’s be honest here – teenage hormones can get a little crazed at times. As the novel goes on, although readers never get the chance to step inside Dimitri’s head, it becomes clear that these are the kinds of questions he’s asking himself. So, in order to move on with his life and get over Rose he starts acting out a contingency plan and receives a very tempting offer from a very attractive royal. They hit if off immediately and things for Dimitri look prosperous. Accepting such an offer, however, will mean turning his back on Rose forever – in his capacity as her mentor, co-worker and any possibility – no matter how small – that they might become lovers.

So will he, or wont he?

All I’m going to tell you is that Rose does a pretty spectacular job of sabotaging any chance of them ever getting their problems sorted out. When it comes to Dimitri, Rose is her own worst enemy.

While the tension between Rose and Dimitri takes up a huge chunk of the story, its not the entire tale. I mean, this is a vampire novel, after all, so there has to be some kind of vamp action, right?

Right.

The Strigoi are at it again, causing havoc and embarking on killing sprees. Only this time, it looks as if the Strigoi are teaming up with an unsuspecting partner, and suddenly Rose and her friends find themselves in more trouble than they know what to do with. Lives are lost, friendships are broken, and new ones are made. The action in Frostbite is gripping enough that I actually found myself yelling at my book. Emotions were definitely running high.

My favourite thing about this novel is the way in which Rose’s character develops. She manages to grow up a whole lot without losing her edge, her rebellious nature. She makes a few mistakes, sure, but this time she actually learns from them. Lissa still remains her number one priority, but this time around, the novel isn’t entirely focussed on keeping Lissa alive. Perhaps that is another reason that I liked this one much more than Vampire Academy. In both Vampire Academy and in Frostbite, Lissa presents as a very self-centred character. She’s shallow, spoilt and bratty. She’s supposed to be Rose’s best friend, yet their friendship seems awfully one sided. The sections of the novel where Rose steps inside Lissa’s head are definitely my least favourite moments. I was happy to learn that there seemed to be a whole lot less of them this time around.

Frostbite is a sharp, engaging read that tantalizes the senses. Although it’s categorized as a vampire novel, it’s really a story about love, friendship and finding your place in the world – the vamp action just gives it that little extra kick!

I’m proud to say that you’ve made a convert out of me. Richelle Mead, I heart you!

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That I’ve been sitting on my bed reading Frostbite (the second Vampire Academy novel) for the last couple of hours, and – shock horror – I’m actually enjoying it.

I gave the first book a bad review and fans of the series have dragged me, kicking and screaming, over hot coals for it ever since. Followers of yaReads will know that to appease our members, it was my New Year’s resolution to read the rest of the series.

So here I am, preparing myself to eat my words, because everyone was right – the second one is so much better than the first.

Stay tuned for more Vampire Academy updates soon!

This is the fifth installment in the Morganville Vampire series. Here’s what it says on the back of the cover:

In the college town of Morganville, vampires and humans coexist in (relatively) bloodless harmony. Then comes Bishop, the master vampire who threatens to abolish all order, revive the forces of the evil dead, and let chaos rule. But Bishop isn’t the only threat.

Violent black cyclone clouds hover, promising a storm of devastating proportions as student Claire Danvers and her friends prepare to defend Morganville against elements both natural and unnatural.

Honestly, I don’t think the blurb does the book justice. Not even close. I’ve tried to write my review a few times already, and failed miserably. My delete button has been getting quite a workout over the past week or so. See, I’m afraid to leave out anything crucial, but the problem with that is, everything that happens in this novel is important. Every single sentence, every single word has some greater significance.

See my conundrum?

So I’ve decided, that instead of giving a summary, in a rare moment of weakness I’m going to let my inner fan girl out. I usually try and keep that part of my personality out of my reviews, but the Morganville books  have some kind of hold over me, and i’m incapable of being calm. So, I’ll be writing a number of reviews of Lord of Misrule, each on focusing on a particular aspect of the novel. I’ve just got so much to say, and the book is so good, that I think it is totally warranted.

For this particular review, the winner is … drum roll please …

Shane and Claire.

*cue fan girl screams here*

The book opens exactly where Feast of Fools left off. Amelie is rounding everyone up, assigning people jobs and preparing her ‘army’ against Bishop. Evidently, everyone is saying goodbye because Amelie split up all four members of the Glass House. It’s a tense moment because all four of them know that there is a huge chance that some, or all, may not return alive. In a very public display of affection that stuns Eve into action, Michael tells her that he loves her before running out. When Shane and Claire say goodbye to each other I was sitting on the edge of my seat, fully expecting him to do the same. But much to my annoyance, he doesn’t. And, neither does Claire. Frustration maximus.

*cue sad violin music now*

But fear not Shane and Claire fans. Although the scenes between the couple are so good that readers are tortured almost to boiling point, we do get a little pay off, and Shane eventually tells Claire that he loves her.

Finally!

Hallelujah!

Praise the Vampire Lord!

The whole scene is very Shane-esque, but its still super sweet and my heart made a whole lot of little thumpa thumpa noises while I was reading it. As soon as it was over I went straight back to the beginning (twice) and read it again before moving on. What I liked most about the scene is not the fact that he Shane finally admits that he’s in love with Claire (which of course, is what we’ve all been waiting for), but the fact that his character isn’t lost in amongst all the lovey-dovey goo. I find that’s a common problem with mushy scenes like this in YA books. When they’re being written, because the target audience is so often female, writers really ham up the love-mush, and male characters end up doing and saying a whole bunch of things that seem out of place just to appease the female readership. Shane Collins, however, is anything but mushy and this is reflected supremely well in this scene. His character remains firmly in-tact and true to himself. He’s quite direct about it all, actually, but Rachel Caine (being the goddess that she is) has weaved a tiny sprinkling of mushy love-goo in amongst Shane’s brashness which should have hearts beating, and girls swooning, all over the world.

All I have to say is, move over Edward Cullen, you’re about to lose your crown – to a vampire hating human!

There are many other Claire and Shane moments that really touched my heart throughout the novel, but I don’t want to give everything away. Needless to say, I’m stoked with the way their relationship is growing throughout the series. Their characters are evolving, and their relationship is progressing the way a lot of adolescent relationships do. Vampire problems aside, they’re believable in every way – something which I think is kind of rare in fiction for teens today.

Readers of Lord of Misrule are given just enough of Shane and Claire to temporarily satiate their hunger. But thats the thing about an appetite, it doesn’t stay satisfied for long. After just a couple of reads through, I guarantee you’ll be begging and screaming for more.

I’m sure the question on everyone’s lips is, do they, or don’t they? Their relationship comes a long way in this installment, and after you tell someone you love them, what else is there to do? I bet you’d like to know, right? Well, I’m not going to tell you. You’re just going to have to read it for yourself to find out.
Till next time, over and out!

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