Review Feast of Fools (The Morganville Vampires 4)

Feast of Fools by Rachel Caine
The Morganville Vampires
Published: Signet, Jun 2008
Source: Bought
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5 out of 5

About Feast of Fools (from goodreads):
In the town of Morganville, vampires and humans live in relative peace. Student Claire Danvers has never been convinced, though, especially with the arrival of Mr. Bishop, an ancient, old-school vampire who cares nothing about harmony. What he wants from the town's living and its dead is unthinkably sinister. It's only at a formal ball, attended by vampires and their human dates, that Claire realizes the
elaborately evil trap he's set for Morganville.

Emily has received Daddy vampire in town and as usual Claire and her entourage have been involved.   This character Mr. Bishop arrives to town in unusual circumstances.  He is accompanying Claire's parents whom -surprise!-are relocating to beautiful and peaceful Morganville.  Emily is not happy about it, but nevertheless she plans a feast to celebrate Bishop's arrival so every vampire can pay their respects.  Meanwhile Myrnin keeps in poor condition until Clare unites efforts with a doctor and achieve a better medicine to help control the vampire's sickness.

This gathering is not an innocent ball. It is a machination from Bishop and his people to have Morganville in his control.  Clare is not invited and decides to go with Myrnin in her effort to trying to keep her friends safe. Once the feast begins, the almost nonexistent safety in Morganville vanishes and who knows if their fragile pseudo-safety could be recovered ever again.

I find Feast of Fools more active than the third chapter on the series.  In Midnight Alley a strange character arrives, the same individual who will cause mayhem in Morganville during Feast of Fools.  Clare as always tries to save everybody but things get complicated for her.  Too many people to save for a sixteen year old.  But as always, Clare uses her resourcefulness to respond to the situations at hand.

The characters in Feast of Fools:
 You can see Michael is changing.  His vampire side is taking over little by little.  I think this is an inevitable change for him. The question is if he is capable to control himself.  Shane is accepting Michael. Also, he keeps dutifully playing videogames. Eve is the character I simply tolerate for the sake of the story.  I find her obnoxious.

This book has the best ending so far in the series.  I really like how the story was developed.  The story kept my with constant interest.  The last pages are incredibly chaotic for Morganville and suddenly the story gained momentum.  Wanted to keep reading but the pages ended.   I can't wait to read the next book and see what happens next in Morganville.

Visit The Morganville Vampires site to know more about the series. You can even read some short stories!

Review The Dead Girls' Dance by Rachel Caine

The Dead Girls' Dance by Rachel Caine
Published:April 2007
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Source: Purchased
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About this book from goodreads:
Claire Danvers has her share of challenges---like being a genius in a school that favors beauty over brains, dealing with the homicidal girls in her dorm, and above all, finding out that her college town is overrun with vampires. On the up side, she has a great roommate (who tends to disappear at sunup) and a new boyfriend named Shane, whose vampire-hunting dad has called in backup: cycle punks who like the idea of killing just about anything.

Now a fraternity is throwing its annual Dead Girls' Dance and---surprise!---Claire and her equally outcast best friend, Eve, have been invited. When they find out why, all hell is going to break loose. Because this time both the living and the dead are coming out---and everybody's hungry for blood.

The first thing I like about this young adult (more new adult to me) book is that it keeps continuity. The Dead Girls' Dance begins where Glass Houses ends, in the same circumstances for the characters. The second thing is that it begins in frail calm and ends in frail calm as well. At the beginning they are at the house, their safe haven, without certainty about their safety. At the end, they are at the house again but this time they are certain things won't get easier.

The Dead Girls' Dance has more action and puts the characters in more danger than the first book. The story doesn't provide a moments rest for them. They are fighting and trying to work solutions for what's threatening them on this chapter of the Morganville series. Claire has to survive a town in Texas swarmed with vamps, while trying to keep good grades at college and keeping her parents at bay for their own good.

The characters are shown in a different light. Shane is passive for the majority of the book. He is the one in trouble this time and Clare, Eve and Michael are looking for a way to help him. Clare shows more security on herself, taking risks and making decisions by herself. I like Clare more in this book. Michael was more relevant to me in Glass Houses, now it seems like he diluted into the background. Only at the end he is relevant. Eve shows the same strong personality from the first book, but I have to confess, sometimes her goth self drives me into a boredom abyss.

What wasn't I happy about in this book? Amelie, this ancient vampire, seems like an ornament. Wasn't she suppose to protect them to some extent? In Morganville, if you have a vampire protector nobody can mess with you. So, that doesn't seem to apply for Claire and associates. Those poor kids had the worst moment and she was poor help. At least they could help themselves... if what they chose to do can be called helping oneself. Probably, calling their actions improvisation is more accurate. Nevertheless, Clare and her friends decision making skills is what makes Morganville series a rollercoaster surviving journey that can keep you in a no stop reading frenzy.

Overall, I can't wait to read the next one. With great setting, interesting set of circumstances and cleverly invented characters to play on her world, Rachel Caine has done a great job in this series. Let's see what awaits on Midnight Alley.

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Review Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

In the past years, each time I saw the cover of this book, simply decided on another title. I have to confess not even the summary drew my attention.  One December day, decided to read it and now I feel like I waited too long. Cover love is sometimes a scary thing.

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
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About this book from goodreads

From the author of the popular Weather Warden series comes the debut of an exciting new series set in Morganville, Texas, where you would be well advised to avoid being out after dark.

College freshman Claire Danvers has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation. When Claire heads off-campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new roommates don't show many signs of life, but they'll have Claire's back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood.

First, the story pacing kept me reading. It is almost addictive what Rachel Caine writes. The characters are likable and seem like people we can find any day. Story-wise, the book seems predictable but it has unexpected twists that compensate for this; for example Michael's storyline achieves this purpose.

Of all the characters, Claire is my favorite after all. She is innocent and studious, probably had been sheltered by her parents, but when arrives at Morganville she adapts. She uses her qualities to survive. She is immature and naive to a point to endanger her life but, she is a character that surely will thrive on that vampire infested environment.

Great ending in Glass House. Can't wait to read the next book. Want to know what happens next.

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Graphic Saturday: True Blood Vol.1

True Blood Volume 1 by Ann Nocenti
Illustrator: Michael Gaydos
Publisher: IDW Publishing, Jan 2013
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Source: Provided by Netgalley for honest review
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This is the first volume of True Blood's graphic novel. In this volume the first five numbers have been put together to show us more about Sookie from the TV series. The comic books are not based on the books and I wish that would have been the case.

We get to know more about the vampire's mainstreaming on this volume. Remus, a vamp from Eric and Bill's past appears disrupting everything during Coffin Day celebrations. A series of flashbacks let us see Remus, Eric and Bill in their respective roles when mainstreaming was about to happen. These flashbacks are intertwined with events of the three of them in the present day. Remus is the character who connects the stories. In a way this volume is about him.

Overall, the story is interesting. The art is good but I'm not crazy about. Nevertheless, I plan on continuing the volumes. I think this comic has something to offer to the Sookie Stackhouse's world.

About the 5 numbers:
My favorites are #1 and #5.  Why? Book #1 has a strong ending and it is the one that provokes questions in the reader.  The #5 is about Russell Edginton and I love his macabre doings.  He is one of those characters who are catalysts for the story.

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Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
Blood of Eden #1
Published: Harlequin Teen, April 2012
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
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I have to let you know that I simply love this book. I have read other vampire books but this one has been so different to what I have read so far. I'll let you know a little about the story.
Allison was born inside a vampire city. Human population has a cattle status and registered citizens has to provide the nutritional needs of the vamps. Until now she had survived by her street smarts and audacity. She is part of a gang of kids who no longer know a home and who have found shelter on a deteriorated school. Everyday her gang survives by their scavenger ways, stealing food and looking for anything they might use. Allison takes care of herself and Stick. Stick is a kid from the gang. His efforts to help out the gang are bearly visible and Allison has become his provider. This is why Allison ventures by herself one day to find food behind the wall sorrounding the city. Looking on the ruins she finds a cellar full of food and everything that could help them get through the winter. Could you imaging to find such resources in times of scarcity? She decides to let her gang know about such bounty and in that precise moment is when everything begins to go wrong in Allison's life.What will become of these kids? What will become of Allison?
Inevitably, Allie will change. Her love for reading will be the only thing that will be accompanying her on a journey where new characters will make an impact on her way to see to world.

The author takes time building the story and its characters of this post-apocalyptic dystopian book. This made possible for me to understand the world she wanted to portray. A world order where vampires dominate sounds scary and Allison has to survive on this world. She is strong and determined. She represents revolution and change. Definitely a complete character and I have no doubt on my mind, she will be a catalyst on that society. Stick is the other character that stood out to me. I despise Stick in every dimension of his literary persona. Always portraying himself as a victim and certainly Allison is the one who enables his dependency by providing for him. I see this character as a perfect example for cowardice, he is the antihero of this story.

Finally, don't miss this book. Julie Kagawa wrote a page turner with The Immortal Rules. Whether you are looking for a new vampire book or looking for your first vampire book; this first part of Blood of Eden is your book.

Review copy was provided by Harlequin via Netgalley. This book has been reviewed according to its merits.

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