Tag: Novel

The Darkdeep

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The Darkdeep by Ally Condie, Brendan Reichs
Series Name: The Darkdeep
Volume Number: 1
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Paranormal
Intended Age Group: Children
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Edition: Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0046-5
Rating: 3/5
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Description from the Book

Everyone in Timbers knows Still Cove is off-limits, with its creepy Beast sightings and equally terrifying legends. But when a bullying incident sends twelve-year-old Nico Holland over a cliff and into Still Cove’s icy waters, friends Tyler and Emma—and even Opal Walsh, who usually runs with the popular kids—rush to his rescue…and discover a mysterious island hiding in the murky, swirling mists below.

Though the island appears uninhabited, the kids can’t shake a feeling that something about it is definitely not right. Their suspicious grow when they stumble upon an abandoned houseboat filled with all sorts of curiosities: odd-looking weapons, unnerving portraits, maps to unknown places, and a glass jar containing something completely unidentifiable. And in the boat’s lowest depths churns a dark, deep secret.

As the group delves into this mysterious new clubhouse, their lives begin to intertwine in weird and dangerous ways. For something ancient has awakened…and it can detect not only their wishes and dreams, but also their darkest, most terrible imaginings. Do they have what it takes to face the shadowy secrets lurking within their own hearts?

Personal & Info

This book is written in two perspectives that alternate by chapter.

The Darkdeep is volume one of a trilogy. The second and third books in the series are The Beast and The Torchbearers.

Apparently, this is the same author as the dystopian trilogy, Matched. I tried to read that from the library a few years ago and couldn’t finish it. My notes say I intended to finish it, but just never did. I guess it was too dull for me to pick back up. I don’t have the same problem with this book. After finishing, I put the second and third volumes on my wish list for a later date.

Characters

Nico Holland is one of the twelve-year-old main characters. Half of the story is in his perspective. Nico lives mostly alone with his dad, Warren Holland, who tends to work a lot and leaves him home alone frequently. His dad is a ranger, and Nico’s older brother Rob is away at university.

Tyler Watson is one of Nico’s best friends. He seems like the cautious intellectual of the three.

Emma Fairington is Nico’s other best friend. She seems to be the curious adventurous type. Emma has been close friends with Tyler since they were little.

Opal Walsh is the other main character. Half of the story is in her perspective. She doesn’t quite have a solid friend group. Opal used to be close friends with Nico when they were little, but as time passed, they drifted apart. Now she lives in the rich part of town and hangs out with the popular kids. Her mother, Kathryn Walsh, works at the bank.

Logan Nantes is basically the most popular guy at school. He is the son of Sylvain and Lori Nantes. His family owns the most profitable business in town, a logging company that employs the majority of the townsfolk. Logan covers the role of school bully to Nico, because of a recent family grudge. He’s also the leader of the popular friend group that Opal hangs around.

Story & Thoughts

This is a fun read. It’s not mind-blowingly amazing, but it checks a lot of boxes for what I expect from novels for the intended age group. Stories like this one, with themes about facing your fears, are fun and empowering.

The story takes place in the vicinity of the fictional small town of Timbers in the state of Washington. Their local myth is that there is a Beast living in the eternally foggy Still Cove. It’s in this cove that the kids discover an unknown island full of mystery.

The oddities inside the houseboat are just the beginning. I like the idea of the figments and the explanation behind them. It makes for a cool story while adding some horror and thriller aspects with a little silliness. It’s the right balance to make things interesting without making it scary. The movie and tv references also make things relatable.

I don’t like that the whole town treats Nico badly because of a job related decision his father made, but I get they have reason to be upset. It’s completely unfair to Nico. He didn’t do anything wrong, and really, neither did his dad.

As a first volume in a series, I think this book does a good job. It has its own complete story with no cliffhangers, but it sets up some eerie questions for the next book to answer. There is obviously still more going on than the kids realize. I like the book enough to be interested in reading the rest of the series, but I likely won’t go out of my way to get more volumes

Pandora

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Pandora by Anne Rice
Series Name: New Tales of the Vampires
Volume Number: 1
Genres: Historical, Horror, Supernatural, Vampires
Intended Age Group: Adult
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Edition: Hardcover
ISBN: 0-375-40159-8
Rating: 2/5
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Description from the Book

Anne Rice, creator of the Vampire Lestat, the Mayfair witches and the mazing worlds they inhabit, now gives us the first in a new series of novels linked together by the fledgling vampire David Talbot, who has set out to become a chronicler of his fellow Undead.

The novel opens in present-day Paris in a crowded café, where David meets Pandora. She is two thousand years old, a Child of the Millennia, the first vampire ever made by the great Marius. David persuades her to tell the story of her life.

Pandora begins, reluctantly at first and then with increasing passion, to recount her mesmerizing tale, which takes us through the ages, from Imperial Rome to eighteenth-century France to twentieth-century Paris and New Orleans. She carries us back to her mortal girlhood in the world of Ceasar Augustus, a world chronicled by Ovid and Petronius. This is where Pandora meets and falls in love with the handsome, charismatic, lighthearted, still mortal Marius. This is the Rome she is forced to flee in fear of assassination by conspirators plotting to take over the city. And we follow her to the exotic port of Antioch, where she is destined to be reunited with Marius, now immortal and haunted by his vampire nature, who will bestow on her the Dark Gift as they set out on the fraught and fantastic adventure of their two turbulent centuries together.

Personal & Info

This month (October, 2024) is my first time trying any Anne Rice novels. At this point, this is only the second. I might try more if I come across them, but I likely won’t go looking for them.

While this is not directly part of Anne Rice’s series, The Vampire Chronicles, it is associated with it. I haven’t read that series, so I’m basing my knowledge on what information I have been able to gather. The events and characters mentioned in chapter one are supposedly relevant to The Vampire Chronicles, but you do not need to be familiar with any of it to understand the meat of the book.

The New Tales of the Vampires series only has two volumes. The second book is Vittorio, The Vampire. I have no intention of reading it, but now you know what to look for if you do.

Content Warnings

You can expect the story to include or mention things that were normal in the historical time period in which the book is set. These include things like slavery, rape, grooming, and pedophilia.

Characters

Pandora is the main character. Her birth name is Lydia, and ever since her childhood, she’s always been smart and well-read. She is a citizen of Rome and daughter of a Senator. Her father, the Senator, is Maximus. She has five older brothers, two of whom are Lucius and Antony. I don’t recall any mention of names for the other three.

Marius is a friend of Pandora’s father, Maximus. He is a traveling scholar from a nation of people the Romans consider barbarians. He is also the only man Pandora has ever truly loved.

Flavius is a philosopher and scholar. He has an ivory leg, and has been a slave all his life.

David is the vampire who asks Pandora to write her memoir, and therefore, the recipient of her narration. There is another David in the story with a son by the name of Jacob, but they are not relevant to this David, and they only play a transitional role in the story.

Story & Thoughts

I admit, I didn’t know what this was when I got it. Upon seeing the title Pandora, my thought process led me to think about the Pandora of the Pandora’s box myth. That is not what this is, but the story does have Greek and Roman themes, which is something I tend to enjoy.

The book is basically a journal style memoir about this vampire Pandora’s life. This guy David Talbot makes a request in chapter one that she write it. He wants to know her story. That’s all fine and dandy, but chapter one is a slog! It was a struggle to get through four pages, let alone finish the chapter. Pandora spends the whole chapter reflecting on the request, the café she’s sitting in, the pen in her hand, the journal she’s writing in…Her musings are so boring and agonizingly slow. Plus, if you’re not familiar with The Vampire Chronicles, a chunk of what she talks about regarding other vampires is nonsensical.

Once the story gets going, though, it’s actually kind of enjoyable. I like things with Greek, Roman, or Egyptian themes, so the setting of Pandora’s history is at least interesting. I’m no history buff, but I think at least some of the things mentioned in the story are historically accurate. They line up with some other things I’ve read that have similar themes.

Pandora’s journey from child to adult to vampire is definitely interesting, but only enough for me to finish the book. It’s not very long, so her whole life is crammed into only about two hundred pages. The book could have been much longer. The majority of her existence is crammed into the last chapter. It literally glosses over everything in her life after her first night as a vampire. That’s practically the entire two thousand years. You can’t seriously tell me that nothing else interesting happened during those years. Apparently, Pandora feels only her sightings of Marius are worth mentioning.

I got some amusement out of this book, but all in all, I’m just glad it’s done. I have no interest in pursuing any of the other volumes or relevant series. It was okay, and it had its moments. That’s about all I can really say about it.

Betrayed

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Betrayed by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
Series Name: House of Night
Volume Number: 2
Genres: Fantasy, Magic, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Urban, Vampires
Intended Age Group: YA
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-312-36028-3
Rating: 4.5/5
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Description from the Book

Fledgling vampyre Zoey Redbird has managed to settle in at the House of Night finishing school. She finally feels like she belongs, even gets chosen as the Leader of the Dark Daughters. Best of all, she actually has a boyfriend…or two. Then the unthinkable happens: Human teenagers are being killed, and all the evidence points to the House of Night. While danger stalks the humans from Zoey’s old life, she begins to realize that the very powers that make her so unique might also threaten those she loves. Then, when she needs her new friends the most, death strikes the House of Night, and Zoey must find the courage to face a betrayal that could break her heart, her soul, and jeopardize the very fabric of her world.

Personal & Info

I reread Marked before starting this one since it’s been almost a year since I read it.

The shop links go to copies of the singular volume, but there are also box sets for the series. So, if you prefer to purchase your books in sets, you can easily find those on the same sites.

This series is definitely a result of the times. P.C. Cast consulted her daughter to help her write the speech to make it more like how teens at the time actually spoke. The series started releasing in 2007. Speech was cringe and insensitive, and political correctness was not as prevalent. If you look at the series with a modern eye, it’s easy to find it offensive. Keep in mind exactly what it is that you are reading. Some things don’t age well. I don’t deny the series has a lot of problems.

Content Warnings

-Teen deaths

-Insensitive language

-Sexual Themes

-Bullying

Characters

Zoey is the main character. She’s sixteen, and her Cherokee heritage through her grandmother is integral to her powers and identity. At this point in the story, she is leader of the Dark Daughters, and a High Priestess in training. Zoey has a special relationship with the goddess Nyx to be her eyes and ears at the House of Night.

Stevie Rae is Zoey’s roommate and best friend from Henrietta, Oklahoma. She’s a true country girl with a love of country music, cowboy hats, and cowboy boots. Zoey considers her a “true Okie” because she speaks with a southern “twang.”

Erin is a pretty blonde girl from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her best friend is her roommate Shaunee, because they are so similar in personality that they call each other twin.

Shaunee is Erin’s roommate and best friend from Connecticut. She considers herself Erin’s non-biological twin.

Damien is the guy friend in the group. He’s from Dallas, Texas, has a sophisticated vocabulary, and is out as gay.

Aphrodite is pretty, blonde, and gifted with disastrous visions of the future. She was the villain in the first book, but plays a much smaller, less evil, part in this one.

Erik is Zoey’s new unofficial boyfriend. He’s about six feet tall and good at acting. Zoey describes his appearance as reminding her of Superman with the hair curl. He’s also apparently the hottest guy at school. Absolutely everyone fawns over him.

Neferet is the High Priestess of the House of Night. She has beautiful red hair and green eyes, an affinity for cats, and a gift for healing. Neferet is also Zoey’s mentor, and she teaches Vampyre sociology class.

Loren Blake is a vampyre Poet Laureate. He’s in his early twenties, and he teaches the school poetry class.

Heath is Zoey’s ex-almost boyfriend from her life before the Change. He’s the star quarterback of the football team, and Zoey is having a hard time cutting him out of her life.

Detective Marx is a police detective investigating the disappearances of teenagers. I have a feeling he’ll be popping up again later in other volumes.

Sylvia Redbird is Zoey’s grandmother. She is the one person in the whole world whom Zoey loves more than anything. They don’t see each other often, but whenever they talk, it’s usually immense emotional support for Zoey.

Other people and cats appear in the story, but the people here are the most important.

Story & Thoughts

Betrayed has a lot of recap. I reread the first book, but it might not have even been necessary. All important or relevant events from the first volume get rehashed to remind the reader what happened. The reminders are all over the story, so for people reading the books consecutively, it’s probably annoying. For people who have a long gap between books, it’s probably helpful.

I already had some inklings about where the story was going to go, so a lot of things didn’t really surprise me. However, I still enjoyed the journey. The storytelling for this series is wonderful, and the characters are easy to relate and get attached to.

My biggest take away from this book is it made me cry. Something tragic happens. I saw it coming a mile away, but that didn’t make it any less sad.

The romance is getting really tangled. There are three love interests and it’s only the second volume. Zoey is breaking a ton of rules, whether accidental or on purpose. I have high hopes for a redemption arc for Aphrodite. In the mean time, based on how it ended, things are going to be very interesting.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

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Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
Series Name: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Volume Number: 1
Genres: Historical, Horror, Supernatural, Vampires
Intended Age Group: Adult
Publisher: Grand Central/ Hachette
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-4555-1017-7
Rating: 2/5
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Description from the Book

“My baby boy…” she whispers before dying. Only later will the grieving Abe learn that his mother’s fatal affliction was actually the work of a vampire. Gifted with his legendary height, strength, and skill with an ax, young Lincoln sets out on a path of vengeance that will lead him all the way to the White House.

While Abraham Lincoln is widely lauded for saving the Union and freeing millions of slaves, his valiant fight against the forces of the undead has remained in the shadows for almost two hundred years—until Seth Grahame-Smith stumbled upon The Secret Journal of Abraham Lincoln. Now, using the journal as a guide, Seth reconstructs the true life story of America’s greatest president. For the first time ever, he reveals the hidden history behind the Civil War—and uncovers the role vampires played in the birth, growth, and near-death of the nation.

Personal & Info

First of all, I must stress that I put the intended age group as adult, not because of anything violent or explicit, but because it’s important the reader have a mature enough mind to know fact from fiction. This book is completely fictional with some real history wrapped into the story. If you can’t tell on your own that this is a retelling of history with a fictional twist, then you shouldn’t be reading it.

This novel is part of a duology. The sequel focuses on Henry Sturges, and I’d likely enjoy that one more than this one, but I have no plans or interest to read it. It’s called The Last American Vampire.

I’m not a history buff, so my review will not be taking historical accuracy into consideration.

I got my copy pre-owned from a large sale. It saddens me to see that it was a Mother’s day gift signed by a bunch of family members that ended up donated. Also upsetting that the signatures are on the inside cover instead of one of the pages that are intended for things like that.

The movie adaptation for this book got the action movie makeover treatment. It is very different. Most of the characters have entirely different personalities, while others don’t even appear at all. If you can separate the book from the movie, they’re both good in their own ways, but neither is great.

Characters

Normally, this is where I would list all of the important characters. Unfortunately, the format of this book makes that a little difficult. Most of the characters only appear briefly, so I’m just going to list a few that have the most significant bonds with the main character and might be around for more than a couple passing mentions.

Abraham Lincoln is the main character. If you don’t already recognize the name from history class, I’ll be surprised.

Thomas Lincoln is Abe’s father. He lacks ambition and will only provide the bare minimum for his family.

Henry Sturges is the vampire in the introduction, and the first vampire to befriend Abe. He appears approximately twenty-five.

Jack Armstrong is a close friend of Abe’s from Clary’s Grove in the New Salem area. He is Abe’s first apprentice. His stature is large, but patience and planning are not his strong points.

Mary Todd is Abe’s wife, and cousin of John Stuart, who is Abe’s partner at a law firm.

Joshua Speed is Abe’s second apprentice. He’s considered annoying, but becomes a close friend to Abe.

Story & Thoughts

For me, this book is an opportunity to try something new, while sticking to a theme I enjoy. It is a sort of retelling biography. I don’t normally touch biographies, but my thought process is, maybe incorporating vampires into it will make it tolerable.

As it turns out, a biography with real world history in it that also has vampires is indeed more tolerable for me than a normal biography. However, it doesn’t make it entirely enjoyable. This book’s writing style focuses around a bunch of journal entries surrounded by narrative story telling. I have many problems with this.

I think my main complaint is the story progresses too quickly. The novel covers the life of Abraham Lincoln from birth to death, and I don’t think the book is big enough to do it justice. It’s hard to get attached to any characters when almost all of them barely stick around, or only get passing mentions. It might just be my preference for reading books in a series format, but I think this book might have been better as a series, so that it could delve more deeply into Abe’s life. I understand that probably wouldn’t work with this particular novel premise, though.

I can’t really complain about the story, since it focuses on real world history. It’s enjoyable enough, and the vampires weirdly fit in a believable way. I’m not a fan of all the dates scattered around. That’s part of the biography part of it, but they mean nothing to me, and the story would feel more natural without them.

What it really comes down to is I’m not a fan of the biography style. I’d much more enjoy a story just told like any other story. For me, the biography style detracts significantly from everything. I just feel like I wanted more than what I got from the book.

Book Haul September 2024

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About

All books in this haul are pre-owned. None of them are directly from any websites. I obtained them from a friend’s bin of discards. Some of them were on my TBR beforehand, while others were added upon learning about them.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

I’m trying to give classic novels another chance now that I’m not being told to read them as school assignments. This one probably wasn’t on my school reading list, since it’s considered a banned book in a lot of places, but I think it’s the type of classic novel I should read at least once. It’s not very long, so it shouldn’t be too hard to get through, as long as the story isn’t boring. Hopefully it’s not, because I’ve heard a lot of people say they really like it, and some even say it’s one of their favorites. This copy is only around 200 pages, so I’m hoping it’ll be a quick and interesting read.

What is it?

A classic stand alone coming of age novel frequently on the banned books list.

The Folk of the Air, Vol. 1 by Holly Black

The Cruel Prince is volume one of the Folk of the Air series. I don’t know much about it, but I keep seeing it pop up in recommendations for certain genres and based on things in which I have interest.

What is it?

Some kind of fantasy Fae romance.

Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography

I do not own any of the Series of Unfortunate Events novels, but I have read them. They are something I would like to have for my personal library at some point. This book is sort of a companion novel, and it’s on my list of things to read. It looks like it’s made up of a bunch of letters, newspaper clippings, photos, etc. I haven’t read anything in this style before, so it should be interesting.

What is it?

A companion novel to the Series of Unfortunate Events about the fictional author of the series, Lemony Snicket.

Lives of the Mayfair Witches, Vol. 3 by Anne Rice

I didn’t know Taltos was volume three of a series. I just grabbed it because it had Anne Rice’s name on it. It’ll have to sit on my shelf until I find and read volume one. So, probably not a spooky season read for this year.

What is it?

Based on the title, probably something with witches.

Pandora by Anne Rice

I only recently read my first Anne Rice novel. I want to try more of them to see if I’d be interested in looking into more of her books. The ones I’ve been grabbing, so far, have blatant supernatural aspects, like mummies and vampires. This book is not very long, so it’ll be a nice quick spooky season read to try something new.

What is it?

Some kind of Vampire novel.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

My school definitely covered this classic novel in class, but I did not read it or retain anything from the lecture. Maybe I’ll actually enjoy it now that it’s not mandatory reading.

There is a sequel novel, but I’m going to pretend it doesn’t exist. The way it got published was pretty shady, and I hear the story isn’t that great, because it invalidates things from this first book.

What is it?

A classic novel commonly covered in school curriculum.

The Vicious Deep, Vol. 1 & 2 by Zoraida Córdova

The Vicious Deep and The Savage Blue are volumes one and two of the Vicious Deep trilogy. Something said this series is recommended to people who like the Percy Jackson books, so that’s enough for me to try it.

What is it?

Some kind of YA fantasy adventure, possibly with mythological themes.

The White Rabbit Chronicles, Vol. 1 by Gena Showalter

Alice in Zombieland is the first volume in the White Rabbit Chronicles. I know little about it, but I like zombie stuff, so I want to try it. I’d like to track down a copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies at some point, too. That’s not relevant to this book. I just want to try more zombie novels.

What is it?

Seems like an Alice in Wonderland story where she has to slay zombies.

Wicked Lovely, Vol. 3 by Melissa Marr

Fragile Eternity is volume three of the Wicked Lovely series. The series is on my TBR, but I don’t have the first book. This volume will save me time later, if I end up liking the series. The series appears to be approximately five volumes, plus maybe another five short stories.

What is it?

Some kind of fae themed fantasy.

Willow by Wayland Drew, Bob Dolman, George Lucas

I’ve never seen Willow before. Apparently it’s a well known movie in the fantasy nerd community, and I somehow went my whole life without ever hearing of it, until fairly recently. I read more than I watch movies, so I’m more likely to get through it if I read the novel adaptation. There will likely be some differences from the movie, but it should still be a decent version of the story.

There is a spin off trilogy from this book. It’s called Chronicles of the Shadow War. If I like Willow, I’ll look into reading that.

What is it?

A novelization of the movie Willow.

The Prince of Mist

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The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Series Name: Niebla
Volume Number: 1
Genres: Historical, Horror, Mystery, Paranormal, Supernatural
Intended Age Group: Middle Grade
Publisher: Little, Brown/Hachette
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-316-20606-8
Rating: 3/5
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Description from the Book

It’s wartime, and the Carver family decides to leave the capital city where they live and move to a small coastal village. But from the minute they cross the threshold of their new home, strange things begin to happen. In that mysterious house lurks the spirit of a young boy who died by drowning.

Max and Alicia Carver begin to explore the strange circumstances of that death and discover the existence of a mysterious being called the Prince of Mist—a diabolical character who has returned from the shadows to collect on a debt from the past. With the help of their new friend Roland, the Carvers soon get caught up in an adventure of sunken ships and enchanted statues—an adventure that will change their lives forever.

Personal & Info

I got this book as one of many from a large sale. The cover looks like it has a ghost on it, so I figure it will be a decent spooky season read. There is a Q&A in the back of the book. I will not be reading that. I always skip those unless the book is exceptionally phenomenal.

The series as a whole is a trilogy. The second and third volumes are The Midnight Palace and The Watcher in the Shadows. Based on what I can tell from descriptions, I don’t think the story with these particular characters is ongoing. It looks like each book has a new set of characters.

Characters

Max Carver is the main character. He is thirteen and the majority of the story is in his perspective.

Maximilian Carver is Max’s dad. He’s a clockmaker, and is frequently referred to as “the clockmaker.”

Andrea Carver is Max’s mom.

Alicia Carver is Max’s older sister. She’s about fifteen.

Irina Carver is Max’s younger sister. She’s eight.

Roland is either sixteen or seventeen. He is the adoptive grandson of the keeper of the lighthouse, Victor Kray.

Victor Kray is Roland’s adoptive grandfather and the keeper of the lighthouse. He took up the post after arriving at the town via shipwreck.

Story & Thoughts

This book is a little too normal for my taste. It takes place in 1943 during the war, but the war is more of a setting detail for the time period than anything. The Carver family decides to relocate to a more rural oceanside town. They move into a nice house near the beach that has been sitting empty for years and that’s where the story actually starts.

The description is a bit misleading, so it should really be taken with a grain of salt. As the story progresses, it all seems very normal. The family gradually settles into the house, and the kids start to make friends. The mystery presents itself as a simple intrigue of looking at interesting things on the property, like an enclosed garden of statues, and unlabeled videos. It just has an inkling of it all being a little strange.

Eventually, some paranormal stuff starts to happen, but it’s just some minor eerie things. The house isn’t haunted. This is not that kind of story. There’s something bigger going on, and all the little things are a build up.

My biggest take away from the story is that it makes me think of Rumplestiltskin. That’s about as much as I can say without outright spoiling anything.

Initially I was going to rate it a 2.75, because the story is fine, but a little dull, since it mostly follows the day to day life of Max. But I like the later parts enough that I bumped it up to a three. What it comes down to is, the story itself is good, but it just isn’t my kind of book.

I’m not satisfied with the ending, either. If you want a story with a happy ending, this isn’t for you. I don’t care that it isn’t a happy ending, it’s just not the ending I wanted. At least it ends complete enough that I don’t feel the need to bother with the other volumes, because I don’t have enough interest to want to.

Some Girls Bite

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Some Girls Bite by Chloe Neill
Series Name: Chicagoland Vampires
Volume Number: 1
Genres: Fae, Magic, Romance, Shifters, Supernatural, Urban, Vampires, Witches
Intended Age Group: Adult
Publisher: New American Library/ Penguin Group (USA)
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-451-22625-9
Rating: 3/5
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Description from the Book

Sure, the life of a graduate student wasn’t exactly glamorous, but it was mine. I was doing fine until Chicago’s vampires announced their existence to the world—and then a rogue vampire attacked me. But he only got only a sip before he was scared away by another bloodsucker…and this one decided the best way to save my life was to make me the walking undead.

Turns out my savior was the master vampire of Cadodan House. Now I’ve traded sweating over my dissertation for learning to fit in at Kenwood mansion full of vamps loyal to Ethan “Lord o’ the Manor” Sullivan. Of Course, as a tall, green-eyed, four-hundred-year-old vampire, he has centuries’ worth of charm, but unfortunately he expects my gratitude—and servitude. Right…

But my burgeoning powers (all of a sudden, I’m surprisingly handy with some serious weaponry), an inconvenient sunlight allergy, and Ethan’s attitude are the least of my concerns. Someone’s still out to get me. Is it the rogue vampire who bit me? A vamp from a rival house? An angry mob bearing torches?

My initiation into Chicago’s nightlife may be the first skirmish in a war…and there will be blood.

Personal & Info

If you like House of Night, you might like this series. House of Night is YA, but this one is more adultish, with kind of similar vibes. Or if you like Chicagoland Vampires and want to try a YA alternative, you might like House of Night. If you’d like more information about House of Night, I have a review for the first volume, Marked, and will be reviewing more volumes at some point.

Characters

Merit is the main character. She’s a twenty-seven-year-old grad student from a wealthy family, but she has no interest in her family’s money or influence. Apparently, she has terrible fashion sense, but I find her clothing choices relatable.

Mallory is Merit’s roommate and best friend. She inherited the house in which she and Merit live. Mallory is a successful advertising executive at McGettrick-Combs. More importantly, she’s a vampire buff.

Mark Perkins is Mallory’s aimless boyfriend. He goes on a lot of adventurous trips, but has no idea what he wants to do with his life.

Joshua Merit is Merit’s dad. He owns the Merit Properties real estate company, and he is part of the Chicago Growth Council, which advises the mayor. Joshua cares only about money and political influence.

Meredith Merit is Merits mom.

Charlotte Merit is Merit’s older sister. She is married, so she does not live with the Merit family.

Robert Merit is Merit’s older brother. He is in line to inherit the family real estate company.

Seth Tate is the mayor of Chicago.

Ombudsman’s Office

Chuck Merit is Merit’s grandfather, and the Ombudsman. He is a liaison between humans and supernaturals to help handle disputes.

Marjorie is Chuck’s secretary. She’s about fifty-years-old.

Jeff Christopher is a twenty-one-year-old computer prodigy and shape-shifter. He’s also a bit girl crazy.

Catcher Bell is a twenty-nine-year-old sorcerer. As Chuck puts it, he is pretty, but gruff.

Below is a list of the Chicago vampire Houses and any known members. Some vampires are named with no additional information. Not every vampire is likely to be important, so these are just running lists to keep track of members of each House.

Cadogan House

Ethan Sullivan is the Lord of Cadogan House. He is 394 years old, and he’s attractive in the most stereotypical ways. He is fit and has long blond hair, like Thor. However, his personality leaves much to be desired.

Helen is the Cadogan representative who handles transitions for newly changed vampires.

Malik is Ethan’s second in command. If anything happens to Ethan, Malik would inherit the House.

Amber is Ethan’s courtesan. She covers the role of the snobby pretty girl.

Sean & Colin are bartenders at Temple Bar.

Gabrielle is Amber’s snobby friend.

Security

Luc, or Lucas, is captain of the Cadogan House guards. He has cowboy vibes.

Lindsey is a Cadogan House guard. She is apparently the resident psychic, and fast friends with Merit.

Peter is a Cadogan House guard. He has contacts beneficial to the House.

Juliet is a Cadogan House guard. She is “slippery” and gathers data.

Kelley is a Cadogan House guard. She is the resident mechanical and software genius.

Initiates

Warner

Joseph

Adrian

Michael

Thomas

Connor obviously comes from a rich family, but he is optimistic and kind.

Penny

Jennifer

Dakota

Melanie

Christine is the daughter of a famous notorious criminal defense attorney. She is an acquaintance of Merit’s from pre-vampire life.

Grey House

Scott Grey is the Lord of Grey House. He is a sports fan.

Navarre House

Celina Desaulniers is the Lady of Navarre House. She orchestrated the coming out of vampires in Chicago.

Morgan is Celina’s second in command. If anything happens to Celina, he would inherit the House. He’s charming and funny.

Alexander

Rogue

The rogues are not and do not have a House. Instead, they have a representative, and work together when they have to.

Noah Beck is the representative for the Rogue vampires.

Story & Thoughts

As the first volume of a series, this book does a good job at many things. It introduces a large number of characters, not all of them significant, yet. The ones that matter seem well defined and realistic enough to believe they could actually exist. Their interactions have personality, so they don’t feel flat.

The most important thing about the characters, I think, is Merit is a strong female lead. She doesn’t always know what the best thing to do is, but she stays true to herself. She doesn’t let anyone boss her around or convince her to accept any sexist or outdated terms. Her own moral compass always comes first. I don’t come across many female leads like her, and I’d like to see more of them.

As expected, there are a lot of world building and lore dumping, but they’re all interesting. Despite what the description implies, vampires are not undead in this world. The lore is a little different than normal. The transition to become a vampire is more of a genetic alteration than an undeath. They only need blood about once every other day. They can still eat and drink normal food and beverages. Sunlight is still a weakness, or in this case, considered a deathly allergy. There’s actually a whole culture involved, and I think that’s pretty cool.

I like the book enough to read more of the series if I get the chance, but I won’t go out of my way to find more. I’m satisfied with the story and the ending. There isn’t a cliffhanger, so there’s no pressing need to get another volume.

The epilogue tries to do one of those stereotypical, end of an episode, ominous, “danger is coming, but I’ll be ready,” type things. I see what it’s going for, but I can’t help laughing at it. It’s not really a spoiler, but Merit finishes by saying she’s very, very good at her job. That’s just laughable to me. She’s been a vampire for, like, two weeks, and has hardly any training. I just can’t take that seriously, because she is not good at her job, not yet, anyway.

The Mummy or Ramses the Damned

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The Mummy or Ramses the Damned by Anne Rice
Series Name: Ramses the Damned
Volume Number: 1
Genres: Historical, Horror, Romance, Supernatural
Intended Age Group: Adult
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 0-345-36994-7
Rating: 3/5
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Description from the Book

Ramses the Great lives….

Reawakened in opulent Edwardian London, he becomes Dr. Ramsey, expert in Egyptology and member of a group of jaded aristocrats with strange appetites to appease. But searing memories of his last reawakening, at the behest of Cleopatra, burn in his immortal soul. For he has drunk the elixir of life and is now Ramses the Damned, doomed forever to wander the earth, desperate to quell hungers that can never be satisfied. And his most intense longing of all, a great love undiminished by the centuries, will force him to commit an act of unspeakable horror….

Personal & Info

This book has several perspectives. Most of the important characters I listed have at least one section of their own perspective. I think Julie, Elliot, Ramsey, and Cleopatra take up the majority.

This was first printed in 1989, and takes place in 1914, so keep that in mind for any possible unsavory differences from modern culture. The phrasing of sentences throughout the book are a little strange in that they sometimes seem worded backwards. I don’t know if that’s just a thing from the time period or poor editing.

The series for this is a trilogy. The second and third books released in 2017 and 2022. They are The Passion of Cleopatra and The Reign of Osiris. The writing for them is probably a bit different, because Anne Rice’s son Christopher Rice worked on them.

Characters

Lawrence Stratford is an archaeologist who chooses to live his life chasing Egyptian secrets instead of running the family shipping business.

Julie Stratford is Lawrence’s daughter. Like her father, her interests are Egyptian history and archaeology. Lawrence describes her as fearless.

Randolph Stratford is Lawrence’s brother. He is currently in charge of running the family shipping business and is not doing a good job.

Henry Stratford is Randolf’s son and Lawrence’s nephew. He is the family disappointment, because of his gambling and drinking problems.

Elliot Savarell is the Earl of Rutherford. The family title dates back as far as Henry VIII. Elliot is a close family friend of Lawrence’s, and he is married to Edith Christian. He suffers from chronic arthritis in his hip and legs, which makes him have to use a cane. Elliot shares Lawrence’s love for Egyptian history.

Alex Savarell is Elliot’s son, the Viscount Summerfield. He is Julie’s unofficial fiancé. Everyone describes him as childishly innocent and kind.

Samir Ibrahaim is Lawrence’s archaeology assistant. He works for the British museum.

Ramses, known by the modern day alias Reginald Ramsey, is the mummy. He has many historical titles, such as Ramses the Great, Ramses the Damned, the immortal guardian, etc. Ramses is immortal, because he drank an elixir. He knows of no possible way to end his immortal life, so instead, he takes the occasional centuries long nap, kind of like a vampire.

Cleopatra, the historical Egyptian Queen, is basically Ramses’ ex-girlfriend. She refused the immortality elixir in favor of death to be buried next to her love, Antony.

Story & Thoughts

I had some trouble getting into this. It starts by going over the money problems Randolph’s side of the Stratford family and the Savarells are experiencing. It takes more pages than the average reader allows before it actually gets going, and the problems presented are so normal compared to what one would expect from a mummy story. However, once the mummy inflated and got moving, things became more interesting.

My rating is a tentative three, for a multitude of reasons. The first being, once things finally get moving, the story is actually kind of dull. The first half of the book mostly focuses on Ramsey learning about the modern world. He has to learn the language, and Julie takes him all over London to teach him about modern machines, customs, and history. Eventually, Ramsey wants to go to Egypt to see how his home has changed, but until then, the only really interesting parts are when Ramsey occasionally scares the crap out of Henry with simple conversation.

There are practically no thrills to the story. If you’re hoping for something similar to The Mummy movie, that’s not what you’re going to get. At best, there are a few specific moments of tension or suspense.

My biggest issue with the book is that the romance is not great. I really like some of the characters, but some of their backgrounds and personalities seem like a complete waste. On top of that, the men in the story are almost all promiscuous and unfaithful. The book handles the subject of sex very poorly. There is a conversation at one point where Ramsey defends Cleopatra’s character as a person and says there is more to her than just a seductress. This is completely invalidated by the story making Cleopatra have sex constantly with almost any man who talks to her.

Sometimes the characters feel deep and wonderful, but the way sex is handled just detracts from the overall experience. The relationships feel undervalued because of it. It’s like nobody appreciates anybody as much as they should. The only one who makes any reasonable love life decisions is Julie, and even then I don’t agree with her choices. Her choices regarding the elixir don’t make sense when paired with her desires and feelings. I won’t elaborate on this further due to spoilers, but her choices throughout the book don’t make much logical sense to me.

In general, the story is good. I understand the feelings and drama it’s trying to portray. I just don’t think it did a good job conveying it. It’s not worth it for me to look into any more of the series. I feel like I would be too frustrated to enjoy it, if the rest are anything like this one.

Warm Bodies

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Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
Series Name: Warm Bodies
Volume Number: 1
Genres: Dystopia, Horror, Post-Apocalyptic, Romance, Sci-Fi, Zombies
Intended Age Group: YA
Publisher: Emily Bestler Books/Atria
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-4767-1746-3
Rating: 3.5/5
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Description from the Book

R is having a no-life crisis—he is a zombie. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he is a little different from his fellow Dead. He may occasionally eat people, but he’d rather be riding abandoned airport escalators, listening to Sinatra in the cozy 747 he calls home, or collecting souvenirs from the ruins of civilization.

And then he meets a girl.

First as his captive, then his reluctant house guest, Julie is a blast of living color in R’s gray landscape, and something inside him begins to bloom. He doesn’t want to eat this girl—although she looks delicious—he wants to protect her. But their unlikely bond will cause ripples they can’t imagine, and their hopeless world won’t change without a fight.

Personal & Info

I saw the Warm Bodies movie back when it was new. I had no idea it was based on a book. Apparently, many don’t know it’s actually a series. The books seem relatively difficult to find after this one, especially the third and final volume. I suspect the advertising for them was poor. I only know about them because I was looking at this book online as a series listing.

There are no chapter numbers in this book. Each chapter gap has an anatomical picture instead of a number. There is text on the images, but most of it is small and hard to read. Aside from that, the book is divided into three parts that the book refers to as steps.

Characters

R is the main character. He is a zombie who lives in a 747 airplane at the airport. The story is told through his perspective.

Julie is the love interest. She is one of the few people around who still has any hope for the future.

Perry Kelvin is Julie’s ex-boyfriend who dies almost immediately. Despite that, he plays a large role in the story.

Nora is Julie’s best friend and roommate. She is also friends with Perry.

M is R’s best friend. He’s a tall zombie who, in my opinion, gives off some perverted vibes. He’s also one of the few who can speak with a decent vocabulary.

Colonel Rosso, I think, is second in command in the human settlement. He seems like a reasonable and capable man.

General Grigio is Julie’s father. He’s a strict military type in charge of the town’s security.

Story & Thoughts

I feel like this starts slow. It’s not long, but it takes a while to get going. It starts by integrating the reader into Dead society. The rules of how zombies work are kind of silly. Some of them can speak to a limited extent. They all seem to be able to understand human vocabulary. They have their own kind of church service. The Dead actually have a sense of community, if you don’t count the fact they don’t care when one of them dies. It’s all kind of weird compared to the usual zombie lore.

The story is a romance, but not in the sense of a typical romance novel. I guess you could say it’s a little bit Romeo and Juliet. Makes sense since they are a zombie and a human, but also because his name is R and hers is Julie. It’s a little on the nose. I’d categorize it as a slow burn.

More notably, the story is a philosophical delve into what makes a person human. There’s a lot of reflection about at what point someone stops being human. Julie obviously thinks of herself as human, but R also thinks of himself as human, despite being dead. The later insights into the theory of zombification’s origin are also based on the human condition. It’s an interesting spin.

I like the story. Once things got going, I was hooked. My only real complaint is that toward the end, when things were getting serious and urgent, they didn’t really know what to do. Things got a bit aimless, and the result was purely dumb luck. There is no real logic to what happens, but I don’t think it’s intended to make complete sense. If I liked it just a little bit more, I would have given it a four, instead.

The Wish List

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The Wish List by Eoin Colfer
Genres: Adventure, Demons, Fantasy, Ghosts, Supernatural
Intended Age Group: Middle Grade
Publisher: Hyperion
Edition: Hardcover
ISBN: 0-7868-1863-8
Rating: 3/5
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Description from the Book

Meg Finn is in trouble. Cast out of her home by her stepfather after her mom’s death, Meg is a wanderer, a troublemaker. But after her latest stunt, finding a place to sleep is the least of her worries. Belch, Meg’s partner in crime, has gotten her involved in the attempted robbery of an elderly man, Lowrie McCall. But things go horribly wrong. After an accidental explosion, Meg’s spirit is flung into limbo, and a race begins between the demonic and the divine to win Meg’s soul.

Meg’s really not a bad kid, but she hasn’t exactly been an angel either, so the tally of her good and evil deeds is dead even. Her only chance of tipping the scales to salvation is to go back to Earth and do good—specifically, to help Lowrie McCall. He’s got many regrets in his life to set right—a “wish list”— not much time left to do it. But even if Meg can persuade Lowrie to get mixed up with her, she’s going to have to deal with an even scarier, undead Belch—who’s now definitely on the side of the Devil.

A wild journey to the unexpected here-after, The Wish List is a heartwarming tale of a young girl’s last chance, and the love she will need to—quite literally—redeem herself.

Personal & Info

All I know about this book going into it is that it’s written by the same author as Artemis Fowl, which I have not read, but have heard good things about. This book seems almost out of print and is apparently not very popular, because it seems a little harder to find online. Barnes & Noble doesn’t even have it listed on their website as far as I can tell.

Characters

Meg Finn is the main character. The book has conflicting information about her age. She’s either twelve or fourteen. She has recently become known as a bit of a troublemaker.

Belch is kind of Meg’s associate or co-conspirator. He is sixteen, and a far worse troublemaker than she is, but he lacks intelligence. As the story progresses he becomes her enemy.

Franko Kelly is Meg’s step father. He reminds me a lot of “Smelly Gabe” from The Lightning Thief. If you’re not familiar with that, he’s basically a lazy mean slob.

Lowrie McCall is an old man with a heart condition with whom Meg must make amends with in order to save her soul.

Satan is, well, Satan. He’s the ruler of a hell and all that jazz.

Beelzebub is one of Satan’s senior demons. He takes orders directly from the devil himself and is under threat of losing his job.

Myishi is Satan’s tech support person. He wears designer suits and has a goatee similarly to his boss.

Elph is a computer program created by Myishi. His name stands for EctoLink and Personal Help Program. He appears as a floating hologram.

Saint Peter is the attendant who guards the Pearly Gates of Heaven. He basically makes the final decision on who gets in as far as this story is concerned.

Flit is a creature called a tunnel scraper or a mite. Mites are spirits of creatures who get stuck in limbo and must work a tedious job collecting baskets of soul residue in the spiritual tunnel system to earn a chance at reevaluation for entry to Heaven.

Story & Thoughts

I don’t have any strong feelings about this book. I like it well enough. It has all the traits and vibes for the age group. It’s corny in all the ways you would expect.

There are a few memorable things that might be worth mentioning. The main one, I think, is Belch. He has some body horror things happen to him. It’s not scary in the format of this book, but if seen on screen, I can see how it might be a bit frightening to some kids. The book wants Belch to be considered scary, an abomination, but it also wants him to be comic relief. It wasn’t funny to me, but I can understand how it would be to the intended age group.

The inconsistent age thing for Meg bugs me, and not just because of the age itself. So, first of all, there are several instances in the book where something is explained to her, and she is asked if she understands. In all of these instances, she says she doesn’t understand because she’s only fourteen.

It’s like a cop out response to avoid trying to understand, and at the same time making it sound like she is incapable of understanding due to her age. At least, that’s how I choose to interpret it. But, it seems unrealistic to me. I don’t think kids would bother with that kind of response. I have never heard of kids ever trying to make themselves seem less intelligent or inferior just because they are young. Realistically, it’s always the exact opposite.

As for the number of her age itself, I can’t help wondering if maybe she was including the two years she has been dead. That wouldn’t be right, because she can’t age if she’s dead, but it might feel more natural because it’s the number accurate to her birth. The main reason it bugs me is because she was supposedly fourteen for the whole book, but then the information way later about her time of death only adds up to twelve. I just don’t know if it was her counting from her birth while dead, or if something was overlooked in editing.

Aside from these few things, the book is good. I don’t know if I’ll bother reading it again, but it seems like a good children’s/middle grade book. There are demons in the story, and Saint Peter, but you don’t have to know a lot about the bible or anything to enjoy or comprehend the story.