Tag: Vampires

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.

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.

FANGS, Vol. 2

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FANGS, Vol. 2 by Billy Balibally
Series Name: FANGS
Genres: BL, Fantasy, Vampires
Intended Age Group: M 18+
Publisher: Tokyopop
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-4278-7187-9
Rating: 3/5
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Description from the Book

As the sole survivor of a vampire attack, En wakes up to find that his hair has gone white as snow…and, worse, that he’s developed a craving of his own for blood. Since then, he’s been living with Ichii, his handsome guardian and mentor, who works with the vampire health and welfare organization FANGS. Life is good…except En can’t quite figure out what to make of his relationship with Ichii. There’s certainly mutual attraction, devotion, playful teasing, and yet — he can’t shake the sense that Ichii is hiding something from him.

The more the naïve and outgoing En learns about the lonely reality of his new existence, the more isolated he feels among his fellow jaded vampires. Without knowing the secrets of Ichii’s dark past, can En trust in him enough for the two of them to become paired partners?

Personal & Info

I can’t help noticing how good of a job this series does drawing hands and toes. Those are difficult, and there are several panels that show close-ups of them. They look great. I aspire to be able to draw hands and feet so beautifully.

The censorship method used in this book is different than the first one. The first book uses the “light saber” method. This one occasionally uses that, but usually shows more of the shape of things and colors them in with gray to avoid showing any details.

Content Warnings

-Depression
-Dubious consent

Characters

En is the main character. He’s a homeless nineteen year old who was lucky, or unlucky, enough to survive a vampire attack. En is the first new vampire in approximately fifty years. He now lives with Ichii, and is currently in the process of adapting to his new life as a vampire.

Ichii is the love interest. He’s so old that other vampires occasionally refer to him as grandpa. His job is to oversee the criminals and troubled clientele of the community. He does things like wellness checks and supplies them with blood.

Utsugi is one of the first vampires En meets. He’s paired with Aogiri, but apparently has a history of cheating.

Aogiri is paired with Utsugi. He’s a plastic surgeon, and incredibly dedicated to Utsugi.

Sugi is a grieving vampire. He was a bit of a wreck in volume one, but seems to be doing better in this one. He’s no longer cooped up in his house alone.

Umesaki is high up in the vampire community. She is present at vampire related crime investigations, and she helps produce specialty vampire items.

Story & Thoughts

I like this, but I think the first volume is better. It feels like volume one covers more things, but that makes sense, because all of the most important characters have to get introductions in that one. There are a decent number of characters, so now that all of them are covered, the story is focusing more on En coming to terms with life as a vampire.

My review for the first book states that this is a depressing story. If you are hoping it gets cheerier as it goes, it doesn’t. En struggles with his feelings throughout the entire volume. Now that he’s met everybody and learned a little about vampire life, he has concerns. He’s starting to understand what he’s in for, and on top of that, he’s unsure about Ichii, the one person he feels he can trust. The romance continues to be mostly physical as they figure things out.

In the mean time, the story is taking a bit of a crime drama direction. The true culprit responsible for the party that led to En becoming a vampire is likely still out there. As the only survivor of that party, En might potentially be in danger.

If you read the first volume, you know everyone constantly makes baby jokes about En. This book pushes those jokes harder. They’re one of the primary sources of comedy in the series, but this one shows En in a baby style of art much more frequently. Most of the time it’s fine, but sometimes it feels oddly placed.

I heard this volume ends in a cliff hanger, and that is correct. I won’t say what it is, but it definitely throws a wrench into En and Ichii’s relationship. Volume three was recently announced, but there is no date for it, yet, so anyone reading the series will have to be patient.

Marked

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Marked by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
Series Name: House of Night
Volume Number: 1
Genres: Fantasy, Magic, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Urban, Vampires
Intended Age Group: YA
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-312-36026-9
Rating: 4/5
Amazon Barnes&Noble ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

ENTER THE DARK, MAGICAL WORLD OF THE HOUSE OF NIGHT, a world very much like our own, except here vampyres have always existed. Sixteen-year-old Zoey Redbird has just been Marked as a fledgling vampyre and joins the House of Night, a school where she will train to become an adult vampyre. That is, if she makes it through the Change – and not all those who are Marked do. It sucks to begin a new life, especially away from her friends, and on top of that, Zoey is no average fledgling. She has been chosen as special by the vampyre Goddess Nyx. Zoey discovers she has amazing powers, but along with her powers come bloodlust and an unfortunate ability to Imprint her human ex-boyfriend. To add to her stress, she is not the only fledgling at the House of Night with special powers: When she discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school’s most elite group, is misusing her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look deep within herself for the courage to embrace her destiny – with a little help from her new vampyre friends.

Personal & Info

I’m going into this without reading any descriptions. I’ve heard so many people praise the series. When I found a few volumes cheaply at my local store, I made sure to grab them. All I know going into it is that it has something to do with vampires.

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.

Content Warnings

-Teen deaths

-Insensitive language (This book is from 2007 so characters throw around words like “retarded” due to that being the type of language used at the time the book was written.)

-Sexual themes (The story mentions things like blowjobs and erotic dancing.)

-Bullying (The gay character experiences bullying, and the mean girl character bullies everybody.)

Characters

Zoey Redbird, original last name Montgomery, is the sixteen year old main character. Her heritage is Cherokee on her mother’s side through her grandmother, Sylvia Redbird. She has an older sister and a younger brother, and she doesn’t like either of them.

Stevie Rae Johnson is Zoey’s roommate 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 Bates is a pretty blonde girl from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her best friend is her roommate Shaunee, because they are extremely similar in personality and share a shoe size.

Shaunee Cole is Erin’s roommate from Connecticut. They are so similar in personality and interests that they call each other “Twin.”

Damien Maslin is the guy friend in the group. He’s from Dallas, Texas, has a sophisticated vocabulary, and faces bullying due to being gay.

Aphrodite is the mean girl of the story. She’s the “it girl.” She’s blonde, pretty, gifted, and prone to inappropriate behavior. Her three friend followers are Pemphredo, Enyo, and Deino. The main friend group refers to these four people as the “hags from hell.”

Erik Night is Zoey’s new crush. 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.

There are many more characters with names: Zoey’s friends and family from before, various teachers and other students, cats, etc.

Story & Thoughts

The story takes place in Oklahoma. Zoey attends school at Broken Arrow South Intermediate High School, but quickly ends up having to transfer to the House of Night finishing school in Tulsa. The book starts off with her getting marked as a fledgling vampyre, and vampyre fledglings can’t survive on their own.

Based on what I gather from her friends and family in the beginning, becoming a fledgling is the best thing that could have possibly happened to Zoey. Her family no longer feels like a family, so she’s unhappy at home, and her friends don’t seem like they are actually friends. Her best friend Kayla isn’t a very good friend, because she keeps important secrets from her. I’m not sure how much Zoey really likes her either, considering she calls Kayla’s speech “K-babble.” On top of that, Zoey’s almost boyfriend is the star athlete of the school, but he’s taken up drinking alcohol as if it were also a sport.

The friends Zoey makes at the House of Night seem way better than the people she previously surrounded herself with. Erin, Damien, Shaunee, and Stevie Rae already have a wonderful friendship. When Zoey gets to her new school and meets her roommate’s friend group, she experiences a warm welcome, and finds great friends in them. There’s a level of trust she has with this group that there’s no possible way she could have had with her previous friends.

I like this book. It’s really easy to get into and hooked me in the first few pages. The characters are well done. The way they speak and act feels more solidly real than a lot of other books. I was similar in age to the characters around the time this book was published, and I can tell effort was made to make it seem authentic. Granted, I did not speak the same way these teens do, but I am well aware that the “cool kids” did indeed speak in a similar manner to what is portrayed in this book. It’s a little annoying at first, because it means not everything is as grammatically correct as most books. But, once it gets going it feels natural.

Vampyre lore in this particular world is a little different than the usual. First and most obvious, their faces are marked with a crescent moon. Most adults have elaborate forehead decorations adorning the crescent. It’s easy to identify a vampyre on sight.

They don’t burn up in the sun. Sunlight is unpleasant to them, but it doesn’t kill them. They don’t have fangs. The change from human to vampyre is triggered by a special combination of genetics and hormones. And, the weirdest to me, they’re allied with cats. Most lore usually says cats hate the undead, but I guess these vampyres are not really undead, or at least it doesn’t seem like they are.

I also find it interesting most of the names and culture for vampyres involves Greek mythology. Many kids choose to have Greek names. Their Goddess is Nyx, and their sociology class talks about many of the roles vampyres play throughout history. The one that jumps at me the most is that the Amazons were all apparently vampyres. That one bothers me, because it mentions the disproven fact about them removing a breast.

This is a series I definitely intend to read more of. There are plenty of plot hooks to keep the draw. Something mysterious is going on at the school. Zoey’s uniqueness as a Cherokee fledgling is ongoing, and the book ends with a drop of more intrigue.

My only real problem with the story is so minor, it doesn’t even matter. I don’t keep up with celebrities, so I pretty much have no idea who any of the famous people are that the characters mention. A celebrity comparison is used to describe how Aphrodite looks, and I had to look up a picture to see who they were talking about. Aside from that, my only gripe is that the book wastes paper by always making chapters start on the right page. If a chapter ends on the right page, the back side of the paper is blank to make sure the chapter starts on the side they want.

FANGS, Vol. 1

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Fangs, Vol. 1 by Billy Balibally
Series Name: Fangs
Genres: BL, Fantasy, Vampires
Intended Age Group: M 18+
Publisher: Tokyopop
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 9781427867933
Rating: 3/5
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Description from the Book

As the sole survivor of a vampire attack, En wakes up to find that his hair has gone white as snow – and worse, he’s developed a craving for blood!

Fortunately, the vampire health and welfare organization FANGS is there to help with the transition, and the handsome Ichii steps up as his guardian and mentor. Swept up into a confusing and lonely new world where everyone seems to be hankering for a taste of his “virgin” blood, En must navigate the FANGS pairing system, an arrangement that sets up compatible vampires as mutual feeding partners…and partners in all other ways as well. But what happens when En panics and declares that he’ll be paired with Ichii? And what does brooding rough-around-the-edges Ichii make of his spunky, outgoing new charge?

Personal & Info

This book kept showing up in my recommendations for BL, so I finally got around to trying it. I think there are only two books in the series. If there are more, they aren’t yet listed anywhere, so as far as I know it’s a duology.

CONTENT WARNINGS
-depression
-talk of suicide
-possible dubious consent

The art often uses that snaggletooth art style. You know, the one where it looks like a tooth or fang are part of the lip instead of actual teeth. The fangs are often shown that way throughout this book. It’s certainly not my favorite art style. I prefer seeing the lips and teeth separate because it looks more normal, but also because I think vampire mouths are sexier that way. The weird lip thing just looks a bit silly to me.

It does have censorship for the intimate scenes. They use the “light saber” method. That’s what I tend to call the kind where the dicks are just an undrawn bright white mass.

Characters

En is the main character. He’s a homeless nineteen year old who was lucky, or unlucky, enough to survive a vampire attack. En is the first new vampire in approximately fifty years.

Ichii is the love interest. He’s so old that other vampires occasionally refer to him as grandpa. His job is to oversee the criminals and troubled clientele of the community. He does things like wellness checks and supplies them with blood.

Utsugi is one of the first vampires En meets. He’s paired with Aogiri, but apparently has a history of cheating.

Umesaki is a character who only comes up once. Whether or not she plays a bigger role later, I don’t know.

Aogiri is paired with Utsugi. He’s a plastic surgeon. They say he specializes in fangs. I assume they mean the organization FANGS, not literal teeth.

Masaki is, I think, the last vampire before En. Don’t take my word on that. It’s my guess based on information given. He helps host support meetings for the vampire community.

Mariko is married to Masaki. I’ll let the book explain more, because this is a unique circumstance.

Sugi is a vampire dealing with grief, whom En befriends.

Story & Thoughts

This is probably the most depressing boys love story I’ve ever read. They’re usually pretty cheery and heartwarming. This book very much is not.

There isn’t much romance in the romantic sense. Most of it is physical, but there are tender moments. It’s like a slow burn between the characters with physical intimacy before they are in love. Their experiences are based more on a need than a want. It’s making use of the vampire trope that feeding is a sexually intimate experience.

The story seems to be as much about the vampire lore as it is the budding romance between En and Ichii. En follows Ichii to work every day, since he has nothing better to be doing. They meet other people in the vampire community, and En learns what kinds of relationships and problems people of their species have, as well as how they live. He is generally not fond of any of it. It’s a big adjustment for him. But he makes friends very easily, because he’s like a ray of sunshine, or an innocent puppy, in everyone’s lives.

The fact of the matter is, most of the people in the story are lonely and/or depressed. The vampire lifestyle is not portrayed as anything glamorous. They point out how hard it is to live so long while the world moves on around you. In so many words, people grow numb and have a harder time feeling emotions like happiness. Part of the point of the existence of the FANGS organization is to try to curb this problem by pairing compatible vampires.

I like the book, but I don’t know if I recommend it, yet. I want to read the second book before I decide if it’s something I would suggest. It definitely might not be for everyone due to the depressing themes. Everyone seems to have a sad or tragic backstory. There is a blatant plot hook cliff hanger at the end of the volume, so I definitely plan to read the second book. Not just for that, but also to see how the love story develops.

The King (Black Dagger Brotherhood #12)

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The King by J.R. Ward
Series Name: Black Dagger Brotherhood
Genres: Contemporary, Erotica, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Urban, Vampires
Intended Age Group: Adult
Publisher: Berkley/Penguin
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-451-41706-0
Rating: 4/5
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Description from the Book

After turning his back on the throne for centuries, Wrath finally assumed his father’s mantle – with the help of his beloved mate. But the crown sits heavily on his head. As the war with the Lessoning Society rages on, and the threat from the Band of Bastards truly hits home, he is forced to make choices that put everything – and everyone – at risk.

Beth Randall thought she knew what she was getting into when she mated the last pure-blooded vampire on the planet. But when she decides she wants a child, she’s unprepared for Wrath’s response – or the distance it creates between them.

The question is, will true love win out…or will Wrath’s tortured legacy take over?

Personal & Info

I need to find time to circle back to this series more often. Between the main series and the spin-offs, it’s long. I like reading it, and I still have a lot to get through. It just takes more time than my other books because these are around six hundred pages each. I shall strive to shorten my gap between volumes, but I promise nothing.

Characters

Wrath, the king, and Beth, his queen, are the lead couple for the book. This is the first book that readdresses a couple instead of focusing on one getting together for a happily ever after.

Wrath’s father, and his mate Anha are important backstory characters.

Assail, I don’t remember if his last name was ever said, is vampire nobility who chose to become a drug dealer. He doesn’t care what anybody does, as long as it does not interfere with his business.

Ehric and Evale are Assail’s cousins. They act as his assistants, bodyguards, and enforcers.

Sola Morte is the human woman who fascinates Assail. She specializes in things like thievery and breaking and entering.

Sola’s grandmother is also technically a character worth listing. She’s mostly referred to as Vovo, and I love her. I can’t find the words to explain why, but it involves how she interacts with people.

Trez is something they call a Shadow, and part of a civilization by the name of s’Hisbe. From the sounds of it, they are vampires with different abilities and rules from the norm. Trez runs the night clubs, and he is promised to a princess he wants nothing to do with. The previous book establishes his crush on Selena.

iAm is Trez’s brother. He owns a restaurant, and he cooks to relieve stress. We get to know his character a little better in this book, and I’m starting to like him.

Selena is a Chosen who regularly services the Brotherhood for their blood needs. She has a crush on Trez, as well as some issues she keeps to herself.

Layla is a Chosen carrying Qhuinn’s child. She is infatuated with Xcor, but does not let that affect her judgement for what is right.

Xcor is the leader of the Band of Bastards. He is infatuated with Layla, and causes problems for the Wrath and the Brotherhood.

Story & Thoughts

As per usual with this series, there’s a lot going on in this book. Every book in this series has a ton of perspectives and jumping around to various plot pieces. It can be a lot to follow, but I love it.

The main focus of the book is Wrath and Beth. Beth wants a baby, but Wrath does not. Drama ensues, and they have to deal with political nightmares at the same time. It’s nice to see Beth play a larger role in a book again. She’s been stuck in the background ever since she had her love story as the first book in the series.

There’s also a historical perspective. Not all of the books have this kind of perspective, but they are good for lore and background. This one specifically is about Wrath’s parents. You can sort of think of it as a short story. It takes place while Wrath’s mother, Anha, is pregnant with him, and essentially proves the politics never seem to change. Someone is always trying to take or manipulate the throne.

My favorite part of the side content is Assail and Sola’s story. Their romance was introduced in Lover at Last. I didn’t care for it when it came up back then, until the later parts in that book. However, I absolutely love it in this one.

The ground work has been set in the previous volume, so this book has all the juicy parts. Assail gets to show off his alpha male instincts as well as his sweeter side. Sola gets to show off how capable she is in a pinch. I love these two characters, and I think they make an excellent couple. I look forward to seeing where it goes, if it goes anywhere. Their section is likely not complete, yet. I just can’t see it ending like this. There has to be more.

The most important side content is probably Trez and Selena’s story. The next book in this series, volume 13, The Shadows, looks like it will be their novel. The ground work for that also began in Lover at Last. Qhuinn and Blay were the main focus of that book, though, so I didn’t think much of the introduction at the time.

The last perspective worth mentioning is Xcor and Layla. Their complicated Romeo and Juliet feelings for each other continue to be complicated. They don’t gain much traction here, but their story continues to build. I suspect they will eventually get their own book, but I don’t know for sure. I try not to look too far ahead, so I can avoid potential spoilers.

Something I think is worth mentioning, the lessers have been a very minor part of the story for the past several books. Lately the focus is on the internal vampire problems. I think the reason is because the lessers are struggling for cash, so they are busy focusing on drug dealing to rekindle their funding. We only seem to see the odd lesser here or there, either when the Band of Bastards takes them out, or someone stumbles across one on the street.

I feel like I’m forgetting something I want to say, but I can’t think of what it might be, so quick recap of my thoughts. It’s good to see more of Beth again. Vovo is awesome. I love Assail and Sola’s romance, but there has to be more. Selena is great, but her circumstances are unfortunate. Trez needs to get his life together. I don’t like how his downward spiral is turning into a different kind of downward spiral. iAm is growing on me. Layla and Xcor are complicated. I love this series. The characters and writing are so engaging and comfortable.

Trigger Warnings

I’m just keeping a running list of trigger warnings that have been in the series so far, from what I can remember. If you’re reading the series, or considering reading the series, and you have sensitivities, you might want to know these. The list so far: abuse, attempted rape, pregnancy problems(ex: miscarriages), drugs, kidnapping, sexual themes, rape, mutilation, torture, and violence.

Rosario+Vampire: Season II, Vol. 3

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Rosario+Vampire: Season II, Vol. 3 by Akihisa Ikeda
Series Name: Rosario+Vampire: Season II
Genres: Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Harem, Monsters, Romance, Vampires, Witches
Intended Age Group: Older Teen
Publisher: Viz/Shonen Jump Advanced
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-4215-3268-4
Rating: 4.5/5
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Description from the Book

Average human teenage boy Tsukune accidentally enrolls at a boarding school for monsters – no, not jocks and popular kids, but bona fide werewolves, witches, and unnameables out of his wildest nightmares! And now he’s a sophomore!

On the plus side, all the girls have a monster crush on him. On the negative side, all the boys are so jealous they want to kill him! And so do the girls he spurns because he only has eyes for one of them – the far-from-average vampire Moka.

On the plus side, Moka only has glowing red eyes for Tsukune. On the O-negative side, she also has a burning, unquenchable thirst for his blood…

Personal & Info

Since I’ve already read a large chunk of the series before, I’m giving the volumes I’ve already read a slight bump in rating to show how much I liked it my first time through. I don’t want my familiarity with the series to hurt the score. There is less thrill when you already know what happens, so I’m accounting for that. The bump is only about a half star.

Characters

Tsukune Aono is the only human at a school for monsters. Due to various events in season one, he wears a chain lock on his wrist, similar to Moka’s rosario.

Moka Akashiya is the beautiful vampire love interest. She is considered the most beautiful girl in school, and the series likes to play up that fact.

Kurumu Kurono is the second beautiful love interest. She is the character with the largest breasts in the group, and the whole school also fawns over her, but not nearly as much as Moka.

Yukari Sendo is a twelve year old genius, and a witch.

Mizore Shirayuki is love interest number three. She is a yuki-onna, but the translation constantly calls her a snow fairy. She’s also the most considerate of Tsukune’s happiness.

Koko Shuzen is Moka’s little sister. She thinks Tsukune’s only redeeming quality is the taste of his blood, but she doesn’t go around biting him like Moka does.

Ruby Tojo is a witch met in season one. She currently works for the school to help keep the students safe.

Tsurara, Mizore’s mother, appears in this volume. Her last appearance was in Rosario+Vampire volume nine during the school festival.

Story & Thoughts

This book starts off with a random chapter involving Gin. It’s been a good while seen we’ve seen him. He is rather useless as club leader, since he is basically never around. The chapter paints him as a villain yet again. Girls at Yokai Academy are targets for a prankster going around tearing up their clothes.

The rest of the chapters focus on Mizore. Big surprise considering she is on the cover, right? The gang goes to Mizore’s village for the weekend. There is some kind of ceremony she is going to attend, and her mother requests she bring guests.

This section covers some information on Mizore’s childhood, as well as her culture. At one point, I said Mizore’s parts of the story tend to be unsettling and sad. That comes out significantly in this volume. It always pulls at my heart strings.

There is a cliff hanger. As with most volumes, the events are cut off to be finished in the next volume. The cliff hanger is not huge. It’s the kind where someone unexpected shows up.

Kurumu really shines in this volume. Her passion and determination are important to the drama of the story and holding the group together. She always seems to be on an emotional rollercoaster, acting like she is furious and hates someone, and then expressing her compassion for them two minutes later. I think she significantly outshines Moka here. Moka and Yukari and the rest seemed to take a back seat to Mizore, Tsukune, and Kurumu.

The bonus comics at the end are silly, as usual. No questions, mostly a bunch of sillies about what happened in the last few pages.

The volumes that focus on Mizore always tend to be my personal favorites, but she is my favorite character, so it’s not surprising.

Rosario+Vampire: Season II, Vol. 2

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Rosario+Vampire: Season II, Vol. 2 by Akihisa Ikeda
Series Name: Rosario+Vampire: Season II
Genres: Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Harem, Monsters, Romance, Vampires, Witches
Intended Age Group: Older Teen
Publisher: Viz/Shonen Jump Advanced
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-4215-3137-3
Rating: 4.5/5
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Description from the Book

Average human teenage boy Tsukune accidentally enrolls at a boarding school for monsters – no, not jocks and popular kids, but bona fide werewolves, witches, and unnameables out of his wildest nightmares! And now he’s a sophomore!

On the plus side, all the girls have a monster crush on him. On the negative side, all the boys are so jealous they want to kill him! And so do the girls he spurns because he only has eyes for one of them – the far-from-average vampire Moka.

On the plus side, Moka only has glowing red eyes for Tsukune. On the O-negative side, she also has a burning, unquenchable thirst for his blood…

Personal & Info

Since I’ve already read a large chunk of the series before, I’m giving the volumes I’ve already read a slight bump in rating to show how much I liked it my first time through. I don’t want my familiarity with the series to hurt the score. There is less thrill when you already know what happens, so I’m accounting for that. The bump is only about a half star.

Characters

Tsukune Aono is the only human at a school for monsters. Due to various events in season one, he wears a chain lock on his wrist, similar to Moka’s rosario.

Moka Akashiya is the beautiful vampire love interest. She is considered the most beautiful girl in school, and the series likes to play up that fact.

Kurumu Kurono is the second beautiful love interest. She is the character with the largest breasts in the group, and the whole school also fawns over her, but not nearly as much as Moka.

Yukari Sendo is a twelve year old genius, and a witch.

Mizore Shirayuki is love interest number three. She is a yuki-onna, but the translation constantly calls her a snow fairy. She’s also the most considerate of Tsukune’s happiness.

Koko Shuzen is Moka’s little sister. She thinks Tsukune’s only redeeming quality is the taste of his blood, but she doesn’t go around biting him like Moka does.

Ruby Tojo is a witch met in season one. She currently works for the school to help keep the students safe.

Story & Thoughts

The story continues the mistaken phantom plot from volume one for the first two chapters. The combat is actually more amusing than usual. There’s comedy thrown into it, and this is the first time in Season II that we see Tsukune’s transformation.

I think the second half of the book is the best part. These two chapters focus heavily on Koko, which is fitting since she is on the cover of this volume. She befriends Yukari, which is not that surprising since they aren’t that far apart in age. They seem to have a lot in common.

It’s club recruitment time again, and Koko wants to get stronger She debates which club to join, which leads to various shenanigans. Koko is insistent on not joining the news club, even though she doesn’t have a good reason. These two chapters are adorable and funny. They revolve around Yukari and Koko wanting to grow up because they are tired of being considered young and small.

The four panel bonus comics in back of the book also focus on Koko. The first two highlight how blatantly tsundere she is, and the other two are about her pet Batty. He is unexpectedly heavy.

This is not relevant to the story, but I love how all the people in Moka’s family seem to be named after drinks. Moka. Koko. Kahlua. We don’t meet Kahlua in this volume, but her name comes up in a flashback.