by Kay | Mar 12, 2010 | Cover Alert, News |
I’ve just seen the cover art for the next-next (9th) Morganville Vampires book – and it is so gorgeous, I just had to share! GHOST TOWN by Rachel Caine is going to be released in Hardcover in the US on November 2nd, 2010 – which is so exciting as I have been longing for hardcover versions of this series for a while! I will have to order it from there!
The fragile peace between humans and vampires in Morganville is in trouble, and when Claire takes drastic action, she’s put under serious pressure to re-establish the barriers that keep the town residents inside, and wipe the memories of those who leave. But working with her half-crazy vampire boss Myrnin means that things don’t always turn out as planned … and as the people of Morganville begin acting strangely, Claire and her friends must solve the mystery and try to put things right. But one by one, her allies are turning on her … even the ones she trusts most.
*squee* I can’t wait to see what the UK publishers come up with!
ETA: Also, if you are a Rachel Caine fan living in the States, make sure to check out the Smart Chicks Kick It Tour – which features lots of AMAZING YA Paranormal authors who are visiting 12 US Cities in September. I wish they could add London to their list, but alas. Other authors on the tour include Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr, Alyson Noel, Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, Rachel Vincent, Sarah Rees Brennan, Becca Fitzpatrick, Melissa de la Cruz, Carrie Ryan and more! Check out their Facebook page for more details!
by Kay | Jan 26, 2010 | Reviews |
Lord of Misrule (Morganville Vampires, Book 5) by Rachel Caine
Amazon US / Amazon UK / Bookdepository / LibraryThing / Goodreads
Rating: 4/5 stars
Pages: 256
SPOILERS for previous books!
Summary: In the college town of Morganville, vampires and humans coexist in (relatively) bloodless harmony. Then comes Bishop, the master vampire who threatens to abolish all order, revive the forces of the evil dead, and let chaos rule. But Bishop isn’t the only threat.
Violent black cyclone clouds hover, promising a storm of devastating proportions as student Claire Danvers and her friends prepare to defend Morganville against elements both natural and unnatural.
Thoughts: Lord of Misrule turns the entire Morganville series on its head – if you ever have to skip a book, make sure it isn’t this one! The relative comfort our characters used to live in has gone, and has been replaced with a war in the trenches. Any action that I might have felt was missing in Feast of Fools is made up for in Lord of Misrule – I gave up counting the life-or-death situations by page 30.
The action turns the entire town around, and the change brings out the hardness in all the characters – including Claire. I’d call some of her actions fierce, but I’d just be paraphrasing Eve (honestly, they are that fierce). I’d say Shane gets the biggest shake-up, character-wise. He had a lot of explaining to do in this book and, unsurprisingly, talking it out really helped with his new enlightenment.
Make sure you have a copy of Carpe Corpus on hand, because Lord of Misrule has the most jaw-dropping cliffhanger yet. And given Caine’s usual modus operandi, that is saying something!
Bottom Line? You NEED to read this series!
by Kay | Jan 19, 2010 | Reviews |
Feast of Fools (Morganville Vampires, Book 4) by Rachel Caine
Amazon US / Amazon UK / BookDepository / LibraryThing / Goodreads
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Pages: 256
SPOILERS for previous books!
Summary: In the town of Morganville, vampires and humans live in relative peace but Claire Danvers has never been convinced – especially with the arrival of Mr Bishop, an ancient, old-school vampire who cares nothing about harmony. What he wants from the town’s living and its dead is unthinkably sinister.
Thoughts: I love the Morganville Vampire series, and while this book is no exception, it wasn’t quite as extraordinary as Midnight Alley. After the shocking revelation in MA of the newest baddy in town – a Mr. Bishop – Claire is unfortunately back in the dark as to what on earth is going on in Morganville. Although it did wonders to build tension – I couldn’t turn those pages fast enough – it also made a lot of the book feel like a placeholder. Although we do get a resolution to the mystery – well, as much a Caine can write a resolution to her Morganville series – I would still recommend having a copy of Lord of Misrule on hand.
Now that I think about it, this book is the Morganville equivalent of Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix. Claire, like Harry did, spends the majority of the book utterly confused, then bang – big event – and all becomes clear. Obviously, Caine hardly sat Claire down to explain the verse to her, the way Rowling did to Harry – but the similarity is still there.
On to the great things in this book. Myrinn is as awesome as ever – eccentric, violent, and utterly adorable. Shane and Claire have their relationship is put to the test by the pull of her parents, and the introduction of a new vamp who takes an unfortunate interest in Shane. We also got a teaser as to the strengths that Claire may or may not possess (I’m not being cagey, I honestly don’t know). Lots of great emotional drama – although not quite as much plot as Caine usually manages to get into a Morganville book. Although if compared to other authors, it sure is action-packed!
Bottom line? Not the best book in the series, but enjoyable none-the-less. If you haven’t yet, make sure you get your hands on the Morganville Vampires Series ASAP!
by Kay | Jul 24, 2009 | Reviews |
The Dead Girls' Dance by Rachel Caine
Series: Morganville Vampires #2
Published by Allison & Busby, NAL Jam
Pages: 320
Genres: Paranormal YA, Young Adult
Source: Purchased myself
Add to Goodreads
Rating:
Also in this series: Glass Houses, Midnight Alley, Kiss of Death, Ghost Town, Bite ClubClaire has her share of challenges. Like being a genius in a school that favours beauty over brains; homicidal girls in her dorm, and finding out that her college town is overrun with the living dead. On the up side, she has a new boyfriend with a vampire-hunting dad. But when a local fraternity throws the Dead Girls' Dance, hell is really going to break loose.
Rec for people who love: Smart young heroines, maturity in YA, and Buffy!
First Line: It didn’t happen, Claire told herself.
Thoughts: Let me just start off by saying: WOW.
Considering how ambivalent I was about the first book in the Morganville Series, this one definitely changed my mind! After the cliffhanger at the end of the first book, the characters continue their epic search for a little bit of peace – but to no avail. Just as one problem is solved, another pops up unexpectedly. Claire was extremely sleep deprived during the entire book, and to say that Caine put her through a lot is an understatement. Also, the series got a bit gruesome in this book. Details of which I don’t want to spoil, but lets just say that the Dead Girls’ Dance that Claire attends could have been a lot more than traumatic.
This book ultimately was about sacrifice – those who are willing to give their lives for their friends, versus those who barely spare a thought for their own family. Claire, Micheal, Eve and Shane demonstrate how much they care by how much they are willing to give away. They did it willingly, but it was never an easy choice to make. Unlike, say, Bella in the Twilight Series – who considered her life so worthless that sacrificing it for Edward only made me roll my eyes – Caine’s characters value their lives, their own hopes and dreams. Like, you know, sane people.
It was their sacrifices that ultimately made me love this book. I my mind, Shane went from being a random angry guy to become the love-of-my-life, tortured soul; while Claire went from being a spineless bookworm to a brave, kick-ass-yet-sensitive heroine. In just 300 pages. Sheesh.
Note on the Cover: As I mentioned in my post about the first book, this UK cover makes me cringe. Apparently publishers cottoned on to this, as new UK editions have just been released with hot new covers. So basically, you can either go to your local bookstore, which will probably still have the old editions, to get the cover in this post. Or you can go to a store with rapid turnover/order it from Waterstones (where they are currently 1/2 price) to get the new cover. Or, as I did, buy the US edition from BookDepository.co.uk.
Other Reviews:
- LoveVampires only gave it 2 stars (SPOILERS) (despite a 5 star rating for the first). Even though I loved the book, the review brings up an important issue regarding a particular scene in the book that is… not so pleasant. Let’s just say I understood Claire’s reaction in this case but usually I would also have been put off.
by Kay | Jul 19, 2009 | Book Talk |
I have been reading a mix of YA fantasy this week – the Morganville Vampire Series by Rachel Caine and the House of Night Series by P.C. and Kristin Cast – and I am amazed by the differences between them despite both being meant for Young Adults. The difference in language and sex in particular. There are no spoilers in this, just vague unspecific references.
In the House of Night Series, P.C. and Kristin write the way teenagers talk, not the way teenagers get talked to. For a fantasy series, it is painfully realistic – there were many instances where the books seemed more explicit than adult fantasy. There is a lot more swearing, drinking and sex – although the main characters usually aren’t involved. It’s like reading old-school HP fanfiction, where the writer delineates everything we usually just assume is going on in the background.
Even though there isn’t a single character in the series I identify with, I remember the swooning over guys… the parties where every one is trashed… the rumours of lewd sexual activities people were up to… and it is almost painful to remind myself of it all. Even though I was reading – and probably saying – a lot worse than that at 16… if I were a parent I wouldn’t buy these books for my teenage daughter.
The Morganville Vampire Series, on the other hand, is almost a different genre. While it deals with issues a lot, er, older than the House of Night Series – the main characters live without parental supervision, and have mature sexual relationships, and there is swearing all over the place – it is a series I would actually give to a teenager. There is a lot of emphasis on the importance of maturity. Basically, if you want to act like an adult – no matter your age – you should think like one too.
Also, Caine brings up what I consider an extremely important issue for YAs: having sex with minors even if you don’t consider yourself a “major”. Without getting into too many spoilers, Caine’s characters are quick to remember that even a one year age difference (i.e. 17-year old and an 18-year-old) is enough to constitute statutory rape. Admittedly, the likelihood of it being an issue is slim in real life, but I appreciate her bringing it up. I have met the extreme of the issue (13-year-olds dating 19-year-olds) and no matter what you say about maturity, it is so very illegal.
Anyhow, going from one series to the other really made me ponder.
