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vampire

reviews January 15, 2015

The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness

the-book-of-life

The Book of Life (All Souls Trilogy 3) by Deborah Harkness

After traveling through time to Tudor London, historian and witch Diana Bishop and vampire scientist Matthew Clairmont are now back in the present to face new crises and old enemies.

At Matthew’s ancestral home in France they reunite with their families – with one heart-breaking exception. But the real threat to their future is yet to be revealed, and when it is, the search for the elusive manuscript Ashmole 782 and its missing pages takes on a terrifying urgency. Using ancient knowledge and modern science, from the palaces of Venice and beyond, Diana and Matthew will finally learn what the witches discovered so many centuries ago. (back cover)

I don’t really know what to say… I really loved this series and I’m sad that it ends here.

Diana and Matthew are back in the present from Tudor time and Diana is pregnant with twins. Matthew is still trying to find a way to cure blood rage.

All that lab work and DNA thing went way over my head again, but it was still fascinating stuff. And the nerd in me really loves that they’re historian and scientist so we get along with their researching,

Diana finally grows into her magic here and is less afraid to use it. Thankfully while being pregnant she’s still doing stuff so her chapters are never boring.

We meet new and old characters and I really loved Fernando and Gallowglass. Okay, maybe I had little crush on him… I would have liked to know what happens to him in the end because that was left open.

The bad guy of the book is Matthew’s son Benjamin who also has blood rage. Now who wouldn’t like a villain who kills, tortures and rapes to get his vengeance? He was crazy enough to be a perfect villain.

4/5

Published: Headline (2014)
Format: Paperback
Pages: 580
Source: library

reviews September 13, 2014

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

Richelle MeadLast Sacrifice (Vampire Academy 6) by Richelle Mead

MURDER, LOVE, JEALOUSY. AND THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE.

The Queen is dead and the Moroi world will never be the same.

Rose Hathaway is awaiting wrongful execution and there exists only one man who can stall this terrible fate.

Rose must look to both Dimitri and Adrian, the two great loves of her life, to find him.

With her best friend, Lissa, in a deadly struggle for the royal throne, the girls find themselves forced to rely upon enemies and questioning those they thought they could trust … (back cover)

Rose is accused of killing Queen Tatiana but she escapes imprisonment with the help of her friends. Rose, Dimitri and Sydney tries to find Lissa’s half-sibling while Lissa, Adrian and Christian try to find Tatiana’s killer. If they can find the lost Dragomir, then Lissa has a real chance to become the next Queen.

I’m surprised how much I enjoyed this book. I started it simply because I wanted to finish this series but this was the most enjoyable book in the series. Go figure… I didn’t even want to slap Rose, not even once! I wanted to shake few times but that’s all.

Lissa seemed to finally find her backbone when she was alone and had to manage without Rose.
Rose finally chooses between Adrian and Dimitri but really, it’s been quite obvious from the start how she will choose. And I think that the one left will find someone way better…

I guess I’m happy that I finished this series since the last book happened to be the best one.

3,5/5

Published: Penguin (2010)
Format: Paperback
Pages: 592
Source: library

reviews August 29, 2013

Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine

Midnight Alley (The Morganville Vampires 3) by Rachel Caine

Morganville is such a nice place to live… And die. If you don’t mind that sort of thing.

When Claire Danvers learnt that her college town was run by vampires, she did what any intelligent, self-preserving student would do: she applied for a transfer and stocked up on garlic. The transfer is no longer an option, but that garlic may come in handy.

Now Claire has pledged herself to Amelie, the most powerful vampire in town. The protection her contract secures does little to reassure her friends. All of a sudden, people are turning up dead, a stalker resurfaces from Claire’s past, and an ancient bloodsucker extends a chilling invitation for private lessons in his secluded home. (back cover)

Claire has now pledged herself to Amelie, the founder of Morganville, but is scared to tell her friends knowing they will get mad. Something is happening to the vampires and Amelie needs Claire’s help to solve it. She sends Claire as a pupil to Myrnin, who is old and half-crazy with periods of lucidity.

I have to say that I hate these evil cliffhangers! It’s so wrong to end every book like that…

The book pretty much starts where the last one ended and now Claire is pledged to Amelie but is afraid to tell her friends because she knows they’ll get mad. Especially Shane who is still trying to come to terms with the fact that Michael is a vampire. Shane doesn’t trust Michael anymore and honestly it’s getting old very soon. I mean they’ve been best friends for ages and now that Michael is a vampire everything suddenly changes? It’s not like he wanted it and is killing half the city.
But I like Shane and Claire together and it’s nice to see they move forward slowly.

How Claire always manages to get herself into these situations where she need to be saved is beyond me. And once again she finds herself in party where everything doesn’t go as planned. I understand she’s polite and all but enough. Monica threw her down the stairs and what else and she’s still being polite to her. Enough is enough.

We meet new vampire Myrnin to whom Amelie sends Claire. I liked Myrnin who’s half-crazy and only has periods of lucidity. His mood swings made him unpredictable and dangerous but he was nice between those.

We also meet Eve’s brother Jason again who’s apparently killing girls but no one seems to do anything about it. I really want to learn what’s his deal and I think he is hiding something.

Another enjoyable read from Caine. These are fairly quick reads but entertaining.

3,5/5

Published: Allison & Busby (2008)
Format: paperback
Pages: 384
Source: my own

reviews August 11, 2013

The Dead Girls’ Dance by Rachel Caine

The Dead Girls’ Dance (The Morganville Vampires 2) by Rachel Caine

Claire Danvers has her share of challenges—like being a genius in a school that favors beauty over brains, dealing with the homicidal girls in her dorm, and above all, finding out that her college town is overrun with vampires. On the up side, she has a great roommate (who tends to disappear at sunup) and a new boyfriend named Shane, whose vampire-hunting dad has called in backup: cycle punks who like the idea of killing just about anything.

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

Starting right after where Glass Houses ended, Shane’s dad is back with his friends intending to kill every vampire they can get their hands on. Then Shane gets himself implicated in a vampire killing and Claire finds herself in trouble trying to help him, while Michael makes drastic decisions to help his friend.

I didn’t remember that Glass Houses ended in a cliffhanger and of course this one started right from it. Good thing my friend has the 1 book so I could read the last chapter.

I think Claire grows little during this book and comes to herself more but I found her more annoying than in book 1. She’s supposed to be this genius who skipped few grades but makes few idiotic choices. Like when in dark alley where more than one person has told you not to go, then what do you do? Well go in there of course because that’s the sensible thing to do. Or when she’s told to stay at home in safe she insist going to school. To a class she’s already read the books and spends the entire time daydreaming about her boyfriend. Intelligent behavior?

Also what is such a big deal with the age difference between Claire and Shane? I don’t remember for sure but if Michael is 19 I assume Shane is the same or close and Claire is 17. This was bugging me in the first book also but then it was with Claire and Michael. And now it’s between Claire and Shane. See how fast these things changes?

While I liked the first book more this wasn’t bad either even if there was some stupid things mentioned before. Guess I have to read the next book to see if it gets better than this since the first was better too.

3/5
Published: NAL (2007)
Format: Paperback
Pages: 248
Source: my own

reviews August 10, 2013

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy 2) by Deborah Harkness

Historian Diana Bishop, descended from a line of powerful witches, and long-lived vampire Matthew Clairmont have broken the laws dividing creatures. When Diana discovered a significant alchemical manuscript in the Bodleian Library,she sparked a struggle in which she became bound to Matthew. Now the fragile coexistence of witches, daemons, vampires and humans is dangerously threatened.

Seeking safety, Diana and Matthew travel back in time to London, 1590. But they soon realise that the past may not provide a haven. Reclaiming his former identity as poet and spy for Queen Elizabeth, the vampire falls back in with a group of radicals known as the School of Night. Many are unruly daemons, the creative minds of the age, including playwright Christopher Marlowe and mathematician Thomas Harriot.

Together Matthew and Diana scour Tudor London for the elusive manuscript Ashmole 782, and search for the witch who will teach Diana how to control her remarkable powers… (Goodreads)

The book starts where the previous one left and Diana and Matthew lands on Elizabethan England. As a historian Diana is thrilled but finds herself lost even with her knowledge of that time. Everyone can tell from her speech and manners that she isn’t from around, and it causes curiosity. Matthew’s friends ─ the infamous School of Night that includes few well-known persons ─ tries to teach her the proper manners and speech and they also find a witch to train her, while trying to find the missing copy of Ashmole 782.

I loved A Discovery of Witches and I’m happy that the second book lived up to it! There was lot less DNA stuff in it which was relief but also less vampire, daemon, witch – mythology which was a shame.

We learn quite a bit more about Matthew and his past which was interesting. We really get to know him more and we finally meet his father, Philippe. I really wish there would be more of him! Not to mention more father-son scenes.

Diana learns more about witchcraft and her ability to control it. I loved seeing her growing more confident both with her magic and with her relationship with Matthew.

I really wish there will be more Gallowglass, Marcus and Pierre. I can’t help myself! I thought the relationship Marcus and Phoebe moved little too quick and we didn’t meet them long enough to see that grow.

I love the way Harkness manages to involve both vampires and historical things and to make it feel natural. I love these books and can’t wait for the next book!

5/5
Published: Headline (2012)
Format: Paperback
Pages: 580
Source: library