Fade Out

Fade Out by Rachel Caine

Morganville Vampires #7

 Without the evil vampire Bishop ruling over the town of Morganville, the resident vampires have made major concessions to the human population. With their newfound freedoms, Claire Danvers and her friends are almost starting to feel comfortable again...

Now Claire can actually concentrate on her studies, and her friend Eve joins the local theatre company. But when one of Eve's castmates goes missing after starting work on a short documentary, Eve suspects the worst. Claire and Eve soon realize that this film project, whose subject is the vampires themselves, is a whole lot bigger-and way more dangerous-than anyone suspected. 

It's Morganville, so the gang knew not to trust things to stay calm, but they sure hoped it would. Everyone but Claire seems to think the "new" girl Kim is great, but Claire isn't so sure. When Kim goes missing, the gang sets out to find her, but quickly find out she really wasn't who she seemed. She's violated the trust of the entire town by creating a video project exposing the deepest secrets of Morganville. It's up to Claire and the others to find her before the vamps do as its not just her life on the line, but potentially every human in Morganville if things go badly. Once again the fate of everything seems to rest on their shoulders as disaster is around every corner.

I just knew there was something fishy about the new girl in the picture, Kim. Claire has such a hard time disliking anyone. Even after all Monica has done to her in the past, Claire still has continued to save her over and over. So, when Claire felt such a strong animosity towards Kim, it really had to be much more than just simple jealously. Granted, the girl did seem to captivate most of Eve's attention and she has a "history" with Shane, which would make any normal person insanely jealous. However, Claire has never been normal, and she feels the need to save everyone, so it couldn't be just simple jealous to cause her to react so strongly.

As if the videos and risk of exposure wasn't enough, Ada the super computer that runs Morganville has gone psychotic and homicidal towards Claire. It really is a recipe for disaster when a sentient computer with limitless powers goes on a vendetta. The twisted relationship between Ada and Myrnin comes to a head since Ada is convinced Claire is trying to steal him away. I do feel bad for Ada, but not enough to choose her over Claire. They say love is blind, and it must be true for Myrnin as he refused to see the problem with Ada.

The action was dialed down a notch, which allowed for a lot more emotion and relationship development. I found it to be more of a transition book, which is okay after the 6 previous books being nonstop action. I actually think the time the two couples got to spend with each other was necessary and added even more depth to the characters. I definitely enjoyed the "downtime" while it lasted but I'm holding my breath for the next book as I'm sure things are going to majorly take off again. So, overall a good book, less action, but it had it's strengths in other way, and makes me eager for the next one.

Rating:

Buy now at Amazon:
Fade Out (Morganville Vampires, Book 7)

read more

Review: Carpe Corpus by Rachel Caine

Carpe Corpus by Rachel Caine

Morganville Vampires #6

In the small college town of Morganville, vampires and humans lived in (relative) peace-until all the rules got rewritten when the evil vampire Bishop arrived, looking for the lost book of vampire secrets. He's kept a death grip on the town ever since. Now an underground resistance is brewing, and in order to contain it, Bishop must go to even greater lengths. He vows to obliterate the town and all its inhabitants-the living and the undead. Claire Danvers and her friends are the only ones who stand in his way. But even if they defeat Bishop, will the vampires ever be content to go back to the old rules, after having such a taste of power?

The day that Claire has been impatiently waiting for is finally here, the day she turns seventeen. However, nothing is as she imagined it. Claire is living with her parents, and is also completely owned (literally) by the Bishop. Eve isn't talking to her and Micheal is "evil," but the worst thing of all is Shane's predicament. Both he and his father are locked up in jail awaiting execution. Even with the Bishop controlling her through the tattoo on her arm, she still is able to defy him when it comes to Shane. Nothing short of a miracle can save him or the rest of the town now. It's a hard game to the bitter end and they must keep their friends close, but their enemies even closer, but who is the enemy and who is a friend?

Things are an absolute mess in Morganville. The Bishop has started an open hunting season on the humans now, no more blood banks. With no sign of Amelie and Myrnin seeming to be on the enemy's side, its up to Claire to figure out how to protect everyone she cares about. However with the Bishop controlling her, she isn't really trustworthy so she's kept mostly out of the loop of things. Her bravery and determination to never back down when it comes to protecting others continues to amaze me. How one girl can continue to face such extreme obstacles and not crumble under the pressure is beyond me.

The only "bad" guy that seemed to stay constant in this book was the Bishop. All of the rest of the characters' loyalties were not obvious. Many of the them who were thought to be on the Bishop's side really were "undercover." Then of course there were the ones who were thought to be on Amelie's side but really weren't. The entire book will keep you in suspense while you try to figure out who is really on who's team, and just who will make it out of this catastrophe alive.

The rules have completely changed in Morganville, and even with the somewhat subdued ending that didn't have a cliffhanger, things just will never be the same. This book ended the first major story arc, but the next book should continue with everyone picking up the pieces. It was nice to get that feeling of satisfaction and happiness at the end of this book. Since it's Morganville, it won't last, so the gang should really savor it while it lasts. I'm really eager to read the next book to see how things will fare now that the game is changed.

Rating:

Buy now at Amazon:
Carpe Corpus (Morganville Vampires, Book 6)

read more

It's Monday! What are you Reading? (14)

Don't forget to check out my 200 followers contest Here. 

Ends 11/3

It's Monday! What Are You Reading, hosted by Book Journey, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.






Here's what I read this past week:

 

Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine (Review)
Feast of Fools by Rachel Caine (Review)
Lord of Misrule by Rachel Caine (Review)


I kinda slacked off in reading this week since I got addicted to the Vampire Diaries show. I devoured the entire first season this week. (Netflix is awesome btw) I did get three books finished from the Morganville Vampires series. I'm trying to get them finished before November 2nd, when Rachel Caine is doing a signing in Exton.

My upcoming list:

Carpe Corpus by Rachel Caine
Fade Out by Rachel Caine
Kiss of Death by Rachel Caine
Ghost Town by Rachel Caine
Harvest Hunting by Yasmine Galenorn


I'm thinking I might be a little overzealous in my list for this week considering the workload I have for school. However, I need to get the Morganville books finished before the signing. Also Harvest Hunting is being released on Tuesday, and I have been waiting for it for a long time. So of course I have to read it as soon as it comes out.

read more

Review: Lord of Misrule by Rachel Caine

Lord of Misrule by Rachel Caine

Morganville Vampires #5

 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.

The war between Amelie and The Bishop has brewed to the boiling point. Each one of the housemates has been assigned what seems like an impossible task in this crazy war. Shane is to protect the bloodmobile and the book at all costs. Eve is to go with Oliver and Micheal is to protect the college campus. Claire of course must go with Amelie to rescue Myrnin. It will take more than just hopes and prayers for all of them to succeed. No matter who succeeds, the town will never be the same, and it just all boils down to a fight for survival.

From the start of this series I had a bad feeling that something like this would happen. The humans would only accept the oppression for so long. All it would take would be a small catalyst to set fire to a major rebellion on the human side. The nasty Bishop made a major mess of things, which of course paved the way for the humans to take things into their own hands. Even though things were not the best for them before, I really don't think rebellion and destroying all vampires is the answer to their problems. I think their rioting will only cause more death and destruction. Hopefully some of these factions will wise up and start thinking. Otherwise that mob mentality will destroy absolutely everything leaving little to no survivors.

While there wasn't as much time spent together between Shane and Claire, the moments they did get to spend were really meaningful and important.  I really like the way their relationship is progressing. It is very realistic and nothing is forced. I also am still very impressed at their self-control, surprisingly more Shane's than Claire's. Most teenage couples would have given in at this point, but they haven't. I admire their determination to uphold their promise to wait at least until Claire is of legal age. Hopefully by the time that happens, there still will be a Morganville in some part to even give them a chance to be together. However, the way things are now, it just isn't looking good for that.

It's funny how even though the previous books have been very fast paced, this one makes them look like they were just standing still while it drove by. Lord of Misrule is just non-stop action from start to finish, with the highest stakes yet. If Claire thought things were tough in Morganville before, she was wrong. The "old" ways were a walk in the park compared to the current situation. Things end right in a major jam making the next book very eagerly anticipated.

Rating:

Buy now at Amazon:
Lord of Misrule (Morganville Vampires, Book 5)

read more

Disappointed

(Note: I'm going to be specifically vague in certain parts of this post because I don't want to ruin anything for anyone like it happened to my mom. Sorry if it's confusing, but if you have read the series that I am talking about, you should understand my ramblings here)

So, as I mentioned a while ago I got my mother into reading books, specifically the ones I read. It's been really nice being able to talk to her about them and share that. However, me and my big mouth accidentally let something small slip about the shifters series. In all honesty it shouldn't have mattered, because all I said was that I didn't want to re-read book number (blank) because it was too sad. Well, my mom being who she is figured out what the event was, so she wasn't very emotionally invested into it. When I read it the first time (and the second time) I blubbered like a baby, and it didn't really effect her at all. Very frustrating!

She just finished up The Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost, and I decided that her next series should be the Rachel Morgan series by Kim Harrison. Now if you know this series, you know that there is a pretty major event that happens, and it's a tearjerker. At least it was one for me. I had bought her a kindle as an early Christmas present on my account so we could share the books. What she didn't realize is that the Kindle does not keep the books in order of the series, it keeps them in the order they were last opened. So she starts reading White Witch, Black Curse, book number SEVEN. She only read the first chapter, but that had to be the worst first chapter possible to start with. It completely revealed that MAJOR event and now the first six books are completely ruined!! I am so disappointed, because again she won't be emotionally involved and it's a shame because I don't think she is going to get the full experience out of it. So now I have to think up another series with an "event" in it to test her reaction. Maybe she just isn't a blubberer like me.

On a side note I told her we need to find a vampire so we can use the mind control they all seem to have no matter the author to erase that chapter from her memory. Hey I can dream right?

How about you? Has anything like this happened to you?

(Edit: I wasn't clear on this before, but she is still going to read the books, because the series is really awesome. Even with knowing the event, I think she will like it a lot. I'm just ranting my frustration here.)

read more

Review: Feast of Fools by Rachel Caine

Feast of Fools by Rachel Caine

Morganville Vampires #4

The wait is over. dig into the feast...

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

When Amelie's father, The Bishop arrives, the already fragile peace in Morganville is strained to it's limit. Claire and her friends are told to stay out of it, but of course none of them can really help themselves. After they hear about a ball to "welcome" the Bishop, Claire realizes there is something sinister going on. With everyone trying to keep her safe, she is more determined than ever to find a way to the ball to protect the people, and possibly the vampires as well, that she cares about.

I find Claire's parents to be extremely annoying. They are all about "protecting" their daughter, but all I have seen from them is judgmental opinionatedness. Apparently they just do not trust her, which I find to be completely ridiculous considering her briliance and strength. She has shown more maturity and strength than any of the other characters in the book, and just because there are "boys" in the house her parents think it's a horrible situation. Perhaps they should wake up to the situation now that they are wrapped up into the Morganville mess and realize just who their daughter is, and understand she is responsible enough to make her own decisions.

The relationships between Claire and her roommates is much less strained in this book. Shane seems to finally be accepting Micheal's new status as a vampire. The relationship between Micheal and Eve is really starting to heat up and its good to see both of them have some levity. Claire and Shane's relationship just keeps getting stronger and they somehow have still been able to keep it mostly clean considering Claire's age. I just keep waiting for either one of them to spontaneously combust. Not much time has passed in the books, so there still is a long time until she turns 18. I'm impressed at Shane's determination, and it should be interesting to see if it holds steady.

I enjoyed this book and it was an incredibly fast read. I started and then what felt like just a few minutes later, it ended. There actually was a little less action in this book, but it flowed so well, that I didn't miss the extra action at all. Of course the book ended on a cliffhanger, and this one sure is a doozy. Things are drastically changing in Morganville, and it will be very interesting to see how things turn out in the next book. It looks like Claire and her friend's troubles have only just begun, and I am eager to continue their story.

Rating:

Buy now at Amazon:
Feast of Fools (Morganville Vampires, Book 4)

read more

Follow Friday & Book Blogger Hop (14)

Don't forget to check out my 200 followers contest Here. 

On fridays I participate in both Follow Friday and the Book Blogger Hop.

Follow Fridays is hosted by Parajunkee's View, and is just Fridays.

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Crazy-for-Books, and runs Friday to Monday. There are new rules for the hop, so make sure to check out Crazy for Books for the details.


This week's question from Crazy for Books:


Where is your favorite place to read? Curled up on the sofa, in bed, in the garden?
I can read pretty much anywhere. However, I would have to say my favorite place to read is curled up on the deck and wrapped in a blanket. I don't get to do that very often as that "deck" is about 2 hours from home, and when we are there it's mostly to spend quality time with the kids. However, nap time is a great time to curl up there and read.

This week's question from Parajunkee:

What are you currently reading?

I've been majorly slacking on my reading this week. I had a huge exam in one class that I had to cram for. I've also gotten addicted to The Vampire Diaries show, and I've been watching all the back episodes (gotta love netflix). So, not much reading going on here, but when I get back to it, I'll be diving back into the Morganville Vampires series.

read more

Waiting on Wednesday (13)

Don't forget to check out my 200 followers contest Here. 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights an upcoming release we are greatly anticipating.

My pick this week:

Blood Wyne  - Sisters of the Otherworld #9

by Yasmine Galenorn

Publication Date: February 1st, 2011

Amazon Pre-Order: Blood Wyne (Sisters of the Moon, Book 9)

The D'Artigo sisters have just turned in their badges to the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. Now that they're free agents they're hoping things will be easier, but when you're half-human, half-Fae, things can go astray at the most inopportune times...especially if you're attempting to go undercover and penetrate the underworld of a vamp society on the brink of war.

read more

Review: Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine

Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine

Morganville Vampires #3

Claire Danvers's college town may be run by vampires but a truce between the living and the dead made things relatively safe. For a while. Now people are turning up dead, a psycho is stalking her, and an ancient bloodsucker has proposed private mentoring. To what end, Claire will find out. And it's giving night school a whole new meaning. 

It seems trouble and Claire and her friends go hand in hand. When Claire signed the contract she really wasn't sure what she was getting herself into. When she is assigned to study with an absolutely brilliant vampire named Myrnin, she thinks it could be a good opportunity until she realizes just how ill he is. She has no choice but to do what the founder asks even though it could mean her life. Meanwhile Micheal is being targeted for assassination since he is the newest vampire. As if that wasn't enough danger, Eve's brother is on a rampaging murder spree doing anything and everything he can to get back at Eve. Everything seems to be against them and the four of them will need to stick together now more than ever if they are to have any hope at surviving.

I was very curious as to the founder's high interest in Claire and I suspected it has something to do with her intelligence. It turns out my predictions were right. Even though her task seems impossible, I really think Claire will eventually succeed. She just doesn't have it in her to quit, and I love her absolute determination and devotion to whatever she sets her mind to. It looks like she will have to make a choice in a moral dilemma, and based on her character, I can only see it going one way even if a lot of people won't like it. She'll do what she believes is right even if everyone else disagrees. That will be a hard road for her to travel, but if anyone has the strength to do it, she definitely does.

Things in the Glass house have become really strained now that Micheal is a vampire. Shane has an absolute hatred towards all vampires, which is understandable considering his past. However, his absolute loathing of Micheal has clouded his judgment, and I'm afraid that if he doesn't shape up it could really cause some major problems, and it will probably wind up being one of the girls who have to pay the consequence. I'm all about a relationship between Claire and Shane, but its going to come a point where I'm going to despise him for all of his stupid choices that he learns nothing from. There is only so much more Claire can sacrifice for him and I wish he would show some gratitude and grow up a little. 

I'm really enjoying this series and each book seems to be even more jammed packed than the previous one. It's so easy to get lost in these books as you can devour any one of them in a single setting The major cliffhanger ending that is Caine's trademark came back in full force in this book. Which of course makes me very eager to dig into the next book. It looks like a whole new can of worms is about to be opened to add many more complications and difficulties for the gang which is sure to make the next book interesting to say the least.

Rating

Buy now at Amazon:
Midnight Alley (Morganville Vampires, Book 3)

read more

It's Monday! What are you Reading? (13)

Don't forget to check out my 200 followers contest Here. 

Ends 11/3

It's Monday! What Are You Reading, hosted by Book Journey, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.






Here's what I read this week:

 

A Wild Light by Marjorie M. Liu (Review)
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (Review)
Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (Review)
Glass Houses by Rachel Caine (Review)
The Dead Girls' Dance by Rachel Caine (Review)



It was a decent week for me. I was even able to write all the reviews almost right away without having to put them off. I loved the first two books in the Caster Cronicles series, and I'm really enjoying the Morganville Vampires books. I also hit 200 followers, so I've posted a giveaway here. Be sure to check it out!

Here is my list for the upcoming week:

Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine
Feast of Fools by Rachel Caine
Lord of Misrule by Rachel Caine
Carpe Corpus by Rachel Caine

Rachel Caine is doing a book signing in Exton, PA early next month and I'm going to try to go. I loved her Weather Warden series, and since the signing is centered around her Morganville Vampires series I figured I would get caught up on those before the signing.

read more