Plenty of fun.
The 12th episode in the Morganville Vampires series finds the town besieged by the terrifying draug, water beings that feed on vampires.
Throughout their history, the vampires have never defeated the draug. Human Claire, the series heroine, her boyfriend Shane and her friends, Eve and her vampire fiancé Michael, will find new ways to fight, but not without cheating death. All the while the town’s leader Amelie lies dying from a draug bite. Indeed, it looks as though Morganville has had it. Although readers know that Caine won’t allow that to happen, she works the tension beautifully, keeping the cliffhangers coming. She delves into Shane’s character most deeply in this installment, after he’s captured by the draug. The eccentric vampire Myrnin, Claire’s scientist boss, stands out as the book’s most interesting and entertaining character, providing both comic relief and some nice plot turns. The romance scenes in the novel don’t rise above most other paranormal romances, and the writing relies on frequent use of italics, but the author’s imagination easily tops the average, keeping the book constantly interesting. Her suspense scenes, the heart of this series, crackle with vitality and occur frequently enough to induce white knuckles. The plot includes enough explication that new readers can orient themselves. This series continues to provide terrific action and great entertainment.
Plenty of fun. (Paranormal suspense. 12 & up)Pub Date: May 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-451-23671-5
Page Count: 384
Publisher: New American Library
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
IN THE NEWS
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter.
After a Nigerian British girl goes off to an exclusive boarding school that seems to prey on less-privileged students, she discovers there might be some truth behind an urban legend.
Ife Adebola joins the Urban Achievers scholarship program at pricey, high-pressure Nithercott School, arriving shortly after a student called Leon mysteriously disappeared. Gossip says he’s a victim of the glowing-eyed Changing Man who targets the lonely, leaving them changed. Ife doesn’t believe in the myth, but amid the stresses of Nithercott’s competitive, privileged, majority-white environment, where she is constantly reminded of her state school background, she does miss her friends and family. When Malika, a fellow Black scholarship student, disappears and then returns, acting strangely devoid of personality, Ife worries the Changing Man is real—and that she’s next. Ife joins forces with classmate Bijal and Benny, Leon’s younger brother, to uncover the truth about who the Changing Man is and what he wants. Culminating in a detailed, gory, and extended climactic battle, this verbose thriller tempts readers with a nefarious mystery involving racial and class-based violence but never quite lives up to its potential and peters out thematically by its explosive finale. However, this debut offers highly visually evocative and eerie descriptions of characters and events and will appeal to fans of creature horror, social commentary, and dark academia.
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781250868138
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
Heart-pounding.
A gay, transgender brujo with burgeoning powers seeks answers about his cousin’s death.
Sixteen-year-old Yadriel also wishes for acknowledgement from his community but unexpectedly finds himself entangled in the unresolved wishes of a strong-willed, good-looking spirit. He descends from a long line of brujx who have been granted magic power by Lady Death to heal the living and to guide spirits into the afterlife. Although he’s grown up surrounded by a close-knit community, Yadriel feels alone, excluded indefinitely from a sacred rite of passage because he is transgender. When he senses that his cousin Miguel has died suddenly but the family can’t locate him, Yadriel sees an opportunity to prove to everyone he’s a true brujo by solving the mystery and releasing his cousin’s lost spirit. His plan quickly falls apart, as he accidentally summons the spirit of Julian Diaz, a boy with unfinished business who died the same day as Miguel. Both the romance and mystery burn slow and hot until the climax. Stakes begin high, and the intensity only increases with a looming deadline and a constant risk that Julian might lose himself, turning maligno. The cast of characters represents a diversity of Latinx identities sharing a community in East Los Angeles. Julian is Colombian while Yadriel is Cuban and Mexican. Their romance provides joyful, ground-breaking representation for gay, transgender boys.
Heart-pounding. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-25046-9
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Swoon Reads/Macmillan
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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