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
A fun, twisty mystery with deep undertones.
At a school for both human and paranormal teens, a human starts displaying clairvoyant abilities.
Cam and his best friend, Al, are finally at the same school again for sophomore year. Despite his mom’s disapproval of Cam’s interest in all things paranormal, Cam’s loyalty to Al, who’s a brown-skinned nonbinary witch, is steadfast. Cam also has a crush on werewolf Mateo, who’s cued Latine. But when Cam, who presents white, has a terrifying vision of a stabbed woman, he’s no longer a human on the periphery of paranormal society—he’s the first clairvoyant in the area in a century. Suddenly, a local psychic guild and a coven are courting him like he’s a star athlete choosing a college. As Cam explores the possibilities, he befriends members of each organization in a sweet chosen family arc. But can his friends help him figure out the details from his first vision and prevent a murder? In this universe, queerness is accepted without question. Instead, anti-paranormality acts as a metaphor for homophobia, manifesting as forced outing, systemic oppression of paranormal people, and even conversion therapy. The novel also explores the problematic nature of stereotyping by humans, who label werewolves aggressive, sprites mean-spirited, psychics detached, and witches immoral.
A fun, twisty mystery with deep undertones. (Paranormal mystery. 14-18)Pub Date: April 29, 2025
ISBN: 9781665950947
Page Count: 368
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
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