'Fall of Night' Morganville Vampires #14 by Rachel Caine

 Received from the Publisher

From the BLURB:

Thanks to its unique mix of human and vampire residents, Morganville is a small college town with big-time problems.  But it isn't the only town with vampire trouble . . .

Claire never thought she'd leave Morganville, but when she gets accepted into the graduate course at MIT, she can't pass up the opportunity.  Saying goodbye to her firends, especially her boyfriend, Shane, is bittersweet, and her new life at MIT is both scary and exciting.  

Entrolled in a special advanced study programme with Professor Irene Anderson, former Morganville native, Claire is able to work on VLAD, her machine designed to cancel the mental abilities of vampires.

But Morganville and its inhabitants are never really far from Claire's mind.  When she begins testing her machine on live subjects, things quickly spiral out of control, and Claire begins to wonder whether leaving Morganville was the last mistake she'll ever make . . .

Following from the events of ‘Bitter Blood’, when lives were lost and friendships put to the test, Claire Danvers is following-through with her decision to leave Morganville, and attend the MIT graduate program in Cambridge. 

Claire has made the monumental decision to leave her friends behind – including newlyweds Michael and Eve, who want to start acting more like a married couple (less roommates should help with that). But Claire is also determined to leave her beloved boyfriend, Shane, behind too. Because Shane made the worst mistake not too long ago, believing a lie that Michael told about his relationship with Claire – and now she needs to be away from the most important person in her life, to try and find who she is without him. 

In Cambridge, Claire has moved into an apartment with her pre-Morganville best friend, Liz. But straight away Claire is off-balanced by the fact that her blue room apartment is nothing as homely as the Glass House. Then there’s the fact that Liz has turned into a flake, dressing in schoolgirl outfits and decidedly disinterested in books. She also has a stalker – a man named Derrick who keeps an unwanted vigil of their house. 

Claire will be assisting a Professor Irene Anderson during her MIT graduate program – another ex-Morganville resident, and another assistant who survived tutelage under Myrnin. They will be working on Claire’s VLAD machine – a mood-altering device that should help humans with unruly vamps.

Meanwhile, in Morganville, Shane can’t stop missing Claire (and worrying about her). He also feels like the awkward third-wheel in Michael and Eve’s marriage. So he makes the momentous decision to drive to Cambridge and keep an eye on Claire … from a distance.

‘Fall of Night’ is the fourteenth book in Rachel Caine’s young adult paranormal series, ‘Morganville Vampires.’ 

It always happens that when I crack open the latest ‘Morganville’ instalment, a small part of me worries that this might be the book to mark my waning interest. There aren’t many series that have been around since 2006 with consistent releases, and still manage to not only maintain, but consistently grow its fan-base … so I always go into ‘Morganville’, with a small pessimistic part of me that’s waiting for the magic to dissipate. But I’m happy to report that ‘Fall of Night’ is not that book – and, actually, it looks like Rachel Caine has just given this series a second-wind…

In ‘Fall of Night’, Caine is again taking the characters out of Morganville. She did this in book eight, ‘Kiss of Death’ – taking the awesome foursome on a killer (literally) road-trip that opened their eyes to the fact that the grass is not necessarily greener on the vampireless side. The big difference, of course, is that in this 14th book, Claire is all on her lonesome – and by choice. Not only is she outside of Morganville, but she has left her friends behind too. 

Now, Claire has always been a strong, remarkable young woman. She prefers brains over brawn (but also knows how to throw a punch) and she’s a very level-headed, quick-witted warrior. But, ever since Michael, Eve and Shane gave her the safety of the Glass House in book one, she has been part of a unit. Now that we’re 14 books in, I can see it makes a lot of sense for Caine to take Claire out of that home-base and show fans what she has become while living in Morganville. With Claire’s independence, fans can really appreciate that she loses none of her strength away from the awesome-foursome friendship unit. She might lose a little of her heart, but even away from Morganville Claire has a steel backbone and strong moral compass. 

The heart though, is another matter … but again it makes sense that we see Claire and Shane put to the test. They’ve been an item for a long, long time and have become very co-dependent - so it was actually really nice for Caine to separate them and see how they go. Of course, it’s mostly Claire doing the separating since Shane can’t stay away for long (it’s more protective than stalkerish though – honest!) but it was nice to reaffirm why they are together, what remains when they are apart and the strength that binds them. For anyone doubting Claire and Shane being together for so long, and at such a young age – I think Caine puts a lot of those worries to bed in this book.

And this is also a book of new faces. Claire and Shane both befriend two Cambridge locals who work with Professor Anderson, and at the bar where Shane gets a job as busboy. Pete is a bouncer and rough teddy-bear, then there’s Jesse – a fiery red head with killer curves and a badass streak a mile long. When Derrick, Liz’s stalker, starts encroaching on Claire’s new territory, Pete and Jesse are there in lieu of Michael, Eve and Shane to have her back; 

‘I can smell the crazy on that man from here. I have a nose for it.’ In the dim light, a passing car’s lights hit Jesse full in the face, and lit her up like a billboard. Her blue eyes were very, very bright, and for a second Claire had a Morganville déjà vu … but this was the real world, and Jesse was just a badass. Like Pete.Maybe that was enough.

I loved these two, especially Jesse. She poses an interesting twist in the story, and while some fans will probably grumble about her appearance I can’t wait to see how she shakes things up for a certain someone….

Caine is also touching on themes of the eighth book, ‘Kiss of Night’ – in that the Morganville kids learn that the outside world is just as tough and full of danger. Shane, especially, is somewhat surprised by the violence he encounters from regular humans; 

For some reason, I thought that Morganville was the equivalent of ‘Dead Space’ Level Twelve, and having survived that, I didn’t rate the nerdy, vampire-free streets of Cambridge at more than a Level Two. 

The difference with ‘Fall of Night’, however, is that some of the outside violence may be leaking into Morganville … but fans will just have to wait for ‘Daylighters’ releasing in November to find out more about that.

All in all ‘Fall of Night’ was another Morganville book that got my heart racing, my hands sweaty and my interest piqued. What can I say? Rachel Caine has done it again.

5/5

Interview with Rachel Caine, author of the 'Morganville Vampires' series

 ⌂

I am such a huge Rachel Caine fan. I loved battling storms and Dijn with Joanne Baldwin, gained some human perspective with Cassiel and most recently I've been enjoying the resurrection racket with Bryn Davis. But it's Caine's 'Morganville Vampires' series, and the awesome-foursome of Claire, Shane, Michael and Eve who I have a real soft spot for. 

I can't believe 'Morganville Vampires' is now into its 13th book, with the latest offering of 'Bitter Blood' setting up some very interesting curve balls for the Glass House residents.

I was actually lucky enough to catch up with Ms Caine last year, for a lovely breakfast (courtesy of Penguin Books Australia!) and I had a wonderful time picking her brain... so I couldn't pass up a second opportunity to find out the latest goss about one of my favourite authors!

If you would also like the opportunity to meet Ms Caine - check out her Aussie tour dates!

  ⌂

Q: I understand that ‘Morganville Vampires’ will be ending with a whopping 15 books in the series – with the very last book, 'Fall of Night', to be released November next year. Have you started writing that book yet? Have you observed any writerly rituals to say goodbye to these characters that you first wrote into existence back in 2006?

Actually, FALL OF NIGHT will be the next-to-last book, released in May 2013 ... we haven't yet finalized the title for #15, but I'm leaning toward DAYLIGHTERS. I haven't started Book 15 yet, although I have done the outline -- I'm just finishing up FALL OF NIGHT at this time. (My publishing turnarounds are much faster than normal on deadlines, so Book 15 will be written after the first of the year.)

But when I get there, and start writing it, I think the reality will definitely set in. It certainly did when I finished the last book of the Weather Warden series in Urban Fantasy ... the reality that 9 years of living with those characters had come to an end. It's very much like moving neighborhoods ... you know you'll settle in, make new friends, but you always feel nostalgic for those you left behind.

As to rituals, I suspect that finishing Book 15 will be followed by an actual vacation -- the first I've taken in nearly 20 years. And I'll probably hoist a glass of ale to the road behind me, and the road still ahead.

Q: ‘Morganville Vampires’ was really your first foray into YA. Do you think you’ll ever revisit the young adult genre with a new series or stand-alone?

Absolutely! I've already finished a stand-alone novel called PRINCE OF SHADOWS -- you'll hear more about that as we get closer to 2014 when it's scheduled for release, but it's about Romeo and Juliet. I also have a new series, unrelated to anything else, that I'm putting down in the planning stages right now. So definitely there's more to come!

Q: ‘Morganville Vampires’ has come such a long way and taken so many twists and turns. Fans read the awesome foursome survive Bishop, the draug and Ada – we’ve seen good characters turn bad, humans turn vampire and we’ve had to say goodbye to a beloved few (Sam! *sniffle*). I wonder if you’re a ‘plotter’ or a ‘pantser’ – that is, do you plot your books meticulously or fly by the seat of your pants? And was there ever a time when fan influence had sway over the story (I know that many fans pushed for a Myrnin/Claire romance – and in recent books you have broached the subject…) furthermore, was there ever a time when you were really surprised by the direction the series took?

I definitely started my career as a pantser -- seat of the pants, going without a map. I wrote about ten books that way before I started publishing often enough that having that roadmap was essential -- not just for my sanity, but for business reasons for the publisher, who needed to design covers, write ads and copy, sell the book ahead into stores ... it isn't all about the book itself. So I was forced to try to find a compromise between the two. Now, I have a general outline of events, and then I find room to "pants" my way around and through them!

Hmmm, fan influence ... I try not to let anyone else's ideas influence what I do, but I had always intended for Myrnin to have a bit of a fatal fascination for Claire, and for him to be equally fascinated by her. It isn't a romance, per se ... in Myrnin's mind it probably comes closer, but it's really mostly deep admiration and trust. He's the world's worst candidate (well, next to a draug, probably) for boyfriend, because as sweet and fantastic as he can be, and as loyal as he is, he's also unpredictable and has a history of killing those he loves when he's out of control. This is not what you want in a sweetheart.

Q: In the last few ‘Morganville Vampires’ books you’ve started writing perspectives beyond just Claire’s. I, personally, have loved Shane’s insight – it’s really been a way to mark his growth from the angry young man in ‘Glass Houses’, to someone with a lot to lose (and fight for!) in ‘Bitter Blood’. What gave you the idea to offer up more perspectives in the latter-half of the series? And who have you most enjoyed writing for?

It started in BITE CLUB because there was no way I could pull off the plot without people understanding what was in Shane's head. I tried -- I wrote it all from Claire's perspective. But Shane came off horribly, and there seemed no way to make it work without more explaining than I was comfortable with doing. So ... I switched to Shane's perspective.

But once I'd done that, I realized that it really opened things up for the events that were coming with the draug, so I kept going, opening up the world more and more.

This continues in BITTER BLOOD, because (again) of the necessity to have other characters carry plot points. And you'll see it to a smaller extent in FALL OF NIGHT.

Q: In 13 books so far – what has been the hardest scene you’ve had to write, and what made writing it so difficult?

The toughest scenes are always the ones that you don't expect. I have no problem with action scenes ... once things are moving and the plot is charging along, the writing goes extremely fast.

It's the beginning of the book that is the toughest for me, every time -- getting established back in the world, allowing the characters to find their feet before the plot sweeps it all away. The structure and order is necessary as a contrast to the chaos that's to come, but it also can be challenging to write.

I also had to be careful of the big love scene between Claire and Shane in CARPE CORPUS, because I wanted it to feel real, sweet, exciting, awkward ... all the things that it would be in real life. It had to be more realistic than romantic, in my mind, and I probably rewrote that scene five or six times to get it right.

Q: ‘Fall of Night’ is your next book in the ‘Morganville Vampires’ series, and it’s the one before the big finale. Can you give us any clues about what we can expect from book #14?

It's WAY out of the Morganville box, as I mentioned before ... big changes for characters not only in geography, but internally as well. This is a pivotal book for Claire learning what she really wants and who she really is ... I strongly felt that Claire needed to become her own person and face some issues without the protection of the Glass House gang (at least initially), so this is what came out of that. It's a shock to her to find out that when you leave someone behind (her former best friend Elizabeth) the person they are when you see them again isn't the same ... and it can be dangerous to underestimate how much someone can change. We'll meet some new characters who'll play important roles in Book 15 as well.

Q: Are you aware of the many, many, many, many Morganville ‘mock trailer’ videos there are on YouTube? What do you think about fan’s fantasy casting (particularly the persistently popular Jared Padalecki as Shane?)

I think the mock trailers are GREAT! Honestly, the creativity of my readers just blows me away ... I saw one the other day that looked like an actual movie trailer, and it would've fooled me if I hadn't known better.

The casting is always fun, but in practical terms, Jared's done playing teens, and he wouldn't be convincing anymore as Shane at 18. I love him, and he's absolutely the right type, but I look at the type, not the actor. Because who's available and the right age when (IF) something comes about is usually completely different than your dream cast.

Q: Something I love about ‘Morganville Vampires’ is that you take what is, essentially, a sociological idea of a vampire-run town and turn it into something rather magnificent that fits beautifully into the vampire mythology. I think you did it again with your new ‘Revivalist’ series – which I read as delving into the world of big Pharma and corporate takeover – which fits very cleverly into a modern zombie mythology. Where did you first get the idea for the ‘Revivalist’ series, and what made you want to explore zombies?

Thanks! As you probably know from the news, the USA faces unusual issues in regard to health care -- we're a wealthy nation, and we have some great hospitals and doctors, but we also have traditionally not had the kind of healthcare safety nets other countries do. Our insurance has always been employer-based, with some private insurance available for purchase. Other than that, there is "charity healthcare" where you can be treated as a charity patient if you meet certain very strict income levels.

For many entrepreneurs (like me!) the struggle to get health insurance is a nightmare. I am a successful writer by any standards, and by small business standards especially ... yet the insurance companies will not insure me for any price, because I am not employed by someone else, and I have had health issues in the past. They have the ability to reject me for coverage, and do.

Living in that world, where no matter how much money you may be fortunate enough to have in the bank just means you're six months away from homeless if you have a car accident, serious illness, etc. -- it made me think about how much we're controlled by the very companies that save us. Our employers ... the insurance companies ... and the drug companies. Many people exist just a day or two away from death if they can't afford their medication.

I just held a science fiction mirror up to a real situation.

Q: On that note – what other supernatural creatures would you like to write about? Werewolves and witches perhaps?

I honestly don't know yet. I'm still letting things form in my mind! But I don't think it will be anything too easy to guess :)

Q: Can you give us any clues about the latest ‘Revivalist’ book?

In book 2, TWO WEEKS' NOTICE (you may have figured out the book titles are all a play on employment-related terms!) Bryn will have to face some deadly secrets about who's really behind the impending zombie war, and why ... and deal with her boyfriend Patrick's former relationship with Jane, who in many ways was Bryn 1.0: an original test subject for the nanites, with the unfortunate complication that it made her into a psychotic killer. Is it coming for Bryn, too? And is there any cure to death itself?

Q: I was such a HUGE fan of your ‘Weather Warden’ and ‘Outcast Season’ series. I think Jo & Co. got such an epic, befitting ending and I loved both ‘Total Eclipse’ and ‘Unbroken’. Have we most definitely read the last of the ‘Weather Warden’ universe and the Djinn? And how hard was it for you to say goodbye to those characters who you’d been writing for since 2003? Do they still occasionally ‘speak’ to you, even though their series’ are over for now?

Awww, thank you! I truly cried when I ended the cycle of those stories ... I tried to make it as big and epic an ending as I possibly could, because I felt that they were larger than life themselves, and deserved all I could do. It's a super fun universe, and I definitely will go back to it (possibly for novellas or e-releases) but I'm letting my brain cool off a bit before I jump back in. :) This is my first year without a Weather Warden book in, eep, more than 10 years if I count the time I spent writing ILL WIND! And yes, they definitely do speak to me ... especially as the powerful storms are lashing us in the USA. I think we might need the Wardens now more than ever!

Thank you for the chance to chat -- I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone at SupaNova in Brisbane and Adelaide, and at the upcoming signings in Sydney and Melbourne!!

'Bitter Blood' Morganville Vampires #13 by Rachel Caine

 Received from the Publisher 

From the BLURB:

For years, the human and vampire residents of Morganville have managed to coexist in peace. But thanks to the eradication of the parasitic creatures known as the draug, the vampires of Morganville have now been freed of their usual constraints. With the vampires indulging their every whim, the town's human population is determined to hold onto their lives by taking up arms. College student Claire Danvers, with ties to both humans and vampires, isn't about to take sides.

To make matters worse, a television show comes to Morganville searching for ghosts, just as vampire and human politics collide. Now, Claire and her friends have to figure out how to keep the peace without ending up on the nightly news . . . or worse.

 ** Warning! This review contains spoilers of previous 'Morganville Vampires' books **

The humans of vampire-run town, Morganville, once thought their deadly tyrants were unbeatable. The town had once risen against their vampire foe, but were beaten down severely and put rebellion out of their heads forever. Not to mention the human residents have also paid for a bitter warfare that raged between Morganville’s founder, Amelie, and her father, Bishop.

No, if there’s one thing Morganville has taught its human residents it’s that you can’t beat them, and you wouldn’t want to join them.

But then something changed – a new enemy came to town and was a great threat, not just to humans, but especially to vampires. The draug lived in the Morganville water supply; they fed on vampires and were all but unbeatable. For the first time, possibly in history, humans witnessed a villain greater than the vampires – and the draug came very close to wiping them out. Forever.

The draug would have succeeded; if it hadn’t been for the humans helping their vampire neighbours defeat them and take back the town.

It seemed that the defeat of the draug marked a turning in Morganville, and especially Amelia. The town founder could no longer ignore the fact that the food chain had to change: the vampires needed humans, and for more than just food. The draug’s defeat heralded a new promise of human-vampire peace, so decreed by Amelia.

It has been mere weeks since the draug incident, and infamous Morganville residents of the Glass House – Claire, Shane, Eve and vampire Michael – are hopeful of a new age in the vampire town. But their hopes are quickly dashed in the wake of Michael and Eve’s wedding – the first vampire/human union has been met with hostility from both sides, and the awesome foursome of the Glass House are once again relying on themselves for safety, when the death threats and attacks start piling up.

But the Glass House has also expanded – local girl, Miranda, died in the house during the draug battle and now haunts its premises as Michael once did, before turning vampire.

And while the Glass House undergoes changes – of the ghostly and honeymoon variety – Morganville is also being turned on its head. Oliver is whispering in Amelie’s ear, suggesting that the vampires should once again reclaim their place as human overlords. His pretty persuasion could see legalized hunts reinstated, which in turn insights human-supporter Captain Obvious, to again call for human rebellion.

The town of Morganville is again descending into chaos and destruction – but at who’s urging?

And the cherry on top of this swirling disaster is a television crew from a popular ghost-hunt show coming to town, looking to unearth Morganville’s deadly secrets.

‘Bitter Blood’ is the thirteenth book in Rachel Caine’s ridiculously popular young adult paranormal series, ‘Morganville Vampires’.

So much happened in twelfth book, ‘Black Dawn’, that it’s a welcome head-first jump into ‘Bitter Blood’ which is set a few weeks after that book. A mere few weeks since the vampires’ only enemy, the draug, were defeated and the vampire race gifted with a new sense of immortality. A few weeks since Michael Glass and Eve Rosser declared their undying love for one another and got married, without Amelie’s wishes, and to the disgust of vampires and humans alike.

When ‘Bitter Blood’ opens, there’s an odd mix of hope and despair in the air. Hope, because Amelie did make a promise at the end of ‘Black Dawn’ to rebuild Morganville with a more human-friendly foundation. And despair, because despite this uneasy truce between humans and vampires, the very embodiment of this olive branch is being threatened – the human Eve and her vampire husband, Michael, are being bullied and receiving death threats for their mixed marriage.

And then the creeping despair winds ever closer, as once again Caine offers alternate character perspectives beyond just Claire’s, and as she began in ‘Bite Club’, we have chapters from Amelie, Oliver, Michael and Myrnin’s. Amelie and Oliver’s chapters are particularly disturbing – as we read Oliver’s influence over Amelie, whispering in her ear that humans need to be re-taught their place in the Morganville hierarchy. Humans feel the unease in the air, and a new rebellion looms closer;

When Claire didn’t speak, Hannah shook her head, leant over, and picked up the weapon. She seated it in a holster under her arm. ‘There’s a war coming,’ she said. ‘A real war. There’s not going to be any room for people like you standing in the middle, trying to make peace. I’m trying to save your life.’
‘You always wanted peace.’
‘I did. But when you can’t have peace, there’s only one thing you can aim for, Claire, and that’s winning the war the best and maybe the bloodiest way you can.’

I had many questions after ‘Black Dawn’ and the defeat of the draug – arguably the last creatures on the planet capable of destroying vampires. I did wonder what was next; if the vampires were made to feel secure that they were top of the food chain once again. Where would the conflict be then? But pretty soon ‘Bitter Blood’ answers that question in a most resounding way – namely that vampires’ biggest threat is themselves. They are, quite literally, their own worst enemy. Power hungry hubris has been the fall of many great empires and leaders – and the vamps are no different.

Fascinating as the power-plays of the vampires are in ‘Bitter Blood’, it’s also the evolution of the Glass House gang that’s so interesting in this thirteenth book. Things undoubtedly had to change after Michael and Eve’s wedding – partly because of town hostility, but also between them. ‘Husband’ and ‘wife’ hold more weight than ‘boyfriend’ and ‘girlfriend’, and it’s interesting to see how their union is changing the awesome foursome dynamic – and also forcing Claire and Shane to ask themselves how far along they’ve come in their relationship too.

Without getting spoiler-y I will also delight fans and say that Myrnin and Claire are veeeeeery interesting in this book. Very interesting indeed (warning: may induce squealing-hysteria).

We have only two more books before Rachel Caine’s epic ‘Morganville Vampires’ series comes to a close – leaving us with a grand total of fifteen books. ‘Bitter Blood’ certainly ends in such a way as to let fans know that Caine is gearing up for the big finale … the ripples of change are most clearly felt in Claire, our main protagonist from book one, and by the end of ‘Bitter Blood’ she has a lot of big questions to ask of herself – where Shane, school and her own identity are concerned. I’m sad to think that the end is nigh for ‘Morganville Vampires’, a smart young adult vampire series that I’ve been reading and loving since 2006 – but I am most intrigued as to where Rachel Caine is leading Claire, and readers, on this path to finale…

5/5

'Black Dawn' Morganville Vampires #12 by Rachel Caine

 Received from the Publisher

From the BLURB:

Ever since the draug - mysterious creatures that prey on vampires - took over Morganville, the lives of student Claire Danvers and her friends have been thrown into turmoil. Using the city's water system to spread, the draug have rapidly multiplied and vampire Amelie - the town founder - has been infected by the master draug's bite.

Now, unless Claire and her friends figure out how to cure Amelie and defeat the draug, Morganville will become little more than a ghost town...

** Warning! This review contains spoilers of previous 'Morganville Vampires' books ** 

The town of Morganville is no stranger to danger; Bishop, homicidal super computer, rogue vampires and a near-deadly human uprising. All have tried, and failed, to bring Morganville and the town’s founder, Amelie, to its knees. Always, the vampires have come out on top, with their human donors agreeing to keep tremulous obedience. But now, all that has changed.


The draug are ancient water creatures who feed on vampires. Death by draug bite is long and painful . . .  even worse though, are the hallucinations that come with death. The draug have invaded Morganville with the intent to overthrow Amelie and reign supreme – and they seem to be succeeding. Amelie lies dying from draug bite, and her second-in-command, Oliver, is in charge.


What happens in Morganville when those who have always been at the top of the food chain, are now the ones being hunted?


‘Black Dawn’ is the twelfth book in Rachel Caine’s epic paranormal series, ‘Morganville Vampires’.


Twelve books in and travelling back to Morganville is still a helter-skelter thrill-ride of epic proportions. Book eleven, ‘Last Breath’, finished on a cliff-hanger with the invasion of Morganville, and the Scooby gang (Claire, Shane, Eve and Michael) learning of the vampires ancient enemy, the draug. As Morganville comes to ruin, vampires and humans alike are in hiding, avoiding bodies of water, and even Claire’s university has been shut down and evacuated. Even worse, the town’s founder, Amelie, lies dying by increments from a draug bite that will see her eventually turn into one of them. Morganville rests in Oliver’s hands, and as the Scooby Gang know, he has no love lost for humans.

‘So you are right,’ he finished, even more quietly. ‘In order to accomplish these things, I will need the help of humans, and of you and your friends. It galls me, but there is no possibility of success without mortal assistance. Vampires have battled the draug, fled from the draug, nd died. But the draug are not used to fighting mortals. You are . . . unpredictable. And as a general, I will use whatever weapons come to hand to win my battles. Do you understand me?’
She gave him a small, thin smile. It felt like a cut in her lips. ‘You’re saying we’re expendable.’
‘All soldiers are expendable, young or old, vampire or human, and ever have been.’

The town is crumbling, and so too are the Scooby Gang. In ‘Last Breath’, vampire Michael was captured and attacked by the draug. Upon being rescued by his friends, he inadvertently attacked Eve and nearly drained her dry. When ‘Black Dawn’ begins, the gang are fractured following Eve and Michael’s falling-out – she can’t help but flinch at his touch, and Michael starts to question the likelihood of a vampire and human staying together, let alone marrying as they had planned.


‘Black Dawn’ continues Rachel Caine’s recent trend of alternate points-of-view, something which stated in ‘Bite Club’ when she gave us Shane’s narrative. In ‘Black Dawn’, even more long-running characters are offering their perspectives. We get chapters from Oliver, Michael, Shane and Eve. As well as Claire’s usual input. Each of these POV’s are vital to the story – and often the narrative switch comes in scenes in which Claire is not physically present, and readers would have no ordinary way of knowing what transpired. This means we get some very interesting insight into Eve and Michael’s relationship hurdles, Oliver’s unusually tender feelings for Amelie and Shane’s true insecurities about Myrnin’s interest in Claire. . .


That’s right. ‘Black Dawn’ has a surprising focus on Shane’s jealous steak where Claire’s vampire boss, Myrnin, is concerned. Claire and Shane have been a pretty rock-solid couple for quite a few books now (the romantic tensions of ‘Bite Club’ being their first real trial in a long time). So fans are understandably keen for a little spice to be added to the mix – in the form of Claire’s boss, Myrnin, who many have speculated has a soft spot for his little human laboratory assistant. Now, I’m not saying that all fans want Claire to leave Shane for Myrnin. I'd say it’s a small minority who are Team Myrnin in the battle for Claire’s affections. But I think lots of fans want the tension and drama of Myrnin professing his interest in Claire (beyond just wanting her brain to power his super-computer that is). So far fans have been left to speculate and make mountains out of molehills where Myrnin and Claire are concerned. . . well, things get interesting in ‘Black Dawn’. Thanks to the alternate perspectives, we do get to read Shane’s true jealous feelings. We also get a glimpse at what Amelie and Oliver think of Myrnin’s interest in Claire. Hmmm. . . .interesting, interesting stuff. And, of course, all this speculation leads to some funny and classically snarky Shane scenes between him and Myrnin;

‘Wow,’ Shane said. ‘You really know how to drum up team spirit. Did you print up Team Total Fail jerseys, too?’

Any fans who are sceptical of Caine’s POV swap-up will be rest assured by ‘Black Dawn’. The alternate narratives pay-off ten-fold when we get new insight into Eve and Michael’s relationship – another couple who have been fairly stagnate for a few books now, but have a real change-up in this twelfth instalment. Shane also has a chapter of such heartbreak, which is so beautifully communicated by Caine, that fans will absolutely understand and accept the reasons behind her needing other characters to have a voice.


Now, as to the ending. . .  a lot happens in ‘Black Dawn’, and there are quite a few resolutions to be made (not least of all because of all the side-stories alternate narratives present). The ending is mind-blowing, to say the least. Quite a few times Caine comes close to the edge of changing the entire trajectory of the ‘Morganville Vampires’ series. But she doesn’t do it. She takes a step back and I, for one, was a wee bit disappointed. . .


[huge SPOILERS – highlight to read!] I actually wanted Amelie to make Claire a vampire. I know, I know – I can hear fans howling at the indignity of this opinion. But, honestly, I was rooting for it. For one thing, I would have really liked to read Shane’s reaction. A lot of ‘Black Dawn’ is about how far Claire and Shane have come in their relationship – and they are gorgeous together (their ‘not perfect’ speech was BEAUTIFUL!) But I kinda wanted to read a spanner thrown in their works – and I think a real test of Shane’s devotion, would be how he reacts to a vampire Claire. Would he still love her? Would he still want her? Remember his reaction to his best friend, Michael, being turned vampire – well what would happen if it was Claire? Furthermore, I was intrigued by Amelie saying Myrnin would appreciate Claire being turned. I think he would have. A lot. I wanted to read that. I don’t know, maybe I’m a sucker for a rock and a hard place, but I think Caine begged off of a genuinely good and complex curve-ball when she didn’t turn Claire vampire. [end SPOILERS]


‘Black Dawn’ is an incredible new instalment in Rachel Caine’s ‘Morganville Vampires’ series. Now I’m interested to know where we go from here – and with the thirteenth book title announced, ‘Bitter Blood’, what is in store for the Scooby Gang and the town of Morganville in the wake of disaster?


4.5/5

'Last Breath' Morganville Vampires #11 by Rachel Caine

Received from the Publisher

From the BLURB:

Claire Danvers is concerned when three vampires vanish from Morganville without a trace. The last person seen with them is someone new to town – a mysterious individual named Magnus. Claire is convinced creepy Magnus isn't human . . . but is he a vampire, or something else entirely?

Claire's hunt for answers leads her to solving another mystery that's long been puzzling her: why do vampires live so far out in a sunny desert when they're sensitive to sunlight? The answer has nothing to do with sunlight, but with water – and an ancient enemy who has finally found a way to invade the vampires' landlocked community. Vampires aren't the top predator on earth. There's something worse that preys on them . . . something much worse. Which means if Claire, and Morganville, want to live, they will have to fight on to the last breath . . .

** This review contains spoilers of previous 'Morganville' books **

Claire Danvers and the Glass House Scooby Gang have battled super computers, Bishop the bad-ass vampire and even survived an unsuccessful human coup that nearly tore the town apart.

Throughout it all Claire, Shane, Eve and Michael have stuck together and weathered countless storms. But this next hurdle may just be their undoing . . . it might actually mean the fall of Morganville and their town as they know it, because this next challenge is so momentous, it’s impossible to envisage how everyone will escape unscathed . . . Eve and Michael’s wedding!

‘Last Breath’ is the eleventh book in Rachel Caine’s epically awesome ‘Morganville Vampires’ young adult paranormal series.

What’s really strange about going into ‘Last Breath’ is that it doesn’t feel like book eleven. Honestly, it’s a little startling to look at the entire shelf of my bookcase lined with ‘Morganville’ instalments. And it’s even crazier to be cracking open number eleven in a series that first started in 2006! It’s odd, purely because ‘Last Breath’ reads as fresh and heart-palpitating as those first forays into Morganville from all those years ago. Eleven books in and Rachel Caine’s series is a steadfast and beloved paranormal series because it is constantly reinventing itself and keeping readers hooked. . . and she does it again in ‘Last Breath’.

This book is a game-changer, for a lot of reasons. First, because Caine is changing the narrative structure with this book, taking it away from Claire’s limited third-person perspective, and throwing in first-person narration from Amelie, Eve, Michael and Shane. Caine did this to a lesser extent in ‘Bite Club’ when she offered up only Shane’s perspective during his character assassination (and rebuilding). In ‘Last Breath’ we only get one or two chapters in alternating character’s perspectives – and they are told for crucial plot reasons when Claire can’t physically be in the scene for us to know what’s going on. The majority of the book is told from Claire’s point of view. I really quite enjoyed these perspective swaps – and I totally understand why Caine had to do it. I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone, but quite a few important things are happening to the structure and politics of Morganville, and it’s important to know Amelie’s take on things. If I had any complaint about this structure switch-up, it’s that Caine wasn’t consistent with the third-person and first-person narration. It is fairly seamless, and it took me doing a re-read of a few paragraphs to realize the switch from “he” to “I”, but once I did I couldn’t stop wondering why she didn’t choose to keep consistent narration?

Small qualm aside, ‘Last Breath’ is the ultimate Morganville rollercoaster ride. My emotions were running rampant throughout my reading. One moment I was cracking up at the various Myrnin shenanigans and Shane one-liners (of which there are many):

“Will you come?” Myrnin asked. He sounded calmed now, but also oddly needy. “It’s been very lonely here these past few days. I'd like your company at least for a little while.” When she hesitated, he used the pity card. “Please, Claire.”

“Fine,” she sighed. “I’m bringing Shane.”

After a second of silence, he said, flatly, “Goody,” and hung up.

“You’re kidding,” Shane said. “Do you think I want to visit Crazy McTeeth in his lair of insanity?”

“No,” Claire said, “but I’m pretty sure you won’t like it if I go alone when I just kind of promised to be with you. So. . . ?”

“Right. I've been missing Nutty McFang anyway.”

“Stop making up names for him.”

“What about Count Crackula?”

“Just stop.”

But then Caine veers the story into dangerous and daunting territory. She throws a curveball with such force that it literally sent me reeling and dragging my jaw up off the floor. And this is why Rachel Caine’s ‘Morganville’ series is still going strong eleven books deep. Heck, this is why her series will undoubtedly go way past her contracted thirteen – because she is a ruthless writer. She will sacrifice characters for a good cliffhanger. She’s willing to shock and even anger readers; only to make it up to them ten-fold as the series continues.

I can guarantee that at the end of ‘Last Breath’, many readers will have had the wind knocked out of them, left scratching their heads and wondering where the story is going to go next. To those reeling readers I say ‘trust’. This is Rachel Caine we’re talking about . . . yes, ‘Last Breath’ ends on a catastrophic cliffhanger, but that just means the pay-back will be ten-fold. Get ready for ‘Black Dawn’, because it’s going to be explosive.

4.5/5

'Morganville' #12 will be released May 2012

Rachel Caine for Breakfast!

Hello Darling Readers,

First of all – Happy Mother’s Day!

And now onto more important things . . . (I kid, I kid! I love you, Mama!)

After reading and envying many Aussie book bloggers, it was finally my turn to meet Rachel Caine for brekkie. Finally!

I travelled down to Camberwell to have a breakfast with Ms. Caine and two other book bloggers. We got to talk about vampires, tornadoes and Charlaine Harris-impressions over coffee and pancakes. Heaven!

First off, Rachel Caine is an absolute delight. Truly, she is lovely and charming and it was a pleasure to pick her brain while downing a cappuccino.

We talked a lot and randomly. We discussed Southern slang, ya’ll (and I did my Sookie Stackhouse impression, thank you very much!). Rachel also showed us a horrifyingly cool picture of her husband decked-out as a vampire (contacts, fangs and all!). And we even discussed our crush on vintage Pacey Witter (it was all about the Caesar haircut!). But in-between I did manage to slip in a few pertinent questions about her books;

OUTCAST SEASON

Rachel actually said that she got up at 6:30AM this morning to write a thousand words for the fourth ‘Outcast Season’ book. This fourth book will be the last in the series, and will most likely put to rest the entire ‘Weather Warden’ series (apparently matching-up series timelines is a real headache!).

The good news is that my favourite character, Rashid, definitely makes an appearance in the final book. Fingers crossed he’s naked for most of the novel!

WEATHER WARDEN

I know this series is done and dusted, but I couldn’t help pointing out to Rachel how spookily predictive the series has been! She started the ‘Weather Warden’ series back in 2003, and she was inspired by the fact that Texas has many tornado/hurricane warnings throughout the year. But since then we’ve had floods in Queensland, earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan as well as crazy volcano activity and the awful Hurricane Katrina.

MORGANVILLE VAMPIRES

I actually saw a Word document on Rachel’s computer! That’s right; I saw the words ‘Last Breath’ on the screen! But that’s all I saw. I promise.

By the sounds of it there’s going to be a lot of twists, turns and surprises in 'Last Breath' – naturally, this is Morganville after all!

Monica Morell has a few big, bullying scenes. We might be finding out why Texas was Amelie’s chosen location for the vampire town experiment . . .

Rachel is also aware that some fans were lobbying for a Myrnin/Claire romance ... but says it's highly unlikely (what with Myrnin being wacko and all. When he considered putting Claire's brain in a master-computer it was pretty much a deal-breaker). Sorry ladies, it doesn't look like Claire will be sharing Myrnin's bunny slippers anytime soon...

And Rachel Caine would be more than happy to continue the series, beyond the 13th book she is currently contracted for (and which is untitled at the moment). Rachel (like her fans) is not at all tired of Morganville and she is keen to keep writing – but it all depends on sales. So if you haven’t visited Morganville yet, I suggest you climb onboard the fan-wagon!

Oh, and Rachel Caine is more than aware of the fan-girl lobbying of Jared Padelecki for Shane. She thinks he would have been good in the role during his Gilmore Girls days, but that he’s a little bit too old to play Shane now . . .

REVIVALIST

I am so excited for Rachel’s new series! It’s set in a funeral home / morgue and it sounds spooky-cool, like ‘Six Feet Under’ with a paranormal bent. I can’t wait! It comes out August this year.

♥

I had a delightful breakfast with the wonderful Rachel Caine. She was bubbly, funny and an all-round fantastic chick.

I'd like to give a big THANK YOU to the lovely Felicity Vallence for organizing the breakfast (and agreeing that Pacey Witter was a hottie in his hey-day!).

♥

'Morganville Vampires' international GIVEAWAY!

Hello Darling Readers,

First of all – HAPPY EASTER! Stay safe, eat lots and praise the bunny!

Now that Easter is here, I am more excited than usual for the month of May. Because with May, comes Rachel Caine. That’s right – Rachel Caine, the fabulous author of one of my all-time favourite YA series is coming down under for a book tour! Hallelujah!

This is a duel-celebration. Happy Good Friday – and Rachel Caine’s tour of Australia. This is beyond perfect for me – since Easter eggs and ‘Morganville Vampires’ books are among some of my favourite things.

I am celebrating this auspicious occasion with a book giveaway-extravaganza. Thanks to the lovely people at Penguin Books Australia, I am giving away SIX ‘Morganville Vampires’ books. That’s right, six big ones! Books four to nine! So if you need to catch-up on the goings-on of Morganville before you fall into ‘Bite Club’ this prize is the perfect opportunity! Plus, these are the fancy and pretty Australian covers – looky how shiny they are!

To enter:

♥ Become a follower of my blog (if you aren't already)

♥ Answer the question;
‘if you were a vampire, which grand city would you like to live and cause mayhem in?’

♥ Include a way to contact you (e-mail addy is fine)

♥ One post per entrant

♥ This is an INTERNATIONAL giveaway!

♥ Contest closes May 2nd.
I will announce the lucky winner on May 3rd

Happy Easter!

'Bite Club' Morganville Vampires #10 by Rachel Caine

Received from the Publisher

From the BLURB:

Morganville is a quiet college town where humans and vampires live in relative peace. But lately a great deal of blood is being spilt . . .

Having survived a number of adventures with her new night-dwelling friends, college student Claire Danvers has come to realise that for the most part, the undead just want to get on with their lives.

But someone else wants them to get ready to rumble.

There's a new extreme sport being broadcast over the Internet: bare-knuckle fights pitting captured vampires against one another – or, worse, against humans. Claire soon discovers that what started as an online brawl will soon threaten everyone in Morganville. And if they want to survive, they'll have to do a lot more than fight . . .

Welcome to Morganville, Texas. You can check-out any time you like, but you can never leave!

The little vampire town of Morganville has been through a lot in recent months. Between an old vampire called Bishop pulling a coup, a super computer trying to destroy the town and general vampire mayhem, its residents are just trying to get back on their feet and back to (relatively) normal.

Town fonder, Amelie, has promised locals that Morganville will change. Humans will no longer be treated as walking-snacks, vampires will not have free reign and open communication between vamps and humans will be encouraged. So when a vampire called Vassily opens a gym, promising vampire self-defence classes for humans, things really do seem to be changing for the better in Morganville.

But for Claire Danvers, all these small-town revolutions are amounting to a lot of trouble. Her boyfriend, Shane, has joined the gym and seems to be more violent and anti-vampire than ever. Shane is even turning on his best friend, Michael, and accusing him of a master-race conspiracy. Not to mention there’s a mysterious, haggard vampire running around town, right around the same time that one of Claire’s classmates is found bloodily murdered in his dorm room.

Morganville was supposed to be changing, for the better . . . but all signs are pointing to much of the same.

‘Bite Club’ is the tenth book in Rachel Caine’s revered YA paranormal series, ‘Morganville Vampires’. And once again, Rachel Caine delivers a heart-palpitating novel of utter paranormal brilliance.

This book is a game-changer in the ‘Morganville’ series. There’s a lot happening in this instalment, both big changes to the town structure of Morganville and transformations amidst the awesome-foursome of Claire, Shane, Eve and Michael.

The book begins with a murder. One of Claire’s lab-partners from Texas Prairie University is found brutally stabbed in his dorm. Claire knows for a fact that this student had done something to incur the wrath of the vampires, and can only assume that he paid for the indiscretion with his life. Thus begins Caine’s investigation into the changing face of Morganville. Following the events of previous books, in which the town was under threat from Bishop and Ada, it looked as though Amelie and all the local vamps were keen for a positive change. In ‘Bite Club’ we read just how much (and how little) Morganville lore has changed. . .

Amelie is, for the first time in a long time, observing how well the experiment of Morganville has turned out. This town was always a test – a way to see how well vampires and humans could co-exist. To say there have been problems along the way is a massive understatement. In ‘Bite Club’ Amelie is seriously considering what to do with the information thus gathered . . . has anyone, vampire or human, learnt anything about co-habitation? Is Morganville worth the effort? These are all big concepts for ‘Morganville’– the entire series is hung on the concept of experimentation between human and monster. Everything hinges on Amelie’s decision about the town . . . and things are exacerbated by a string of brutal coincidences that can lead to only one frightening conclusion;

Amelie bent towards him very slowly and said, “My hateful father never had a better student than me, Myrnin. And I will kill him, but I’ll do it in my own time. Don’t tell me what to do, or I might find it necessary to remind you that I am the Founder of Morganville. Not you.”

“I never forget,” Myrnin said in a choked whisper. “Certainly not with your nails in my throat. They’re quite an excellent mnemonic device.”

‘Bite Club’ is also a revolutionary instalment in the series for what Caine explores in the friendship and relationship dynamics of Claire, Shane, Eve and Michael. For the first time in the ‘Morganville’ series, Caine offers dual-perspectives – switching between Claire’s POV and Shane’s. I was initially a little unsure about this switch-up, but as the story progresses and disturbing events unfold, I realized that we needed Shane’s words. We absolutely had to understand his transformation from the inside out. Because in ‘Bite Club’ Shane shares uncomfortable truths, he takes a good look at himself and doesn’t like what he sees;

Claire looked up at me, worry and anger on her face, and for the first time, I saw myself reflected in her eyes. I saw what I was doing.

I knew that look. That face. I'd seen it throughout my childhood, when Dad came stumbling home from the bar. I'd seen it heavy-duty industrial strength after Alyssa died, twenty-four/seven.

Oh, God. God.

It was like some curtain got snapped back, flooding my insides with light, and I didn’t like what I was seeing in myself, not at all. Fighting was one thing. But this... this was something else. This was me becoming what I never wanted to be.

Shane has always been violent. For the most part, his brutality is just beneath the surface, only ever revealed when an innocent or someone he loves is provoked and needs defending. But in ‘Bite Club’ Shane is transformed – he’s constantly angry and violent, and his temper is just a wrong-word away from being unleashed. This is the most fascinating character exploration Caine has ever undertaken. Be warned, Shane’s change is disturbing and heartbreaking. Claire bears the brunt of his flipped-personality, and it’s incredibly hard to read their idyllic relationship come crumbling down. But Shane needed this exploration. Fans needed to know the reasons for his anger, and we needed to read his awareness of those origins. Yes, this character-arc is difficult to read, but it’s also incredibly fulfilling.

I can’t give anything away, but Eve and Michael have their own transformation. This is HUGE and will incite squeals . . . seriously; I can’t wait to see how this plays out in future books. Amazing!

This is the tenth book in Caine’s ‘Morganville’ series – and she certainly delivers a revolutionary novel for this decade-instalment. Expect big changes – both to the town and beloved characters. Claire and Shane experience an emotional upheaval. Michael and Eve have big plans ahead. And the fate of Morganville resits entirely on Amelie’s shoulders . . . ‘Bite Club’ is a game-changing instalment, and I can’t wait to see what Caine has planned.

5/5