*** Review*** Ghost Town (Morganville Vampires #9) by Rachel Caine

On the Back of the Book

The fragile peace between humans and vampires in Morganville is in trouble, and when Claire takes drastic action, she’s put under serious pressure to re-establish the barriers that keep the town residents inside, and wipe the memories of those who leave.

But working with her half-crazy vampire boss Myrnin means that things don’t always turn out as planned... and as the people of Morganville begin acting strangely, Claire and her friends must solve the mystery and try to put things right. But one by one, her allies are turning on her... even the ones she trusts most.

Pre Read Thoughts

I’m choosing this because:

I’m still working my way through these and my excitement and anticipation grows with book I read. I originally only picked these up because I was going through a vampire phase but I got bored of them before I reached Morganville. So at the start of the year when I decided to launch an attack on Spencer (my TBR pile, remember I named him!) I decided to start with this whole series and I’m really not regretting it.

Judging a book by its cover:

The thing that draws me to this cover every single time I look at it are the girl’s eyes. They call to me and I fall into them (too dramatic? Maybe a bit? Oh well I love a bit of drama!). The title and other shiny bits are in silver this time and while they look so stunning I find they blend in more than stand out. Normally the shiny stands out and I miss that about this cover. Although if we’re being honest it’s still better than the US covers, they really don’t do anything for me.

Pricing the (possible) awesomeness:

I keep pointing out that I got these as part of a 3 for £5 offer because I’m awesome and it’s true. However if you don’t have that option you can buy this on Amazon for £5.19 in paperback or £4.31 on Kindle. They’re reasonable prices and the series so far has definitely been worth reading so it’s time for an investment if you haven’t got them.

Post Read Thoughts

‘Fade Out’ just got topped. Morganville just keeps getting better. This book felt longer than the others but that really didn’t affect the story, if anything it enhanced it. There were so many times when I thought I was getting to the climax of the story then something would happen and I’d be sent back reeling, wondering how on Earth Claire was going to pull off her task. The writing is still keeping me interested in the story, even though we’re 9 books in and I get bored more easily than Claire gets herself into a spot of bother. (Oooh! I said a spot of bother! How British of me!)

This book gave me the chance to see what Eve, Michael and Shane were like before Claire came into their lives and I really liked having that opportunity. We got to see different sides to them all and we get to see how Claire can cope on her own, well I say on her own, that girl got skillz to make people believe in her! (I’m never spelling skills like that ever again.) Seeing the guys (and gal) as teenagers (well their minds anyway) really makes me appreciate and love them more, I think I actually prefer fifteen-year-old Shane. I don’t mean that in a dodgy way!

We also got to see a lot of other Morganville regulars revert to three years previously and I really did enjoy that! This means we get crazy Myrnin from previous books!! Oh he’s so hot when he’s murderous! *swoons* (I have pointed out that Myrnin’s my boy right?) It’s awesome to see backward character development and the whole idea of it is a stroke of genius!!

Special shout out goes to Frankie boy aka Frank Collins – His role in this book is so intriguing and I have to say it was refreshing to see a side to him that wasn’t Captain Douche Bag. Can’t say that it made me warm to him though, there’s too much water (and bad parenting) under the bridge. Also I only put Frankie boy because I can imagine the controlling jerk guy in him really hating that and I’m a meanie.

Overall this book has seen the bar, walked up to it, raised it a couple of notches then still sailed over it. It’s that awesome! This whole series has so much to offer teens and adults alike. While there is romance it doesn’t overwhelm the action and there is plenty of action going on for those that really don’t like the whole series about two people in love type thing. Finally I feel it delivered on my prediction of new giant story arcs. If you’ve read the last paragraph of the book you’ll know what I mean.

My Rating

 4.5 stars – Amazing, faultless, just incredible. I love this book, this series and I want everyone to read them I think I’d like Morganville to go on forever! *bows down to the genius that is Rachel Caine*

A Final Note

It is with a heavy heart that I report that I’m leaving Morganville, but only to get on with my review requests and ARCs! So my next few books won’t be what the page says what they are! We’re taking a detour! TO INFINITY AND BEYOND! (well that’s Toy Story but I can’t think of a book related let’s do this type thing.)

*** Review*** Kiss of Death (Morganville Vampires #8 by Rachel Caine

On the Back of the Book

Claire Danvers has a few things on her mind. First of all there is the laundry, which is now an unfortunate shade of pink. Then there is her boyfriend, Shane, who is never too far from her thoughts. Finally there is her best friend Eve’s relationship problems. As if life as a student wasn’t complicated enough, Claire just happens to be studying in Morganville. A town run by vampires. Trouble seems to follow Claire and her friends like a shadow and tonight is no exception to the rule. They must find the most difficult documents for a vampire to acquire; people passes that will allow ‘bad ass’ Morley and his friends to leave Morganville. But it’s proving incredibly difficult, and with the odds seemingly stacked against them, the biggest question of all is…Will they survive?

Pre Read Thoughts

I’m choosing this because:

‘Fade Out’ was incredible, I won’t deny it but now the time has come for me to move on to the next book. I’m a mixture of excited and nervous: excited because this series is so good and I’m enjoying it more than I imagined I would. Nervous because a part of me is worried that ‘Kiss of Death’ won’t live up to previous books, it’d hurt to get so far into a series for it to suddenly not be as good. I know it sounds silly but let’s be honest, it’s happened to us all.

Judging a book by its cover:

The cover feels dark and dangerous, all that black and red and the intenseness of the girl’s eyes. The shiny accent of this book is a rather lovely shade of blue and really stands out in the prettiest of ways. They draw you to the book and make you want to pick it up and take it home with you, well that’s what happened to me but I’m a sucker for shiny things.

Pricing the (possible) awesomeness:

3 for £5 at The Works!! Just saying that I’m a bargain hunter. Or cheap skate. Whichever way you want to look at it. It’s also available on Amazon £4.54 for the paperback, £4.31 on Kindle. There’s no reason for you not to save your pennies and buy it!

Post Read Thoughts

So, the ending is dark. The climax of the action lets you know that this is definitely a series that you’d be better off reading close together. These are good things. They keep you interested. However I bring bad news, fellow Myrnin fans: he’s not in this one much. *grabs tissue and sobs into it*I’m now in withdrawal!! Anyway, back to the book, overall I still liked it. A lot.  It has some dark elements, a stack of adventure, a dash of romance and ROAD TRIP!!! *packs bags* (What?! I’m only small, they won’t know I’m there!)

So the characters. I love good characters with depth and Morganville has them with spades. However with the action being away from town I’m having a hard time coming up with relevant people/vamps.

Oliver – Vampire 2^nd in command, half good, half evil with just a dash of hippie about him. He’s got so many layers to him that we’re now eight books in and I still don’t know where I stand with him. He’s a puzzle but that’s definitely one of the things I like about him. Possibly the only thing actually. I hate being to guess the motives of a character but there’s no chance of that with Oliver.

Morley – Morley’s been doing a bit of creepy, evil loitering with intent for a while now but this is his climax, I think, it felt like it to me anyway. He’s not a likeable character but I understand his frustrations and that makes him slightly less of an idiot, but only slightly. His actions have consequences and I’m not sure that he realises that. (I wanted to call him something stronger than an idiot but all the words I could think of were rude.)

Claire, Shane, Eve & Michael – Our heroes and heroines have such banter and the chemistry between them all makes reading this such a pleasure. With some books I’ve read books with characters sniping at each other and those were the MC only cares about their eternal love leaving the rest of the world out in the cold which really does grate on me. This bunch feel real and that’s part of what keeps me coming back for more.

This is another great book in this series. Not as good as ‘Fade Out’ but I’m missing my favourite character so I was always going to say that. Rachel Caine has weaved another exceptional tale and proved that you can take the guys and gals out of Morganville but even in the real world there’s danger. I think that in some sense this story is kind of pulling you in ready for the big guns. It feels filler-ish but good filler... like chicken mayo. I love chicken mayo... okay getting distracted again.

My Rating

4 stars – Another solid, action packed book that leaves me wanting more. My only complaint I’ve made numerous times already *makes I need Myrnin protest banner*. I’m still happy to tell you to read this series. I recommend it whole heartedly. I mean it. It’s wonderful.

*** Review*** Fade Out (Morganville Vampires #7) by Rachel Caine

On the Back of the Book

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...

Pre Read Thoughts

I’m choosing this because:

I originally started this as a way to conquer my mountainous TBR pile. (Seriously, I think it lives, come meet it. I’m going to call it... Hmmm... Spencer. Spencer the TBR pile.) Now though, I find myself really enjoying the series and not minding too much the things that cause me to normally tear my hair out. Actually reading these books feels a bit weird, I’ve been staring at them for so long. My main reason for my excitement towards these book is the crush I’m developing on Myrnin. I mean he’s so... well there are no words for him and if a crush isn’t a reason to get stuck in then I don’t know what is.

Judging a book by its cover:

I have to say that in my opinion the UK covers are so much prettier than the US ones. The font is so beautiful and the flowery doodles are gorgeous. The gold colour really stands out against the black background. The girl on the cover is pretty but I have a question: What on Earth is she doing with her hand? Is she trying to hide from the camera? Essentially the cover is pretty and has shiny bits. I like pretty things that have shiny bits. That pretty much explains how Morganville ended up as a part of Spencer the TBR pile.

Pricing the (possible) awesomeness:

Well, because I’m Queen Bargain Hunter the one millionth. I found these for £1.99 or 3 for £5 in my local The Works store. So while I wave my “I heart discount book shops” banner you can buy this on Amazon for £5.19 in paperback or the Kindle edition is £4.31. Not too shabby if I do say so myself... but my deal was better.

Post Read Thoughts

Wow – this book had me from chapter one and it’s the first Morganville book in a while to do that. There was just something about this that made me sit up and take notice. It might have been the story... but it was probably just the Myrnin-ness. There seemed to be less romance and more “let’s go kick some bad guy/gal butt!” I approve of that sort of thing. I’m tempted to make a bold statement about this being my favourite of the series but I’m going to hold back until I’ve read them all. I don’t want to have to go “I know I said this about Fade Out but actually...”

We’re still reading this with Claire as our main girl and as the series goes along I’m getting to like her more. She’s growing a pair and I like to see that in a leading lady. However, I thought we’d focus on some other characters because I like to switch things up sometimes.

Eve – Goth girl extraordinaire and someone I need in my life. I imagine her as a younger Abby from NCIS... and I LOVE Abby. This means Eve is one of my favourite characters in the series. Sometimes she can be a tad dramatic but I think it works for her and she’s been getting braver as the series goes on. If I ever needed a friend I’d want Eve and do you want to know a secret? I prefer her to Claire.

Michael – My second favourite vampire. He’s got a guitar and he knows how to use it. How can he be anything but awesome? Sometimes his need to protect everyone else can go too far and I wish he’d accept that Claire, Shane and Eve won’t just sit down and take being sidelined. Out of Michael and Shane I actually prefer Michael. There’s something about him that appeals to me more. He’s feeling less obvious and predictable and that makes me excited to see him develop even more.

Ada – My final character review choice of this book is Ada. Now this may come across as a weird choice if you haven’t read this. So go read it. Then it’ll make sense. She was introduced in the last book which I feel was a lead up to this one because her role is so much bigger. She’s one of the most important things about Morganville and actually manages to make Myrnin seem normal. I probably shouldn’t like her but I can’t help myself. I love characters with motives and who  are secretive and don’t have the major reveal of their intentions. I think she’s misunderstood. Poor thing!

Overall this is another fantastic installment and I’m excited to get to book eight. I love how the quality’s consistently there with this series and I feel like we’re only just getting started. I really enjoy Rachel Caine’s writing and the fact that it’s not in 1^st person is a bit of a refreshing change. The plot for this was awesome and actually raised an interesting point about life in Morganville (well for me anyway) and the ending hints at things to come in future books. There’s one thing I know about these books: Rachel isn’t ready for us, her readers, to be leaving Morganville just yet and I, for one, am happy to stay.

My Rating

My notes say 4-4.5 stars but I’m going to choose 4.5 – (It was midnight when I wrote out my draft okay?) This is the book I’ve loved the most so far. It has one of my favourite plots because some of the longer running storylines have concluded or are winding down and it’s opened doors for new ones. I definitely recommend this to YA PNR fans, especially ones with a vampire weakness. This series has the best vampires.

*** Review*** Carpe Corpus (Morganville Vampires #6) by Rachel Caine

On the Back of the Book

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?

Pre Read Thoughts

I’m choosing this because:

I’ve been reading this series in an effort to make my overflowing TBR pile disappear a little bit. I bought the series on a whim because they were on offer in my local The Works (awesome book shop. I love it in there.) I also like to keep up to date on what’s going on in YA and I’ve had this series on the back burner for far too long.

Judging a book by its cover:

I love the UK covers. They’re so pretty and the font. There are certain things that excite me and fonts are one of those things. I love the pink writing; it really pops against the black of the background oh and pretty girl is pretty. I think I may have overused pretty.

Pricing the (possible) awesomeness:

I got this as part of a 3 for £5 offer but if you don’t have a branch of The Works near you Amazon are currently selling the paperback for £4.54 and the Kindle edition for £4.31. Just in case you want to buy it.

Post Read Thoughts

This book has put the series back on track for me. The last book dragged and I had to force myself to read it but once I actually sat down and started ‘Corpe Carpus’ properly I found myself back in the Morganville groove. This is an action packed story and possibly my favourite of the series so far. Every time you thought you’d finally hit the climax of the book it goes and takes it up another notch and you have to take a moment to let it sink in. The writing is still enjoyable for me but there were certain plot developments that seemed obvious before we’d actually got to them and knowing what happens before it does makes me sad.

I figure going through every character would take forever so we’re gonna go a few at a time, I mean it’s not like we have a book shortage.

Claire – Our lovely MC, well I say lovely, sometimes she annoys the hell out of me and I want to bang her head against a brick wall. For a genius she can sure be so stupid. In this book though I only got frustrated with her towards the end. If you’ve read this, you’ll know why. If you haven’t. It’s to do with that plot I figured out. I’ll be saying no more.

Shane – I love how protective he is and in this book he finally starts opening up to Claire and it’s nice to see that. He’s not my favourite male character and if I’m honest there’s something about Michael that appeals to me more and not just because he has a guitar. I think sometimes his bad boy attitude feels forced to me though and it’d be nice to see him more complex in ways.

Myrnin – Myrnin is so full of complexities and I’m never quite sure what his intentions are. That’s why he’s the best character in the series. He lights up the page and adds a whole new dimension to the stories. He’s perfect and if I was ever to read a book and be on a guy’s team this is the one. I’m not sure Myrnin has a team... if he doesn’t he needs one.

Overall this book puts Morganville back on the map of goodness for me. I was worried after not liking book 5 as much. Rachel Caine is someone who always delivers a good book. This book had some much needed plot developments for the characters. I’m now looking forward to reading ‘Fade Out’ and delving even deeper into the mysteries of Morganville. 

My Rating

4 stars – Let’s give it up to the vampires and humans of Morganville for making an excellent fantasy world! I’m still thinking this is my favourite vampire series and if Myrnin ever wants to move to the UK, I’ll be more than happy to look after him. Definitely recommended to PNR, vampire and even just YA fans. Read the series already!!