Review: Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan le Fanu

I've been on a bit of a Victorian gothic kick lately - The Yellow Wallpaper, We Have Always Lived in the Castle and now Carmilla. Unfortunately I now seem to have run out of options and I'll be relegated to The Fault in Our Stars or something equally ghastly. I'm joking of course - that's dreary and depressing in a whole different way :/

Plot summary: A young woman living at her father's castle is the narrator of this novella. When a mysterious and beautiful stranger is stranded at the castle in odd circumstances and becomes a guest, the heroine quickly forms a close bond with her --but she subsequently discovers that her "friend" has a dark and lethal secret.

So. Apparently Carmilla was written twenty six whole years before Dracula, which surprised me because that's where I thought the whole popular myth originated.   Well, it may be responsible for the prominence of the superstition today, but it certainly wasn't the origin. The usual accoutrements of vampirism are present in Carmilla - pinprick marks on the neck, sexual attraction (admittedly very tamely - we are in 1872, after all), stakes and coffins. They even use the word 'vampire,' which indicates that the myth was at least somewhat well known at the time.

It's a damn sight shorter than Dracula, only 98 pages or so, and it's much more female-orientated. The blurb of my copy made it sound just short of some gothic lesbian fantasy (I can only imagine the Google hits I'm going to get now...), but it's really not like that at all. 

Essentially, Laura is a bored nineteen year old girl who ends up with a beautiful, female houseguest. They quickly become close friends and occasionally exchange the occasional cheek stroke and mutterings of adoration. Girls Gone Wild XXX, it is not. I realise I sound quite disappointed about this, but I was surprised by just how much I liked this book. 

The plot itself is quite simple, but it's suitably ominous and creepy. There's even a Van Helsing-esque character who comes along to teach us all the secrets of the vampires. Which, admittedly, aren't all that secret in 2015. But points for effort, ey?

There's not a whole lot more I can say about Carmilla, considering it's 98 pages long and we're all familiar with the basic vampire tale. I liked this an awful lot more than I expected though - there are no frills and no padding. Just straight-up creepy vampire women :)

Read my review of Dracula here.  

Review: The Van Alen Legacy (Blue Bloods series #4) by Melissa de la Cruz

So I'm still here, tippy-tapping away on a Microsoft Surface that I barely know how to use. On the bright side, I've whipped through three reviews today, just because I love playing with the damn thing this much. I'm still only  caught up to the end of May, but every little helps, right?

Oh Van Alen Legacy. You make the whole series worth it.

Plot summary: With the stunning revelation surrounding Bliss's true identity comes the growing threat of the sinister Silver Bloods. Once left to live the glamorous life in New York City, the Blue Bloods now find themselves in an epic battle for survival. 

Not to worry, love is still in the air for the young vampires of the Upper East Side. Or is it? Jack and Schuyler are over. Oliver's brokenhearted. And only the cunning Mimi seems to be happily engaged.

So during my previous reviews of the Blue Bloods series (Blue Bloods, Masquerade and Revelations) the basic summary is that I love these books an awful, awful lot, but somewhat sheepishly and with a bucketful of excuses. The writing is pretty terrible, but the concept is great. The dialogue is horrible, but the characters are unique. It's horrendous, but also amazing. You get the idea.

Van Alen Legacy, however, is where that all changes. All of Melissa de la Cruz' teething issues with prose have vanished and we're left with the unique concept and glamorous style. This is why this series exists and it's easily the best book of the set. I remember having to stop reading after this book last time because the next book wasn't out yet and it nearly killing me.

The reincarnation theme is in full swing now and I love it. Angels usually aren't my thing at all, but here it's less about God and more about Christian mythology, if that's the right word. I'm not completely 'up' on my Bible, so I might be missing a few nods here and there but the parts I can recognise are very, very clever. Everybody has an angelic identity and yet somehow it's not religious. The historical figures that feature are also neatly tied in - not too in your face or over the top.

The actual plot really kicks off in this book too. Previously, we learnt about where the story was heading, but now it's actually moving towards that destination. It's very dark, especially regarding Bliss' sub-plot. I'm not actually a fan of where Bliss ends up, but I admit that it's not your useful YA vampire line. I enjoyed her journey, if not the conclusion.

I do wish that this book had begun a little closer to the end of Revelations, time-wise. Too much has happened in the large gap for the reader to be quickly brought up to speed in a paragraph or two, and I was left floundering for a little while. It results in an extra POV just to explain what happened, which seems a little lazy. It could have been done well, but the perspective isn't from a character as such and so it reads just like an explanatory note shoved in there. It really should have been an extra chapter at the end of the last book.

Ah, Mimi *flails violently* I've never liked her, it's true, but you weren't meant to like her during the earlier books -spoilt, bitchy Princess and all that. Now though, she's Changed. Apparently. I'm all for character development, but not that fast and not that much. If she didn't grow up at the end of Masquerade when That happened, she's certainly not going to do so now. It's the only thing about this book that 'clunks' really, but it's a biggie.

Still, if you're still umming and ahhing about whether to pick up this series, keep this post in mind. Van Alen Legacy is where it all comes together and the flaws are minimised, if not completely removed. I finished it with the Happy Book Fuzz in my stomach and I can't wait to see where the story is going to go next. I'm about to move onto the installments that I haven't read before and I can't even explain how excited I am.

New to the series? Read my review of the first book, Blue Bloods.

Review: Revelations (Blue Blood series #3) by Melissa de la Cruz

Why yes, it does appear as though I'm going to review each of the Blue Bloods books separately. Thank you for noticing. You'd be forgiven for groaning in distaste as my reviews of Blue Bloods and Masquerade are fairly similar - awesome plot, very unique but sadly terrible writing. However, Revelations is where it all starts to change and some awesome new plot discoveries are revealed. The clue is in the title, people. Point is, it's completely justified to review each and every one... so deal with it!

Plot summary: Schuyler Van Alen's blood legacy has just been called into question: is the young vampire in fact a Blue Blood, or is it the sinister Silver Blood that runs through her veins? As controversy swirls, Schuyler is left stranded in the Force household, trapped under the same roof as her cunning nemesis, Mimi Force, and her forbidden crush, Jack Force.

When an ancient place of power is threatened in Rio de Janeiro, however, the Blue Bloods need Schuyler on their side. The stakes are high, the battle is bloody, and through it all Schuyler is torn between duty and passion, love and freedom. 

Revelations does seem like a bit of a 'filler' book - you know, one of those installments in a series that only exist to provide a bit of background story and take up some space before the next book - as there's not a whole lot of action until close to the end. However, the story develops a great deal as various... well, revelations, are uncovered. I'm not entirely sure whether it's enough to warrant this being a book on it's own, but I'm leaning towards the 'yes.'

It's starting to get a little more political and therefore much more intricate than your general vampire young adult book. There's less about Schuyler's boy troubles and more about uncovering what the Regis is really planning. It's also very mysterious and various twists and turns leave you completely unsure who to trust. I have read this before so it wasn't a complete shock, but it left me able to appreciate the build-up a little more.

However, I had forgotten about The Thing With Jordan and it so it left me reeling all over again. I challenge anybody to look me in the eye and say they saw that coming! That's why I love this series so much - it's very clever, working in the old stories that you thought you knew and giving them a new, twisted edge.

The story is so inventive and so unique that it's easy to look past any flaws in the prose. Incidentally, that has improved a lot since Blue Bloods. Melissa de la Cruz either found her 'flow' or she got a new editor, but it doesn't really matter which. It's settled down now into something much less cringeworthy. To be fair, it wasn't really a huge problem for me in the earlier books, but it's a marked bonus to go along with Revelations regardless.

I do occasionally wonder how much of this series she planned out in advance, however. For example, Schuyler suddenly has a semi-plot-important birth mark on her shoulder... that we hear about for the first time in THE THIRD BOOK! It's not mind-numbingly frustrating, but it does make me sigh with resignation a little.
  
The conclusion of any of my reviews for this series (and apparently there will be more to come - please try and contain your cheering) will always be for you to run out and buy these books immediately. They're just so good - not perfect, but yet somehow still amazing.

Read my reviews of Blue Bloods and Masquerade.

Review: Masquerade (Blue Bloods #2) by Melissa de la Cruz

After I finished Blue Bloods, I wrote what is perhaps my most confusing review ever - I loved it, but it was crap. It was written appallingly, but I adored it. Etcetera. Masquerade, however, has seen a slight improvement. Not in my love for it (because I genuinely don't think that could go any deeper), but for how much less guilty I feel for liking it. It's just... better, somehow.

Plot summary: Preparations are under way for the ball of the century. But as any true Blue Blood knows, it's the after-party that counts. And the cunning Mimi Force is getting ready to make sure her masquerade ball is the place to be for the young, fabulous and fanged. 

But Schuyler Van Alen has more on her mind than fancy dresses, even if her crush Jack Force, is sure to make an appearance. She's getting closer to finding out what's been preying on the young vamps - and discovering the deadly secrets hiding under the masks. . .

Just to recap, the first installment in this book wasn't exactly written well. The dialogue was clunky, it cut off the narrative to tell you precisely what every character was wearing and it was generally written with a sledgehammer. But I just Did Not Care. I loved that book with every fibre of my being because the glamorous atmosphere and unique storyline more than made up for any flaws in the prose.

However, Masquerade is much more refined. I don't know if it had a different editor to the other or if Melissa de la Cruz just learned from her mistakes, but it is much, much better. It still doesn't cross the line into 'good' territory, especially regarding the dialogue, but I actually did notice a marked difference. When I read the series for the first time a few years ago, I don't remember noticing any problems with the writing at all, so perhaps it really does improve as the series progresses. 

So now we've established what isn't wrong with the book (what a weird way to start a review...), let's move onto what's right with the book. Did I mention the story is amazing? Masquerade introduces a whole new layer to it, something that I normally wouldn't like (this is becoming a recurring theme), but that is interwoven so cleverly with the plot that it's just wonderful. We're learning more and more about the characters' pasts and everything that is revealed just... makes sense, somehow.

It's a lot more domestic than Blue Bloods, at least until near the end. There's more focus on Schuyler growing into her powers than fighting the Croatan. It's not necessarily a bad thing though - the first was more exciting, but this is written better. It's a decent trade-off.

Speaking of powers though... what's with the Instant Super Vamp thing? It annoyed me in Breaking Dawn and it annoys me here. Vampires are really weak when they're first turned/ vampires are weaker than they used to be... except for YOU, YOU'RE SPECIAL FOR NO REASON. Gah. Also, apparently they're models now. Obviously. I know this is a teenage vampire series, but come on.

I think the Blue Bloods series work so well because the story actually develops in every books. Take the Morganville books, for example. They're great and I love them a lot, but you finish them feeling as though not a whole lot has changed, despite the 340 pages of huge font. Not here though, every book is entirely worth the effort and takes the story and the characters forward significantly. I've already run out and bought the ones I didn't own. Did I mention I love this series?

Read my review of Blue Bloods here.

Review: Blue Bloods (Blue Bloods series #1) by Melissa de la Cruz

I read this series back in 2010; I loved it, but had to stop reading after the fourth book because, well, the rest hadn't been written yet. Since 2013 seems to be the Year of Rereading and I desperately wanted a comfort book, it seemed like a good idea to return to the world of Schulyer Van Alen. I then finished this book and immediately ran out (literally, the same day) to purchase all the installments I was missing, just so I could sit here and completely engross myself.

Plot summary: Within New York's City's most elite familieis, there lurks a secret society of celebrated Americans whose ancestors sailed on the Mayflower. They are the powerful and the wealthy—and in fact, they are not human. They are the Blue Bloods, an ancient group of vampires. 

Schuyler Van Alen has never fit in at Duchesne, her prestigious New York City private school. She prefers baggy, vintage clothes instead of the Prada and pearls worn by her classmates, and she lives with her reclusive grandmother in a dilapidated mansion. Schuyler is a loner—and happy that way. 

But when she turns fifteen, Schuyler’s life changes dramatically. She has a mosaic of blue veins on her arms, and craves raw meat. The death of a popular girl from Duchesne is surrounded by a mystery that haunts her. And strangest off all, Jack Force, the most popular boy in school, is showing a sudden interest in her. 

Schuyler wants to find out the secrets the Blue Bloods are keeping. But is she herself in danger? 

I love these books. I would happily sit here and devour them day after day until I'd read every single one of them (which I pretty much ended up doing). It's possible to completely lose yourself in the world of the Blue Bloods, as Melissa de la Cruz has painted such a brilliant depiction of their society. It's actually almost believable. The glamour and eliteness of Duchesne seeps from the page to the point where I can still see it in my head, days later.

The author has a real talent for world-building. There's just something about these books that make them stay with you. The plot itself is cleverer than first meets the eye as it works on three levels: a) young, snooty vampires facing a myserious danger; b) their passage throughout time as various historical characters; and c) the fascinating mythological aspects.

It works so, so well. Interspersed with the story are letters from the travellers on The Mayflower in the 1620s. These provide a little bit of something extra and it's interesting how the story keeps linking back to the actual history of Roanoke, the 'lost settlement.' It's not an age I know a great deal about, but it was still a nice addition to an already unique story.

So that's great. Unfortunately there is a pretty big flaw with Blue Bloods, and there isn't any getting around it. Just keep in mind that I adore these books regardless.

They're written horrendously. I've read these before, not that long ago, and I didn't notice then so I'm assuming the prose and dialogue get better in later books. In this one though... yeah, it's not good. Like, the story suddenly halts so that you can be told in detail what everybody is wearing, or a character will ask a rhetorical question, and then the narrative feels the need to point out that the character just asked a rhetorical question. People really obviously mumble things under their breath in a non-subtle plot point - "Oh yes. Mmm... Should be starting around now... Strange that there's no... Mmm." You know, like Hagrid in the first Harry Potter film?

The funny this is, I'm usually the first person to slam down a book in disgust due to bad writing. But here, the plot and atmosphere are so amazing that I can actually get past it. This is rare for me, but I can't emphasise enough how these books are definitely worth putting up with a little bit of clunkiness for a while.

So yeah, you've probably got the idea by now, but read these books. Even if you don't like vampires, or you don't like YA or you're morally against... I don't know, pearls, or something. The Blue Bloods series is so full of atmosphere and uniqueness that there really is something in them for everybody.

Visit Melissa de la Cruz's website, or find her on Twitter.

Review: Lord of Misrule (Morganville Vampires series #5) by Rachel Caine

This is the third Morganville Vampires book I've read this year and hopefully I can squeeze in at least one more before Christmas. That said, there are a lot of books I'm hoping to 'squeeze in,' so perhaps not. Anyway, I love this series. I'm as sick of vampires as the next person, but these books really do stand on their own feet as something special.

Plot summary - Morganville. Texas. Just south of normal. In the college town of Morganville, vampires and humans coexist in (relatively) bloodless harmony. Then comes Bishop, a 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 clouds promise a storm of devastating proportions. As student Claire Danvers and her friends prepare to defend Morganville against the elements - both natural and unnatural - the unexpected happens: Morganville's vampires begin to vanish one by one. Discovering why leads Claire to one last choice: swear allegiance to Bishop...or die. 

The only problem with these books is the complete and utter lack of recapping. It wasn't that long since I read the fourth book, but I still spent at least the first few chapters desperately confused and completely out of my depth. Feast of Fools broke off right the middle of the action (as they all seem to) and we rejoined the story in exactly the same place in this book. It's hard to follow.

I genuinely believe that there doesn't need to be this many books in the series - every two books could easily be condensed into one with (much) smaller font and an only slightly thicker book. Instead of each book containing its own separate story, it has a chunk of the overarching plot and these don't always seem entirely distinct from each other. There's little passage of time or story progression inbetween. So, although I love these books, they can be a little frustrating to read.

The afore-mentioned overarching plot really is good though. The tone, language and relationships are definitely YA, but it wouldn't take much to ramp the story itself up to adult. It's quite complicated and sophisticated, with new twists and turns in every installment. I've genuinely never seen a paranormal series quite this interesting. 

The fundamental point of irritation with the Morganville books though, is something I rant about in every single review. Claire is not twelve. She is not mentally handicapped or in anyway disadvantaged in society. So why does everybody else in the book insist on treating her like she's made of porcelain? They're always going on about how she's too young or how they promised her parents she wouldn't be allowed to do that... they're a year and a half older than her. I'm pretty sure a small group of 18 year olds would let a 16 year old say 'bitch' if she wanted to. For God's sake.

Out of interest, for everybody that's read any of these books, what does Amelie look like in your head? To me she looks kind of like Angela Lansbury, only less smiley. I only ask because I read a phrase in this book that implied she looked much, much younger but that just doesn't gel in my head in the slightest.

However, these books do have a knack of ending on the most thrilling cliffhangers. I'm glad I have the first eight books all lined up as I immediately want to get my hands on the next one.

Read my reviews of Midnight Alley (#3) or Feast of Fools (#4).

Review: Midnight Alley (Morganville Vampires #3) by Rachel Caine

While I have gone off teenage vampire books lately, it's almost like Rachel Caine doesn't really count. None of her books feature the traits commonly associated with the genre - InstaLove, whiny female main characters and pointless sex. Despite that, it's been about a year and a half since I read the first two in the series. I don't know why, but I do wish I hadn't waited so long. The Morganville Vampire books are a much needed breath of fresh air into a somewhat stale genre.

Plot summary - When Claire Danvers learnt that her college town was run by vampires, she did what any intelligent, self-preserving student would do: she applied for a transfer and stocked up on garlic. The transfer is no longer an option, but that garlic may come in handy.

Now Claire has pledged herself to Amelie, the most powerful vampire in town. The protection her contract secures does little to reassure her friends. All of a sudden, people are turning up dead, a stalker resurfaces from Claire’s past, and an ancient bloodsucker extends a chilling invitation for private lessons in his secluded home.

I hadn't bothered to refresh my memory of the first two Morganville books before I picked this one up, but fortunately it wasn't that much of a problem. I think it may have been slightly better if I had, but I soon remembered the events of Glass Houses and Dead Girl's Dance. Luckily, Rachel Caine is fairly good at recapping - it's terrible when the next in a series doesn't gently poke your memory back into action. I thought Insurgent was a good (or should that be bad?) example of that - the lack of recapping the first novel spoilt this book a little for me. That said, I definitely wouldn't start the series with Midnight Alley, as I'm pretty sure it'd make absolutely no sense. 

For me, this series wouldn't be half what it is if it wasn't for Claire, the protagonist. She kind of reminds me of myself, and not necessarily in a good way. She's a tiny bit useless, but at least she knows it and she's academically clever. She's polite 100% of the time, even when it's more than justified not to be, and tends to just... flail, when problems turn up. Maybe it's because of her slightly flawed (but not overly so) personality, but she does seem like a believable character.

It's a shame the rest of the characters aren't as well rounded though.They seem to be somewhat plastic - characters that have a mold (the Goth one, the manly man, the artistic nice guy) but unfortunately just aren't filled out enough. However, the introduction of Myrnin (whose name has wormed its way into my head as 'Miffin,' unfortunately) is wonderful. He's a gifted vampire holed away in a dusty laboratory, trying to uncover the secrets of vampire lore. I hope he features in the rest of the series, as he's a fascinating new character. I also liked learning more about the creation of Morganville itself - it's an aspect that needed rounding out, and Rachel Caine has started along that line with this book.

Midnight Alley ends on a cliff-hanger, but not one that really makes me want to read on. Instead of frantically grabbing the fourth Morganville book, I don't really want to touch it ever. It's not a bad plot development at all, it just the story headed in a direction I personally didn't want it to. I've been assured (*nods to Hannah*) that it's worthwhile, but I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

I read this in just a few hours as I was so engrossed I just didn't want to leave it alone. It's just that much better written than normal YA and there's no inappropriate content for teens. The author makes a point of there being no sex because Claire's under-age and no drugs feature either. There's a little violence, but nothing inappropriate for over 13s. Hell, I'm 22 and even I appreciate a young adult book where the main character lives with her boyfriend and there's still no sexual content.

Although I didn't like the ending, I'll definitely be reading on. The introduction of Miffin Myrnin and more explanation about Morganville's existence hooked me - I can't understand why it took me this long to pick up the third book.

Read my review of Working Stiff, also by Rachel Caine, or read another review of Midnight Alley at Once Upon A Time. 

Review: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

I have to admit, I wasn't all that intent on reading this one. I've been a bit stalled on vampire fiction lately and, being British, I'm not all that 'up' on my American presidents. However, during a stay at my boyfriend's with nothing else to read, he passed Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter my way. Not his usual type of book either, to be fair, but he claimed to have been pleasantly surprised. By the time I'd finished reading it, I was too.

Plot summary: Abraham Lincoln was just a boy when he learned that his mother's untimely death was actually the work of a vampire. From then on, he vowed to devote his intelligence, strength--and skill with an ax--to the elimination of the soulless creatures. It was a path of vengeance that would lead him all the way to the White House.

No one ever knew about Lincoln's valiant struggle against the undead... until author Seth Grahame-Smith laid eyes on Abe's secret journal--the first living person to do so in over 140 years. Putting a supernatural spin on revisionist history, Seth has reconstructed Lincoln's true life story--while revealing the role vampires played in the birth, growth and near-death of our nation.

For the record, Lewis picked this up before the movie (he'd kill me if I didn't mention that). I didn't, but I read it based on his rare recommendation of a slightly trashy book. Surprisingly though, it's not all that trashy. Instead, it's a well-written yet accessible biography of Abraham Lincoln. But, you know, with vampires.

Like I said in the introduction, all I knew about this particular president (which is still more than I knew about any other) was from my Comparative Law module at University, where we briefly studied the abolition of slavery. As for Lincoln's life, other beliefs, family... Nothing. But hey, that's where Seth Grahame-Smith comes in. Absolutely no prior knowledge is needed to read this. In fact, I can't decide if it would be better to know a little about him to understand the references and be able to better separate fact from fiction (obviously I understand the vampires were highly probably fictional, but the story states he met Edgar Allen Poe, which he never did), or better to know nothing and learn as you go, like I did.

Ahhh, the vampires. Although they do form a large part of the story, they don't take over it. The main point is still, quite obviously, Lincoln's life. It's quite clever in some ways though - certain decisions are jigged around a little to involve vampires. For example, Abe's fervent wish to end slavery was apparently fuelled by a connect desire to banish vampires from US soil. The methods, speeches and events are mostly the same, just the reasoning is altered. I also loved the occasional altered photograph, like this one on the right. I'm not sure if you can read the text, but it says 'Fig. 12 - Abe stands among his vampire victims in a painting titled 'The Young Hunter' by Diego Swanson (Oil on Canvas, 1913).'

The beginning is excellent - a struggling writer is approached with the lost diaries of Abraham Lincoln, and is requested to write them up into a publishable form. As the story begins, we're introduced to Abe's early life including his mother's murder, which leads to his quest for vengeance. It's brilliant - very fast-paced and informative. Unfortunately, the middle part of the book lags a little. It's just kind of repetitive. He kind of meanders around aimlessly, and we're told he's apparently fighting vampires at the same time. There's very little about his motivation behind getting involved in politics - it's just kind of rushed over. Thankfully, it does get back on track after he's achieved the Oval Office. It would have been better if the ending had returned to the original author character in the beginning, I think - just to round it off a little, instead of the rushed ending we're left with.

If you've seen the recent Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter movie trailer you'll know what an intense, action-heavy film it looks to be. The book isn't quite like that, although obviously you can't have a book about hunting vampires without a little action. Instead, it's more about Abe's decision making and struggles with responsibility. The action that does take place is very well-choreographed however and filled with the sense of urgency that only a life-or-death struggle can provide.

Honestly, I'd have been more than happy with Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter even if it didn't bother with the vampires. It's still an accessible yet complete biography of the 16th President of the United States. I actually really like him. As a person, I mean, not necessarily the character he is in Seth Grahame-Smith's book. I agree with most of his principles and I respect him for standing up for what he believed in. I've added a few less occult biographies to my wishlist, and it's a rare vampire book that makes you long for respected books on American Presidents.

 Visit Seth Grahame-Smith's website here, or read my take on the upcoming movie.

Review: American Vampire: Volume 1 by Stephen King & Scott Snyder

Produced: Vertigo                     Artist: Rafael Albuquerque

Written: Scott Snyder      &       Written: Stephen King 

From writers Scott Snyder and Stephen King, American Vampire introduces a new strain of vampire – a more vicious species – and traces the creatures' bloodline through decades of American history.This first hardcover volume of the critically acclaimed series collects issues #1-5 and follows two stories: one written by Snyder and one written by King, both with art by future superstar Rafael Albuquerque. Snyder's tale follows Pearl, a young woman living in 1920s Los Angeles, who is brutally turned into a vampire and sets out on a path of righteous revenge against the European monsters who tortured and abused her. In King's story set in the days of America's Wild West, readers learn the origin of Skinner Sweet, the original American vampire – a stronger, faster creature than any vampire ever seen before.

Vampires don't sparkle! Okay, I said it, let's just get that out of the way first. When Bram Stoker wrote Dracula in 1897, it shocked readers - a undead man preying on women and eventually turning them into monsters. For some reason though, vampires have gotten a bit, well, fluffy lately, but American Vampire, thank God, was written to right that wrong.

American Vampire is essentially a story of two characters from different times, cleverly intertwined to represent one timeline of events around the turn of the century. Scott Snyder writes the story of Pearl - a young, decent, hardworking small-town girl who, like many, moved to LA in the hopes of becoming a star. Stephen King writes about Skinner Sweet, a bank robber of the Wild West in the late 1800s when time was tough and it produced even tougher people - not all of them good.
Both Snyder and King do a brilliant job of writing a somewhat complex story. Each chapter (or issue, if you're reading it in comicbook format) contains both stories, and as they move further forward you begin to see they both cleverly intertwine in this dark graphic novel. It's an interesting way of writing - two authors, together with one artist to ensure continuity, and it works beautifully.

Snyder does a great job making Pearl a likeable character. Though naive at times, you really do feel for her. Violently attacked and left for dead, she wakes up into a world that's wronged a good person and she slowly begins to wonder if it's all that it seemed to begin with. Her story is one of betrayal and you find yourself rooting for her as she embarks on a journey of revenge. The one negative is an incredibly fast acceptance of vampires by Snyder's characters. Both Pearl and her love interest seem to accept the idea all in one page. Comics don't have the time or space available in books, I know, but King's characters seem to have a more natural reaction to vampires and it doesn't impede the story. Maybe that's just King's writing experience showing.
 
King's take on a vampire outlaw is brilliant. Skinner is evil without reason and throughout the story other characters try to understand, bargain and even control him but what makes him great is his want for nothing but destruction. He's a dark, violent character that's a true demonstration of what unchecked power does to evil men. You don't feel for Skinner at all, but what makes him such an interesting character is his unstoppable path of destruction. He has 'plans, plans, so many plans...' as he often says and you just can't wait to see what brutal turn they'll take.

The art by Rafael Albuquerque is truly exceptional; I can't praise it enough. In Pearl's story there's the awesome style and magic of 1920's America, with the beautiful clothes, cars and wonder - a stunning contrast to the dirt, grit and adventure of the 1800s in Skinner's tale.

The colouring also changes, with a clean sharp look at Pearl's life and a darker, muddied take on Skinner's, which aids in the perfect telling of the story. The art really does take this story to the next level and sets this apart as an Eisner award winning series.

The story never once becomes staggered or disjointed. Each character's story ends on a climax, so you're forever ending Skinner Sweet's chapter and turning over and remembering you left Pearl's story on a cliffhanger and vice-versa. I couldn't put it down; with twice as much story on offer it's twice as hard to stop reading. The difference in characters also opens this up to all readers - with Pearl you get a character driven story of love, friendship and betrayal, while with Skinner Sweet a cold, dark brutal look at what happens when an evil man is given uncontrolled power.

Volume One is a cleverly rounded story that can stand on it's own, but it does give the option to go further into the series if you choose. It's a great introduction into an ever growing story and I, for one, am hooked. It's definitely a mature read though, with bloody violence and adult content. I'd highly recommend this to any fan of horror or action, or anyone looking to read an actual well-written vampire story with an interesting plot. Vampires, Cowboys and 1920's America, what are you waiting for?

Buy American Vampire from Forbidden Planet.

Review: Dracula by Bram Stoker

So apparently the 'done thing' is to set up a challenge, get really excited about it, comment on a lot of other posts... and then not actually read any of the damn books yourself. Or that's what you do if you're me, at any rate. But now that time is past! Look people - I can finally cross one book off my League of Extraordinary Gentlemen challenge!

Collected inside this book are diary entries, letters and newspaper clippings that piece together the depraved story of the ultimate predator. A young lawyer on an assignment finds himself imprisoned in a Transylvanian castle by his mysterious host. Back at home his fiancée and friends are menaced by a malevolent force which seems intent on imposing suffering and destruction. Can the devil really have arrived on England's shores? And what is it that he hungers for so desperately? 

Last Autumn, when I scowled viciously at my current, awful book and swore off vampires for the foreseeable future, prohibiting classic Dracula wasn't quite what I had in mind. The vampires of today sparkle, or have promiscuous sex for no apparent reason or all attend the same over-the-top gothic school. This book, however, couldn't be further from that. It may have been what originally sparked the popular myth eventually popularised by Stephanie Meyer, but this is definitely, definitely not fluffy YA.

I think most people are aware that the story concerns Jonathan and Mina Harker, and The Vampiriest Vampire of Them All, although I do admit that my sole knowledge came from The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Hence the challenge, obviously. It surprised me how little the story actually revolves around them though - the first half is mostly about Mina's friend Lucy, and the second focuses more on Van Helsing and his doctor friend.

The LoEG's take on Mina.

That said, I did like Mina Harker. She acted as you would expect from an upper class Victorian lady - fainting, worrying, not taking any part in the action, etc - but still managed to make herself useful at the same time. In fact, the collection of letters, diary entries and newspaper entries that comprises the book was theoretically compiled by Mina Harker. I do wish that the men of the story would stop idolising her quite so much for no apparent reason though. They refer to her as 'that dear Madam Mina' more times than they use her damn name!

Never did I see such baffled malice on a face, and never, I trust, shall such ever be seen again by mortal eyes. The beautiful colour became livid, the eyes seemed to throw out sparks of hell fire, the brows were wrinkled as though the folds of flesh were the coils of Medusa's snakes, and the lovely, blood-stained mouth grew to an open square, as in the passion masks of the Greeks and Japanese. If ever a face meant death, if looks could kill, we saw it at that moment.

I also liked Van Helsing, although his long lectures on morality, sin and everything inbetween got a little annoying and hard to follow (or even summon interest for). He also had a strange way of speaking as he's Dutch and so occasionally struggles with his English. I understand the purpose of having a foreign vampire expert present, but it does grow old fast.

The story itself does take a good few chapters to get going. The beginning is painfully slow but is necessary to set the scene of gloom and despair. After that, I couldn't put it down. The narrative is told primarily through the characters diary entires, but with a few telegrams, letters and newspaper clippings to provide a little diversity. It kept the story fresh, seeing it from different perspectives and through different mediums.

It's not an action-packed book, nor a scary one. Instead it creates an atmosphere of darkness and despair that follows you even after you shut the book. Every time I put it down, I felt like I was in a little Dracula bubble that lasted for a long time after. The outside world just couldn't seem to permeate through, almost like Dracula himself had put me in a trance!

I really did enjoy Dracula, although it was a lot more formal and quieter than I expected. Still, I imagine it was more than a little shocking for 1897. It was interesting to see how all those vampiric traditions came about though - like the garlic and the Christian symbols. You have to be prepared to work at this novel, but it definitely does pay off.

As an off-note, did you know that Bram Stoker's wife was first courted by Oscar Wilde, but she chose Stoker over him? God bless Wikipedia.

Read the whole of Dracula, free and legally, here.

Review: Black Swan Rising by Lee Carroll

This is my first book from Transworld's Book Group Reading Challenge, where bloggers were given the chance to choose four books from a list to review one at a time. I chose this one because of the pretty cover (I know, I know, but who hasn't done that?) and the promise of fairy lore mixed with a bit of swan imagery.

Jeweller Garet James isn't the same as everyone else. She just doesn't know it yet. With her fair share of problems – money (lack of), an elderly father, a struggling business – Garet should be just like any other young, feisty, single New Yorker. If only it was that simple... It begins with the old silver box that had been soldered shut. All Garet has to do is open it. A favour for the frail owner of the antiques shop. Who wouldn’t help? Only it’s then that things start to change. Garet doesn't notice at first, the shifts barely perceptible. But the city in which she grew up is beginning to reveal a long-hidden side – darker, and altogether more dangerous: parallel world of chaos, smoke and blood. And now it’s out of the box...and it has no intention of going back in.

Although the story took a bit of getting in to, I really liked the premise. Garet (short for Margaret) is a young-ish jewellery maker who runs an art gallery with her father. The authors have obviously put a lot of effort into researching different jewellery styles and various artists, as the detail mentioned is wonderful and very interesting. It makes the characters seem more believable and the book stand out a little more.

Unfortunately, that's where the 'standing-out' ends. Aside from the jewellery, there is nothing that makes Black Swan Rising different from the 70+ other books I've read this year. There's a vampire love interest complete with obligatory love triangle, a grumpy King Oberon, an evil Elizabethan John Dee and a protagonist who isn't even slightly surprised at her new magical powers. I've read at least three books this year for each one of those plot points. There's not a whole lot of swans either.

But hey, I guess certain stories are reused for a reason. It does work. The plot moves along at a fairly fast clip and it did hold my interest. There are a lot of mythical creatures in this, even lesser known ones like manticores. I especially liked Lol, the little fire fairy. I even liked Garet, and it's rare for me to like a female protagonist in paranormal novels. In fact, I think it succeeded in not even having one overly irritating character.

It's not very real though. I mean, I'm hardly expecting a novel about fairies and vampires to be true to life, but it just didn't wash. As an example, they have seven days to put the demons back in their box or the world will be given over to the Demons of Despair and Discord... yet there's no sense of urgency. Garet and King Oberon meander along quite happily while Garet learns some shiny new magical powers, with nairy a care in the world. If it were me, I'd be slightly more concerned about the fate of the world when leisurely arranging meetings with Oberon.

That's the other thing. While I do credit the authors for making Garet at least mildly surprised at the existence of the supernatural world (it's a pet hate of mine when characters treat the discovery of fairies and vampires as casually as bacon and eggs), it's a small leap for her from that to 'oh right, I have magical powers... What'd you have for lunch today?' Not a direct quote, but you get the idea. She's just not bothered. Not only that, but she gains control instantly and to be honest, the gaining-of-the-magical-powers-thing doesn't really seem to come in to it much apart from filling up space.

There's a sub-plot revolving around Garet's two friends, Becky and Jay, and their struggles to promote their indie band. A lot of other reviewers have slated this part as too-YA, but I liked it. It brings it down to earth a little. I think Black Swan Rising struggles too hard to not be classed as a teenage book, while it would flow a lot better if it didn't try as much. But anyway, I liked the sub-plot, it just seemed to fit somehow.

But then... sigh. You knew it was coming. The unnecessary vampire love interest, complete with pining away and blood drinking. Look, I like Twilight. We all did. But you can stop now. Adding vampire!sex does not make your book good. The character of Will just doesn't seem necessary - there was no atmosphere, no falling in love, no tension... argh. You don't ever get to see why they're attracted to each other. As always, head over in heels in love with no explanation. Apparently his character is going to be expanded upon in a sequel, so it will be interesting to see how his past affects Garet's situation - in which case, I will retract all vampire-related whining.

I will be buying, by the way. The sequel, I mean. I did enjoy Black Swan Rising and I'm intrigued by the historical aspects. I hope The Watchtower will feature more about Garet's lineage, as that will make the series feel slightly more original. To be fair though, the originality doesn't bother me that much - it's more the YA-esque parts that bother me.