Bitter BloodAuthor: Rachel Caine
Release Date: Nov. 6, 2012
Publisher: NAL
The Morganville Vampires #13
ISBN: #978-0451238115
Genre: Young Adult, paranormal
Format(s): Hardcover (404 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book:
For years, the human and vampire residents of Morganville, Texas, have managed to co-exist in peace. But now that the threat to the vampires has been defeated, the human residents are learning that the gravest danger they face is the enemy within…
Thanks to the eradication of the parasitic creatures known as the draug, the vampires of Morganville have been freed of their usual constraints. With the vampires indulging their every whim, the town’s human population is determined to hold on to their lives by taking up arms. But college student Claire Danvers isn’t about to take sides, considering she has ties to both the humans and the vampires.
To make matters worse, a television show comes to Morganville looking 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.
What Una is talking about:
Wow. Wow, just wow. I am stunned and this review is going to be late because I am speechless. Bitter Blood is the thirteenth edition in the riveting Morganville Vampires series. I….I just don’t know whether to be happy or absolutely depressed…anxious, worried, thrilled. I feel as if I am on pins and needles. Ms. Caine has delivered a novel that I don’t know really what to say but, if you are fans of the series…you may be supremely stunned.
The town has recovered from several threats over the last twelve books: the blood born vampire illness, Bishop, the Draug, just to name the majors. However, our fearless foursome was always able to weather the storm…no matter how the painful the learning experience, it brought them together. But I fear I am getting ahead of myself.
Ms. Caine continues in this novel to give us the point of view of more than just Claire. Which continues to provide the reader a rich story. I was especially thrilled to have Myrnin’s POV in Bitter Blood. However, I feel now as if the multiple POV’s were a foreshadowing of what was to transpire in this novel. That maybe the multiple POV’s will allow some our near and dear to be absent in the future…
Now that the Draug are gone, the vampires are once again at the top of the food-chain of Morganville. They have nothing to fear. Meanwhile the human population has much to fear, especially the town reverting back to what it was. Although Claire, our human heroine and Amelie, the vampire, had an agreement that humans and vampires would coexist, they needed to be on more equal planes. However, it seems that Oliver and Amelie’s relationship is giving Oliver a measure of influence that is a reason for the humans to fear. The tentative balance between vampires and humans seems to be deteriorating and this time – the cows, oops, I mean the humans are not going to go “gently into that good night.”
As the mysterious ringleader of all the strife and dissension is discovered, there is much collateral damage. Not just to the town and the residents, but to our fearless four – emotionally and physically. In some ways, I fear that some damage may not be fixed. However, we are given a glimmer of hope, albeit a clouded one, in the end of Bitter Blood. I am thrilled for some of the potential outcomes but I fear, deep, deep inside (geez, when did these kids become so near and dear to me…ack, I mean characters….) that we are at a huge crossroads. Just as in life, sometimes people come and go. Like in whatever movie it is: “endings are sad and beginnings are scary.” However, beginnings can be thrilling. It seems in the resolution of the overall story arc of the Draug, we are in the beginning of a new story arc. Like I said, I am sad, I am afraid, but I am also a little excited. Where are you taking us, Ms. Caine? And when is the next book due out so I can inhale it and find out?!?!?!
If you haven’t tried the Morganville Vampires, you may be supremely surprised. For the most part, they are quick reads, and oh so enjoyable. Therefore, do not let the fact that Bitter Blood is the thirteenth in the series. You can easily catch up and be as mesmerized and enthralled as I am. You won’t regret it!
Una’s Rating:
Loved it – enthusiastically recommend (A)
Purchase Info:
Reviews in the Series:
[…] Posted by Una on May 28, 2013 in 4 stars, paranormal YA, Rating A, YA Literature | 0 comments | Tags: Morganville Vampires, NAL, Rachel Caine, Una Review Fall of Night Author: Rachel Caine Release Date: May 7, 2013 Publisher: NAL The Morganville Vampires #14 ISBN: #978-0451414250 Genre: YA Paranormal Format(s): Hardcover (352 pgs) Book Source: Publisher About the book: Claire never thought she’d leave Morganville, but when she gets accepted into the graduate program at MIT, she can’t pass up the opportunity. Saying good-bye to her friends is bittersweet, especially since things are still raw and unsettled between Claire and her boyfriend, Shane. Her new life at MIT is scary and exciting, but Morganville is never really far from Claire’s mind. Enrolled in a special advanced study program with Professor Irene Anderson, a former Morganville native, Claire is able to work on her machine, which is designed to cancel the mental abilities of vampires. But when she begins testing her machine on live subjects, things quickly spiral out of control, and Claire starts to wonder whether leaving Morganville was the last mistake she’ll ever make… What Una is talking about: Fall of Night is the fourteenth book on the Morganville Vampire series. Ms. Caine has been successful as this series continues, which is no small feat with a long running series. Considering the end of the previous novel, Bitter Blood, I was concerned how Fall of Night would go. I am pleasantly surprised how Claire’s adventure to MIT went and even more intrigued with what awaited her in Morganville. The love story between Claire and Shane has had its trials and triumphs. However, as Bitter Blood came to a close, Shane’s distrust of Claire was a final straw. With the Founder’s permission, Claire has a one-way ticket to her dream, an independent study at MIT. However, even though Shane has the same permission, Claire refuses to have him accompany her. She needs to see what life is like outside of Morganville and on her own. She has dreamed of attending MIT and pursuing high academic studies. Plus, after all of her time in Morganville, she dreams of a normal life. Fall of Night begins with Claire leaving Morganville and heading to MIT to see what a normal life is like. However, normal is a matter of opinion, and Claire is a fully assimilated Morganviller. From the start of her reunion with her BFF from high school to her new professor and boss, Dr. Anderson, Claire is not sure this was the right decision. Between the changes her roommate has gone through, not to mention her creepy ex-stalker, and the oddness of Dr. Anderson together with the suits that she works for, Claire feels she was safer in Morganville. Even with that, she is eager to start working in earnest on her device, and considering she is not in Morganville, Claire assumes she is safe. But the normal world has dangers of its own, and it is easier to live with the enemies you know than the unknown. It seems that there is a new enemy in the world of Morganville that is making its introduction to Claire finally and forcefully. Anyone would think that with Claire leaving Morganville, Fall of Night would be solely from Claire’s point of view, but that is not the case. In what world would Shane let Claire march into the unknown without being close, just in case? Certainly not this one. However, Shane does give Claire the space she asks for, just not in the distance she thought. So there are both point of views during the course of Fall of Night. Being able to have both Claire and Shane’s point of views allows the reader to experience the growth that they both experience during this separation. I will warn you, there is a huge cliffhanger at the end and personally, I cannot wait to find out what happens next in the Morganville Vampires series. If you haven’t heard of this great young adult series, I would recommend starting at the beginning. Una’s Rating: Enjoyed – strongly recommend (A-) Purchase Info: Fall of Night (Book 14) Reviews in the Series: Ghost Town (Book 9) Bite Club (Book 10) Last Breath (Book 11) Black Dawn (Book 12) Bitter Blood (Book 13) […]