You Won't Be The One To Crack Belle Morte's Secrets

~Belle Morte~
Book 1
By Bella Higgin
Amazon ~ Powell's

There’s only one way out

Belle Morte. One of five houses where vampires reside as celebrities and humans are paid to be their living donors. While others came here seeking fortune, I came in search of my sister who walked into Belle Morte five months ago . . . and never walked back out.

Now that I’m here, the secrets about this world have proven to be much bigger than I ever anticipated. And lurking around every corner are shocking insinuations of what happened to my sister.

There’s only one person who might have the answers I need, and the undeniable pull I feel toward him is terrifying: Edmond Dantès―a vampire, and my mortal enemy.

The harder I try to resist him, the further I fall under his spell. And in one instant my life is irrevocably changed. My past becomes prologue and my fate becomes sealed behind these doors.

Belle Morte has spoken. And it may never let me go.


In a move that probably surprises no one who is familiar with my recent reviews, I first came across this book because of the Vampire Book Club. It was an option in April's vote and, though it didn't win, sounded fun enough for me to snag a copy in anticipation of a future read. I mean, how could I turn down a YA vampire romance book? If it wasn't good, it could at least be hilarious, right?

I’m Not a Human or a Demon— But I Will Be an Exorcist

~Blue Exorcist~
Exorcist Cram School Enrollment &
Exorcist Candidate Live Combat Arcs
Vol. 1-4
By Kazue Kato
Translated By John Werry
Amazon ~ Powell's

Unbeknownst to fifteen-year-old Rin Okumura, both human and demon blood runs in his veins. After a fight with some delinquents causes his demonic powers to suddenly and violently awaken, he's thrown into a hidden world of demons and Exorcists. With his dubious heritage exposed, there's little choice left to him except to join the fight against demons and train to become an Exorcist himself.

And Rin is not one to merely go halfway. He vows to become the best, and sets his sights on one day defeating Satan himself.

Enrolled at True Cross Academy, alongside his more studious twin brother Yukio, Rin's training begins at the Exorcism Cram School. There he and the other students are quickly thrown into the thick of things, battling goblins, ghouls, and even a Demon God or two. Fighting, Rin can handle, but friendship is a challenge all to itself, and while honesty and trust is important, he's not sure revealing everything about himself is a good idea.

But that choice may not be entirely up to him.


I watched this story's anime way back when it was on Toonami and fell in love. A plucky teenage protagonist discovering a hidden magical world in which the forces of good and evil are locked in battle, deciding to join the fight, and slowly peeling back the misconceptions and corruption of this new world in his journey through school? What's not to love? I even found the manga online and read the unofficial translations for a while. When the anime came back in 2017, effectively erasing the last half of the non-canon first season in favor of the next arc from the manga, I was excited to see the gang back in action. But it took my recent forays into reading the medium to finally get me to revisit the manga proper.

Run First, Mourn Later - the Perfect Motto for Morganville

~Glass Houses~
The Morganville Vampires
Book 1
By Rachel Caine
Amazon ~ Powell's

College freshman Claire Danvers is a 16-year-old math whiz whose parents decided she should spend two years at a small local college instead of taking her scholarships to an Ivy League school. And she has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation.

When Claire heads off-campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new roommates don't show many signs of life, but they'll have Claire's back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood.

Will she be able to face the town's terror or will she drown like everyone else?


The theme for this month's Vampire Book Club was start-to-a-series. I actually have owned this book for ages but haven't had a good excuse to start a new series (hence this year's reading goal), so I welcomed this chance to finally pick it up. Straddling the line between YA and NA, would this be the start to a compelling series I'd be chomping at the bit to continue, or would these vamps leave me feeling stale?

The Lost Girls Who Could’ve Been So Much More

~The Lost Girls~
By Sonia Hartl
Amazon ~ Powell's

When Elton Irving turned Holly Liddell into a vampire in 1987, he promised her eternal love. But thirty-four years later, Elton has left her, her hair will be crimped for the rest of immortality, and the only job she can get as a forever-sixteen-year-old is the midnight shift at Taco Bell.

Holly’s afterlife takes an interesting turn when she meets Rose McKay and Ida Ripley. Having also been turned and discarded by Elton—Rose in 1954, and Ida, his ex-fiancée, in 1921—they want to help her, and ask for her help in return.

Rose and Ida are going to kill Elton before he turns another girl. Though Holly is hurt and angry with Elton for tossing her aside, she’s reluctant to kill her ex, until Holly meets Parker Kerr—the new girl Elton has set his sights on—and feels a quick, and nerve-wracking attraction to her.


Another YA pick for Maven's Vampire Book Club, and a shorter one at that. Mainly this was due to scheduling issues that cropped up in January, pushing back the official discussion of that month's book a couple weeks, so she figured a shorter option would be easier to slot in and get things back on track. Besides the length, and the GoodReads blurb citing "dark humor and queer love," I really didn't know anything going in. Would this vampire story edge more cutsie, or have some real bite?

Vampires Are Eternal, Reborn, and Living in Our Nightmares

~Vampires Never Get Old~
Tales With Fresh Bite
An Anthology by Zoraida Córdova, Natalie C. Parker,
Samira Ahmed, Dhonielle Clayton, Tessa Gratton, Heidi Heilig, Julie Murphy, Mark Oshiro, Rebecca Roanhorse, Laura Ruby,
Victoria "V.E." Schwab, & Kayla Whaley
Amazon ~ Powell's

Eleven fresh vampire stories from young adult fiction’s leading voices!

In this delicious new collection, you’ll find stories about lurking vampires of social media, rebellious vampires hungry for more than just blood, eager vampires coming out―and going out for their first kill―and other bold, breathtaking, dangerous, dreamy, eerie, iconic, powerful creatures of the night.

Welcome to the evolution of the vampire—and a revolution on the page.


My library has been a bit hit-or-miss with the Vampire Book Club's selections, but I was able to find this one for December. Admittedly, I wasn't in the best mental space to read books surrounding death and immortality, having lost my grandmother last year and having that wound reopened with our cat's death (cancer) just after reading the first story. But after a bit of time (and some Christmas movies & music) I was excited to dive back in and experience some new takes on one of my favorite paranormal creatures.

Walking Through a Literal Valley with Death Himself

~The Company of Death~
The Immortal Journey
Book 1
By Elisa Hansen
Amazon ~ Powell's

The zombie apocalypse was just the beginning of vampire hunter Emily’s problems. Now she must team up with Death himself in this thrilling apocalyptic adventure series!

It’s been two years since the zombie uprising devoured 99% of the world’s population—and the vampires have come out of the shadows to claim the spoils. It’s Emily Campbell’s job to destroy vampire communes and rescue their human herds, but when a mission goes wrong, and she faces certain undeath, she would rather die than ever let them transform her. The problem is that when she makes a desperate suicide attempt, not only does the Grim Reaper fail to take her life—he also somehow loses all his powers in the process.

Now neither alive nor dead, Emily is stranded in the California desert with Death himself. She has heard the remnants of human civilization are developing a cure that could make her alive again in New York—all the way on the other side of the vampire- and zombie-swarmed continent. Only with Death’s help does she have a chance to complete the journey.

But without his powers, Death is mired in a crisis of his own. And he is not used to having company.


Having been a member of her Vampire Book Club for most of the year, you'd think I'd have already read her book, right? Well, now that I have a Kindle Unlimited trial, I'm jumping on one of the (many) books I've been meaning to read. Besides, I've already covered the other big Halloween themes this month: Demons, Superheroes, Vampires, and Werewolves. So a book about zombies (and more vampires) and Death incarnate sounded like a great way to finish off my month's proverbial bingo card.

Impossible That Anything Could Break up the Squad

~Squad~
By Maggie Tokuda-Hall
& Lisa Sterle
Amazon ~ Powell's

When Becca transfers to a high school in an elite San Francisco suburb, she’s worried she’s not going to fit in. To her surprise, she’s immediately adopted by the most popular girls in school. At first glance, Marley, Arianna, and Mandy are perfect. But at a party under a full moon, Becca learns that they also have a big secret.

Becca’s new friends are werewolves. Their prey? Slimy boys who take advantage of unsuspecting girls. Eager to be accepted, Becca allows her friends to turn her into a werewolf, and finally, for the first time in her life, she feels like she truly belongs.

But things get complicated when Arianna’s predatory boyfriend is killed, and the cops begin searching for a serial killer. As their pack begins to buckle under the pressure—and their moral high ground gets muddier and muddier—Becca realizes that she might have feelings for one of her new best friends.


When this one popped up on my Facebook newsfeed, I immediately knew I had to grab it. Between the enticing cover, the premise of hunting skeevy guys, and the fact that it featured werewolves—my absolute favorite of all supernatural creatures—it seemed the perfect fit to fill a slot in my spooky month! You know what they say about too much hype, though...

I Was Going to Tell You When I Was Sure You’d Keep Your Promise

~The Promised Neverland~
Introduction & Jailbreak Arcs
Vol. 1-5
By Kaiu Shirai & Posuka Demizu
Translated By Satsuki Yamashita
Amazon ~ Powell's

Norman, Emma, and Ray are the brightest kids at the Grace Field House orphanage. And under the care of Isabella, who they refer to as "Mom," all the kids have enjoyed a comfortable life. Good food, clean clothes, and the perfect environment to learn- what more could an orphan ask for? One day, though, Emma and Norman uncover the dark and twisted truth of the outside world they are forbidden from seeing.

Emma swears that she'll never lose another family member and starts gathering information in order to survive. They eventually bring Ray into the fold, and together the three start planning a way to escape.

I first heard about this story through praise of its anime adaptation. One of my favorite Ani-Tubers, Geoff Thew (aka Mother's Basement) has been gushing about its story, characters, and tension for years. And then they made a second season and absolutely slaughtered any good will they'd built up from the first. So, I decided to take him up on his suggestion and dive into the manga to see just what I'd been missing out on.

I decided to stop at the same place Season 1 of the anime stopped, just at the end of the Jailbreak arc (the second arc of the manga), which took me through the better part of 5 volumes, or 37 chapters. I figured that was the best way to get a good taste of the story and characters (ha), without leaving off on too big of a cliffhanger (like each volume tended to do).

It May Be Beautiful, but Beauty Is a Danger to Behold

~The Beautiful~
Book 1
By Renée Ahdieh
Amazon ~ Powell's

In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans provides her a refuge after she's forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent along with six other girls, Celine quickly becomes enamored with the vibrant city from the music to the food to the soirées and—especially—to the danger. She soon becomes embroiled in the city's glitzy underworld, known as La Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group's leader, the enigmatic Sébastien Saint Germain. When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in the lair of La Cour des Lions, Celine battles her attraction to him and suspicions about Sébastien's guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret.

When more bodies are discovered, each crime more gruesome than the last, Celine and New Orleans become gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose—one Celine is sure has set her in his sights . . . and who may even be the young man who has stolen her heart. As the murders continue to go unsolved, Celine takes matters into her own hands and soon uncovers something even more shocking: an age-old feud from the darkest creatures of the underworld reveals a truth about Celine she always suspected simmered just beneath the surface.


This is the first of the Vampire Book Club picks that I've gotten to from before I joined. That's right, it's time I catch up on some of the prior club picks...so I can read the current club pick, the sequel to this book! I swear, I'll get to more of the previous club books (I'm especially interested in A Discovery of Witches), but this makes as good excuse as any, right? Honestly didn't know anything going in other than the cover was pretty, it has vampires, and the first line of the summary places it in the 1800s. What have I got to lose?

Some Bizarre Hopes for This Mask of JoJo's

~Phantom Blood~
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Part 1
By Hirohiko Araki
Translated By Evan Galloway
Amazon ~ Powell's

Young Jonathan Joestar’s life is forever changed when he meets his new adopted brother, Dio. For some reason, Dio has a smoldering grudge against him and derives pleasure from seeing him suffer. But every man has his limits, as Dio finds out. This is the beginning of a long and hateful relationship!

This month's pick in Maven of the Eventide's (aka Elisa Hansen's) Vampire Book Club was a first for me: my very first official (not fan-translated) Manga ever, and also my first foray into the world of JoJo. Sure, I've seen enough of JoJo here and there to know of him—his style, the references, and what have you—but I'd never actually gone and experienced it for myself. Not even an episode of the anime. So, with an open mind and bated breath, I took the plunge into the bizarre world of JoJo and DIO!

Vlad Dracula Had Taken London

~Anno Dracula~
Book 1
By Kim Newman
Amazon ~ Powell's

It is 1888 and Queen Victoria has remarried, taking as her new consort Vlad Tepes, the Wallachian Prince infamously known as Count Dracula. Peppered with familiar characters from Victorian history and fiction, the novel follows vampire Geneviève Dieudonné and Charles Beauregard of the Diogenes Club as they strive to solve the mystery of the Ripper murders.


It's that time of the month again. No, not that, I mean it's time for the next vampire book for Maven of the Eventide's (aka Elisa Hansen's) Vampire Book Club! Of the three choices in the poll, this was definitely the most interesting to me. Jack the Ripper and various literary vampires all thrown together—what could possibly go wrong?

Lost Souls Belonged to the Crowd of Spirits Inside His Head

~Lost Souls~
By Poppy Z. Brite
Amazon ~ Powell's

At a club in Missing Mile, N.C., the children of the night gather, dressed in black, looking for acceptance. Among them are Ghost, who sees what others do not. Ann, longing for love, and Jason, whose real name is Nothing, newly awakened to an ancient, deathless truth about his father, and himself.

Others are coming to Missing Mile tonight. Three beautiful, hip vagabonds - Molochai, Twig, and the seductive Zillah (whose eyes are as green as limes) are on their own lost journey; slaking their ancient thirst for blood, looking for supple young flesh.

They find it in Nothing and Ann, leading them on a mad, illicit road trip south to New Orleans. Over miles of dark highway, Ghost pursues, his powers guiding him on a journey to reach his destiny, to save Ann from her new companions, to save Nothing from himself...


I picked this one up as my first participation in Maven of the Eventide's (aka Elisa Hansen's) Vampire Book Club, wherein she offers her extensive library of as yet unread vampire literature as choices for a monthly vote and subsequent livestreamed discussion. After seeing her book club's discussion of The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires from a couple months back, I decided a monthly dip into vampire fiction sounded like fun, so requested the upcoming book from the library. Despite my best efforts, the ebook didn't become available to download until the morning of the livestream, so I only managed to read about 45% before the stream started. Looking back, perhaps the universe was trying to warn me...

You’re Going to Book Club Me to Death?

~The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires~
By Grady Hendrix
Amazon ~ Powell's

Fried Green Tomatoes and Steel Magnolias meet Dracula in this Southern-flavored supernatural thriller set in the '90s about a women's book club that must protect its suburban community from a mysterious and handsome stranger who turns out to be a blood-sucking fiend.

Patricia Campbell had always planned for a big life, but after giving up her career as a nurse to marry an ambitious doctor and become a mother, Patricia's life has never felt smaller. The days are long, her kids are ungrateful, her husband is distant, and her to-do list is never really done. The one thing she has to look forward to is her book club, a group of Charleston mothers united only by their love for true-crime and suspenseful fiction. In these meetings, they're more likely to discuss the FBI's recent siege of Waco as much as the ups and downs of marriage and motherhood.

But when an artistic and sensitive stranger moves into the neighborhood, the book club's meetings turn into speculation about the newcomer. Patricia is initially attracted to him, but when some local children go missing, she starts to suspect the newcomer is involved. She begins her own investigation, assuming that he's a Jeffrey Dahmer or Ted Bundy. What she uncovers is far more terrifying, and soon she--and her book club--are the only people standing between the monster they've invited into their homes and their unsuspecting community.


I've always been a big supporter of Quirk Books' lineup. From their monster mashups (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Android Karenina, etc.) to their more serious but still humorous fair (Miss Peregrine, The Con Artist, & The Obama/Biden Mysteries) I just love their commitment to offering the quirky. So when I saw their latest publication on Facebook, I knew I had to check it out ASAP. Unfortunately this probably wasn't the best time for me to read it.

There Is No Surrender - Only Win Or Lose

SPOILER ALERT
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous books, Zombies Don't Cry and Zombies Don't Forgive, or don't mind knowing some spoilers for them. Zombies Don't Surrender, however, will remain spoiler-free.
SPOILER ALERT

~Zombies Don't Surrender~
A Living Dead Love Apocalypse Story
Book 3
By Rusty Fischer
Amazon ~ Powell's

As the final volume in the Living Dead Love Stories opens, Maddy, Dane, and Stamp are still together, though barely, nestled safely inside the walls of Sentinel City, a stronghold designed to keep Zerkers out—and zombies in.

Maddy trains night and day, hoping to join Vera as a Keeper. Dane has been given Sentinel Support in the form a busty blonde named Courtney. And what of Stamp? Although Maddy’s dad has worked hard to rehabilitate him after his Zerker bite, he’s still not all . . . there.

When Dr. Swift inadvertently allows the zombies’ archenemy, Val, to escape from Sentinel City, Maddy’s world turns upside down. She and Stamp are Vanished—expelled from the safety of Sentinel City, no better than common Zerkers. Dane, a Sentinel now, escapes punishment and is assigned to ensure that his old friends never return.

As Maddy and Stamp stray from the safety of Sentinel City, danger mounts . . . and not just for them. Val has taken up residence in a seaside town and enrolled in another Normal high school. To outwit her and save Seagull Shores from all-out zombie Armageddon, Maddy must face her archenemy once again.

Only this time, she’s all alone . . .


Well, I was right in my last review: things sure go to hell in a handbasket in this one. Unfortunately, in more ways than one. I've been reading and reviewing this series for three years now, thoroughly enjoying Mr. Fischer's upbeat, campy, B-movie style and humor. But all good things come to an end, it seems, and so I delve into the final installment in Maddy's Living Dead Love Story.

Sing For Me, and Make It a Glorious Song

SPOILER ALERT
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous books, The Immortal Rules and The Eternity Cure, or don't mind knowing some major spoilers for them. The Forever Song, however, will remain spoiler-free.
SPOILER ALERT

~The Forever Song~
Blood of Eden
Book 3
By Julie Kagawa
Amazon ~ Powell's
Allison Sekemoto once struggled with the question: human or monster?
With the death of her love, Zeke, she has her answer.

MONSTER

Allie will embrace her cold vampire side to hunt down and end Sarren, the psychopathic vampire who murdered Zeke. But the trail is bloody and long, and Sarren has left many surprises for Allie and her companions—her creator, Kanin, and her blood brother, Jackal. The trail is leading straight to the one place they must protect at any cost—the last vampire-free zone on Earth, Eden. And Sarren has one final, brutal shock in store for Allie.

In a ruined world where no life is sacred and former allies can turn on you in one heartbeat, Allie will face her darkest days. And if she succeeds, triumph is short-lived in the face of surviving forever alone.


It's all come down to this. I loved the last book, but hated the first book. Would Allie's final quest be enough to win me over, or would I return to the disinterest I felt in the beginning? Only time and 416 electronic pages would tell.

Even More Peculiar Pictures

Miss Peregrine's Home
for Peculiar Children
~The Graphic Novel~
Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children
Book 1
By Ransom Riggs & Cassandra Jean
Amazon ~ Powell's ~ Jan's Paperbacks

When Jacob Portman was a boy, his grandfather regaled him with stories of his fantastic life at Miss Peregrine's home during the Second World War, even sharing photos of the remarkable children with whom he resided. As Jacob grew up, though, he decided that these photos were obvious fakes, simple forgeries designed to stir his youthful imagination. Or were they...?

Following his grandfather's death—a scene Jacob literally couldn't believe with his own eyes—the sixteen-year-old boy embarks on a mission to disentangle fact from fiction in his grandfather's tall tales. But even his grandfather's elaborate yarns couldn't prepare Jacob for the eccentricities he will discover at Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children!

My Review of the Novel

It seems I'm in a re-reading mood all of a sudden. What could be better than re-reading your favorite books? Why, getting to experience them again for the first time, of course! And that's exactly what Cassandra Jean has achieved with Ransom Riggs' intriguing novel about Peculiar Children. This graphic novel adaptation contains the same plot as the original novel, so if you're wanting a review of the story, you should probably click that big link up there. But if you're interested in how the adaptation came out, please read on.

Zombies Don't Collate

SPOILER ALERT
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous book, Zombies Don't Cry, or don't mind knowing some spoilers for it. Even the book's cover summary includes spoilers. Zombies Don't Forgive, however, will remain spoiler-free.
SPOILER ALERT

~Zombies Don't Forgive~
A Living Dead Love Revenge Story
Book 2
By Rusty Fischer
Amazon ~ Powell's

Maddy Swift was just a normal girl—a high school junior surviving class with her best friend and hoping the yummy new kid, Stamp, would ask her out. When he finally did, her whole life changed.

On her way to the party, she was struck by lightning and awoke with no heartbeat and no breath in her lungs: the walking dead. When Barracuda Bay’s homecoming turned into zombie Armageddon, Dane helped Maddy and Stamp escape undead.

Now Maddy, Dane, and Stamp have fled to Orlando, where they work at a theme park, hiding in plain sight among warm bodies with their jobs in The Great Movie Monster Makeover Show. But all is not well as the three BFFs of the Living Dead cohabitate 24/7 trying to avoid curious Normals (humans), vengeful Zerkers (bad zombies), and equally lethal Sentinels (zombie cops).

While Dane and Maddy draw closer, Stamp drifts away—straight into the arms of a mysterious blonde with a permanent scowl. The girl puts their whole afterlife in danger, and before long Maddy’s ready to hunt her down to separate her from her head!


Starting off, I gotta get my first complaint out of the way: I couldn't find one time the word "forgive" showed up in the book. Not. A. One! How am I supposed to use book quotes as my review titles if you never say the key word from the title?! (The current review title came from a chapter name.) Now that that's out of the way...

We're Peculiar. Aren't you?

~Miss Peregrine's Home
for Peculiar Children~
Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children
Book 1
By Ransom Riggs
Amazon ~ Powell's

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

You remember in school when you were given a picture and told to write a story about it? Or maybe you've had a writing exercise where you have to use a picture and a phrase within your short story. Well, regardless of whether or not you've done it yourself, I think we can all agree Ransom Riggs has gone above and beyond the minimum requirements.

One Step Closer To The Larger Cure We All Sought

SPOILER ALERT
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous book, The Immortal Rules, or don't mind knowing some spoilers for it. The Eternity Cure, however, will remain spoiler-free.
SPOILER ALERT

~The Eternity Cure~
Blood of Eden
Book 2
By Julie Kagawa
Amazon ~ Powell's

How do you face the end of eternity?

In Allison Sekemoto's world, there is one rule left: Blood calls to blood

She has done the unthinkable: died so that she might continue to live. Cast out of Eden and separated from the boy she dared to love, Allie will follow the call of blood to save her creator, Kanin, from the psychotic vampire Sarren. But when the trail leads to Allie's birthplace in New Covington, what Allie finds there will change the world forever—and possibly end human and vampire existence.

There's a new plague on the rise, a strain of the Red Lung virus that wiped out most of humanity generations ago—and this strain is deadly to humans and vampires alike. The only hope for a cure lies in the secrets Kanin carries, if Allie can get to him in time.

Allison thought that immortality was forever. But now, with eternity itself hanging in the balance, the lines between human and monster will blur even further, and Allie must face another choice she could never have imagined having to make.

I'm so glad I gave this series another chance. If you'll remember my review of book one, The Immortal Rules, I harped on Allie and her motivation (or lack thereof) pretty hard. Yet I was still captivated by the world and the writing style, and thus expressed my hopes for its sequel(s). So when NetGalley knocked on my door/inbox with the offer of book two, I gladly accepted.

I'll admit starting out that I had some heavy reservations against this book. I considered re-reading book one, as I like to do before moving ahead in a series, but couldn't bring myself to push through the boredom I'd already gone through once. And the beginning of this book presented me with a few cases of missed opportunities that had me worried. But after the story got going, familiar faces appeared, and the action ramped up, I found myself enjoying this more and more.

Picking up almost exactly where The Immortal Rules left off, Allie is now hunting for her sire, Kanin. Very little time has passed, maybe a couple months, but there's no doubt that Allie has changed (for the better, in my opinion). She's been exposed to the highs and lows of both humanity and vampires, and is still seeking her place among them. But her existential quandary is put on hold for the moment as her blood-tie to Kanin shows her that his time is running short, so it's road trip time for our heroine as she chases an obtainable goal.

Top Ten Tuesday: Halloween Reads

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at The Broke and the Bookish.

This week, in honor of the approaching holiday, we are tasked with presenting our Top Ten Books To Get In The Halloween Spirit. Now, I'm not really one for Horror, so my list is probably not going to be as scary or even as creepy as a lot of them. Still, here's what I'd read if I needed a little Halloween pick-me-up.

10. The Mayflower Project by K.A. Applegate

Not really Halloween-y in the normal sense, but the start to one of the creepiest series I've ever read. Following in the tracks of Animorphs and Everworld, this was a series that promised to push the boundaries of YA, and boy did it ever. If you want dark sci-fi with a side of teen adventure, check out these chilling tales.

9. Detention of the Living Dead by Rusty Fischer

If you want your zombies with the same amount of gore, but still get that light-hearted vibe, definitely go with any of Rusty's stories. He has that perfect balance of gore and humor to give you thrills, chills, and still have you ready and rearing to go out at night.

8. The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene

It's been quite some time since I've read the old Nancy Drew books, but when I think of full moons and creepy houses, I can't help but have the teenage sleuth come to mind. Definitely short on gore, but still a good ambiance for the season, no?

7. Vamplayers by Rusty Fischer

He does much of the same with vampires as he does with zombies. Pack in a little more action and romance with this one, and maybe a little drama, but I still say you can't go wrong with one of Rusty's reads.

6. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

This is obviously one of the classics. Honestly, it didn't read all that scary for me, but I guess you could always pick up one of the movie adaptations instead.

5. Zombies Don't Cry by Rusty Fischer

Okay, okay, my last Rusty Fischer book. If you want a lot more romance in your gore-fest, this is definitely the book to choose.

4. Alien Terror by Chris Archer

Another non-Halloweeny pick here. Still, finding out you're an alien, and that other aliens want to kill and/or recruit you has got to serve for some chills, right?

3. Dracula by Bram Stoker

Yet another classic, and deservedly so. This one definitely has the creep factor. Though not as straight-forward as some modern writing, as it's written as a compilation of journals and news articles, it still gets the job done for a Halloween story.

2. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
by Jane Austen & Seth Grahame-Smith

More and more zombies. Like I said, I'm not really one for horror, but throw a little humor in there and I can usually make it through alright. This is definitely one of the goriest stories I've read, but in context it's pretty enjoyable to read. Perfect for getting into Halloween, if you don't mind all that romance in between.

1. Goosebumps One Day At Horrorland by R.L. Stine

This was the one and only book that has ever given me nightmares - and the main reason I didn't continue with the series. Though, actually, I remember it being 2nd in the series, not 20th... But regardless, if I had to pick the one book that scared me as a kid, this one tops the list.

Honorable Mentions:
Little Pet Shop of Horrors by Betsy Haynes
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Dawn of the Dreadfuls by Steve Hockensmith
Other Goosebumps & Bone Chillers





So, which books are on your Halloween list?
Do you prefer creeps and chills, or supernatural thrills?
Trick or Treat?
Let me hear you howl!