Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Companions of the Night

3.73 of 5 stars 3.73 · rating details · 3,033 ratings · 244 reviews

When Kerry’s little brother forgets his stuffed bear at the laundry, Kerry ventures out at 11:00 p.m. to retrieve it for him. The laundry is deserted and kind of spooky, and while she’s there three men burst in, dragging a bound and bloodied young man they insist is a vampire. Kerry helps him escape, only to be caught up in a desperate game between vampire hunters and thei...more

Paperback, 224 pages

Published September 1st 2002 by Graphia (first published 1995)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Best Teen Vampire Fiction

36th out of 327 books — 3,306 voters

Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt

The Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones

The Will of the Empress by Tamora Pierce

Hidden Gems: YA-Fantasy Novels

93rd out of 816 books — 2,047 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jan 10, 2008 Brittany M. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: vampires, favorites

The first thing you must know is that this book was written before the 'Twilight' vampire hype swept YA novels and turned them into a predictable and boring genre. Companions of the Night is blissfully original.

Each page kept me so absorbed in the story, eager to finish it and find out the ending. When I'd finished the book, I was disappointed that it didn't go on for longer. I would love to see a sequel, though I think all hopes of that are basically dust by now.

The ending was bittersweet, but...more

21 likes · like · see review

Aug 29, 2008 Jackie "the Librarian" rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: teen vampire fans

Shelves: blood-sucking-fiends, youngadult, favorites, teen-books-adults-can-enjoy

You want to read a GREAT teen vampire story? Forget Twilight. Well, try to, anyway. This is the one you should be reading. It's got a smart heroine who isn't particularly klutsy, vampires, danger, AND (bonus!) you get the whole story in ONE book!

It's late at night, but does Kerry get to climb into her comfy bed? Noooo, she's in charge of her little brother Ian for the evening, and HE left his teddy bear at the laundromat and can't sleep without it. She trudges back to the laundromat, and is sea...more

9 likes · like · see review

Nov 04, 2007 Emma rated it 5 of 5 stars

Vivian Vande Velde is basically my hero. She is a master at taking traditional fairy-tale-like themes and making them fresh and totally unique. Companions of the Night (1995) does that for the vampire story.

Kerry’s little brother, Ian, had a simple request: drive to the laundromat to retrieve Ian’s stuffed bear. Kerry knew all the reasons she should tell Ian no (she had a big test to study for, it was the middle of the night, she only had a driver’s permit and shouldn’t be in a car without a lic...more Vivian Vande Velde is basically my hero. She is a master at taking traditional fairy-tale-like themes and making them fresh and totally unique. Companions of the Night (1995) does that for the vampire story.

Kerry’s little brother, Ian, had a simple request: drive to the laundromat to retrieve Ian’s stuffed bear. Kerry knew all the reasons she should tell Ian no (she had a big test to study for, it was the middle of the night, she only had a driver’s permit and shouldn’t be in a car without a licensed driver), but then Ian started to cry and Kerry knew she couldn’t say no–not if Ian was going to cry. It was late, there would be no traffic. Getting the bear would be simple.

And it was simple. Until Kerry got to the laundromat and stepped into what looked like a gang shootout. Or a kidnapping. Or a vampire hunt.

Unfortunately, the hunters think that Kerry is a vampire too. So she and the other supposed vampire, Ethan, have to escape. Adventure ensues.

Vande Velde, as is her way, also throws a romantic element into the plot. Happily, she does so without falling into the typical “Dracula seduction” style so common in vampire stories.

Every author has a different take on how vampires function in “real life.” I am quite fond of how Vande Velde explains their immortality. The explanation just makes so much sense, it’s great. In a way Vande Velde takes the mystique out of the whole vampire thing, trying to create realistic explanations for things like immortality and how a vampire can exist inconspicuously in the modern world. Overall Ethan is an exceedingly likable character even if he is, basically, dead.

Technically speaking the narrative is nicely written. This novel is very much like Vande Velde’s other works. In particular, parallels can be drawn between this novel and A Well-Timed Enchantment. Both have a similar plot formula and the narrations style is very modern in both.

Vande Velde also develops the characters of Ethan and Kerry nicely. The book is short, so readers are never bogged down with background information or “back stories” for the characters. Nonetheless, Vande Velde creates very dimensional and, dare I say, very real characters.

Companions of the Night is definitely an action story. The narrative is tightly wound, keeping readers ready for excitement and action.

This book is probably for an older audience than some of Vande Velde’s other books, mainly because it features more violence (fights, threats of death) than younger readers (or their parents) might be able to deal with. So, basically, more of a tween and up book than a children/YA one. But also a must-read for any vampire fans out there.(less)

11 likes · like · see review

Mar 20, 2009 Shannon rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, reviews

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I probably love this book more than any other vampire-related book I've ever read. Of course, this might be because it was one of the first books I read that involved vampires, BUT all the same... I love this book!

It's one of the few where I believe the author writes the vampires so convincingly. The character of Ethan is honestly one of my most favorite vampire characters; he's so devious, completely charming, and very off-putting all simultaneously... it's quite amazing. You literally have no...more

3 likes · like · see review

Mar 01, 2009 Jina rated it 3 of 5 stars

This vampire romance has a distinct undertone of violence and pulls you in from page one. Kerri is a 15 year old girl whose mother has left her, her brother, and her father for another man and another life. Their family is still trying to cope with the pain that brought and one of the main reasons that Kerri gives in to her brother's tears and goes to fetch his koala from the 24 hour laundry.

On her arrival she finds three men have beaten and tied up another man and are holding him hostage. They...more This vampire romance has a distinct undertone of violence and pulls you in from page one. Kerri is a 15 year old girl whose mother has left her, her brother, and her father for another man and another life. Their family is still trying to cope with the pain that brought and one of the main reasons that Kerri gives in to her brother's tears and goes to fetch his koala from the 24 hour laundry.

On her arrival she finds three men have beaten and tied up another man and are holding him hostage. They are convinced he is a vampire. Kerri helps him escape. She acts rather ingeniously and illustrates inner strength and quick thinking.

Ethan, the man who she helped rescue, drives her home and her father is none the wiser of her sneaking out to fetch a bear. Her life goes on until she runs into Ethan again in the supermarket. He offers to drive her home since her father has forgotten to pick her up. She enters her home to find that it has been ransacked and her father and brother are missing. This is where the story quickly picks up it's already fast pace.

Kerri is forced to stay with Ethan and help him throughout the rest of the book in order to get her family back. She learns that Ethan is a vampire and rightly fears him, but is fascinated at the same time, developing a crush. There are attacks, killings, and scheming that carry the plot to the end for a final revelation of who is behind it. Why they are trying to kill Ethan and Kerri has fallen in love with Ethan. Kerri's family is also safe and sound.

The main characters that we meet are Kerri a 15 year old girl, Ethan a vampire whose isn't very old at all, his vampire friend and possible lover Regina, and the vampire hunter. Kerri has a good heart and is smarter that she gives herself credit for. You feel sorry for her since her mother left and immediately fear for her safety when Ethan is revealed to be a vampire. However, you also feel sorry for Ethan who is being hunted for nothing that he actually did and because he loses his friend and creator.

Regina and Ethan are very different. Ethan is still very human, while Regina embraces being a vampire and all of the seductive danger that comes with it. Ethan is also very conniving, which is evident in how he treats Kerri.

The overall plot keeps you interested and the ending does have an interesting twist. However, the main Kerri announcing that she loves Ethan didn't make a lot of sense to me. There were hints at a crush through the book and she recognized that he was too old for her. I just felt that her reaction to him in that sense was out of character,but it didn't detract from the ending. One thing you should know is that it doesn't end with her and Ethan together, which I think is a good thing.
(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Jul 30, 2012 cEe beE rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fab-faves, couldn-t-put-down

Companions of the Night is my favorite vampire book ever!

Before Stephanie Meyer came along and ruined vampire lore, before Vampire Academy, Diaries, and a host of others, Vivian Vande Velde wrote the perfect YA vampire novel.

COTN has a believable storyline and realistic characters. The vampire Ethan is charming, but he is devious and not to be trusted. 15 yr old Kerry has to help him hunt down a vampire hunter so she can find and save her father and little brother.

Like most of Vande Velde's bo...more

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 03, 2008 Amanda rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Not a great book, but I will say that I found the human/vampire relationship much more "realistic" (as if there is such a thing), than certain other teen vamp books published as of late.

By realistic, I mean, the vampires in this story were vampires. They had to drink blood and it had to be human blood and raiding the local blood bank wasn't going to cut it. That fact alone made the love story much more difficult to create.

I also appreciated the fact that the vampire was manipulative. And that...more

4 likes · like · see review

Jun 12, 2012 Liviania rated it 4 of 5 stars

People talk like we're living in an unprecedented age of vampire novels. But really, the vampire novel never went out of style after it was invented. The vampire young adult novel, however, is more popular than ever. Back when I was in junior high those of us who liked vampires had fewer options. And one of the most popular options was COMPANIONS OF THE NIGHT by Vivian Vande Velde.

I was already familiar with Velde when someone recommended COMPANIONS OF THE NIGHT to me. I liked her books, ever si...more People talk like we're living in an unprecedented age of vampire novels. But really, the vampire novel never went out of style after it was invented. The vampire young adult novel, however, is more popular than ever. Back when I was in junior high those of us who liked vampires had fewer options. And one of the most popular options was COMPANIONS OF THE NIGHT by Vivian Vande Velde.

I was already familiar with Velde when someone recommended COMPANIONS OF THE NIGHT to me. I liked her books, ever since I read A WELL-TIMED ENCHANTMENT, since she wrote comedic and clever novels about teens and children in extraordinary situations. There was also a nice thread of feminism running through her works. As for COMPANIONS OF THE NIGHT, I know of know better way to sell it than to tell the premise:

COMPANIONS OF THE NIGHT begins with Kerry's late-night quest to retrieve her much younger brother's stuffed bear. (Anyone who has spent much time with a little kid knows that favored stuffed animals are necessary to get the kid to sleep.) Thus, Kerry drives herself down to the laundromat, pretty sure it will be closed, but willing to try anyway. Strangely, it is open but no one is there.

Then the owner and two of his friends return with a bound young man. They claim that Ethan is a vampire. Kerry, thoroughly assured that the local laundromat owner is out of his mind, helps Ethan escape.

The next day someone kidnaps Kerry's father and brother, causing her to go to Ethan for help. Ethan is, of course, a vampire. And Kerry's about to have the adventure of a lifetime.

Kerry is a terrific heroine. She's resourceful and brave, and she doesn't put up with vampires mocking her dad's old car. Ethan is charming bad news and secretive motives. (Together, they fight crime! Not really. But close.) COMPANIONS OF THE NIGHT is structured like an action movie. Two very different characters meet, then have to work together for one crazy night. There's suspense, romance, comedy, and piano.

COMPANIONS OF THE NIGHT is not a complex book and there is no deep mythology. That might put some vampire fans off. But it's a shame to miss out on this one. If only because it's about a girl who repeatedly rescues dudes in distress. (less)

1 like · like · see review

Mar 05, 2012 Becky Hoffman rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Stephanie Meyer fans. They'll just eat this up.

Recommended to Becky by: Some customer at work.

I would've really liked to have given this book 2.5 stars, but since that is not possible with the Goodreads grading system, and because I believe in rounding up, I gave it a 3/5.

Let me just start by saying that his book was recommended to me by a customer at my place of business (it's a bookstore for all of you who don't know me, so I get recommended books A LOT). A women told me about this book she read when she was younger and loved every moment of it. I believe the words she used were, "This...more I would've really liked to have given this book 2.5 stars, but since that is not possible with the Goodreads grading system, and because I believe in rounding up, I gave it a 3/5.

Let me just start by saying that his book was recommended to me by a customer at my place of business (it's a bookstore for all of you who don't know me, so I get recommended books A LOT). A women told me about this book she read when she was younger and loved every moment of it. I believe the words she used were, "This was one of the best vampire books out there before Stephanie Meyer ruined the genre". Well, if that is going to be your argument, then I might as well pop on over to my local discount book store (what? I already work for a bookstore, that's commitment enough. I don't need to buy everything from them too) and picked up a used copy. I started reading it that night and was amazed that after about an hour, I was already seven chapters in.

It wasn't that it was overly good and I couldn't put it down, it was because I had just had a Dr. Pepper and couldn't go to sleep.

The book is about a girl, Kerry, who has to go to the dry cleaners late at night because her little brother, Ian, left his stuffed bear at the cleaners. Once she gets to this 24 hour dry cleaners, she's surprised to find that no one is there. So while she's doing this great ducking down behind the counter to get the bear, three men who assume there is no one in the cleaners at that very moment, burst into the room dragging behind them this bloody mess of a young man who is bound and gagged. Ok, so they believe this guy is a vampire so what is the first thing they do? Well besides beating the crap out of him, they remove the gag. Mistake number one. I don't know if you guys have ever read or watched horror movies with vampires, but if you've managed to succeed in gagging a vampire, the general rule of thumb is to keep him gagged. All the better for him not to rip your throat out. Mistake number two, not checking behind the counter before starting to beat the crap out of said vampire. Kerry watches these guys torture what she assumes is this innocent guy, so now she's built a Florence Nightingale type of relationship towards him. Once the men are done threatening her within an inch of her life to beat her senseless if she tries to run or expose them, they allow her to get close to this now-ungagged vampire to play nursemaid. There, a relationship blooms inside her teenaged hormone fueled brain and the rest is history. You can imagine where the story goes from there.

But all that aside, I couldn't get past some of the language the author used to describe things. In fact, descriptions in general were down to a bare minimum. Writers like that, who don't go into any real depth to try and describe the characters, environment, or general vicinity of where they are located force me (like all readers out there) to come up with an image in my head. So after six or seven chapters when she does finally give detail to something and it's not what I had originally imagined, it throws me off. Minor details, but annoying to readers when they're already quite a ways into the story.

Plus the main character, Kerry, is your typical damsel in distress who wants to prove there is more to her than what meets the eye (insert head banging against wall imagery here).
Granted this book was written awhile ago, so I'll give the writer some credit, but this type of female character is so overplayed in books now-a-days that I'm worn out. Give me a big baby! Give me a Dominatrix! Anything but the DIDWWPMHWME!!!! (Damsel-in-distress-who-wants to-prove there is-more to-her than-what-meets the-eye).

While we're on the topic of characters, let me just express how her love interest Ethan does a complete 180 in character shift when Kerry starts to discover he's a vampire. He becomes a jerk! The whole time I'm wondering why she's even bothering with this guy. Just stake him and move on!

By the end of the book...well I can't tell you what happens....that would be unfair. But lets just say that I wasn't too impressed by Kerry's sudden mood shift as well. She loves him but she hates him flower petal ripping emotion. It was entertaining enough in it's own way, I mean it has the amazing capability of killing a late night Dr. Pepper buzz, so give it a flip through if you're bored and have a few hours to kill, it's a short book so it shouldn't be hard.(less)

like · see review

May 03, 2011 Kellie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Vivian Vande Velde, produced an excellent Vampire story without the usual clichés found in many YA books. Kerry is a likeable character who is willing to go through great lengths to save her family, with the help of Ethan. Ethan isn't the nice friendly vampire (found in certain YA Vampire series), he's cunning, ruthless and untrustworthy, but shades of humanity peek out when you least expect it.
Perhaps what I like most about Companions of the Night is the fact that Ethan doesn't reveal all, whi...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 29, 2010 Alisha rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult

What is it with supernatural YA novels about vampires that make me want to bash my head against the wall repeatedly? Is it just me? Because I have not found one YA vampire novel that was just plain okay. It doesn't even have to be great, just bearable. Unfortunately for me, Companions of the Night wasn't even that. I think I may have to say that it was more unbearable than Twilight...

The novel starts out great. I'm sitting in my favorite comfty sofa chair with a Coke bottle on the left side and...more What is it with supernatural YA novels about vampires that make me want to bash my head against the wall repeatedly? Is it just me? Because I have not found one YA vampire novel that was just plain okay. It doesn't even have to be great, just bearable. Unfortunately for me, Companions of the Night wasn't even that. I think I may have to say that it was more unbearable than Twilight...

The novel starts out great. I'm sitting in my favorite comfty sofa chair with a Coke bottle on the left side and Twizzlers on the right. Clearly, I am in my element. I'm hunkering down and while I'm reading, I'm excited to get to the plot. I keep reading thinking "Okay, surely, the plot's coming soon. It's just taking a while". More pages... "I'm sure it'll be here any minute." "It's still not here?!!! Well, I can't give up now, I only have about 120 pages to go. Might as well just finish it." "Plot! There you are! Oh, how I missed you!" "The end??? That was the plot...okay..." Yep, that was basically my thought process throughout the whole novel, in regards to the plot. It just took to damn long to get going and when it finally did get going it was just "okay". For something that took so long to actually happen, it should've been "BAM! Amazing!"

Now, the main character, Kerry...just plain annoying and aggravating. I think she may have been more annoying than Bella of Twilight (I THINK, I'm not so sure since Bella was all types of annoying and just full of suckage). It's just that she kept doing extremely stupid things and having even more extremely stupid thoughts. I actually rolled my eyes thinking "Oh my God! Can she really just stop thinking at least for a little while?" Okay, correct me if I'm wrong, but if a guy (I don't care how hot he is) tries to (EXTREMELY MILD SPOILER HERE) kill you, then wouldn't any sane person just not like him, let alone wuv him? Unless, of course, they have Stockholm syndrome, but I really don't think that's where the author wanted to go with this. Apparently, a sane protagonist is too much to ask for in a vampire YA novel...

Twilight had something going for it...it was a page-turner. The feminist in me hated that book to bits and pieces, but my God, I could just not put it down. It was like a trainwreck in that you really couldn't look away. Plus, it had Jacob and Alice and those were the only two characters I like (not enough to enjoy the first two books or even attempt to start the last two books, but they didn't make me want to claw my eyes out the way everyone else in that novel did). Companions of the Night was BORING. I only kept flipping the pages because I thought it would get better and by the time I realized it wouldn't, I had read most of it. And there was not one redeeming character in this book to make me reading it seem worth it. Nope, not a one.

I have to say, I rarely hand out one star ratings because I feel guilty and if I can't find anything redeeming in a book, I just drop it cause life's too short. But this one was a really short read, so, I finished it. The good thing about this was that it was library read so I didn't waste any money on it. But still, I could've spent my time reading something sooo much better... (less)

like · see review

Apr 08, 2010 Emily Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

I don't love vampire books, for the most part. The ones that I've read tend to be a little mindless, full of hot, leather-clad vampires and the humans who happily get sucked into their glamorous world of the night.

And that's why Companions of the Night is my favorite vampire book. It takes the mores of YA vampire fiction and examines then, turns them on their heads. The usual elements are there: teenage girl gets caught up in vampire world and develops an attraction to one of them. But then the...more I don't love vampire books, for the most part. The ones that I've read tend to be a little mindless, full of hot, leather-clad vampires and the humans who happily get sucked into their glamorous world of the night.

And that's why Companions of the Night is my favorite vampire book. It takes the mores of YA vampire fiction and examines then, turns them on their heads. The usual elements are there: teenage girl gets caught up in vampire world and develops an attraction to one of them. But then the book questions these characters. Those reviewers who found the plot and romance slow or uncompelling missed the point of it, I think; it's not so much a vampire novel as it is a character study wherein one of the characters is a vampire. If you've ever seen the movie Red Eye, it's a little like that: a thriller in which the whole middle act involves the heroine and the bad guy stuck together in a quiet, cramped space.

Vande Velde, as some other reviewers have said, grounds her vampires in reality, examining realistically how they would have to live and hide and feed, something that many vampire books ignore. In many vampire books the focus is on the seductive aspect of the vampires, often with little comment on the idea that they are, in fact, the blood-sucking undead. But Vande Velde puts a new spin on this, portraying a world of vampires that is much more realistic: they spend much of their time hiding and have to move often, and the book gently hints that it's a life that could sometimes be hard and lonely. And the author doesn't shy away from pointing out that as vampires, they must frequently suck blood and occasionally kill people (no deer-hunting vegetarian vampires here). It's a take on vampires that I found rather refreshing.

And our heroine, strong and resourceful but still flawed and very human Kerry, is torn; she can see the good and the bad in the vampires, as well as the good and the bad in the vampire hunters. She's attracted to Ethan, the vampire who is helping her find her family, but she knows she can't trust him, remembering all too well that earlier in the book he tried to kill her. And that's what leads to that fascinating middle act, with Ethan and Kerry in a car driving through rural New York in the dark, talking about life and death and vampirism and wondering how much they can trust each other.

And most of all, it's a story about choices, looking at the choices Kerry made that led to her enlisting Ethan's aid, the choices that Ethan made that led to him being a vampire, the choices that the vampire hunter (and the vampire hunter's son) made that led him to kidnapping a child and feeling perfectly justified in the act. And then it all comes down to what choices Kerry will make in the end.

If you're looking for a story with brooding, sympathetic vampires, read Twilight. If you're looking for a story with glamorous, exciting vampires, read one of the scores of YA vampire books that fill the shelves. But if you want to read a different sort of vampire novel, one that makes you think, read Companions of the Night.(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Apr 20, 2009 Steph Su rated it 3 of 5 stars

A late-night trip to the Laundromat to retrieve her brother’s stuffed koala bear turns sixteen-year-old Kerry’s life upside down as she lands in the midst of a dangerous hunter vs. the hunted encounter. However, there are vampires and ordinary mortal vampire hunters involved, so who is the hunted and who is the hunter?

A series of events pairs Kerry up with the young vampire Ethan Bryne, who exasperates her to no end with his constant lying, alternating heartlessness and caring, and good looks. E...more

like · see review

Jan 06, 2011 Andrienne rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was suggested to me after I posted my review of Silver Kiss. I wanted another take on the human girl, vampire boy love story and this did not disappoint. I had to take away one star though for a couple of reasons. Towards the middle, the story lost steam in figuring out what happened to the girl's family. There were parts that seemed contrived; too much effort in inducing some emotions. It could also be that in the effort of the author to make it mysterious (which it was), it got to th...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jul 28, 2007 Oyceter rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy

I really loved the vampires in this book; they actually feel like they've lived for quite some time, as opposed to psychologically being a high school student for centuries. I particularly loved the moral ambiguity of the book, that the threat to Kerry felt real and immediate, and the lack of romanticization. This is what a vampire-human relationship might work out if vampires were real.

Full review: http://oyceter.livejournal.com/628159...

3 likes · like · see review

Feb 27, 2009 Heather rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, science-fiction, young-adult

This is a 'vampire' book. I found the romance in it really shallow and the storyline slow moving.

1 like · like · see review

Feb 07, 2010 Lucy clifton rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: vamps

i did actually like the book it was easy to read and follow the charecters but i felt at a loss when i got to the end it seemed to end so abruptly that i felt like i was waiting for a another book to carry on and if there is no intentions for another book then the ending it is just rubbish you finally get into the romance and it ends. it would be intersting if the book could have a follow on that came in two or three years later with the same charecters. the ending was really the only thing that...more

like · see review

Dec 21, 2009 Larissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: kinder, vampires, 2009, read-while-traveling, spontaneous-reads, young-adult, fantastical, found-shelving-browsing

I ran across Vivian Vande Velde's (great) name in a list of popular teen vampire novelists and picked up Companions of the Night on a whim. I read it in about a day and really enjoyed it. The plot moves along at a quick clip, and while the characters do have a strong rapport, the romance element is not given much attention until the very last chapters. (Side note: I wasn't overwhelmed by these characters—they are certainly serviceable, but I didn't completely connect with them. Some of this is j...more I ran across Vivian Vande Velde's (great) name in a list of popular teen vampire novelists and picked up Companions of the Night on a whim. I read it in about a day and really enjoyed it. The plot moves along at a quick clip, and while the characters do have a strong rapport, the romance element is not given much attention until the very last chapters. (Side note: I wasn't overwhelmed by these characters—they are certainly serviceable, but I didn't completely connect with them. Some of this is just because we learn a limited amount about them in the confines of the story. Kerry is given a nice backstory, but in attempting to maintain Ethan's mysteriousness, we learn very little about him, which ultimately, was unfortunate. It leaves room for lots of speculation, but honestly, one of the things I enjoy most about vampire novels is finding out about well, the vampires...)

Overall, however, what I enjoyed most about this novel is the fact that the vampires--particularly anti-hero/romantic interest Ethan--actually remain vampiric. They kill people without remorse and even admit to enjoying it. Even more interesting is the almost off-hand way in which Vande Velde embraces the sexual undertones of the vampire story—casually integrating a short conversation between Ethan and Kerry:

Ethan was speaking hesitantly, having a hard time putting this into words. “It's not just the nourishment from the blood itself...There's a physical and mental bond, a sharing of the spirit for lack of a better word...”

Kerry took in a deep breath. “I think I've heard this line from the boy who took me to the Harvest Dance.”

Ethan laughed with what sounded like genuine amusement, which was disconcerting because she hadn't meant to be funny. “There is a similarity.” He looked at her appraisingly, as though trying to gauge how experienced she was.

She folded her arms in front of her chest, determined to keep him wondering, before she realized that her gesture had probably told all.

Ethan said, “Sometimes, not always—but with the right partner—vampires mix the two acts: sex and the drinking of blood. Either of itself is...very pleasurable, but the combination...”

Parked on the side of a dark road, Kerry didn't like the direction this was taking, even though Ethan was showing no inclination to demonstrate. She said, “I'm sure praying mantises and black widow spiders feel the same.”

With 'de-fanged,' conscience-laden, human-obsessed vampire lovers becoming more of the rule than the exception, I was actually delighted to read a novel that didn't try to bridge the mortal-vampire gap. She doesn't want to be a vampire, and he doesn't want to repent of his evil ways.

Also, enjoyable is the fact that Vande Velde is an affirmed one-off novel writer. No sequels (see: http://www.vivianvandevelde.com/seque...). So while the ending of Companions leaves the story open for continuation, it's unlikely that we'll see an overwrought second and third novel of undead romance. And it's nice to see a story stand on its own once in awhile. (less)

1 like · like · see review

Feb 01, 2010 Keysha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: in-my-bookshelf, read-in-2010

A dear friend of mine told me that this book has been an all time favorite for her even though she's not the biggest fan of the vampire genre. So for I bought it for Christmas and it was not until January that I decided to start reading it.

When I finished reading the book even though the plot was very interesting it didn't satisfied my readers appetite, I thought when I was done I was just done and it didn't left that feeling that I've read an amazing story. But don't get me wrong the plot is go...more A dear friend of mine told me that this book has been an all time favorite for her even though she's not the biggest fan of the vampire genre. So for I bought it for Christmas and it was not until January that I decided to start reading it.

When I finished reading the book even though the plot was very interesting it didn't satisfied my readers appetite, I thought when I was done I was just done and it didn't left that feeling that I've read an amazing story. But don't get me wrong the plot is good, has a lot of suspense and action but I must warned you if you are looking for romance or a love story aka Bella & Edward then this novel is not for you.

What I did like about the book is that Vivian creates a strong lead female. Kerry was a doer. She wasn't a damsel in distress, all the contraire she was the one trying to do the saving and she even get to do it several times in the book. She's very strong headed but you see her vulnerability because she's worried about her dad and her little brother and it affects her more their disappearance because her mother left them without a word and the fact of loosing her family makes her more determine to find them alive and though she know she's doing a bargain with a Vampire and that may even cost her life she's willing to sacrifice her life for her family.

About Ethan, I'm not sure if I liked him or hate him. Since he didn't trust a human with the knowledge of the existence of vampires so I believe he never trusted her fully not until the end but in the rest of the book he was cold and sarcastic but sometimes he was very nice to her so it was a bit confusing at times maybe it was self preservation thing.

The antagonist of the story is revealed almost at the end of the book at first that person tricks you to think that he's the victim of all this situation but slowly he reveals his real purpose and what is his end game and his reasoning for doing so is so evil it was almost you were dealing with psicopath and Vivian does a wonderful job describing the character.

The final scene of the story wasn't all that I really expected more because in this moments Kerry & Ethan understand their feeling for each others but what's funny for me is that I don't understand in which part of the book they felt in love *sighs* like I said, the love part is a secondary plot and is really not important.

I hope this review would help you and like I said if you are looking forward on reading suspense and action young adult book, this is the one, it has good characters, very well written plot but believe there's no romance here so if you are looking for that this may not be the book.

(less)

like · see review

Sep 16, 2012 Krystianna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: vampires, paranormal-romance, on-my-shelf

This one was pretty good. I'll have a review up soon.

updated 9/16

This book was pretty good. In Companions of the Night, we follow 16-year-old Kerry. One night, Kerry's younger brother misses his bear. He left it at the laundry. Kerry, even though she doesn't have a driver's license, sneaks out of the house and drives to the laundry with her dad's car. Once she gets there, other people come in right after her. With them is a young man who they all claim is a vampire. Kerry doesn't believe them....more

like · see review

Jul 14, 2011 Sunnykimmy rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I thought it was okay. The story was original and the ending was good,but other than that I didn't really like it. Frankly, I couldn't like either of the leads. I thought the girl,Kerry, was an annoying idiot and the vampire was pretty much an ass and not an honest one at that. There wasn't really any romance and I kept waiting for something to happen, a spark between the vampire and Kerry or something else...anything. I felt like I didn't really know the characters, especially the vampire. Ker...more

like · see review

Sep 17, 2010 Kimberli rated it 4 of 5 stars

Kerry has a soft spot for underlings in need of help and just her luck, the one that she feels sorry for happens to be a vampire. After she saves the really good looking Ethan she finds out that he actually is a vampire but it's too late because something awful has happened to her family and she has to join forces with Ethan to find her way back to her family and back to the life that she had before the vampire slayers started wrecking havoc in her town. This book is full of excitement and adven...more

like · see review

Dec 12, 2010 Roanna Mae rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is about a moms daughter had left her teddy bear at the laundry so she left them for a while to get her daughters teddy bear back because she knew how much it meant to her. so when she got the teddy bear at the laundry room, it was dark and cold. a group of strange suspious men chasing a guy. she was there to witness it and wanted to help so she help him escape. but not she didint know he was a vampire the people who was chasing the guy thought she was a vampire to so they capture her...more

like · see review

Jul 27, 2010 Arya rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 5-stars, adventure, fantasy

Vivian Vande Velde is an awesome writer! This book is definitely more "teen" than kid, whereas the last book by her I read (A Well-Timed Enchantment) could have gone either way. But with the vampires and some of the places where the main character goes this is definitely a more "mature" book.

Kerry didn't think that driving to the laundromat that night would land her deep in a world of undercover vampires and crazy people . . . funny how quickly your life change.

When Kerry's father and brother ar...more

like · see review

Sep 06, 2007 Wealhtheow rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, fantasy, ya

One of the few really excellent vampire novels out there. The entire plot has so much common-sense and believability working for it, and the characters are so likeable, that I wish it was hundreds of pages longer.

3 likes · like · see review

Dec 07, 2012 Riss rated it 3 of 5 stars

The very first thing I need to point out that this is NOTHING like that Twilight B.S. Okay? Nothing like it. Written before that vampire nonsense, so if you think this book is going to be that whimsical 'who shall I marry?' fairytale put down the book, return it to the store because you arnt going to appreciate it.

Okay moving onto the review: Finished it in one sitting. That's all you need to know, its such a well written, beautifuly structured story that once I got started, I couldnt stop read...more

like · see review

Jan 25, 2009 Alysha Speer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Alysha by: Kim

Shelves: sad, romantic, scary

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Oct 25, 2011 04krissig rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book I thought was actually pretty good. Other than it was abotu vampires. It doesn't bother me that much it's just that I'm not all into not real things. It's just not something I would read. It was some what intense at moments. Then it bore me at other moments. I'm not into alot of detail in a book. There where things that I thought was amazing. Like it would make it seem like it could actually happen. I mean I could see people trying to beat up some guy at a laundry mat. No one would rea...more This book I thought was actually pretty good. Other than it was abotu vampires. It doesn't bother me that much it's just that I'm not all into not real things. It's just not something I would read. It was some what intense at moments. Then it bore me at other moments. I'm not into alot of detail in a book. There where things that I thought was amazing. Like it would make it seem like it could actually happen. I mean I could see people trying to beat up some guy at a laundry mat. No one would really ever think of something like that going on there. It was a some what scary book. There was detail in parts I liked when it decrided what she looked like or how the house what messed up. Kerry had everything going for her. Other than her mom left her dad, brother, and kerry behind. What kind of mother would just leave her family behind and never talk to her kids. That would make me feel really cappy. When her dad didn't pick her up from work things kind of got a little bit creepy. Even when ethan came and got her I just knew that it was a bad idea for her to get into that car. they drove home and found that her house had been broken into and her dad and brother weren't there. You would think she would call the cops and tell them. well, no she didn't she went with ethan to his house and found that his girlfriend had been attacked her head chopped off with garlic shoved into her mouth. She was a vampire to. Kerry wondered how many others there where. But, they burnt down the house so know one would know what ever happened. Kerry didn't know ethan was a vampire until he told her after they found that girl. You think she would run away or try to leave. but know she stayed with him. She trusted him for some odd reason. She was alot different that you would assume a girl would be. She wasn't affraid of very much things. She liked doing things on her own. But in the end she finds out that her dad and ian got taken by ethans dad that ran into a bus thinking kerry would be in it. he ran with out the boys that were in the trunk of the car and the cop inpounded the car and later the next day finding that kerrys father and brother were in the back. but ethan never told her that the cops were protecting the boys trying to find her. The question i had reading with book was. Why didn't she run from him when she knew he wasn't a good guy? I think that she was just hoping that somewhere in his heart he would love kerry like she loved him. but, anyways it was not my favorite book but it was a good book to read and go through to understand.
(less)

like · see review

Jul 26, 2010 Gracie rated it 4 of 5 stars

It is so rare these days to find a good fantasy book that ends. This is just one book that stands alone and i think it makes the book much better for it. This doesn't have some stupid ending that leaves the author free to make excessive amounts on crappy sequels. You like the characters but what's more important, the author cares more about their authenticity than their appeal . That is so rare these days. These are believable characters. They are not always going to act exactly the way you wan...more

like · see review

Sep 22, 2012 Persephone rated it 4 of 5 stars

It's an undoubtedly lovely stand alone.
Of course, you might think : "vampires? bleh. Been there, done that" but this one (probably before it was written before the Twilight madness) manages to feel as fresh and novel than Julie Kagawa's My Immortal Rules, for reference.
The vampire is exactly as he should be : he has this stony, unmoving quality to him and does not sparkle (Funny how that became a quality).
The main character is not a wimp at all, she's smart, brave and very aware of the danger...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
What's The Name o...: SOLVED Pre Twilight Vamp Book [s]	5	124	Jan 05, 2013 07:04pm

combine
Other Editions (13)

More editions...

Genres

Paranormal > Vampires

148 users

Young Adult

144 users

Fantasy

98 users

Fantasy > Paranormal

49 users

Romance

41 users

Horror

41 users

Fantasy > Urban Fantasy

28 users

Romance > Paranormal Romance

19 users

Young Adult > Teen

17 users

Fantasy > Supernatural

17 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Vivian Vande Velde

Vivian Vande Velde (born 1951, currently residing in Rochester, New York) is an American author who writes books primarily aimed at young adults.

Her novels and short story collections usually have some element of horror or fantasy, but are primarily humorous. Her book Never Trust a Dead Man (1999) received the 2000 Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel. She says that she really likes to write for...more

More about Vivian Vande Velde...

Books by Vivian Vande Velde

Heir Apparent (Rasmussem Corporation, #2)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Companions of the...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from Companions of the Night

“If you don't like vampire games, don't play” — 42 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Companions of the Night
avg rating	preview: Companions of the Night Goodreads rating: 3.73 (3033 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/248533.Companions_of_the_Night?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344607751l/248533.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/248533.Companions_of_the_Night?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde[/url]

Companions of the Night

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website