Patricia Hamill's Blog: I read too much! - Posts Tagged "vampires"

Uniquely Unwelcome by Brandy Nacole

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Uniquely Unwelcome takes the werewolf, vampire, shifter, witch thing to a new level. The story opens with Racquel returning to her hometown, and dreading it. From her earliest memories, she has faced ridicule and fear, a side effect of her mixed heritage. Mixing of the shadow world races is discouraged, and in some cases dangerous or impossible, but her family found a way. With years of trauma to deal with, the last thing she wants is to be noticed when she arrives in town, but she is.

This is ya at its finest. The various shadow world races are interesting and well-defined, especially with how they shouldn't be able to be mixed. Besides the four main races, there is also mention of leprechauns and fairies, and we actually get to meet the fairy queen.

It's fantastic seeing how the four main races mingle in Racquel's veins. As part vampire, she occasionally needs blood, especially after an injury or strenuous fight. As part shifter, she can turn into an eagle. As part werewolf, she's stronger than she should be and heals quickly. As part witch, she can use magic. But, and here is where it's interesting, she has had almost no guidance on how to deal with any of this. Instead of accepting her, each of these races has not only snubbed her, but also in some cases attacked, humiliated or harrassed her. She's one against them all, which makes it awkward when people from the different races start going missing and they need to call on her to help track them down. She agrees to help, but only because her sister, Addie, is one of those missing. She and a growing team of young people recruited from the various races take up a world tour to visit the main colonies of each race.

Also, as is common in ya, there is a bit of romance, but it is affected by racial stigmas and incompatibilities. We see the love blooming, but we know that the couple(s) will be shunned and any children of theirs would face the same kind of painful existance as Racquel. Makes it hard to know whether to hope they make it or to hope they don't. Of course, I'm always voting for love. I enjoy the way the romance is developed in this story.

Another thing I liked was that Racquel begins to gain acceptance and learn more about herself. This personal growth makes her relatable and gives hope for her future. She's a strong person, too. I love reading about strong female characters, so this was a plus for me.

The only thing I thought was a bit off was how easily and how quickly Racquel was convinced to help the four races. Sure, her sister was taken, but that was really the only explanation. It takes a single conversation to convince her to drop everything and instantly pack her bags to go face the main camps for each of the races who despise her. I don't know if I'd be so easily convinced, especially if I had no previous positive reinforcement and little confidence in my own self-worth, as Racquel seems to have. But, after that odd start, the story picks up and everthing flows well.

Overall, I really liked this story. It's a bit of a ya cliche at times with all the various magical races, but the way they are used and presented in the story is believable and interesting. The romanctic themes are well developed and seem doomed to failure, but I felt a connection and hoped along with them that things would turn out alright.

I would highly recommend this story to fans of YA literature, especially those who like the werewolf, vampire, shifter, or witch type stories; you get all four in Uniquely Unwelcome. I look forward to the next story in the series.




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Marked by Kate Flynn

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


An alright story, needs some polishing.

Marked tells the story of Bayerly, a girl with a secret that falls in with a group of teens who hunt rogue monsters (otherworlders, like vampires, werewolves, etc.). As stated in the book's description, she falls for the alpha in the group, an egotistical, yet charming boy named Will.

In general, I liked this story for it's action and for the gradual way Bayerly's secret past is revealed. For the action scenes, I almost felt like I was right in there with them, especially in the later fights where hordes of creepy zombie things were after them.



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Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What can I say? I loved it.

I didn't expect to love it. In fact, I resisted picking up these books until now specifically because of the vocal anti-Twilight reviews and office conversations I'd been privy to. So why did I finally decide to pick them up? Simple. Two weeks ago I figured how to link my table to my cable box and wanted to test drive it with movies I was pretty certain my husband and son wouldn't want to watch, and the first three Twilight movies were playing, all week, for free. My husband joked that I'd already seen them (we'd watched Vampires Suck together last year), but I put on my ear buds and watched them anyway.

I was blown away. The movies are fantastic. Funny, scary, romantic. I was hooked. When I finished watching the three free ones, I picked up the last two on Google Play, another app I hadn't fully test driven for movies. When they were over, I had that familiar feeling when you come to the end of a story but you're not quite ready to let it go. The fact that snippets of pages from the books were highlighted as the credits for the last movie rolled on. That got me. I immediately picked up Twilight on Kindle and devoured it in just a couple of days.

My opinion? Wow. I loved Twilight. Of course, many of my friends are against it because Bella's a bit flaky and Edward isn't exactly the best boyfriend material. Top that off with a rather unhealthy, obsessive relationship, and I can totally get where they are coming from. However, this is also what caught me up in it. Bella's so insecure and awkward, yet here is this beautiful boy who adores her. Edward is fascinated by and drawn to Bella, but he has to fight with every facet of his being to suppress his instincts to feed on her. Even having watched the movies and heard the plot from countless friends, I still got caught up in wondering how such a pairing could possibly work. And for the most part it doesn't, at least not yet.

Bella's internal conflict is central to this story. Many say she comes off whiny, or that her instant popularity in school is unrealistic. Honestly, I don't think that's the point of the story. I enjoyed it. It was interesting to watch her slow transformation. To watch her begin to come out of her self-imposed shell for Edward. Her tendency towards being a loner and failing to see what other's like when she looks in the mirror is something I empathized with. Not every teenage girl can be confident and graceful.

As for Edward, his struggles to come to term with his long dormant humanity as opposed to his instinctual thirst are quite exciting. I found myself feeling what Bella felt: confusion, attraction, and even fear. His demonstration of power in the meadow, apparently the first scene Meyers wrote, is terrifying. Everything that initially attracts her to him is designed to draw prey into his clutches. Yet, she accepts him. And he is torn. He cares for her so deeply, he worries that the only way to protect her is to take himself out of the picture.

And yes, he's sparkly. And his family is beautiful, almost angelic in appearance, and good natured. But, they aren't the norm for vampires in this story. They are the aberration. The real vampires in the story are much less benevolent. In fact, they are downright scary. We only get a peek into the darker world from which the Cullens have separated themselves. Just a peek, but it's enough.

Overall, I loved this book. It has romance, action, and danger, and I find myself thinking about it and wanting to read it again, even now before I've finished reading Eclipse. I have a feeling I'll be reading this one again and again. I recommend this book to fans of YA romance who don't mind sparkly vampires and teenage angst (there's a lot of both).



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New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I now understand why Team Jacob vs. Team Edward came about.

New Moon picks up while Bella is well on her way to recovery from the events that ended Twilight, but after an accident that reminds everyone that, yes, Bella is human and, yes, Edward and his family are indeed vampires, Edward becomes more and more distracted by his concerns for her continued safety. When he decides that the only way to protect Bella is to remove himself from her life entirely, Bella suffers from a major breakdown.

The budding friendship between Bella and Jacob draws her out of a deep depression. Despite her lack of romantic interest in him, she leads him on, afraid of falling back into her slump. She tries to be honest and tell him that she's stuck on Edward, but can't help but tell him that she also wants him to keep trying. It's kind of a flaky, selfish thing to do, not exactly endearing. The whole thing left me feeling sorry for poor Jacob.

But despite all that, I felt myself mourning with her. It's easy to say that she shouldn't have fallen apart so much over a guy, but then again, she didn't just lose him, she lost a family and a new sister, Alice. To have so much, love, family, acceptance and perhaps even the promise of immortality, and then to lose all of it all at once, how could she not have fallen apart? Do I agree with how she deals with it? No. Do I empathize? Yes.

As for Jacob, we get to know him in this story, and he has to be one of the most interesting characters so far. With Edward out of the picture, it's difficult not to root for him. He's the ultimate good guy: kind, funny and supportive. He knows Bella is broken, but wants nothing more than to make her happy and perhaps find a place in her heart. And then there's the whole werewolf thing. Kind of hard to court a girl, especially one like Bella, when you keep turning into a wolf everytime you're angry or jealous. I think it's ironic that he, like Edward before him, believes the only safe option for Bella is to stay away. She just can't seem to catch a break.

Besides all the drama, there is a good deal of humor sprinkled through the story, and horror as well. The Volturi are creepy, the encounter with them terrifying. The whole scene kept me up way late. I probably shouldn't have tried to read that chapter right before bed, not good for your peace of mind.

Overall, I loved this book, love triangle and all. Jacob is really the star of this one, and I can totally get why some people would tend to take his side. Then again, it's hard to argue against Edward, flaws and all. He is obviously Bella's soul mate, whatever that's worth. No matter how good Jacob would be for Bella, her heart belongs to Edward, and honestly I don't think Bella's right for Jacob.

I'd recommend this book to those who like YA romance, particularly with love triangles, werewolves, and vampires. It compares pretty closely with the movie of the same name, which I must admit I watched first. I thought it was fantastic that the movie was able to so vividly bring the book to life, and so accurately, which I didn't realize until I finished reading New Moon.



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Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Continues the story of Bella, Edward and Jacob after Edward and his family return to Forks.

The love triangle continues. Now that Edward is back, Bella is conflicted. On the one hand, she loves Edward unconditionally. On the other hand, she considers Jacob her best friend in the world (though she doesn't seem to treat him very well). So, here we have two guys who adore Bella, but she can't seem to say goodbye to either of them. This was the first time I started feeling sorry for Edward, too, especially when Bella's dad, Charlie, begins to assertively favor Jacob over him. Charlie's ploys to encourage Bella and Jacob to hang out are pretty funny.

Beside the thickening romance, the Victoria revenge plot thickens. Mysterious disappearances in nearby Seattle, an unknown vampire rifling through Bella's things and stealing personal items from her room, and of course, Victoria sitings all build the level of danger quite effectively. I really enjoyed the build up and the ultimate show down, which I won't go into details about. I must say Meyer has a knack for writing a memorable fight scene. Had my heart racing.

And we cannot forget the Volturi. Like in New Moon, they only have a cameo, but really, that's all they need. A few minutes of face time between the main characters and the Volturi and the tension lasts for the rest of this book and through the end of the last one. They make good "lawmaker" villains because they set and enforce the vampire code of conduct, and are almost too powerful to challenge. It's the perfect recipe for corruption, and the Cullens' unique gifts have put them on the Volturi radar.

As for Jacob, he gets more interesting yet again, especially now that we get a little more insite into his pack. The last chapter of the book is the first one that breaks from Bella's point of view in favor of Jacob's. It was a bit surprising, but very well done. His voice is definitely well-defined and differentiated from hers, all the way down to the chapter title.

Overall, I loved Eclipse just as much as the first two in the Twilight Saga. I experienced emotions ranging from excitement and amusement to anger and fear. The main characters aren't always likeable (I'm looking at you Bella), but they do draw you in. Even when they were at their worst behavior, I still cared what happened to them.

I highly recommend Eclispe to those who enjoy YA paranormal romance, particularly those who actually enjoyed the first two in the series. If you read previous books in this series and didn't like them, you are in for more of the same, so maybe this isn't the book for you.

On an aside, I must say the movie was pretty close to the book, though there were a couple of differences I noted. In the movie we see more of the fighting at the end (since we aren't restricted to Bella's point of view), and the scene when Bella caves is much more romantic. The edits did the story some good for the big screen.



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Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Wow, there's a lot going on in this one.

Breaking Dawn wraps up the Twilight Saga in a rather epic way. This volume features three Books, two from Bella's perspective and one from Jacob's. Book One, Bella's perspective, covers Bella and Edward's wedding. Book Two, Jacob's perspective, covers the unexpected consequences of that wedding. Book Three, Bella again, picks up after Bella finally becomes a vampire and ties the unexpected consequence into the ongoing Volturi plot.

For the romatics, Book One is the reward for making it all the way through the first three books. Bella and Edward finally tie the knot and are off for their honeymoon. I thought this part was well done, though it gets a bit frustrating (for Bella and the reader) when Edward backs off yet again, no matter that his reasoning behind it is solid. Otherwise, it's like a dream come true for Bella, all the way up to the end when she makes her discovery.

Book Two is told by Jacob. The horror of what's happening to Bella is lightened by Jacob's personality quirks, the lengthy but humorous chapter titles, and the insight into living in a pack. Jacob, Seth and Leah share a pack mind when in wolf form, so Jacob will be thinking of something and Leah or Seth will pop up and say something back, much to his chagrin. There is a bit of dialog devoted to why Leah is the only female to have ever phased, but it's mostly Leah trying to come to terms with feelings of inadequacy prompted by Sam imprinting on Emily (pack drama first hinted upon in previous books).

Book Three begins with Bella's tortuous transformation into a vampire. When she awakens, she finds everything so much larger, more detailed, just more...everything. Her voice in these final chapters is much more confident, boosted in part with how well she takes to vampire life and in part with how happy she is with Edward and her family. But, again, the plot thickens when Alice has a devastating premonition that threatens to destroy everything and everyone Bella holds dear.

I'm not going to say this is the best book ever, but I will say that I enjoyed it immensely. I think that if you enjoyed the series up to this point, you'll likely enjoy this one, too, but some parts might throw you off. In particular, these are some of the things that I found shocking or disturbing. The end of Book One is incredibly bloody, maybe even more so than was portrayed in the movie (that's a lot, yes). The conversations in Book Two about being less than a woman (Leah) are kind of sad. And in Book Three, Jacob is shifted into an odd role in the family, though everyone is eventually fine with it. Not to mention that marriage (and becoming a vampire) seem to be all Bella needed to stop being a whiny, clumsy, two-timer.

Overall, I loved this book. Not everyone will, not even everyone who liked the first three if other reviews are any indication. I would say if you liked the first three and want to see what happens, then grab a copy of this one. If you didn't like them, or if paranormal romance isn't your thing, just pass.

Personally, I wasn't even planning to read the Twilight Saga at all. It actually took watching the movies to really pique my interest, and once I watched the last of them, I was hooked. I immediately started reading the books and was pleasantly surprised with how accurately the movies portrayed the books. However, I think that Breaking Dawn Part II (equivalent to Book Three in the book), had the most obvious break from the original story with it's climactic showdown that prety much came out of nowhere. I think this is one of those cases that reading the book first would have ruined if for me. Lucky for me, I did things backwards this time, so I liked it.



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