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Before she met Nicholas, all Emily cared about was shopping, and she believed her teachers when they told her the vampires had made the world a better place. After falling in love at first sight, Emily's mind was opened to the harsh realities brought about by the worldwide alliances between vampires and humanity at every level of society. Nicholas was leading the charge in the fight against injustice, cruelty, slavery, and tyranny by the elder vampires, and Emily found herself suddenly caught up in a movement that stood for the rights of both humanity and a new generation of vampires who'd been tricked into giving up their natural rights.
Doing everything she can for the cause comes second only to following her heart as Emily tries to win the affections of a young man whose first priority is saving the world. She follows Nicholas back and forth across the country, into the heart of the nation's vampire-run Capitol, and beyond. She risks her health, sticks out her neck, sacrifices friendship, and puts her life on the line in the name of love. Will her efforts be enough? Will she win Nicholas' heart? Can they save the world? Or will the schemes of the elder vampires put a stop to it all?
Emily is one of two books in the duology Never Let the Right One Go, which shows two apparently conflicting views of the same supernatural world by looking through the eyes of two very different teenage girls in their pursuit of love. Don't miss Sophia, the other half of the picture, and a completely contrary take on everything you think you know.
Doing everything she can for the cause comes second only to following her heart as Emily tries to win the affections of a young man whose first priority is saving the world. She follows Nicholas back and forth across the country, into the heart of the nation's vampire-run Capitol, and beyond. She risks her health, sticks out her neck, sacrifices friendship, and puts her life on the line in the name of love. Will her efforts be enough? Will she win Nicholas' heart? Can they save the world? Or will the schemes of the elder vampires put a stop to it all?
Emily is one of two books in the duology Never Let the Right One Go, which shows two apparently conflicting views of the same supernatural world by looking through the eyes of two very different teenage girls in their pursuit of love. Don't miss Sophia, the other half of the picture, and a completely contrary take on everything you think you know.
193 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 11, 2012
About the author
Teel McClanahan
33 books36 followersTeel is happily married to an English teacher and they live together in Phoenix, AZ with a grumpy old cat, a skittish young cat, and thousands of books, both read and to-be-read. Virtual Danger is Teel’s nineteenth book, and there are plenty more trying to work their way into this world through the aperture of Teel's imagination, hoping to be found and loved by readers like you. Interestingly, none of the others are books in The Death Noodle Glitterfairy Robot Saga—yet.
Teel is an independent author, artist, creative visionary, blogger, publisher, podcaster, and sometimes filmmaker. You can find out more about him and his other stories, novels, poetry and more by visiting Modern Evil Press.
Teel is an independent author, artist, creative visionary, blogger, publisher, podcaster, and sometimes filmmaker. You can find out more about him and his other stories, novels, poetry and more by visiting Modern Evil Press.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 17, 2019
Terrible. The author could not have described his own book better: a cliche-filled mess of a book. Seriously - don’t bother.
May 17, 2012
Emily is the book I read first and is, in part, a love story, a very dysfunctional one to be sure. The titular character is a fifteen year old human who becomes enamored of Nicholas, a revolutionary who preaches against the evils of their vampiric “overlords”. Vampires, you see, came out of hiding thanks to the terrorist attacks on 9/11. Once humanity saw the benefits that these creatures had to offer, they began to work together. Eventually, according to Nicholas, the blood suckers insinuated themselves into human politics and society in a more public way and have enslaved them in a fashion too subtle for most people to notice. Humanity has traded its freedom for stability, health care, and leaders who have a longer view. Emily joins the revolution, in part because she begins to see things his way, but also in hopes that he will return her affections.
I really enjoyed this one. It’s intensely political at times, which isn’t always my cup of tea. It’s also very teen-angsty in spots, which is absolutely appropriate and something that usually makes me break out in hives. It hits some very right notes though. I love his fairly traditional treatment of vampires, and watching the rise and struggles of the underground movement is incredibly entertaining. The notion of vampires coming out as the saviors of humanity and our reaction to them also strikes me as spot on and something fresh in the genre.
There are some off notes for me. Nicholas is a bit two dimensional. We never get to see inside his head really. Most of what we know is filtered through Emily’s experience of him and how we as readers view the decisions he makes. I would have liked to see him fleshed out a bit more. There are also a few chapters where things happen in a way that is a little too “convenient”. Characters meet at just the right time, for example. This happens in fiction all the time and may just be a pet peeve of mine. This is also a dystopian tale. I don’t think that’s spoiling anything. If you’re expecting a happy ending here, there won’t be one. That’s also not a real spoiler since some early chapters clearly set the stage for ending. In a world where there are more than enough dark, angsty vampire books perhaps I’m just overcome by them.
Having said that I wouldn’t want to drive anyone away from reading this. As I said, I enjoyed it, and reading this made me appreciate the effort Teel made in this endeavor and made me enjoy the follow up read even more. It’s very thought provoking and I give it a solid four stars (as a stand alone book, more on that in a bit). It is available from Amazon, Smashwords, direct from the author, and other fine e-book retailers.
I can’t leave it at that though. Teel wanted to do something really interesting with these two stories and he succeeded. Part of me wishes that I could erase my experience, go back, and read these in the opposite order to see what difference that makes. With time, I will go back and do just that. I take these two works as a whole. This is one instance where the whole is indeed greater than the sum of its parts. So, in spite of Emily’s shortcomings (few though they were) I give the whole five stars as well. I urge you to pick both of these books up and read them in the order of your choosing. Either way I think you’re in for a great read.
I really enjoyed this one. It’s intensely political at times, which isn’t always my cup of tea. It’s also very teen-angsty in spots, which is absolutely appropriate and something that usually makes me break out in hives. It hits some very right notes though. I love his fairly traditional treatment of vampires, and watching the rise and struggles of the underground movement is incredibly entertaining. The notion of vampires coming out as the saviors of humanity and our reaction to them also strikes me as spot on and something fresh in the genre.
There are some off notes for me. Nicholas is a bit two dimensional. We never get to see inside his head really. Most of what we know is filtered through Emily’s experience of him and how we as readers view the decisions he makes. I would have liked to see him fleshed out a bit more. There are also a few chapters where things happen in a way that is a little too “convenient”. Characters meet at just the right time, for example. This happens in fiction all the time and may just be a pet peeve of mine. This is also a dystopian tale. I don’t think that’s spoiling anything. If you’re expecting a happy ending here, there won’t be one. That’s also not a real spoiler since some early chapters clearly set the stage for ending. In a world where there are more than enough dark, angsty vampire books perhaps I’m just overcome by them.
Having said that I wouldn’t want to drive anyone away from reading this. As I said, I enjoyed it, and reading this made me appreciate the effort Teel made in this endeavor and made me enjoy the follow up read even more. It’s very thought provoking and I give it a solid four stars (as a stand alone book, more on that in a bit). It is available from Amazon, Smashwords, direct from the author, and other fine e-book retailers.
I can’t leave it at that though. Teel wanted to do something really interesting with these two stories and he succeeded. Part of me wishes that I could erase my experience, go back, and read these in the opposite order to see what difference that makes. With time, I will go back and do just that. I take these two works as a whole. This is one instance where the whole is indeed greater than the sum of its parts. So, in spite of Emily’s shortcomings (few though they were) I give the whole five stars as well. I urge you to pick both of these books up and read them in the order of your choosing. Either way I think you’re in for a great read.
January 12, 2015
(Disclosure: I received this book as a pre-release review copy.)
Emily is designed to be read along with Teel's other book, Sophia. When I received them both, I started with Emily, got bogged down, switched to Sophia and finished it, then came back to Emily.
I never did get to like Emily (the book or the character) as much as Sophia (ditto). Sophia acts out of a mature, or at least maturing, sense of something beyond herself and struggles with deep issues, including independence. Emily came across to me as a shallow, shopping-obsessed teen who believed everything her society told her until she fell, still shallowly, in love with Nicholas, whereupon she believed everything Nicholas told her. Which was definitely a mistake, by the way.
Emily is a much more political book, with some biting satire on how American politics is done today (the "good old days" for supporters of Nicholas's group of subversives). Nicholas's politics are simple: Everyone has been screwed by the "Elder Vampires". The humans have been screwed because they're dependent on vampire healthcare, ruled by vampire politicians and CEOs, and basically not allowed to make their own mistakes any more - like running the country based on corporate lobbying or going to war. The younger vampires have been screwed because they're prevented from exploring their "natural superiority" as hunters, and kept as passive suppliers of vampire blood to humans (for healing purposes). They're not allowed to make their own mistakes (like choosing who to turn, depicted as "reproductive rights") either.
To me, this looks like a clever critique of the usual "my freedom, right or wrong" rhetoric that so very, very many American spec-fic stories indulge in: "We should be free to do things really, really badly, because freedom is the ultimate value! Even if we're miserable having it and endanger ourselves and others!" I've always found this tedious, so good on Teel for questioning it. (Freedom is, of course, very important, but not so important that we should destroy everything else in order to exercise it, in my opinion.)
Nicholas is a true populist, too, appealing to whatever anyone wants to hear, manipulating shamelessly and coming up with hare-brained schemes and stunts to draw attention to his cause, despite the human (or occasionally vampire) cost. He's a one-man tragedy and chaos generator.
But there's a nice twist ending that shows... Well, I won't spoil it.
The ideas bog down the story just a little, but ultimately I found that it worked as a story as well.
Emily is designed to be read along with Teel's other book, Sophia. When I received them both, I started with Emily, got bogged down, switched to Sophia and finished it, then came back to Emily.
I never did get to like Emily (the book or the character) as much as Sophia (ditto). Sophia acts out of a mature, or at least maturing, sense of something beyond herself and struggles with deep issues, including independence. Emily came across to me as a shallow, shopping-obsessed teen who believed everything her society told her until she fell, still shallowly, in love with Nicholas, whereupon she believed everything Nicholas told her. Which was definitely a mistake, by the way.
Emily is a much more political book, with some biting satire on how American politics is done today (the "good old days" for supporters of Nicholas's group of subversives). Nicholas's politics are simple: Everyone has been screwed by the "Elder Vampires". The humans have been screwed because they're dependent on vampire healthcare, ruled by vampire politicians and CEOs, and basically not allowed to make their own mistakes any more - like running the country based on corporate lobbying or going to war. The younger vampires have been screwed because they're prevented from exploring their "natural superiority" as hunters, and kept as passive suppliers of vampire blood to humans (for healing purposes). They're not allowed to make their own mistakes (like choosing who to turn, depicted as "reproductive rights") either.
To me, this looks like a clever critique of the usual "my freedom, right or wrong" rhetoric that so very, very many American spec-fic stories indulge in: "We should be free to do things really, really badly, because freedom is the ultimate value! Even if we're miserable having it and endanger ourselves and others!" I've always found this tedious, so good on Teel for questioning it. (Freedom is, of course, very important, but not so important that we should destroy everything else in order to exercise it, in my opinion.)
Nicholas is a true populist, too, appealing to whatever anyone wants to hear, manipulating shamelessly and coming up with hare-brained schemes and stunts to draw attention to his cause, despite the human (or occasionally vampire) cost. He's a one-man tragedy and chaos generator.
But there's a nice twist ending that shows... Well, I won't spoil it.
The ideas bog down the story just a little, but ultimately I found that it worked as a story as well.
June 14, 2012
This book is designed to be read along with "Sophia". I think Sophia should be read first, but they could stand alone. I think that would defeat the author's purpose though.
In this book Emily gets caught up with the fanatic Nicholas, who leads a group committed to many things, mainly giving humans and vampires their rights back. Vampires don't have to hunt anymore. They are well fed and receive money to live on, as long as they donate their blood for human healing etc. They can make even more money by donating organs and limbs. (Read Sophia for living as that kind of vampire) Humans have to donate their blood of course.
Nicholas' fanatics think that vampires are being brainwashed and enslaved. They don't have to hunt anymore and are so well-fed that their nature instincts as predator is completely stifled. This book was worth the read if only to know what happened to these idiots when they tried to rectify this situation.
It's hard to review this book as it was mostly filled with ideas and arguments for why this human-vampire world was unacceptable in their eyes. Maybe it's because I didn't share Nicholas' overzealous worldview. Overall a thought-provoking read.
In this book Emily gets caught up with the fanatic Nicholas, who leads a group committed to many things, mainly giving humans and vampires their rights back. Vampires don't have to hunt anymore. They are well fed and receive money to live on, as long as they donate their blood for human healing etc. They can make even more money by donating organs and limbs. (Read Sophia for living as that kind of vampire) Humans have to donate their blood of course.
Nicholas' fanatics think that vampires are being brainwashed and enslaved. They don't have to hunt anymore and are so well-fed that their nature instincts as predator is completely stifled. This book was worth the read if only to know what happened to these idiots when they tried to rectify this situation.
It's hard to review this book as it was mostly filled with ideas and arguments for why this human-vampire world was unacceptable in their eyes. Maybe it's because I didn't share Nicholas' overzealous worldview. Overall a thought-provoking read.
July 27, 2012
Don't know where to begin with this book, along with its companion work "Sophie, never let the right one go" it is an amazing work of fiction. Extremly thought provoking and deep. The characters are well thought out and explored and there is a look at the issues thrown up by Vampire and Human interaction on levels I have never considered or read about before.
The books are fantasticly enjoyable and work really well, love the writing style and the whole format and presentation.
Can't recomend this enough!
The books are fantasticly enjoyable and work really well, love the writing style and the whole format and presentation.
Can't recomend this enough!
June 27, 2015
Enjoyable read. My favorite part was I enjoyed the relationship between Oscar and Eli.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews