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Glass Houses
(The Morganville Vampires #1)
by
From the author of the popular Weather Warden series comes the debut of an exciting new series set in Morganville, Texas, where you would be well advised to avoid being out after dark.
College freshman Claire Danvers 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 r ...more
College freshman Claire Danvers 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 r ...more
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Mass Market Paperback, 239 pages
Published
October 3rd 2006
by NAL Jam
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Start your review of Glass Houses (The Morganville Vampires, #1)

pg 15:
"What normal girl loved physics? Abnormal ones. Ones who were not ever going to be hot. And face it, being hot? That was what life was all about."
Yeah, well, no thanks. Abandoned.
...more
"What normal girl loved physics? Abnormal ones. Ones who were not ever going to be hot. And face it, being hot? That was what life was all about."
Yeah, well, no thanks. Abandoned.
...more

OK, I tried reading it, I just can't buy into the premise
Claire Danvers is a prodigy student. At 16, she is a university freshman and having awful dorm problems. In fact, in the first chapter, she is beaten by a group of mean girls, thrown down the stairs, and warned that she would be killed next time she is seen around the campus. She is unconscious for a while, and when she is found by another student, nobody calls the police. Even the campus doctor who checks Claire's many bruises, split lip ...more
Claire Danvers is a prodigy student. At 16, she is a university freshman and having awful dorm problems. In fact, in the first chapter, she is beaten by a group of mean girls, thrown down the stairs, and warned that she would be killed next time she is seen around the campus. She is unconscious for a while, and when she is found by another student, nobody calls the police. Even the campus doctor who checks Claire's many bruises, split lip ...more

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Reading GLASS HOUSES is a lot like watching a horror movie. The main character is an idiot, and all plot development in the story line requires that you suspend your disbelief about said idiocy. What makes it hard, though, is that Claire Danvers is branded as a "genius." She's sixteen - "sixteen and a half," she'll be quick to tell you - and yet, got accepted to Harvard, MIT, Yale, and all these other great schools, but her parents don't ...more

So. I've always been a lovey dovey vampire lover as opposed to the GRR, I'M AN EVIL BASTARD kind. But, as it turns out....I fell really hard for this book. And, instead of sexy bites shared between vampire lovers (or, rather, a human AND vamp), we had the scary as shit psycho vampires. Honestly, I was disappointed at first. I mean, really. Who doesn't like a little neck biting action? WHO I ASK, WHO?! But as the story progressed, it gave me something....a little more.
-and Dad, who was gloweri...more

So let's talk a little about young adult paranormal fiction. Let's talk a little about suspension of disbelief.
For the fantasy writer, suspension of disbelief is your best friend. Your job as an author is to do such a good job creating your world so your reader thinks, "Vampires, werewolves, things that go bump in the night, sure, I buy it!"
There are lots of ways to go about doing this, but part of the bedrock of a good set up is that it's completely believable. Part of what makes good horror an ...more
For the fantasy writer, suspension of disbelief is your best friend. Your job as an author is to do such a good job creating your world so your reader thinks, "Vampires, werewolves, things that go bump in the night, sure, I buy it!"
There are lots of ways to go about doing this, but part of the bedrock of a good set up is that it's completely believable. Part of what makes good horror an ...more

Feb 12, 2011
Melissa
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-i-own,
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ya-fiction,
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fantasy,
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fiction,
mystery,
read-2011
I am absolutely in love with this series! For me, it is a really big shame that i did not find it sooner.
There is a lot that i could say about this first book in the series, and believe me i would if i could, but i would probably never stop talking and i would go over the word limit for reviews.
First of all the story kicked off to a really good start. It was a thrilling and exciting first chapter. When i opened the book i saw that the chapters were like 20-30 pages long. For me, i was really wor ...more
There is a lot that i could say about this first book in the series, and believe me i would if i could, but i would probably never stop talking and i would go over the word limit for reviews.
First of all the story kicked off to a really good start. It was a thrilling and exciting first chapter. When i opened the book i saw that the chapters were like 20-30 pages long. For me, i was really wor ...more

Some might really like the story, but there were too many times the plot read as if it was tossed together like a bad salad & cheap tricks were used to get our heroine in & out of trouble. Worse, new issues & fixes magically appear/disappear, while parents conveniently do the same. Worst of all, the end is a super cliff hanger, the kind that screams "Read my next book or you're doomed to never know how it turns out."
It's a shame. The book had some redeeming features & could have been a good sto ...more
It's a shame. The book had some redeeming features & could have been a good sto ...more

3.5 Good To Be Different Stars

I first read the Morganville Vampires series about four years ago, at the beginning of my experience with Paranormal and Urban-Fantasy. At the time I though Twilight and The House of Night were THE SHIT so this wasn't my favorite because it's much darker. But now, 4 years later, I still like this when I can't even stand to read the first book of the other two series.
The Morganville Vampires series has its problems. The writing needs a little effort to like and Clair ...more

I first read the Morganville Vampires series about four years ago, at the beginning of my experience with Paranormal and Urban-Fantasy. At the time I though Twilight and The House of Night were THE SHIT so this wasn't my favorite because it's much darker. But now, 4 years later, I still like this when I can't even stand to read the first book of the other two series.
The Morganville Vampires series has its problems. The writing needs a little effort to like and Clair ...more

For anyone looking for good, brainless, PG-13 rated vampire fun, this is probably the book for you. The author has a straightforward writing style and tells a straightforward story about an unpopular girl who gets the short end of the stick in a town ruled by vampires, until she makes some oh my god like totally cool and hottt friends. (Yes, "hot" needs three t's--one for each friend.)
The book has a slightly juvenile tone, which is ironic since the main character--a brainiac who is sixteen years ...more
The book has a slightly juvenile tone, which is ironic since the main character--a brainiac who is sixteen years ...more

Wow! I really, really liked this book! I don't know why it took me so long to start reading them, but I can tell you that once you start....you don't want to stop!
If you want an action packed vampire/ghost read with a couple of HOT roommates(Shane and Michael) than this book is it. I also need to mention the other roommate, Eve, who likes the whole Goth thing.
Claire Danvers is enrolled in college rearly due to her academic achievements. She's 16, nearly 17 which she likes to remind people. Her ...more
If you want an action packed vampire/ghost read with a couple of HOT roommates(Shane and Michael) than this book is it. I also need to mention the other roommate, Eve, who likes the whole Goth thing.
Claire Danvers is enrolled in college rearly due to her academic achievements. She's 16, nearly 17 which she likes to remind people. Her ...more

That was so much fun, I seriously loved it. If you're a fan of The Vampire Diaries (the show, not sure about the books since I haven't read them) I think you will love this because it has a lot of the same elements:
vampires? OBVIOUSLY.
hot guys? CHECK.
action-packed ass-kicking? LOTS.
crazy twists and turns? YUP.
I seriously want to start a campaign to get this series made into a show. I'm really excited to start the next book in the series. ...more
vampires? OBVIOUSLY.
hot guys? CHECK.
action-packed ass-kicking? LOTS.
crazy twists and turns? YUP.
I seriously want to start a campaign to get this series made into a show. I'm really excited to start the next book in the series. ...more

Claire is a sixteen year old brainiac, already in College. She got accepted to MIT and Yale, but her parents didn’t let her go because they were too far from home (huh?), so she ended up in Morganville, Texas.
Being a brainiac means of course that she’s abnormal. She likes physics. What normal girl likes physics? (huh?)
She gets badly beaten by a group of mean girls at campus who threaten to kill her. However, that doesn’t mean that she’ll call her parents and request a school change, because a qu ...more

I originally read this book about 10 years ago, when the various pitfalls that ffrequently accompany YA didn't bother me as long as the story had something that could capture me - and this book, with it's absolute sanctuary of the Glass House, had exactly what I was looking for. I'm still very susceptible to a safe base/cosy home/preferably some sort of combo, but it was harder to overlook some issues this time. There's a touch of insta-love, the writing isn't what Rachel Caine is usually capabl
...more

I found this one quite entertaining and engaging. More so than I expected to. I thought the story was an interesting concept and I love that the ending left me wanting to delve right into the next one-- literally ending in the middle of an action scene.
I really like Claire, Eve, Shane and Michael as characters and I'm eager to see what happens to them next! I wish Claire wasn't quite so young-- I think that would be a little easier to swallow although nothing unsavory happened.
There were quite ...more
I really like Claire, Eve, Shane and Michael as characters and I'm eager to see what happens to them next! I wish Claire wasn't quite so young-- I think that would be a little easier to swallow although nothing unsavory happened.
There were quite ...more

After reading Twilight, I can't forgive myself of buying the expensive hardback set and for the punishment I won't read any paranormal books or vampire related books. But after I met this girl in Goodreads she recommended a lot of young adult paranormal books and I was like Huh?, no idea of the books she mentioned.
I met her last December, face-to-face, and I'm glad she include one of her vampire books. No doubt I grab it and hide it, I know nobody is interested in reading the book except me, the ...more
I met her last December, face-to-face, and I'm glad she include one of her vampire books. No doubt I grab it and hide it, I know nobody is interested in reading the book except me, the ...more

5 Stars:
I know my reviews are usually non-descriptive this one may obtain spoilers in my rant. However, do not get me wrong I enjoyed the book and the colorful cast of Claire, Shane, Michael and Eve and the turmoil that seems to find them.
It took me forever to locate this series. I was shocked to find this series in the YA section of my local library. Everyone that had recommended the series to me was adult. I was expecting something completely different. After reading the first Chapter, I was ...more
I know my reviews are usually non-descriptive this one may obtain spoilers in my rant. However, do not get me wrong I enjoyed the book and the colorful cast of Claire, Shane, Michael and Eve and the turmoil that seems to find them.
It took me forever to locate this series. I was shocked to find this series in the YA section of my local library. Everyone that had recommended the series to me was adult. I was expecting something completely different. After reading the first Chapter, I was ...more

Wow, what a beginning. This story, these characters; they've totally hooked me.
It is another vampire story, but it doesn't seem rehashed to me at all. Maybe it was the characters, the creepy twists, or just the fantastic narrative voice.
Claire Danvers is having a heck of a time at her crummy dorm. A smart, ordinary girl trying to rough it at her Texas college away from home, she is constantly harassed, sometimes to the point of serious injury, by the vicious cliques of popular girls. So when s ...more
It is another vampire story, but it doesn't seem rehashed to me at all. Maybe it was the characters, the creepy twists, or just the fantastic narrative voice.
Claire Danvers is having a heck of a time at her crummy dorm. A smart, ordinary girl trying to rough it at her Texas college away from home, she is constantly harassed, sometimes to the point of serious injury, by the vicious cliques of popular girls. So when s ...more

Loved this YA vamp tale - although the ending was mean for the poor reader. However Rachel assures me it wasn't her idea - I can understand that!
...more

“You know," Shane said twenty minutes later, "I'd feel a whole lot better about the two of us if you didn't think I was the go-to guy for breaking and entering.”After seeing the news yesterday that Rachel Caine had passed away, I couldn’t shake the uncontrollable urge to pick up Glass Houses, which is the book that convinced 11-year-old Maya that reading is one of the greatest joys in life. Whilst I know this isn’t the best book in the entire world (and, be warned, it’s mostly nostalgia fuel ...more

What a fun book. I first read this 6 years ago and I enjoyed it now as much as I did then. The story is interesting and the characters are brilliant. Reading the character's banter is so much fun and makes you feel like you're a part of their friendship group. Looking forward to starting the second book.
...more

Honestly... Not mad at this book. Is it cheesy? Sure. But is it also kind of a good time? Yes. I would compare the caliber of writing to most adult urban fantasy series. I didn't expect much going in so I was surprised by how much I was into it. It reminded me a lot of Vampire Diaries, which I'm always down for. I might even read the next book in the series. Way to go picking out books, high school me.
...more

Jul 15, 2014
Rachel Reads Ravenously
rated it
liked it
Shelves:
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urban-fantasy,
paranormal-romance,
ghosts,
young-adult,
vampires
3.5 It was cute stars
So, I'm not sure if I've ever divulged this on Goodreads, but my career goal is to one day become a Young Adult Librarian. Because of this I try to read a wide range of YA so I know what to recommend to teens. Glass Houses is one of the books that I normally wouldn't read, but decided to anyway. You know, for the teens ;-)
Glass Houses is about Claire, a teenage genius who finds herself in college at the young age of sixteen. Claire is being bullied in the dorms by some fai ...more
So, I'm not sure if I've ever divulged this on Goodreads, but my career goal is to one day become a Young Adult Librarian. Because of this I try to read a wide range of YA so I know what to recommend to teens. Glass Houses is one of the books that I normally wouldn't read, but decided to anyway. You know, for the teens ;-)
Glass Houses is about Claire, a teenage genius who finds herself in college at the young age of sixteen. Claire is being bullied in the dorms by some fai ...more

Jul 13, 2015
Abigail the Fangirl
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
i-own-it-3,
best-books-i-read-in-2015
I'm addicted. It's official... I LOVE THE MORGANVILLE VAMPIRES. I need to admit something though.. I am awful at sticking to series... But I truly believe that I will read all of the books in this one. I loved the characters, plot, and everything else involved in this delicious book.
...more

There's math to these stars.
Here goes:
+1 for being written by Rachel Caine, right off the bat. I genuinely enjoyed Ill Wind; it was a creative, rip-roaring five-chapter venture into a new kind of urban fanatasy, and it was cool. I didn't even mind the hot tub scenes, and the ending was acceptable. I've also read one of Ms. Caine's short stories set in Morganville, in an anthology, and thought it was interesting and that I'd like to know more about the series.
+1 for rendering fairly logical vampi ...more
Here goes:
+1 for being written by Rachel Caine, right off the bat. I genuinely enjoyed Ill Wind; it was a creative, rip-roaring five-chapter venture into a new kind of urban fanatasy, and it was cool. I didn't even mind the hot tub scenes, and the ending was acceptable. I've also read one of Ms. Caine's short stories set in Morganville, in an anthology, and thought it was interesting and that I'd like to know more about the series.
+1 for rendering fairly logical vampi ...more

Jun 17, 2012
Marija *There's No Poetry In My Soul, Just A List Of Lies I've Told*
rated it
it was amazing
Actual rating: 4.5 stars.
It seems I read a lot of vampire books these days. In fact, I'm going through my TBR pile in order so it's not my fault I had three vampire books one after another. I really liked two and third is currently being read, so we'll see.
I liked this book very much. Claire wasn't annoying like I expected, though she seemed like it when I first started reading. I liked most of the characters and everything went smoothly. Though it did end on a major cliffhanger, which I really ...more
It seems I read a lot of vampire books these days. In fact, I'm going through my TBR pile in order so it's not my fault I had three vampire books one after another. I really liked two and third is currently being read, so we'll see.
I liked this book very much. Claire wasn't annoying like I expected, though she seemed like it when I first started reading. I liked most of the characters and everything went smoothly. Though it did end on a major cliffhanger, which I really ...more

I really like the whole idea of the glass house and the protection it offers. I think I'm pretty much Team Michael. Love the head vampire lady. The scenes she was in were really riveting!
...more

QUICK OVERVIEW:
If you love books that have dangerous vampires around every corner, a quick moving and realistic plot, and characters that will have you packing up your home to move in next door to them, then you will love Glass Houses. Heck, even if you don't love all of those things, I'm pretty sure you'll love Glass Houses.
REVIEW:
Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! How did I not pick this series up sooner?
I fell in love with this series after the very first page, and I'm not entirely sure wh ...more
If you love books that have dangerous vampires around every corner, a quick moving and realistic plot, and characters that will have you packing up your home to move in next door to them, then you will love Glass Houses. Heck, even if you don't love all of those things, I'm pretty sure you'll love Glass Houses.
REVIEW:
Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! How did I not pick this series up sooner?
I fell in love with this series after the very first page, and I'm not entirely sure wh ...more

This was a really quick, fun read and whilst it may not have technically ticked all the boxes I enjoyed it immensely. It's engaging, dark and tense, kind of 'Mean Girls' meets supernatural world.
Claire is a 16 year old brainiac attending college in Morganville Texas, a small town where vampires rule the roost, and there's nothing 'nice' about these vamps. When Claire gets on the wrong side of Monica, queenbitch bee of college, and her life is threatened she desperately seeks off-campus housing
...more
Claire is a 16 year old brainiac attending college in Morganville Texas, a small town where vampires rule the roost, and there's nothing 'nice' about these vamps. When Claire gets on the wrong side of Monica, queen

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📗 I avoided this book for a while, there was a lot of books coming out after Twilight that were themed around Vampires that I didn't enjoy. Thankfully I was pleasantly surprised, I really enjoyed this book!
📕 I instantly liked the main character Claire, she leaves home for the first time for college and experiences life in a dorm room that isn't what you would typically expect. Something happens that leads to her being viciously attacked by Monica, the Queen Be ...more
📗 I avoided this book for a while, there was a lot of books coming out after Twilight that were themed around Vampires that I didn't enjoy. Thankfully I was pleasantly surprised, I really enjoyed this book!
📕 I instantly liked the main character Claire, she leaves home for the first time for college and experiences life in a dorm room that isn't what you would typically expect. Something happens that leads to her being viciously attacked by Monica, the Queen Be ...more
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Castle Dracula: The Morganville Vampires | 13 | 17 | Jan 20, 2021 01:50PM | |
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Challenge Corner: The Morganville Vampire Series (Starting with Fade Out) by Rachel Caine -> Restarting October 18th, 2019 | 106 | 25 | Jan 06, 2020 08:03AM | |
Challenge Corner: Glass Houses, by Rachel Caine - Starting August 23rd 2019 | 3 | 5 | Aug 29, 2019 03:39AM | |
Fallen Into Tijan...: Glass Houses (The Morganville Vampires #1) by Rachel Caine (April - Auxiliary) | 1 | 3 | Mar 15, 2019 04:36PM | |
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YA Buddy Readers'...: Glass Houses (The Morganville Vampires #1) by Rachel Caine - Starting June 12th | 25 | 12 | Jun 19, 2017 07:22AM |
Rachel Caine is a pen name of Roxanne Longstreet Conrad.
She has also published as:
Roxanne Longstreet
Roxanne Conrad
Julie Fortune
Ian Hammell
Her Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/rachelcainef...
Her Instagram page:
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She has also published as:
Roxanne Longstreet
Roxanne Conrad
Julie Fortune
Ian Hammell
Her Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/rachelcainef...
Her Instagram page:
https://www.instagram.com/rachelcaine...
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Other books in the series
The Morganville Vampires
(1 - 10 of 15 books)
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