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Den of Shadows #2
Kształt demona
Jessica jest ponurą, zamkniętą w sobie nastolatką. Nie ma rodziny, przyjaciół, kocha ciemność i mrok, mało śpi i je. W zaciszu swojego czarnego pokoju, przy użyciu czarnego komputera pisze książki pod pseudonimem Ash Night, co skrzętnie ukrywa przed rówieśnikami. W owych historiach opowiada o mrocznym świecie wampirów, ich sekretach i słabościach.
106 pages, Paperback
First published May 9, 2000
49 people are currently reading
3274 people want to read
About the author
Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
35 books3,419 followersI grew up in Concord, Massachusetts, where I matriculated through the public Concord-Carlisle school district from kindergarten until my graduation in 2001. The best part of school, from fifth grade until the year I graduated, was definitely chorus. I love music, and I love to sing, and though I never had the courage or the talent to participate in any of the high school plays as a performer, I enjoyed being involved at other levels; the music and drama community at CCHS was the highlight of my high school career. I was also on the fencing team for two years, an experience that actually inspired a couple storylines, and regret that I did not continue with that sport.
I now live in Massachusetts with several pets... as well as, of course, my family. I am a student at the University of Massachusetts, with an English/psychology double-major. I hope to work either as an English teacher at the secondary level, or in special education. I have strong opinions about literacy, education, and how our educational systems are treated- strong enough that most of my friends know not to get me started on the subject.
My non-writing hobbies are eclectic, and cover everything from rather domestic pastimes like cross-stitch and cooking to aquarium keeping, playing piano, gardening, carpentry, Harley-Davidsons, driving, and arguing- there are few things I enjoy more than a good debate with someone who knows how to argue, which might have something to do with a best friend who works in politics. I love to learn, so if I have down-time and nothing to do, it is not at all unusual to find me pouring over some book, website or video designed to teach me some new skill, from belly dancing (something I desperately want to learn but have not yet been brave enough to sign up for classes on) to JavaScript.
I now live in Massachusetts with several pets... as well as, of course, my family. I am a student at the University of Massachusetts, with an English/psychology double-major. I hope to work either as an English teacher at the secondary level, or in special education. I have strong opinions about literacy, education, and how our educational systems are treated- strong enough that most of my friends know not to get me started on the subject.
My non-writing hobbies are eclectic, and cover everything from rather domestic pastimes like cross-stitch and cooking to aquarium keeping, playing piano, gardening, carpentry, Harley-Davidsons, driving, and arguing- there are few things I enjoy more than a good debate with someone who knows how to argue, which might have something to do with a best friend who works in politics. I love to learn, so if I have down-time and nothing to do, it is not at all unusual to find me pouring over some book, website or video designed to teach me some new skill, from belly dancing (something I desperately want to learn but have not yet been brave enough to sign up for classes on) to JavaScript.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 544 reviews
December 18, 2018
A cool concept, actually. Though only for people who can read vamp fan fiction with straight faces.
Q:
The night is full of mystery. Even when the moon is brightest, secrets hide everywhere. Then the sun rises and its rays cast so many shadows that the day creates more illusion than all the veiled truth of the night. (c)
The name is obviously a courtesy of Mr Poe:
From childhood’s hour I have not been
As others were — I have not seen
As others saw — I could not bring
My passions from a common spring—
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow—I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone —
And all I lov'd—I lov'd alone —Then — in my childhood — in the dawn
Of a most stormy life—was drawn
From ev'ry depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still—
From the torrent, or the fountain—
From the red cliff of the mountain —
From the sun that round me roll'd
In its autumn tint of gold —
From the lighting of the sky
As it pass'd me flying by—
From the thunder, and the storm —
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view —
Edgar Allan Poe (c) A lovely poem, yep!
Q:
His face could have been modeled after the portrait on a Roman coin. Hair the color of raven feathers contrasted with his fair skin, and when he turned a bit she saw that a few strands had fallen across his eyes, shading them. (c) Of course. How else would the main protagonist look like?
Q:
"You live to make trouble, don't you? "
"Life is nothing without a little chaos to make it interesting." (c)
Q:
The night is full of mystery. Even when the moon is brightest, secrets hide everywhere. Then the sun rises and its rays cast so many shadows that the day creates more illusion than all the veiled truth of the night. (c)
The name is obviously a courtesy of Mr Poe:
From childhood’s hour I have not been
As others were — I have not seen
As others saw — I could not bring
My passions from a common spring—
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow—I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone —
And all I lov'd—I lov'd alone —Then — in my childhood — in the dawn
Of a most stormy life—was drawn
From ev'ry depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still—
From the torrent, or the fountain—
From the red cliff of the mountain —
From the sun that round me roll'd
In its autumn tint of gold —
From the lighting of the sky
As it pass'd me flying by—
From the thunder, and the storm —
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view —
Edgar Allan Poe (c) A lovely poem, yep!
Q:
His face could have been modeled after the portrait on a Roman coin. Hair the color of raven feathers contrasted with his fair skin, and when he turned a bit she saw that a few strands had fallen across his eyes, shading them. (c) Of course. How else would the main protagonist look like?
Q:
"You live to make trouble, don't you? "
"Life is nothing without a little chaos to make it interesting." (c)
August 4, 2016
I didn't like Amelia Atwater Rhode's writing, though a lot of people would disagree with me. I could tell through her words that she was a young girl, though many people praise her for her literary skill.
That's not to say I didn't enjoy her writing or her story one little bit, I did, I just thought it could've been a lot better from all the hype I had heard. I didn't like the main character, Jessica, at all. I found her stereotypical... ungrateful and frankly someone that I couldn't come to like at all, even through reading the whole book.
April 13, 2008
This book was written when the author was only fifteen. I want to get that out in the open to begin with, and yes, I admit that it is indeed impressive to have a book published while one is still in one's teens. That being said, I also think that when a teenage author gets published, s/he must be held up to the same standards as adult authors, and by those standards, well, this book isn't particularly good. There are certainly good aspects to the story, including some exciting fight scenes and a sexy "hero," and I think that the vampire and witch societies Atwater-Rhodes has created show a lot of promise. The two biggest problems are a heroine who isn't particularly appealing, and the author's tendency towards over-exposition. In my creative writing courses, we constantly had the phrase "show me, don't tell me" drummed into our brains. This is clearly a lesson Atwater-Rhodes never learned. She at least avoids the pitfalls of having her characters explain things unnecessarily, but there are other ways to provide necessary details than stopping the narrative to do so. This novel is only 176 pages long---with more of the explanatory bits dramatized than narrated, it could be brought to 250 pages, still a short novel, but more fleshed out. I do think Atwater-Rhodes has writerly promise; she simply has a few more lessons to learn.
June 19, 2012
Katie, what the hell did I just read?
March 2, 2010
The writing and execution of this book was terrible. Characterization once again pretty non-existent, plot very ho-hum. Also felt like 'Jessica' was really 'Amelia Atwater-Rhodes', who then tried to make her come across as strong, beautiful and aloof, when in fact I found her incredibly rude and stupid. And of course Jessica is the only human Aubrey the thousand year old, cruel vampire randomly falls for. Basically this is Atwater's 17-year-old fantasy.
September 15, 2008
The main charaters are Jessica and Adurey. Jessica is strange but a very good write.Adurey is a high classed vampire who has been tracking Jessica for some time.
Only when he finaly meets her deos things change. Adurey has to find away to save Jessica from the trouble her books got her into.If you like vamipers, whitches, and fights this is the book for you to read!You will not want to put the book down when you frist start to read!
Only when he finaly meets her deos things change. Adurey has to find away to save Jessica from the trouble her books got her into.If you like vamipers, whitches, and fights this is the book for you to read!You will not want to put the book down when you frist start to read!
November 15, 2014
As the dust-jacket constantly reminds us, Atwater-Rhodes wrote this "gem" at the age of fifteen. I wrote bad fanfic at the age of fifteen, too, but at least I had the courtesy not to inflict it on other people. Frankly, the only thing that surprises me about the work is that the author isn't male, as it's got a very distinct 15-year-old-boy-in-the-backseat bouquet: no rhythm, no poetry, and no payoff. Girls, stay home and wash your hair instead.
Read
October 9, 2020Much better than book 1, although reads kind of like the author wrote a fanfic of herself.
Some parts were truly painful to read because like how much of my identify at age 14 was directly taken from this book?? Disturbing!
Also I can’t find book 3 so I think my rediscovery of this series will be on pause for now.
Some parts were truly painful to read because like how much of my identify at age 14 was directly taken from this book?? Disturbing!
Also I can’t find book 3 so I think my rediscovery of this series will be on pause for now.
July 2, 2012
Random House...how was this worth publishing? I am disappointed in everyone from the author to the publisher. If somehow you read this review and are considering reading it, please don't read this book. There's nothing about it that merits the time or effort.
January 6, 2013
I saw this title on the shelf and just had to have this book. You see, Poe's poem "Alone" is one of my all-time favorites, probably second only to Baudelaire's "Les Chats." So this book had an awful lot to live up to in my mind. And it didn't. But I have a hard time blaming Miss Atwater-Rhodes for this. You see, when this book came out, the author was a 15-year-old girl. Having once been a 15-year-old girl myself, I recognize a lot of her writing style as quite typical of a teen girl who doesn't quite fit in and who has at least enough talent to express herself coherently. The question here is, does she have enough skill, at this point in her life, to warrant a professionally published novella? Sadly, the answer is no.
I'm not sure how much the end product was influenced by a professional editorial team, and this would tell me a lot more about the author's natural talent and skill levels. But for now I will just give you an idea of what brought this down to two stars, regardless of how responsible or not the author herself is. The dialogue and narrative are extremely unbalanced. There are huge swaths of telling, not showing, punctuated by snippets of largely pointless and/or pretentious dialogue. And this story lacks the depth and perspective necessary for themes and characters to achieve any development. It's a novel written about a condescending, angst-ridden 15-year-old by a condescending, angst-ridden 15-year-old, and it fails to bring anything meaningful to the state of being a condescending, angst-ridden 15-year-old.
That said, this isn't really a bad book, just rather flat. And it apparently holds a great deal of appeal for angst-ridden teenagers. I do notice that the author has continued writing, and I would hope that this means she has grown as a writer and is more in control of her own creative processes and products. I would be very interested to read something more recent from her.
I'm not sure how much the end product was influenced by a professional editorial team, and this would tell me a lot more about the author's natural talent and skill levels. But for now I will just give you an idea of what brought this down to two stars, regardless of how responsible or not the author herself is. The dialogue and narrative are extremely unbalanced. There are huge swaths of telling, not showing, punctuated by snippets of largely pointless and/or pretentious dialogue. And this story lacks the depth and perspective necessary for themes and characters to achieve any development. It's a novel written about a condescending, angst-ridden 15-year-old by a condescending, angst-ridden 15-year-old, and it fails to bring anything meaningful to the state of being a condescending, angst-ridden 15-year-old.
That said, this isn't really a bad book, just rather flat. And it apparently holds a great deal of appeal for angst-ridden teenagers. I do notice that the author has continued writing, and I would hope that this means she has grown as a writer and is more in control of her own creative processes and products. I would be very interested to read something more recent from her.
January 21, 2022
Meh didn't know this was a series might try to find the other but there seems to be many intertwined series so I'm not buying it. (Plus its not that good) Its fine brushed through it in a day. Vaugely gothy got witches, vampires, werewolves ect. In it all so thats interesting to me. Jessica is a big bitch lol. Its okay for a teen book. .. so yeah. Idk witches sounded more interesting, the vampires are way overpowered. Name it and they can probably do it.
March 18, 2012
My rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars.
Jessica Allodolla a secretly published author still attending high school as a Senior realizes suddenly, that the characters of her novel tiger, tiger are real, either that or, she is going insane.
Ash Night, the pseudonym of Jessica, writes a story about her dreamed-up character, the villain Aubrey. But when two transfer students - the sociable and affectionate Caryn and the mysteriously dark Alex - draw Jessica out her social pariah status and into the cut-throat ladder of high school social hierarchy Jessica gets the unsettlingly feeling that Alex is not all he seems and when facts of his life start to match up with the information she created for Aubrey's background story Jessica comes to a horrifying conclusion: Aubrey just might be Alex.
But that's impossible right? So, thinks Jessica and dismisses Caryn's attempts at swaying her mind on the matter. Alex as it seems has hidden agenda's of his own, it's not a common coincidence that he just happens to show up in Jessica's small town, and it is no fatal attraction that draws him to pursue her, Alex has a secret, dark and always lurking like thick smog around the two of them. Why did Alex out of the blue decide to move to Ramsa, why does he hold such a strong profound hatred towards Caryn, and more importantly what happens when everything is revealed? When the pieces click together and Jessica finds out the truth, will she be strong enough to stay away, to resist the alluring pull Alex has over her?
There is a price to be paid when secrets are told? A price that Jessica is finding does not suit her well.
Jessica Allodolla a secretly published author still attending high school as a Senior realizes suddenly, that the characters of her novel tiger, tiger are real, either that or, she is going insane.
Ash Night, the pseudonym of Jessica, writes a story about her dreamed-up character, the villain Aubrey. But when two transfer students - the sociable and affectionate Caryn and the mysteriously dark Alex - draw Jessica out her social pariah status and into the cut-throat ladder of high school social hierarchy Jessica gets the unsettlingly feeling that Alex is not all he seems and when facts of his life start to match up with the information she created for Aubrey's background story Jessica comes to a horrifying conclusion: Aubrey just might be Alex.
But that's impossible right? So, thinks Jessica and dismisses Caryn's attempts at swaying her mind on the matter. Alex as it seems has hidden agenda's of his own, it's not a common coincidence that he just happens to show up in Jessica's small town, and it is no fatal attraction that draws him to pursue her, Alex has a secret, dark and always lurking like thick smog around the two of them. Why did Alex out of the blue decide to move to Ramsa, why does he hold such a strong profound hatred towards Caryn, and more importantly what happens when everything is revealed? When the pieces click together and Jessica finds out the truth, will she be strong enough to stay away, to resist the alluring pull Alex has over her?
There is a price to be paid when secrets are told? A price that Jessica is finding does not suit her well.
October 16, 2017
“Life is nothing without a little chaos to make it interesting.”
I don't understand why people are throwing so much shade at this book. And yes I did read previous reviews before I even attempted to write my own. NEWSFLASH PEOPLE: This book was awesome. I loved everything about it. I couldn't put this book down. It is such a quick and easy read.
I don't understand why people are throwing so much shade at this book. And yes I did read previous reviews before I even attempted to write my own. NEWSFLASH PEOPLE: This book was awesome. I loved everything about it. I couldn't put this book down. It is such a quick and easy read.
January 27, 2009
Interesting setup but mediocre execution. Jessica is an unusual teenager because, unbeknownst to her classmates, she's the author of a recently published novel about vampires. Her classmates shy away from her dark aura (and her unpleasant personality) until two new students arrive. Caryn tries desperately to be her friend. Aubrey bears a striking resemblance to one of Jessica's vampire characters and seems to be stalking her. Jessica soon discovers the world she thought she created from fiction actually exists and the vampires are none too pleased about being revealed to the world. Aubrey has been sent to kill her, Caryn to protect her.
Readers looking for somewhere to turn after Twilight will be disappointed in the lack of romantic tension between Jessica and Aubrey (though it is a series and will develop further). Too much time is spent on the hierarchy of bloodlines in witches and vampires, which is both confusing and distracting, but probably plays a role later.
A quick read that has potential to develop into an interesting series. Let's hope Jessica gets easier to like.
Readers looking for somewhere to turn after Twilight will be disappointed in the lack of romantic tension between Jessica and Aubrey (though it is a series and will develop further). Too much time is spent on the hierarchy of bloodlines in witches and vampires, which is both confusing and distracting, but probably plays a role later.
A quick read that has potential to develop into an interesting series. Let's hope Jessica gets easier to like.
February 5, 2019
High school senior Jessica Allodola, the author of a best-selling vampire thriller published under the pseudonym Ash Night, is shocked when Aubrey, one of the main characters from her book, shows up in the real world. As she struggles to assimilate the knowledge that the vampiric world which she thought a product of her imagination is in fact a reality, Jessica must also contend with the seductive Aubrey, the malicious Fala, and a do-gooding teenage witch determined to save her from the dark...
This second novel from Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, distinguished for writing her first novel at thirteen and seeing it published at fifteen, has a strong autobiographical flavor to it. Its disaffected gothic heroine will appeal to adolescent rebels, particularly those who enjoy romantic vampire stories. I found it a very creditable second effort, though I think I prefer the work of L.J. Smith, when it comes to books in this genre.
This second novel from Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, distinguished for writing her first novel at thirteen and seeing it published at fifteen, has a strong autobiographical flavor to it. Its disaffected gothic heroine will appeal to adolescent rebels, particularly those who enjoy romantic vampire stories. I found it a very creditable second effort, though I think I prefer the work of L.J. Smith, when it comes to books in this genre.
December 5, 2011
This book is not something I would recommend. Yes, the first book in the den of shadow series was short (176 pages) yet it lacked my interest. The beginning few pages were very well detailed but after that, it became basic. The story line was different but not out of the realm of cliche.The main character was very annoying in my opinion; worse than Bella from the twilight movies. I kept reading to the end to see if it got better, but my thoughts stayed the same. I do not think I would read this again in my lifetime.
June 29, 2013
This book was simply beautiful. It was, in a way, everything I felt was missing from the beautiful prequel to this novel, which was In the Forests of the Night. It was, in a way, Aubrey’s side of the story – but of course, it isn’t the same story.
The prologue of this book is intriguing, and to my peril I didn’t take much notice of it, dismissing it as the usual; “Short, dark, mysterious prologue designed to pull you in.” That is, of course, exactly what it was, but as a seasoned reader I should have known better than to not pay attention. Because it does become extremely important to the final twist in the book, and had I been paying attention I may have seen it coming. But I didn’t – and I’m sort of happy about that too, because sometimes it’s more fun not seeing the twist before it hits you in the face.
The book proper starts with the main character – Jessica – waking up in a scene that is perfectly familiar to every teenager. The obnoxious alarm clock with its sadistically glowing red numbers telling you just how little sleep you’ve had, and the automatic counting in your head of how many days of school you’ve got left until…well, whenever. But of course, Jessica is no ordinary teenager. She is the vampire “fiction” writer briefly mentioned in In the Forests of the Night, and is about to start another day at Ramsa High School.
Jessica is a great main character for a novel, if only because she was so refreshing. She is… not exactly socially awkward, but rather just seems to prefer being by herself. She’s sharp, direct, and perhaps a little bit mean, she knows it, and she doesn’t give a damn. Which I thought was great, myself. Immediately she meets Caryn, a sweet girl at school who seems to want to help her out of her loneliness. But, as happens with many characters in Amelia Atwater Rhodes’ books, Caryn is not what she seems.
In Demon In My View we are introduced to a very interesting new type of witch – called Macht witches, or the Daughters of Macht. Caryn is one of them, and for some reason her kind have taken an interest in Jessica. And speaking of people who aren’t all what they seem…
Of course, the new hot guy shows up at school – one inevitably does in every modern day book series, at some point – and this one is called Alex Remington. That name bothered me, for two reasons. 1; I’ve read another book where the disguised vampire dude is called Alex, and 2; I would have thought Aubrey could have chosen something with a little more class. In any case, Jessica immediately recognizes Alex as Aubrey, one of the characters from her vampire stories. Jessica dismisses the thought as silly, though disconcerted by how alike Alex is to Aubrey, right down to the clothing and tattoos she describes.
It soon becomes obvious to the reader that Alex (a.k.a Aubrey) also has an interest in Jessica, just as Caryn does – and is doing a much better job of gaining Jessica’s trust, as it happens. Ironically enough, Aubrey does this by being almost completely honest with her, which is unusual. In any case, I very much enjoyed reading the interchange between the two of them. But the most interesting question that arises is; How in the world can Jessica’s stories be real without her knowing that they are?
I won’t say much more about the story at present; instead I’ll move onto the principal characters, starting with Aubrey because I simply can’t go any longer without writing about him. Aubrey is, without a doubt, my favourite vampire I’ve ever read about. I’m not going to say it’s because he’s all that morally correct. In fact, at times he’s not even that nice – Tora being a case in point. But I think the quote that best describes why I’m drawn to him is this; ”I have some morals, I suppose. But none that interfere with the way I survive.” Aubrey never pretends to be anything that he isn’t – he is a dangerous killer, and he knows it, and he isn’t going to try and justify it. But at the same time, there is something (I think) nice in him, something redeemable, something that shows he has his own code of morality. And more importantly, Jessica is the one who brings all these qualities out in him.
The vampire who falls into that "Bad-As-She-Possibly-Could-Be" category is Fala. She’s a cold, crazy bitch, make no mistake. Fiery tempered, vicious, vengeful, and totally insane. At least, that’s the impression I got. I won’t deny it, I was grinning when Aubrey was dominating her with his awesome vampire powers and strength. What I don’t get, however, is why Jager was so fond of Fala. Jager… I like him too. You know he’s strong, and he’s rather brilliantly nonchalant, but best of all he just doesn’t seem all that concerned with being violent. All he’s concerned with is living his life, protecting his fledglings, and causing mayhem if he can find some decent mayhem worth causing. But Fala… I guess if she was his first fledgling she’d be important to Jager, but I certainly think the vampire world would be better off without her crazy ass around the place.
Anne – Jessica’s foster mother – was a nice lady, though she didn’t get a huge amount of character development. I’m sure it took strength and love to care for someone like Jessica the way she did, especially considering that Jessica wasn’t her child. But she was lovely and understanding, and a good character.
Caryn was a nice character, a sweet thing that was always just trying to do what was best for her family and her friends. But, like Jessica, I despised most of the rest of the witches, especially Dominique, for what they’d done to the vampires. And what Jessica says best sums it up;”If it’s a choice between you and them, the I would choose the vampires any day. At least they don’t preach the morality of their killing.” But Caryn was different – she never wanted to hurt, only to heal.
I was very surprised by the revelation that Aubrey’s line (more accurately Ather’s/Silver’s line) was so powerful only because they fought against the change. And it did add an interesting dilemma to the story, quite apart from making me wonder why Aubrey would have fought so hard in the first place. In any case, it meant that Aubrey couldn’t just go ”Nom, nom, nom, great, you’re a vampire now Jessica, our problems are over.” It meant that she actually had to fight for her immortality – and I loved that, because it meant the author wasn’t just taking the easy way out.
Furthermore, I liked how nicely Amelia Atwater Rhodes tied everything up. We get to learn how Jessica knew everything she did about vampires; it was a wonderful revelation to finally learn the truth about that, though I had a slight uncomfortable feeling that I knew was because it vaguely reminded me of Breaking Dawn… but let’s not talk about that, shall we? In any case, the ending was fast and furious, and finally beautiful, everything I could have wished for from Demon in My View.
Overall, Demon in My View was a relatively short read, but just like In the Forests of the Night it was a breath-taking one none the less. An original setting, wonderful, chilling and believable characters, and absolutely brilliant writing.
For anyone interested in discussing the Den of Shadows series with other people, or in role-playing the Den of Shadows world, here's the link to my group: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1...
Feel free to join! All welcome. :)
The prologue of this book is intriguing, and to my peril I didn’t take much notice of it, dismissing it as the usual; “Short, dark, mysterious prologue designed to pull you in.” That is, of course, exactly what it was, but as a seasoned reader I should have known better than to not pay attention. Because it does become extremely important to the final twist in the book, and had I been paying attention I may have seen it coming. But I didn’t – and I’m sort of happy about that too, because sometimes it’s more fun not seeing the twist before it hits you in the face.
The book proper starts with the main character – Jessica – waking up in a scene that is perfectly familiar to every teenager. The obnoxious alarm clock with its sadistically glowing red numbers telling you just how little sleep you’ve had, and the automatic counting in your head of how many days of school you’ve got left until…well, whenever. But of course, Jessica is no ordinary teenager. She is the vampire “fiction” writer briefly mentioned in In the Forests of the Night, and is about to start another day at Ramsa High School.
Jessica is a great main character for a novel, if only because she was so refreshing. She is… not exactly socially awkward, but rather just seems to prefer being by herself. She’s sharp, direct, and perhaps a little bit mean, she knows it, and she doesn’t give a damn. Which I thought was great, myself. Immediately she meets Caryn, a sweet girl at school who seems to want to help her out of her loneliness. But, as happens with many characters in Amelia Atwater Rhodes’ books, Caryn is not what she seems.
In Demon In My View we are introduced to a very interesting new type of witch – called Macht witches, or the Daughters of Macht. Caryn is one of them, and for some reason her kind have taken an interest in Jessica. And speaking of people who aren’t all what they seem…
Of course, the new hot guy shows up at school – one inevitably does in every modern day book series, at some point – and this one is called Alex Remington. That name bothered me, for two reasons. 1; I’ve read another book where the disguised vampire dude is called Alex, and 2; I would have thought Aubrey could have chosen something with a little more class. In any case, Jessica immediately recognizes Alex as Aubrey, one of the characters from her vampire stories. Jessica dismisses the thought as silly, though disconcerted by how alike Alex is to Aubrey, right down to the clothing and tattoos she describes.
It soon becomes obvious to the reader that Alex (a.k.a Aubrey) also has an interest in Jessica, just as Caryn does – and is doing a much better job of gaining Jessica’s trust, as it happens. Ironically enough, Aubrey does this by being almost completely honest with her, which is unusual. In any case, I very much enjoyed reading the interchange between the two of them. But the most interesting question that arises is; How in the world can Jessica’s stories be real without her knowing that they are?
I won’t say much more about the story at present; instead I’ll move onto the principal characters, starting with Aubrey because I simply can’t go any longer without writing about him. Aubrey is, without a doubt, my favourite vampire I’ve ever read about. I’m not going to say it’s because he’s all that morally correct. In fact, at times he’s not even that nice – Tora being a case in point. But I think the quote that best describes why I’m drawn to him is this; ”I have some morals, I suppose. But none that interfere with the way I survive.” Aubrey never pretends to be anything that he isn’t – he is a dangerous killer, and he knows it, and he isn’t going to try and justify it. But at the same time, there is something (I think) nice in him, something redeemable, something that shows he has his own code of morality. And more importantly, Jessica is the one who brings all these qualities out in him.
The vampire who falls into that "Bad-As-She-Possibly-Could-Be" category is Fala. She’s a cold, crazy bitch, make no mistake. Fiery tempered, vicious, vengeful, and totally insane. At least, that’s the impression I got. I won’t deny it, I was grinning when Aubrey was dominating her with his awesome vampire powers and strength. What I don’t get, however, is why Jager was so fond of Fala. Jager… I like him too. You know he’s strong, and he’s rather brilliantly nonchalant, but best of all he just doesn’t seem all that concerned with being violent. All he’s concerned with is living his life, protecting his fledglings, and causing mayhem if he can find some decent mayhem worth causing. But Fala… I guess if she was his first fledgling she’d be important to Jager, but I certainly think the vampire world would be better off without her crazy ass around the place.
Anne – Jessica’s foster mother – was a nice lady, though she didn’t get a huge amount of character development. I’m sure it took strength and love to care for someone like Jessica the way she did, especially considering that Jessica wasn’t her child. But she was lovely and understanding, and a good character.
Caryn was a nice character, a sweet thing that was always just trying to do what was best for her family and her friends. But, like Jessica, I despised most of the rest of the witches, especially Dominique, for what they’d done to the vampires. And what Jessica says best sums it up;”If it’s a choice between you and them, the I would choose the vampires any day. At least they don’t preach the morality of their killing.” But Caryn was different – she never wanted to hurt, only to heal.
I was very surprised by the revelation that Aubrey’s line (more accurately Ather’s/Silver’s line) was so powerful only because they fought against the change. And it did add an interesting dilemma to the story, quite apart from making me wonder why Aubrey would have fought so hard in the first place. In any case, it meant that Aubrey couldn’t just go ”Nom, nom, nom, great, you’re a vampire now Jessica, our problems are over.” It meant that she actually had to fight for her immortality – and I loved that, because it meant the author wasn’t just taking the easy way out.
Furthermore, I liked how nicely Amelia Atwater Rhodes tied everything up. We get to learn how Jessica knew everything she did about vampires; it was a wonderful revelation to finally learn the truth about that, though I had a slight uncomfortable feeling that I knew was because it vaguely reminded me of Breaking Dawn… but let’s not talk about that, shall we? In any case, the ending was fast and furious, and finally beautiful, everything I could have wished for from Demon in My View.
Overall, Demon in My View was a relatively short read, but just like In the Forests of the Night it was a breath-taking one none the less. An original setting, wonderful, chilling and believable characters, and absolutely brilliant writing.
For anyone interested in discussing the Den of Shadows series with other people, or in role-playing the Den of Shadows world, here's the link to my group: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1...
Feel free to join! All welcome. :)
October 23, 2017
Link to my blog: https://thatreadhead1.wordpress.com/2...
I didn't find this one as good as the first one, but it had the same amount of wow factor. I didn't realise that each story followed a different character, but in the same world.
In terms of this book, I loved the idea that but I think I'd have liked it more if It adds a cool element, but I just wish it wasn't there. There were some pretty good fight scenes in this one though. I just don't like Jessica as a character. Too arrogant and haughty.
Definitely excited to see what the 3rd book will throw at me.
I didn't find this one as good as the first one, but it had the same amount of wow factor. I didn't realise that each story followed a different character, but in the same world.
In terms of this book, I loved the idea that but I think I'd have liked it more if It adds a cool element, but I just wish it wasn't there. There were some pretty good fight scenes in this one though. I just don't like Jessica as a character. Too arrogant and haughty.
Definitely excited to see what the 3rd book will throw at me.
March 17, 2019
This month I have been re-reading Amelia Atwater-Rhodes' Den of Shadows series.
I first read "Demon in My View" 11 years ago when it first came out. I read it's predecessor, "In the Forests of the Night", right before it then and right before it this time as well.
Whereas I remember liking "Forests" more 11 years ago, I remember hating "Demon" more 11 years ago. Time has made most of the things that angered me about this book seem less important, I guess! Though, some things are more frustrating now. I read this book in about a day; it's slighlty longer than "Forests" but still a quick, light read coming in at less than 200 pages.
"Demon" follows 18-year-old adoptee Jessica Allodolla, a high school senior who has just secretly published her first novel, "Tiger, Tiger" (essentially "Forests"), and has turned over the manuscript for "Dark Flame" recently to her agent and editor, writing under the pen name Ash Night (I think Ashley Night would have been a good choice for the name, since Ashley's her middle name but that's just me). You'd think with a book career Jessica would have tons of curious fellow students flocking to try to get to know her but.... no. Jessica is a social pariah, not even just an outcast. Something about her--which does get explained via plot--keeps people from wanting to associate with her at all... despite that she's drop dead gorgeous with pale skin, green eyes, black hair, and a perfect body. (The old mirror trick was used to learn this; point 1 for annoying.)
The real meat of the story though is about Jessica's interactions with Caryn, a new girl in school who tries to make friends with and warn Jessica about SOMEthing, and Aubrey, a fellow dark-soul who has also just joined the school. And someone out there has discovered that Jessica is the author Ash Night... and wants her dead for revealing their stories! Because guess what, Jessica? Your vampires, witches, and shapeshifters? They're all real!
Now first the good: this book is a LOT better with action and description compared to the first book. Things actually feel urgent at times; characters actually seem to have consistent goals and beliefs and don't change their mood with their clothes. Dialogue is a little better, though sometimes melodramatic but what do you want? Jessica is a writer, after all! The vampires, who Jessica somehow knows all about and is accurately writing down their histories, actually feel like a threat to Jessica and the other non-vampires in the stories.
Now the not-so-good: Oh my freakin' god. Jessica is the most unlikable creature in this whole book. She is rude to her adoptive mother; claims to want to make friends but whenever Caryn tries to be nice, Jessica snaps at her, but when handsome Aubrey is nice to her she is all doe-eyed, what the heck!? Inside she's shaking like a leaf, but outside she's putting up a strong front, which feels inconsistent.
The vampires still kind of act like immortal teenagers, too. I feel like if, at the beginning or end of the book, there was a list somewhere about the rules of vampires, of witches, and of vampire hunters, that would have clarified a lot of the odd motivations. Because some of them did not come across well at all.
The what I would have liked to see more of: Jessica being worth the Main Character status. Yes, no one knows who Ash Night is, but it would have been nice to see her mother drive her down to NYC to meet with her editor over the "Dark Flame" manuscript and they accept it. And some kind of explanation about why the publisher isn't salivating over having a teen writer and pimping her to television stations and newspapers; especially when "Tiger, Tiger" is supposedly an instant success with teens. It would have been nice to see fans emailing or sending her letters, and see a softer side of Jessica as they connect over her creations. And in general, see that there is more to her than rage, rage, stay awake till 6am, rage, fight with mother, hate the world. Her mother was really two-dimensional, and I think some discussion or back story on how Jessica got published in the first place and what her mom thought about it would have fleshed that whole angle out at all. Otherwise it just felt thrown in there, and Jessica might as well have been being considered for publication rather than actually published.
I also really liked Caryn a lot more this second read through. Originally, Jessica's distaste for the whole world must have rubbed off on me, because I didn't like anyone in this book. Instead, now, older and wiser, Caryn was actually a really cool character with motivations that were pretty noble.
Things that amused me: No cellphones. No MP3 players. Laptops like they are a rare, holy thing. No use of the internet. I was actually caught off guard by the discussion of CD players. :D This one is getting dated very quickly.
Recommended for ages 12+. Minimal cursing, sexuality only gets as far as a few kisses, no drugs or alcohol, moderate violence, some intense situations.
And this is probably my favorite cover of the first four books, as well. The model looks like David Boreanaz from "Angel" fame. :D
I first read "Demon in My View" 11 years ago when it first came out. I read it's predecessor, "In the Forests of the Night", right before it then and right before it this time as well.
Whereas I remember liking "Forests" more 11 years ago, I remember hating "Demon" more 11 years ago. Time has made most of the things that angered me about this book seem less important, I guess! Though, some things are more frustrating now. I read this book in about a day; it's slighlty longer than "Forests" but still a quick, light read coming in at less than 200 pages.
"Demon" follows 18-year-old adoptee Jessica Allodolla, a high school senior who has just secretly published her first novel, "Tiger, Tiger" (essentially "Forests"), and has turned over the manuscript for "Dark Flame" recently to her agent and editor, writing under the pen name Ash Night (I think Ashley Night would have been a good choice for the name, since Ashley's her middle name but that's just me). You'd think with a book career Jessica would have tons of curious fellow students flocking to try to get to know her but.... no. Jessica is a social pariah, not even just an outcast. Something about her--which does get explained via plot--keeps people from wanting to associate with her at all... despite that she's drop dead gorgeous with pale skin, green eyes, black hair, and a perfect body. (The old mirror trick was used to learn this; point 1 for annoying.)
The real meat of the story though is about Jessica's interactions with Caryn, a new girl in school who tries to make friends with and warn Jessica about SOMEthing, and Aubrey, a fellow dark-soul who has also just joined the school. And someone out there has discovered that Jessica is the author Ash Night... and wants her dead for revealing their stories! Because guess what, Jessica? Your vampires, witches, and shapeshifters? They're all real!
Now first the good: this book is a LOT better with action and description compared to the first book. Things actually feel urgent at times; characters actually seem to have consistent goals and beliefs and don't change their mood with their clothes. Dialogue is a little better, though sometimes melodramatic but what do you want? Jessica is a writer, after all! The vampires, who Jessica somehow knows all about and is accurately writing down their histories, actually feel like a threat to Jessica and the other non-vampires in the stories.
Now the not-so-good: Oh my freakin' god. Jessica is the most unlikable creature in this whole book. She is rude to her adoptive mother; claims to want to make friends but whenever Caryn tries to be nice, Jessica snaps at her, but when handsome Aubrey is nice to her she is all doe-eyed, what the heck!? Inside she's shaking like a leaf, but outside she's putting up a strong front, which feels inconsistent.
The vampires still kind of act like immortal teenagers, too. I feel like if, at the beginning or end of the book, there was a list somewhere about the rules of vampires, of witches, and of vampire hunters, that would have clarified a lot of the odd motivations. Because some of them did not come across well at all.
The what I would have liked to see more of: Jessica being worth the Main Character status. Yes, no one knows who Ash Night is, but it would have been nice to see her mother drive her down to NYC to meet with her editor over the "Dark Flame" manuscript and they accept it. And some kind of explanation about why the publisher isn't salivating over having a teen writer and pimping her to television stations and newspapers; especially when "Tiger, Tiger" is supposedly an instant success with teens. It would have been nice to see fans emailing or sending her letters, and see a softer side of Jessica as they connect over her creations. And in general, see that there is more to her than rage, rage, stay awake till 6am, rage, fight with mother, hate the world. Her mother was really two-dimensional, and I think some discussion or back story on how Jessica got published in the first place and what her mom thought about it would have fleshed that whole angle out at all. Otherwise it just felt thrown in there, and Jessica might as well have been being considered for publication rather than actually published.
I also really liked Caryn a lot more this second read through. Originally, Jessica's distaste for the whole world must have rubbed off on me, because I didn't like anyone in this book. Instead, now, older and wiser, Caryn was actually a really cool character with motivations that were pretty noble.
Things that amused me: No cellphones. No MP3 players. Laptops like they are a rare, holy thing. No use of the internet. I was actually caught off guard by the discussion of CD players. :D This one is getting dated very quickly.
Recommended for ages 12+. Minimal cursing, sexuality only gets as far as a few kisses, no drugs or alcohol, moderate violence, some intense situations.
And this is probably my favorite cover of the first four books, as well. The model looks like David Boreanaz from "Angel" fame. :D
June 20, 2019
Demon In My View is the second book by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. I also read this book in high school right after her first one. Where as In the Forest of the Night was all about Risika story with Aubrey being the villain. This book is all about Aubrey and Jessica, I really enjoyed this book more than the first one like I did the first time I read it.
Jessica Allodola is a senior in high school, but that is not what makes her special if you want to call it that. She is an author of the book Tiger Tiger under her pen name Ash Night, but that isn’t what really adds the special flare, even being hunted by vampires doesn’t make her special. She is the daughter of an ex-vampire, and she was inside of her birth mother for twenty years. She was adopted by Anne Allodola who is not a major character in this book.
Jessica is pretty much hated by the entire school, but she doesn’t care, she is only there for one more year then she’ll be able to start a life away from all of them. The first day of senior year brings two new students. Caryn and Alex, both of them want Jessica’s attention, but where as she’s more of a viper to Caryn she warms up to Alex. She’s actually flirting with him some and that is something she’s never done.
There is just one thing that Jessica doesn’t realize, everything she wrote in her books are real. Every thing about Alex resembles Aubrey the main character in her next book waiting for the editor to read. She doesn’t believe it is true; there is no way she could have written all of this, New Mayhem does not exist.
Caryn doesn’t want to let it go and gives her a letter signing her real name. The same name that nobody but Jessica could know since it is in one of her manuscripts not yet sent to the editor. She starts walking and she can no longer hide the fact that everything is real. She walks into the bar Las Noches and leaves just as quickly as she came, but she runs into Alex or rather Aubrey.
Aubrey has lost any illusion of being Alex and Jessica sees all of his tattoos and the knife that he carries as well. They start a battle with their words and it ends when he kisses her proving Fala right that he has fallen for the human. This is the only scene of any kind of touching, but that was okay, because that wasn’t what the story was about.
They are good at doing battle with banter. Jessica isn’t like most humans and I say this because if she was Aubrey would have ended her instead of falling for her. She takes him on in many ways through out the book, but only once physically when she slaps him. I found that scene rewarding because it lead to their first kiss.
Aubrey can’t fight his feelings for Jessica and he willingly risks his own life to save her after Fala almost kills her. He tries to save her with his powers that Caryn draws from him into her, but he asks her what she wants, a hospital or his blood. She didn’t let Fala toss her around, she fought back against the other vampire and she chooses with her heart to go with Aubrey, because she loves him too. She didn’t have to think hard and he give her his blood.
I loved this story and it doesn’t end with him changing her, there is a little more, but you should give it a read instead of me telling you the ending. Jessica is a strong character and she fit well with Aubrey because of so many reasons. Jessica isn’t planning on giving up writing even though she’s a vampire and he teases her about it. They are a perfect fit and this book needs more than five stars not even ten would do.
Jessica Allodola is a senior in high school, but that is not what makes her special if you want to call it that. She is an author of the book Tiger Tiger under her pen name Ash Night, but that isn’t what really adds the special flare, even being hunted by vampires doesn’t make her special. She is the daughter of an ex-vampire, and she was inside of her birth mother for twenty years. She was adopted by Anne Allodola who is not a major character in this book.
Jessica is pretty much hated by the entire school, but she doesn’t care, she is only there for one more year then she’ll be able to start a life away from all of them. The first day of senior year brings two new students. Caryn and Alex, both of them want Jessica’s attention, but where as she’s more of a viper to Caryn she warms up to Alex. She’s actually flirting with him some and that is something she’s never done.
There is just one thing that Jessica doesn’t realize, everything she wrote in her books are real. Every thing about Alex resembles Aubrey the main character in her next book waiting for the editor to read. She doesn’t believe it is true; there is no way she could have written all of this, New Mayhem does not exist.
Caryn doesn’t want to let it go and gives her a letter signing her real name. The same name that nobody but Jessica could know since it is in one of her manuscripts not yet sent to the editor. She starts walking and she can no longer hide the fact that everything is real. She walks into the bar Las Noches and leaves just as quickly as she came, but she runs into Alex or rather Aubrey.
Aubrey has lost any illusion of being Alex and Jessica sees all of his tattoos and the knife that he carries as well. They start a battle with their words and it ends when he kisses her proving Fala right that he has fallen for the human. This is the only scene of any kind of touching, but that was okay, because that wasn’t what the story was about.
They are good at doing battle with banter. Jessica isn’t like most humans and I say this because if she was Aubrey would have ended her instead of falling for her. She takes him on in many ways through out the book, but only once physically when she slaps him. I found that scene rewarding because it lead to their first kiss.
Aubrey can’t fight his feelings for Jessica and he willingly risks his own life to save her after Fala almost kills her. He tries to save her with his powers that Caryn draws from him into her, but he asks her what she wants, a hospital or his blood. She didn’t let Fala toss her around, she fought back against the other vampire and she chooses with her heart to go with Aubrey, because she loves him too. She didn’t have to think hard and he give her his blood.
I loved this story and it doesn’t end with him changing her, there is a little more, but you should give it a read instead of me telling you the ending. Jessica is a strong character and she fit well with Aubrey because of so many reasons. Jessica isn’t planning on giving up writing even though she’s a vampire and he teases her about it. They are a perfect fit and this book needs more than five stars not even ten would do.
February 9, 2011
Demon in My View is a beautifully written novel and one that I personally can identify with because the author was just fourteen I believe when she started to get her work published. The story of Aubrey, this hell-bent vampire, who stumbles upon a human girl and has to decide what he feels is right about letting her live or not, is a heart-wrenching plot. I love the perspective in the book, third person, because we're able to see into the lives of all the characters, and not just the main character, like Atwater-Rhodes' first novel.
December 27, 2009
This book was terrible. I have to give props that the author was only 14 and for that she was very imaginative but the characters are flat (the main character is a blatant self-insert of the author, a teenager who writes vampire books), the plot and logistics of the world are all over the place, and the interactions between the characters leave a lot to be desired. In short, this book is worse than Twilight.
February 21, 2013
“The night is full of mystery. Even when the moon is brightest, secrets hide everywhere. Then the sun rises and its rays cast so many shadows that the day creates more illusion than all the veiled truth of the night.”
Demon in My View, Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Just as with In the Forest of the Night, this book and the characters were important to me in my teenage years. While I am not embarrassed by my liking of In the Forest of the Night, this book, Demon in my View, is much more of a teenager book, probably because of the romance in it. But it was another book that was written by Atwater-Rhodes when she was still a teenager, and it is meant for teenagers.
This book is set sometime after the events of In the Forest of the Night and the main character, Jessica, was mentioned in passing by Risika in the previous book. In this book, we see Jessica as she starts a new school year. But she is unlike any other teenager. She is different, and there is something about her that seems to repel people, she has no friends, and even her adopted mother seems to have almost given up trying to understand her. In response to this, she has developed a sharp and biting sarcastic wit to keep those who try to treat her as a charity case away. But she is also the author of a new book, Tiger, Tiger (pretty much understood to be In the Forest of the Night) but she has used a pseudonym so no one will know it is her. At school she meets two new students that will change her life. One is Caryn, who seems to want to befriend Jessica, but Jessica finds her bothersome, and tries to deter Caryn. The other is Alex, a gorgeous new boy (if you like dark and mysterious), that Jessica realizes looks just like her character Aubrey, a dangerous vampire. Only after running into Alex in strange places, and having Caryn and her mother warn Jessica away from him, does Jessica begin to consider that maybe Alex really is Aubrey. But if that is the case, everything she has written is true, and that would be dangerous to the whole world of vampires. Jessica and Alex/Aubrey start to try to figure out what they feel for each other. At the same time, the whole vampire world is out for her blood. But Jessica has trouble with the idea that as amazing as the world is for the vampires of her books, she is human, and humans are nothing more than prey.
I think this may be the closest equivalent to Twilight that I have read. There are a lot of similarities, the main one being the slight “Mary Sue” feel to both novels (Mary Sue comes from stories where authors interject themselves into the story as the main character). But Jessica is really strong willed and not willing to be someone who just waits around for a man. The romance and the draw between the characters is similar to the draw between Bella and Edward, but Aubrey and Jessica are much stronger and more dangerous, so you can see the qualities that attract one to the other.
Jessica is a very interesting main character. You identify with her because you see the book mostly from her point of view, but there are some of her traits that are a little abrasive and off putting. She is strong, and cheeky. One of my favorite interactions is when she says without thinking, “Bite me” to Aubrey. He attempts to unsettle her by leaning in and preparing to bite her, but they converse mentally, each teasing the other. Her final comment before he moves away is brilliant: “But if you bite me I’m going to bite back, and do you really want this crowd to see that?” There is another time, where she is fed up of the uncertainty of what is happening, and she needs to get Aubrey to take her seriously, so she slaps him. He has never had a human talk back to him, let alone have the gall to fight back against him. It is her ability to fight his charms, and her reckless nature, that draws Aubrey to Jessica.
It was fun for me to read more about Aubrey. It was nice to see him as something more than a villain. He and Risika have a very dangerous antagonistic relationship in the previous book. In this book, he is the dangerous love interest, and we see that he is not as inhuman as he would like to believe. But it could be hard to call him a “good guy” at the end of the day.
I do love that Atwater-Rhodes keeps the danger in the vampires, even as she makes Aubrey the love interest. Jessica is under no illusion that she is completely safe with him, and she knows the other vampires are out to kill her (or those around her if they cannot get to Jessica). Fala, another of Aubrey’s bloodline, absolutely hates her, but Jessica will not back down, even though it means horrific pain and then death.
My favorite thing with this book is the consequences of choice and the impact of wanting to be a vampire has on being a vampire. In these books, a vampire’s power is based on their strength while they were human, and the trauma they experience when they are transformed. Jessica knows this, and by wanting to be one of the creatures from her book, she knows she cannot be one, as she is unwilling to be a weak vampire. This leaves her and Aubrey in a bit of trouble as there are not many options of what can be done about Jessica, and her novels that are letting the humans see into the vampire world.
The ending of the book is rather awesome. I really love that all the characters are true to themselves, and what they believe. I think this is very true for Jessica, Fala, and also Caryn (a character that it might be tempting to overlook until the end). I wish that Atwater-Rhodes would have continued with these vampires, or at least this line of vampires. I found the next few books a bit disappointing because of the weakness in the vampires.
Final Verdict: Take a bite out of this book. An easy, fast read, with strong characters, and the prefect substitution for Twilight.
Demon in My View, Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Just as with In the Forest of the Night, this book and the characters were important to me in my teenage years. While I am not embarrassed by my liking of In the Forest of the Night, this book, Demon in my View, is much more of a teenager book, probably because of the romance in it. But it was another book that was written by Atwater-Rhodes when she was still a teenager, and it is meant for teenagers.
This book is set sometime after the events of In the Forest of the Night and the main character, Jessica, was mentioned in passing by Risika in the previous book. In this book, we see Jessica as she starts a new school year. But she is unlike any other teenager. She is different, and there is something about her that seems to repel people, she has no friends, and even her adopted mother seems to have almost given up trying to understand her. In response to this, she has developed a sharp and biting sarcastic wit to keep those who try to treat her as a charity case away. But she is also the author of a new book, Tiger, Tiger (pretty much understood to be In the Forest of the Night) but she has used a pseudonym so no one will know it is her. At school she meets two new students that will change her life. One is Caryn, who seems to want to befriend Jessica, but Jessica finds her bothersome, and tries to deter Caryn. The other is Alex, a gorgeous new boy (if you like dark and mysterious), that Jessica realizes looks just like her character Aubrey, a dangerous vampire. Only after running into Alex in strange places, and having Caryn and her mother warn Jessica away from him, does Jessica begin to consider that maybe Alex really is Aubrey. But if that is the case, everything she has written is true, and that would be dangerous to the whole world of vampires. Jessica and Alex/Aubrey start to try to figure out what they feel for each other. At the same time, the whole vampire world is out for her blood. But Jessica has trouble with the idea that as amazing as the world is for the vampires of her books, she is human, and humans are nothing more than prey.
I think this may be the closest equivalent to Twilight that I have read. There are a lot of similarities, the main one being the slight “Mary Sue” feel to both novels (Mary Sue comes from stories where authors interject themselves into the story as the main character). But Jessica is really strong willed and not willing to be someone who just waits around for a man. The romance and the draw between the characters is similar to the draw between Bella and Edward, but Aubrey and Jessica are much stronger and more dangerous, so you can see the qualities that attract one to the other.
Jessica is a very interesting main character. You identify with her because you see the book mostly from her point of view, but there are some of her traits that are a little abrasive and off putting. She is strong, and cheeky. One of my favorite interactions is when she says without thinking, “Bite me” to Aubrey. He attempts to unsettle her by leaning in and preparing to bite her, but they converse mentally, each teasing the other. Her final comment before he moves away is brilliant: “But if you bite me I’m going to bite back, and do you really want this crowd to see that?” There is another time, where she is fed up of the uncertainty of what is happening, and she needs to get Aubrey to take her seriously, so she slaps him. He has never had a human talk back to him, let alone have the gall to fight back against him. It is her ability to fight his charms, and her reckless nature, that draws Aubrey to Jessica.
It was fun for me to read more about Aubrey. It was nice to see him as something more than a villain. He and Risika have a very dangerous antagonistic relationship in the previous book. In this book, he is the dangerous love interest, and we see that he is not as inhuman as he would like to believe. But it could be hard to call him a “good guy” at the end of the day.
I do love that Atwater-Rhodes keeps the danger in the vampires, even as she makes Aubrey the love interest. Jessica is under no illusion that she is completely safe with him, and she knows the other vampires are out to kill her (or those around her if they cannot get to Jessica). Fala, another of Aubrey’s bloodline, absolutely hates her, but Jessica will not back down, even though it means horrific pain and then death.
My favorite thing with this book is the consequences of choice and the impact of wanting to be a vampire has on being a vampire. In these books, a vampire’s power is based on their strength while they were human, and the trauma they experience when they are transformed. Jessica knows this, and by wanting to be one of the creatures from her book, she knows she cannot be one, as she is unwilling to be a weak vampire. This leaves her and Aubrey in a bit of trouble as there are not many options of what can be done about Jessica, and her novels that are letting the humans see into the vampire world.
The ending of the book is rather awesome. I really love that all the characters are true to themselves, and what they believe. I think this is very true for Jessica, Fala, and also Caryn (a character that it might be tempting to overlook until the end). I wish that Atwater-Rhodes would have continued with these vampires, or at least this line of vampires. I found the next few books a bit disappointing because of the weakness in the vampires.
Final Verdict: Take a bite out of this book. An easy, fast read, with strong characters, and the prefect substitution for Twilight.
November 2, 2018
Demon in My View was a good book in my opinion. I didn't like it as much as Period 8, but it definitely started to get intense towards the end. The book is about a girl who is almost part vampire named Jessica. She was adopted by a woman named Anne when her mother Jazlyn gave her up at birth. Jessica acted like a vampire in the way that she liked only the color black and she was fairly anti social. Jessica's mother was a human, then a vampire, and then switched back to being a human all while she was pregnant with Jessica which is why she is a little bit different than other humans. When Jessica meets a boy named Alex who she wrote about in one of her books, her life starts to change. The book is mostly based off of Jessica who writes books about real things that happened with vampires but she never actually witnessed any of the events. The ideas just come to her and she almost has powers. I recommend reading it, because it also didn't take very long.
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November 29, 2020I remember really loving this book when I read it in middle school. But now, definitely not as much.
Jessica is quite flat and angsty, which definitely describes ME as a tween. The instalove is less than believable. Aubrey loves her because...?? I'm honestly not sure. Maybe because she knows things that she shouldn't?
I find it to be a very 'meta' book for the series. Jessica's book is called 'Tiger tiger' and all her characters turn out to be real. The fight scenes are quite fun though, even if everything else lacks a bit. At least Jessica finally got what she wanted from Aubrey and we'll probably see them again in the rest of the series.
Jessica is quite flat and angsty, which definitely describes ME as a tween. The instalove is less than believable. Aubrey loves her because...?? I'm honestly not sure. Maybe because she knows things that she shouldn't?
I find it to be a very 'meta' book for the series. Jessica's book is called 'Tiger tiger' and all her characters turn out to be real. The fight scenes are quite fun though, even if everything else lacks a bit. At least Jessica finally got what she wanted from Aubrey and we'll probably see them again in the rest of the series.
August 4, 2019
3 ½ Stars
Demon in My View is the second book in The Den of Shadows series by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes.
This is a great YA, paranormal fantasy series with vampires, shapeshifters, supernatural elements, mystery, suspense, danger, action, drama, and a little angst.
Jessica is a published author, though no one in her high school knows her secret. But two new student are about to shake up her world.
An original story- with fully developed and interesting characters. It’s well crafted and is a credit to Ms. Atwater-Rhodes!
A fun read!
Thank you, Ms. Atwater-Rhodes!
Demon in My View is the second book in The Den of Shadows series by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes.
This is a great YA, paranormal fantasy series with vampires, shapeshifters, supernatural elements, mystery, suspense, danger, action, drama, and a little angst.
Jessica is a published author, though no one in her high school knows her secret. But two new student are about to shake up her world.
An original story- with fully developed and interesting characters. It’s well crafted and is a credit to Ms. Atwater-Rhodes!
A fun read!
Thank you, Ms. Atwater-Rhodes!
August 12, 2024
Aubrey walked so the Cullens could run.
August 20, 2020
Took me a bit longer to get through this one even though it was such a short novel. I still quite enjoyed it although I would have liked more character development. we get just enough to make the characters intriguing to help keep turning those pages but not enough to get you too terribly invested in the lives of the characters. Fun re-read of a teenage favorite.
September 6, 2022
I picked this up at a used book sale years ago because I loved the author's later book, Hawksong. In the middle of reading this, I found out that she wrote it when she was 15 and that...makes a lot of sense. It does remind me of my writing around that time, although Atwater-Rhodes is much better than I was and I am very impressed that she published a book so young.
This book is a fun and quick read. I can imagine really liking it in middle school. I felt that a lot of lore was thrown at you and not really developed. That may be because this is from a series of novels that from what I can tell are standalone but exist in the same universe. The characters are surface-level but that isn't surprising for a short book like this. I think it accomplishes its goal though, to be a fun read for teens that like vampires and maybe aren't "readers." Something about it feels very early 2000s late 90s YA probably because it is.
This book is a fun and quick read. I can imagine really liking it in middle school. I felt that a lot of lore was thrown at you and not really developed. That may be because this is from a series of novels that from what I can tell are standalone but exist in the same universe. The characters are surface-level but that isn't surprising for a short book like this. I think it accomplishes its goal though, to be a fun read for teens that like vampires and maybe aren't "readers." Something about it feels very early 2000s late 90s YA probably because it is.
December 6, 2018
I read it in Swedish.
I wanted more and I got more!
Easy to read but still full of things happening.
There were a few questions I didn't get the answer to though.
Still, worth a re-read!
I wanted more and I got more!
Easy to read but still full of things happening.
There were a few questions I didn't get the answer to though.
Still, worth a re-read!
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