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Midnight Alley

(The Morganville Vampires #3)

Rachel Caine (Goodreads Author)

4.10 · Rating details · 56,798 ratings · 1,501 reviews

MORGANVILLE IS SUCH A NICE PLACE TO LIVE... AND DIE. IF YOU DON'T MIND THAT SORT OF THING. When Claire Danvers learnt that her college town was run by vampires, she did what any intelligent, self-preserving student would do: she applied for a transfer and stocked up on garlic. The transfer is no longer an option, but that garlic may come in handy. Now Claire has pledged he ...more

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Mass Market Paperback, 245 pages

Published October 2nd 2007 by Signet (first published 2007)

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Feb 10, 2009 Shannon rated it it was ok

Shelves: color-red, wtf-is-wrong-with-me, vampires, young-adult, paranormal-romance, owned, forgot-to-drink-the-kool-aid, dumb-female-characters, 2010, to-sell

I don't want to read this series anymore but I want to know what happens. Sort of a conundrum, huh? My main problem: I don't care what happens to any of the kids. They're whiny, annoying, poorly developed, and they do really stupid things. Claire, the supposed genius, does the dumbest thing anyone can do; she reveals to the villain that she figured out it was them killing people while she's STUCK IN A MOVING CAR ALONE WITH THEM!!! Sorry. Had to get that out. Claire needs to watch some horror mov I don't want to read this series anymore but I want to know what happens. Sort of a conundrum, huh? My main problem: I don't care what happens to any of the kids. They're whiny, annoying, poorly developed, and they do really stupid things. Claire, the supposed genius, does the dumbest thing anyone can do; she reveals to the villain that she figured out it was them killing people while she's STUCK IN A MOVING CAR ALONE WITH THEM!!! Sorry. Had to get that out. Claire needs to watch some horror movies and then do the opposite of what all the people that get killed do.

So, what was this book about? Not a whole lot. The plot is very similar to the previous books: Eve dresses up Goth and whines, Shane mopes and broods and gets in fights, Michael mopes and feels misunderstood, and Claire complains that she's not a kid while getting into the worse possible situations she can get herself into.

And why does Claire help out the bitch Monica and her friends with ANYTHING? Yeah, she sort of gets blackmailed at one point, but helping out Monica's friend with her homework, seriously? In Glass Houses THEY PUSHED HER DOWN A FLIGHT OF STAIRS! I understand that if Claire hadn't been in Common Grounds, certain events wouldn't have played out, but figure out a more plausible reason to get her there, Caine!

And I'm getting sick of Shane and Claire's dry-humping. Shane claiming he made a promise to her parents and his word means something is ridiculous. Give me a break. If he was so honorable he wouldn't go around picking fights and being a smart-ass to everyone he meets. If these were real kids he would have boned her already, age be-damned. Or they would be doing EVERYTHING except actually having sex.

The one thing saving this series though? The vampires. Especially Myrnin. Myrnin is a crazy old vampire locked in a basement filled with books and contraptions. He works for Amelie and she sends Claire to help him out because Claire is super smart. He's funny and insane and the bright spot in this boring novel. I wish the vampires were the main focus and the kids were the side story because both Myrnin and Amelie are underused.

I'm still having the same problem with this series that I've had from the beginning; Caine has some great ideas but she executes them poorly. I don't feel emotionally attached to the characters and I could care less if they live or die. And the end? What the hell? The book doesn't end with a cliffhanger, it ends mid-scene. This is such a terrible way to end a novel and it makes me want to throw it against the wall!

I've got friends telling me this series only gets better, so I should keep reading. Really, when does it get better? Please tell me. I think I'll read the next book when I want a reason to be pissed off. Maybe if my expectations are super low I'll be surprised. ...more

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Jul 30, 2019 MissBecka rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books, z2019-books-i-read, completed-library-rentals

There are so many new pieces of intrigue in this book.

Loving this series and so excited to start the next book! ...more

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Dec 10, 2012 Jo ★The Book Sloth★ rated it really liked it

Shelves: urban-fantasy, vampires, paranormal, ya

4 Time For A Day Off Stars

How much trouble could a 16 year old, almost 17, girl get into? When you live in Morganville the answer isn't reassuring as Claire Danvers has come to realise. It seems that since the moment she stepped into town trouble have a way of finding her and now that she has signed her life over to Amelie she can't escape getting even more entangled with the city's vampires.

Claire has some tough things to work through. Amelie has her working in some uber-secret stuff that she c ...more

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Feb 14, 2013 Alkyoni rated it really liked it

Shelves: from-dusk-till-dawn, sixteen-candles, say-anything, urban-fantasy

Better than the previous two, in my humble opinion. More world building, some new faces, more information, some character growth…

After three books, I am giving up on trying to decide how I feel about the characters. I just accept them the way they are and you know what? Now that I’m writing things down, they feel like real life people. There is no perfect character. So, I’m done complaining.

Claire: There are days that I love her, there are days that she gets on my nerves. I try to keep in mind ...more

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May 25, 2014 Hayat rated it it was ok

Recommends it for: No one

Shelves: pnr-uf, ya

This series would've been so much better if it was told from a multiple POV, especially from the Vampire's perspective.

I was really prepared to like this series but all the teenage angst, the boring plot, the stupid mishaps and even more stupid heroine, who we are told time and time again is supper intelligent, makes this series excruciating.

The only bright spot in The Morganville Vampires series are the vampires. I really wanted to see things from their POV and maybe a little bit about their ...more

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Jun 16, 2015 Tink Magoo is bad at reviews rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: re-reads, vampires, zzz-cover-black, no-sex

4.5 stars

This is my favourite in the series so far because we're introduced to Myrnin who is nuts but endearing and I always loved him.

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Jun 20, 2018 Celeste rated it really liked it

Shelves: paranormal

The more I read, the more I enjoy this series. The characters are developing nicely, and we get to see more of the vampire society undergirding the town. We also meet a fascinating new character, Myrnin. He’s both adorable and one of the most terrifying and unstable creatures I’ve ever come across in fiction. Claire has her hands full in this volume, balancing new and more difficult classes, her new contract with a vampire, her studies with Myrnin, a surprise visit from her parents, Eve’s psycho ...more

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Mar 02, 2013 Anzu The Great Destroyer rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: fans of the series (you'll like this one)

Shelves: i-am-stalking-you, paranormal-fix, excitement, could-have-been-sooo-much-better, pretty-good, challenge-2013-sequels, reviewed-2013, fanged-and-deadly, ya-is-dead, suburban-fantasy

Fans of Morganville Vampires rejoice! We finally got a book that lives up to this series potential. Or at least gets very close to it. Which is cool.

I really love this series and it pains me to give these books less than five stars. Morganville Vamps can do five stars easily. It just doesn’t work too hard to reach that for some reason unknown to me yet.

I never felt like continuing a series after giving the first book three stars. Never. That means that I found the series meh. Meh doesn’t want me ...more

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Jun 24, 2010 Amber rated it really liked it

Shelves: vampires, 2011, favorites

4.5 Stars!!! Wow, another awesome addition to The Morganville Vampires series. Once again, the author picks right up where the previous book left off. Here's one of my favorite quotes from this book...

"What is that, some freak-ass Goth idea of romantic suicide? You turning into a fang-banger?" (Shane to Eve)

There's a big secret that Amelie has told to Claire and she is to tell NO ONE! Throughout this installment Claire is faced with a duty Amelie has required her to work on and it is a scary cha ...more

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Mar 17, 2009 Shannon rated it really liked it

Shelves: home-library-read, read-in-2011, read-in-2018

Read #2
Started on April 30, 2018
Finished on May 2, 2018

I am such trash for Claire/Shane, it's ridiculous.

Read #1
Started on February 11, 2011
Finished on February 15, 2011

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Jul 28, 2014 Rachel Reads Ravenously rated it liked it

Shelves: paranormal-romance, vampires, young-adult, library-checkout, urban-fantasy, fantasy, paperback

Still only 3 stars for these books. This book not a 4 because Shane needs to get his crap together.

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Oct 04, 2019 julia ☆ [owls reads] rated it liked it

Shelves: owned, ya-paranormal

Midnight Alley is waaay slower than the first two books. It doesn’t have that much action, but this is where the main series arc starts to become a thing! We get introduced to Myrnin and to the doorways, and Claire commits to figuring out the vampires’ Big Deadly Issue.

Shane continues to highkey be close-minded as all heck - a plot point I could really do without. We get a little more Jason, who was totally sidelined in the last novel, and the introduction of Mr. Bishop, who is here to fuck shit ...more

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Dec 06, 2019 Amber J rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-stars-of-2019, 2019-reading-challenge

“Oliver: You turned me down. So why, I wonder, did you decide Amelie would be a better choice?
Claire: She smells better. And she made me cookies.”
― Rachel Caine, Midnight Alley

SPOILER WARNING!!! Although there are no spoilers for this book. There are spoilers in this review for those who haven't read the two previous books. So if you haven't already read the first two of the series then you may not want to read my review.

I try to express only my most honest opinion in a spoiler free way “Oliver: You turned me down. So why, I wonder, did you decide Amelie would be a better choice?
Claire: She smells better. And she made me cookies.”
― Rachel Caine, Midnight Alley

SPOILER WARNING!!! Although there are no spoilers for this book. There are spoilers in this review for those who haven't read the two previous books. So if you haven't already read the first two of the series then you may not want to read my review.

I try to express only my most honest opinion in a spoiler free way. If you feel anything in my review is a spoiler and is not already hidden in spoiler brackets please let me know. Thank you.

After pledging herself to Amelie, Claire is assigned to help an old vampire with a secret of extreme proportions, the problem is this particular vamipire is slowly going insane and can be very dangerous. Meanwhile Shane is having trouble adapting to Micheal being a vampire and now murdered girls are turning up around the house. When someone goes after a vampire, the other vampire's suspect one is Shane. And Claire is just trying to do everything she can to keep herself and her friends alive.

Another great book in the series. It would be hard not to love this book. Its got action, suspense, and vampires. The four of them keep ending up in situations that seem like the end. I love how it keeps me on the edge of my seat. Reading these books feel like watching a new episode of my favorite tv show. I have every intention of continuing on and finishing this series. Can't wait to see what will happen next.

How I choose my rating:
1* Did not finish, or hated it but forced myself to finish.
2** Didn't really like it. Didn't hate it but not sure why I finished it other then for some closure.
3*** I liked it. I had some issues with it, but as a whole it was good. I probably won't reread again ever, but there is a chance I might finish the series. (If part of one) But if not it's not a huge loss.
4**** I really liked this book. Maybe not a work of genius, but highly entertaining. I might reread this again, and I will finish the series. (If part of one) I would recommend to those I know hold interest in this books content.
5***** I loved this book. I found little to no issues with it at all. I will definitely be rereading this and probably more than once. I will finish the series and reread it multiple times. (If part of one) I will recommend this book to EVERYONE!!!!

...more

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Apr 27, 2011 Myvampfiction rated it really liked it

review by Saluki

*Warning: possible spoilers ahead.*

The third book in the Morganville Vampires series picks up where book two left off. One thing that you need to know about the Morganville series is that they aren't stand alone books, so if you haven't read the first two books in the series, this one won't make much sense. If you need a refresher, check out SarahBella's review of The Dead Girls' Dance. Also, don't forget to read our interview with the series author, Rachel Caine. When we last sa review by Saluki

*Warning: possible spoilers ahead.*

The third book in the Morganville Vampires series picks up where book two left off. One thing that you need to know about the Morganville series is that they aren't stand alone books, so if you haven't read the first two books in the series, this one won't make much sense. If you need a refresher, check out SarahBella's review of The Dead Girls' Dance. Also, don't forget to read our interview with the series author, Rachel Caine. When we last saw our favorite housemates, Shane's father and his biker buddies rolled into Morganville to kill vampires. In order to protect her friends, Claire signed a contract pledging herself to Amelie.

When Midnight Alley begins, Claire still hasn't told her roommates about her deal with Amelie. She is afraid of their reaction and doesn't want to add more tension to an already tense house. Although Eve and Claire have adjusted to the fact that Michael is a vampire, Shane is having a very difficult time. Even worse, Amelie forces Claire to study alchemy with Myrnin, a deranged vampire. The secret Claire finds out has the potential to alter the lives of everyone in Morganville. Michael is outed as the town's newest vampire, putting him in danger, and Eve's brother gets out of jail, expounding the problems the characters face.

The most important new character we are introduced to in this story is Myrnin. He is a very old vampire, who is lucid for increasingly smaller amounts of time. When he is lucid, he is very charming and engaging. However, when his lucidity fades, he becomes angry and confused. I definitely had sympathy for him throughout the book. He knows he's deranged, but there is nothing he can do about it. I'm eager to see what happens in future books as Myrnin and Claire's friendship grows. I can easily imagine Myrnin falling for Claire, which would be quite an interesting situation.

Claire also continues to mature, learning that Morganville isn't simply a town divided. There are vampires that look at more than humans as just a meal, and humans who will do anything for prestige and power. The lines between good and bad blur, adding to the moral dilemma she faces (you'll have to read the book to figure out what it is). Her relationship with Shane continues to progress, although he is still very careful to keep the physical lines in tact. It is a constant frustration to Claire, but shows an impressive level of maturity for Shane.

Speaking of Shane, he is having a hard time accepting the fact that Michael is a vampire. After the death of his sister and mother, Shane has hated all vampires - to the extent that he came back to Morganville to help his father carry out his mission to kill them. However, Michael is his best friend - it's not easy to hate someone you've known most of your life. Shane seems to be growing less than the other characters, which makes me wonder what the author has in store for him in the future. I think he has a lot of potential if he could just let go of some of his anger and put that energy towards making positive changes in his life.

Midnight Alley does a good job of moving the plot of the series forward and giving the reader more insight into some of the more mysterious characters, like Amelie. Michael, Shane, Claire and Eve continue to adjust to their roles as roommates, friends and players in the vampire politics of Morganville. If you enjoyed the first two books in the series, I think you will love the third installment. I give it four out of five fangs! ...more

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Oct 04, 2009 Lexie rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-owned-read, review-blog-pr

Spoilers for book 1 (Glass Houses) and book 2 (Dead Girl's Dance).

Since I'm assuming y'all read Book 2 by now I can freely say that I hated how Shane acted throughout much of the book. I understand that he was under pressure and that he was mentally, physically and emotionally beaten down by his dad, but I'm not sure that excuses all of his jackass behavior. Unfortunately if I thought he would improve in this book I was obviously mental. His attitude in general is horrific for much of the book a Spoilers for book 1 (Glass Houses) and book 2 (Dead Girl's Dance).

Since I'm assuming y'all read Book 2 by now I can freely say that I hated how Shane acted throughout much of the book. I understand that he was under pressure and that he was mentally, physically and emotionally beaten down by his dad, but I'm not sure that excuses all of his jackass behavior. Unfortunately if I thought he would improve in this book I was obviously mental. His attitude in general is horrific for much of the book and his attitude towards Michael in particular is worthy of a quick slap upside his head with a frying pan. I wish I was joking.

The troubles for Claire and Co. just keeps coming. Yes they successfully saved Shane and stopped his dad from making a mondo-mistake...but the trade off was Michael is now a full fledged Vamp, Claire is pledged to Amelie and the part of the town that didn't already distrust and dislike Shane now has joined the other side. Not to mention Eve's brother Jason is still creeping (literally) around the town, Oliver has a score to settle, Amelie's independent study for Claire is this side of crazed and oh yeah Monica seems to think that Claire is the newest coolest toy in the whole wide world.

I still contend that Michael and Claire's chemistry is better then either Eve/Michael or Claire/Shane. They just...get one and other, understand almost immediately if something is wrong. True that was hampered by Michael going vamp (though a more gorgeous vamp you'll never meet apparently), but the two connect. Its hard for me not to see that romantically (especially as Claire seems apt to calling him gorgeous every little while).

Amelie proves to be more then her mettle in this book. Cracks appear in her demeanor and Claire is quick (unfortunately) to pick up on those cracks. Despite what is said I think Amelie does have a sort of fondness for Claire, though I fear its the sort that one feels for their pet goldfish. Two new characters are introduced in this book, well technically one because the other sort of showed up in Book 2, and both are dangerous. On different levels however and both are connected to Amelie. Oh and the reappearance of two other characters is less welcome.

I think the most interesting addition is Myrnin, a very old vampire friend of Amelie who studies alchemy and is losing his mind. Has been for years upon years. A well guarded secret even amongst those she trusts, Myrnin alternates between utterly charming (in a crazed manic sort of way) to cruel, dangerous and manipulative. He's a wonderful character though! He's never completely sane quite frankly and even when he's mostly sane he's really not. A true mad genius.

The end, as usual, leaves us with a tasty predicament for the Glass House residents specifically and Morganville in general. Its ends like these that make me happy I waited till I had a good chunk of the series to read at once. I don't know if I would like having to wait. ...more

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Oct 11, 2017 Alaina rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: october-challenge-2017, fantasy, free-ebook, paranormal, young-adult

(view spoiler) ...more

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Mar 18, 2018 Lilou rated it really liked it

Shelves: kindle-books

Like seriously, how is it possible to make a book so easy and fun at the same time. This is book number 3 and when I started reading the first one I couldn't believe there were so many of them. But now that i'm in the third one already i might have faith in these books. Claire is so strongly written I totally like her development. I'm not sure about Shane tho, he was the dream boy in the beginning but now I just don't know how I feel. Eve and Micheal are goals. To bad the relationship in this bo ...more

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May 31, 2020 Tasha Ní Mhiacháin rated it really liked it

“Dude, I live in Morganville. How exactly is that playing it safe?”

In a town like Morganville, why even step outside your front door? Because every single time they do, everything turns to shit.

The plot really kicks off in this book, and hello Myrnin, my loveable little psycho! Ah! I’ve missed him. Myrnin is such a complex character with so many different sides, and he’s in no way predictable which I absolutely love because you don’t know if he’s going to hit you with the feels or if he’s going ...more

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Feb 03, 2020 Laura..devouring books like crumpets rated it really liked it

Shelves: explore-middle-earth, reading-challenge-2020

I love the world that has been created in Morganville the plot line and the writing.... But im not 100 percent sold on the characters....

I think Shayne is really cruel to Claire... i cant really root for him, he said some unforgivable things in this book and never had the audacity to apologize, Eves ok there really isnt much to her and Micheals a lord over everyone hypocrite.... Last but not least is Claire who has about as much Common sense as a baked turnip.

The other characters in the book are ...more

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Feb 10, 2010 Arlene rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-2010, young-adult, paranormal, vampires, ya-paranormal

Midnight Alley is the third installment of the Morganville Vampire series, and so far my favorite. The series continues to be fast paced as it tosses murder and mayhem into the storyline from all angles when you least expect it. As a reader, I was captivated by the events and intrigued with the plot as new secrets were revealed and additional vampire lore was unfolded. The characters continue to draw my attention, and they grow on me more and more with every book.

In this book, Claire must face t Midnight Alley is the third installment of the Morganville Vampire series, and so far my favorite. The series continues to be fast paced as it tosses murder and mayhem into the storyline from all angles when you least expect it. As a reader, I was captivated by the events and intrigued with the plot as new secrets were revealed and additional vampire lore was unfolded. The characters continue to draw my attention, and they grow on me more and more with every book.

In this book, Claire must face the dangers and sacrifices that come with committing herself to Amelie, the highest vampire in the hierarchy. She meets the mysterious Myrnin and becomes his apprentice on a quest that is full of mystery and intrigue. The residents of the Glass House, including Claire, Eve, Michael and Shane continue to encounter explosive events that are just part of living in the town of Morganville.

There was one part that I struggled with when it came to one of my favorite characters… Shane. I was surprised by his hostile behavior toward Michael; and as the story continued, I had hoped to see him face the fact that Michael is now a vampire. When Shane lashed out at Claire as he was moving out and said to her she wasn't really "his type" I gasped. His hostile behavior throughout the book toward Michael was disconcerting, but at the same time, I understand the emotional, physical and psychologically abuse he's endured. I just hope he comes to terms with the new reality as the story continues because he's still one of my favorite characters in the book.

Lastly, Myrnin was a nice addition to the storyline. What a complex character, one that was able to freak me out but still manage to pull at my heartstrings. His mad scientist behavior mixed with moments of insanity, sincere confusion, and vulnerability caused a myriad of emotions for me. I really came to care for him by the end of the book, and I hope he continues to play a central role in the series.

This book is a great addition to the series, and I can't wait to pick up the next installment! ...more

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Sep 30, 2009 Natalie rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult, urban-fantasy, paranormal-romance

First Impressions: Once again, this book was better than the previous one. It's easily my favorite in the series so far. In Midnight Alley, we get to see more development of the characters (especially the vampires!) as well as the results of the big decision Claire makes at the end of Book 2, The Dead Girls' Dance.

What about Midnight Alley made it better than the first two? Overall, I enjoyed the plot a lot more. I think Rachel Caine shows off her creativity in this book, more so than she has be ...more

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Dec 03, 2015 Carrie rated it really liked it

Midnight Alley is the third book in the Morganville Vampire series. This installment picks up with Claire and company right where The Dead Girls' Dance has left off. Claire has to start honoring her contract with Amelie by beginning to work with a vampire named Myrnin and there seems to be a serial killer on the loose but it isn't a vampire.

I have to say I enjoyed this book a bit more than the first two in the series. Perhaps it's the fact that Michael now gets to be more involved by getting ou ...more

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Dec 02, 2012 Nicole rated it really liked it

So a lot went down in this book. I love Claire even when she is doing stupid shit - I mean she should know nobody leaves morganville. Come on…. I feel really bad for Shane I feel like he is constantly getting his ass kicked...Poor guy. I mean his best mate is now a vampire, who Shane absolutely hates. That is a lot of adjustments for him to go thru. I seriously cannot stand Jason. He is good for nothing. Drives me nuts! I love that we get to met Myrnin. He is such a crazy guy but hes so lovely a ...more

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Dec 01, 2013 Aly rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019, audiobook, 2013, books-i-own

This series gets better the more it goes, there's so many crazy things happening besides just vampires. In this book we got more science and magic and saw how and why the town works. I'm also happy to see Claire and Shane's relationship grow, I think they're cute together. My favorite part of this book was the introduction of Mernan. He's super crazy, but very smart, and his manic moods keep things interesting for sure. The narrator of the audiobooks does a good job and these are quick reads.

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Aug 30, 2019 Jennifer rated it liked it

Shelves: imagine-that, challenge, i-can-t-adult-today

Claire signed a contract with Amelie. Amelie puts Claire to work learning from an unstable vampire. Meanwhile, bodies of young women keep turning up around the Glass House and there is speculation that newly-made vampire, Michael, could be to blame. Jason, Eve's brother, is also a suspect and threatens Claire directly.

I am enjoying this series. It's fun and easy. Sure, I roll my eyes occasionally, but I still like it and think it is an entertaining YA read. Claire is in an interesting position n ...more

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Aug 28, 2015 Lorna rated it it was amazing

Shelves: vampires, romance, favorite-series, paranormal-favorites, best-ya

4.5/5 stars (RabidReads.com) Rachel Caine has written one of the most unique vampire series that I have ever read, and I have immersed myself in these books as I read the first four back to back. I don’t know how many I can read before I have to stop for awhile, but right now I am enjoying every one that I have read, or am now reading.

The main character of these books is Claire, a young freshman in college, one that has managed to get herself completely tied up with the vampires that run the tow 4.5/5 stars (RabidReads.com) Rachel Caine has written one of the most unique vampire series that I have ever read, and I have immersed myself in these books as I read the first four back to back. I don’t know how many I can read before I have to stop for awhile, but right now I am enjoying every one that I have read, or am now reading.

The main character of these books is Claire, a young freshman in college, one that has managed to get herself completely tied up with the vampires that run the town of Morganville. She’s only sixteen, but is probably smarter than any of her professors. Now that she belongs to Amelie, she has to do anything Amelie wants her to-in exchange for protection for her boyfriend Shane, and her other roommates, Michael and Eve. Amelie is the most powerful vampire in the world, and is the founder of Morganville. Mega bully Monica is back in this installment, and she’s acting weird even for her.

One of my favorite things about this series is that each book continues the story from the previous books-sometimes just a few minutes later, or a few days. Because I am reading them one after the other, at times little plot holes do stick out for me, but nothing big-I just tend to notice things like that. And that is the only slightly bad thing I have had to say about any of these books so far. Well that, and the cliffhanger from the first book. Can’t forget to mention that, for all those that hate them.

The main premise of this installment involves an extremely old vampire named Myrnin, that is new to the story this time around. Myrnin is on the edge of madness at any given moment, and at times he tips right over into crazy town. Claire is assigned to help him with his research, before he slips over and doesn’t come back. The vampires are all sick, and going insane. Myrnin has been researching a cure for decades without success. Whenever Myrnin tips over into his insanity, his first thing to do is to try and attack Claire. It was pretty fascinating seeing how she handles him. He lives at the end of an alley that everyone has warned her to never go down, and now she has to go there on a regular basis.

As with all of these books, I love the snark that most of these close friends have in spades. It makes what is actually a very scary premise, have a lighter feel at times. Although Claire is new to the group, it didn’t take her long to become close to all of the friends, Shane in particular. As Shane is her boyfriend now, I have enjoyed the budding romance between them. Michael and Eve’s romance has evolved even more than Shane and Claire’s. As they are adults-compared to Claire-their romance is not G-rated. Nothing is explicit, but is mentioned, so you do know what is going on. There’s also lots of lustful feelings, and almost actions between Shane and Claire as well. That’s why I can’t get over this having a suggested twelve years of age as a starting range for this read. I would think 15+ would be better. Jumping off my soapbox now!

There’s a lot more that happens in this book, but I will just sum it up as more life and death moments, and an adult party that gets more than out of control. If you haven’t tried these books yet and paranormal reads are your thing, I highly recommend this series. It’s fun, it’s creepy, and it’s a total page turner.
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Sep 12, 2012 Lauren rated it it was ok

What an infuriating series! I swear, with every book, by the time I finish - I am either A) raging inside because all I can think is WHAT THE FUCK??? or B) rolling my eyes & silently beating myself up, wondering - Why do I hate myself so much that I continue to torture myself with this ridiculous bullshit???

I think this series has great potential. It's why I keep coming back. But in Dead Girl's Dance, I was already bored with the direction things seemed to be headed and I almost put Midnight All ...more

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Oct 19, 2011 Fangs for the Fantasy rated it did not like it

So let us begin, as I normally do, with a plot summary.... and I've deleted this a few times because my openers were a bit snarky – but the plot of this book was a problem to me.

Stuff happened. There are EVENTS. Random stuff happening, but they're not really linked as a plot. There's no coherent whole and, in some ways, Claire feels completely dropped into storylines that don't concern or involve her. There's a lot happening that doesn't advance the plot, storylines kind of limping along without So let us begin, as I normally do, with a plot summary.... and I've deleted this a few times because my openers were a bit snarky – but the plot of this book was a problem to me.

Stuff happened. There are EVENTS. Random stuff happening, but they're not really linked as a plot. There's no coherent whole and, in some ways, Claire feels completely dropped into storylines that don't concern or involve her. There's a lot happening that doesn't advance the plot, storylines kind of limping along without going anywhere but above all, these events and plot lines are not linked. There's a tangle of stuff happening rather than a coherent plot.

The dominant story line is that Amelie, big Founder Vampire, to whom Claire has pledged herself (for some reason. Technically to protect her friends but the at the same time it's made clear that the protection doesn't extend to them) has ordered Claire to become the apprentice to Myrnin, an ancient and knowledgeable vampire. Myrnin is ill and Amelie wishes to preserve his knowledge as much as possible by using Claire's superbrain (I know I know, after reading Glass House and The Dead Girl's Dance it's bemusing to think Claire even has a brain, but remember she's supposed to be super smart). To further complicate things, the illness makes Myrnin violent, unpredictable, unstable and dangerous – and he's killed his 5 previous apprentices. Myrnin's illness is degenerative and, surprise, all the vampires have it! So it's only a matter of time before everyone dies – and it's Claire's job to continue his work and find a cure!

Apparently this is a bad thing. Since out of the hundreds of vamps in Morganville we've seen 2 who are worth a sunscreen.

But against that we have Monica sucking up to Claire to get information for Oliver. Even though any sane person would realise how impossible this is, the master vampire plotter thinks that Monica who pushed Claire down a flight of stairs, kidnapped her, beat her, poured acid on her and tried to get 3 men to drug and rape her, totally has a chance of becoming Claire's BFF. Claire, for some gods unknown reason, doesn't respond with “go die in fire you repellent haemorrhoid of a human being” and is both polite and offers tuition to Monica's side-kick.

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Oct 18, 2009 Krys rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, third-person-narrative, series, vampires, urban-dark-fantasy-paranormal, short-length-book, read-in-2010, series-i-love

So, three books in now and I am still loving The Morganville Vampire books. However, I need a break.

In Midnight Alley Rachel Caine has done some interesting things to her characters. Michael (spoiler) has become a Vampire, Shane (spoiler) is having difficulty accepting him thanks to his bigoted Father’s crusade against the undead, Eve (spoiler) is avoiding her psychotic brother, and Claire (spoiler) has accepted Amelie’s protection. Besides that… oh gods, the twists and turns in this book! Most ...more

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Aug 01, 2018 Shay rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2018, reviewed

This isn't exactly a review so much as it is my opinion about the series so far.

So I now find myself in an odd situation. I no longer want to read anymore of this series. I honestly don't... but I still really want to know how this all turns out. The first 2 books were ok. Not great. But this 3rd one I was so bored and irritated by the actions of the MC that I just don't know if I'll be able to move forward. *Sigh* This sucks.

I can't stand how immature everyone seems to be in this series. Also ...more

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Shut Up & Read: March - Midnight Alley (The Morganville Vampires #3) by Rachel Caine	1	6	Feb 25, 2018 03:35PM
YA Buddy Readers'...: Midnight Alley (The Morganville Vampires #3) by Rachel Caine Starting July 4 2017	18	11	Jul 07, 2017 03:58AM
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About Rachel Caine

Rachel Caine

16,937 followers

Rachel Caine is a pen name of Roxanne Longstreet Conrad.

She has also published as:
Roxanne Longstreet
Roxanne Conrad
Julie Fortune
Ian Hammell

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Other books in the series

The Morganville Vampires (1 - 10 of 15 books)

Books by Rachel Caine

Glass Houses (The Morganville Vampires, #1)

The Dead Girls' Dance (The Morganville Vampires, #2)

Feast of Fools (The Morganville Vampires, #4)

Carpe Corpus (The Morganville Vampires, #6)

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Interview With Rachel Caine

Thanks to your questions, we now know she's a rapier-fencing, pot-throwing, book lover extraordinaire. The Paper and Fire author also talks...

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Quotes from Midnight Alley

“Perv."
He pointed to himself. "Male and eighteen. What's your point?” — 2070 likes

“But that quickly faded, and he frowned. "You're bleeding," he said. "What happened?"
Claire sighed and held up her wrist to show him the bandage. "Man, you would be so embarrassed if I said it was something else." Michael looked blank. "I'm a girl, Michael, it could have been all natural, you know. Tampons?” — 535 likes

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