Vampires Books

The Host: A Novel

Stephenie Meyer

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 544 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Interesting idea. Terrible execution 2 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Ms. Meyer has an interesting concept here, one that could have allowed her to examine the very nature of being human, of love, and of the relationship between mind and body (as Kazuo Ishiguro did so brilliantly in "Never let me go."). Unfortunately, she does not possess the writing ability to pull that off. Her narrative is sprawled and often meanders for pages on end for no apparent reason. The novel (at 600 pages) could have been 300 pages shorter. Worst of all, is Ms. Meyer's limited vocabulary and expression. Reading the book, I kept thinking of a drinking game where one would have to drink every time a character "hissed," "shuddered," "trembled," or somebody's stomach "growled." I think that you'd get drunk by page 5. The plot never quite arcs and the conclusion is too sweet for its own good. This could have been an amazing novel. In the end, it was simply a mediocre attempt at writing.

Editorial Review:

Amazon Best of the Month, May 2008: Stephenie Meyer, creator of the phenomenal teen-vamp Twilight series, takes paranormal romance into alien territory in her first adult novel. Those wary of sci-fi or teen angst will be pleasantly surprised by this mature and imaginative thriller, propelled by equal parts action and emotion. A species of altruistic parasites has peacefully assumed control of the minds and bodies of most humans, but feisty Melanie Stryder won't surrender her mind to the alien soul called Wanderer. Overwhelmed by Melanie's memories of fellow resistor Jared, Wanderer yields to her body's longing and sets off into the desert to find him. Likely the first love triangle involving just two bodies, it's unabashedly romantic, and the characters (human and alien) genuinely endearing. Readers intrigued by this familiar-yet-alien world will gleefully note that the story's end leaves the door open for a sequel--or another series. --Mari Malcolm

Acheron (Dark-Hunter, Book 12)

Sherrilyn Kenyon

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 230 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Slow start 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I ended up enjoying the book, but it began very slowly. The book really floundered through about the 1st half and then began to pick up as it moved toward the end. Glad I read it.

Editorial Review:

The most anticipated story in the blockbuster Dark-Hunter series. The never-before-revealed story of the Dark-Hunter leader, Acheron. He was made human in order to escape death, but in death he was reborn a god. . .

Eleven thousand years ago a god was born. Cursed into the body of a human, Acheron spent a lifetime of shame. However, his human death unleashed an unspeakable horror that almost destroyed the earth. Then, brought back against his will, Acheron became the sole defender of mankind.

Only it was never that simple. For centuries, he has fought for our survival and hidden a past he’ll do anything to keep concealed. Until a lone woman who refuses to be intimidated by him threatens his very existence.

Now his survival, and ours, hinges on hers and old enemies reawaken and unite to kill them both.

War has never been more deadly... or more fun.

Dark Curse (The Carpathians (Dark) Series, Book 16)

Christine Feehan

Amazon Price: $15.89 List Price: $24.95 Not yet published By: Berkley Hardcover

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Editorial Review:

A new Carpathian novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling “queen of paranormal romance.”(USA Today)

Born into a world of ice, slave to her evil father, Lara Calladine knew only paralyzing fear as a child. Only by escaping with her mysterious gifts unbroken would she survive to claim her great Carpathian heritage as a Dragonseeker…

Now, Lara is in search of the source of her nightmares—the cold, dark corners of her childhood just on the edges of her memory. Only one man has the power and the will to help her: dangerous, arrogant Nicolas De La Cruz.

Together, Lara and Nicolas search the treacherous Carpathian landscape for the truth about their pasts—and discover a passion that neither has ever known before.

Dead Until Dark (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 1)

Charlaine Harris

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 294 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Couldn't finish it - just too boring 1 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book because of all the 5 star reviews. Those people must have read a different book. If there are those out there who thought this book was that good they'd be blown away by a good author's vampire stories...like J.R. Ward for example.

I kept thinking it was going to pick up but it never did. The vampire was the most boring of all the characters. Everything was so....flat.

I honestly do not understand how something like this can get published. I finally gave up on it before half way.

Editorial Review:

Sookie Stackhouse is just a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. Until the vampire of her dreams walks into her life-and one of her coworkers checks out....

Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend isn't such a bright idea.

A fun, fast, funny, and wonderfully intriguing blend of vampire and mystery that's hard to put down, and should not be missed. (Susan Sizemore)

Praise for Charlaine Harris:

Harris writes neatly and with assurance. (New York Times Book Review)

An author of rare talents. (Publishers Weekly)

Living Dead in Dallas (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 2)

Charlaine Harris

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 131 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

I'd like my time (and money) back, please. 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

After hearing much praise being heaped on the author and this series, and being a fan of the earlier Anita Blake novels, I decided to give this book a try. Bad mistake on my part.

I'm not sure what other reviewers have seen in this book, but I found it poorly written, utterly unimpressive and Charlaine's prose a little ... odd. (Perhaps a too-charitable word for dialogue like ... "I don't have enough experience with the different characteristics of the many strains of Asians to tell you where he came from originally." Like, wow. Strains of viruses, sure. But Asians?)

Maenads and Vampires and Fanatics, oh my! 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Okay, not as good as the first book in the series, I admit. Still, a pretty good story. Plenty of action, and the romance was toned down a bit, so it didn't so much distract from the main storyline. I know, I know, plenty of people like those bits, but I like my supernatural stories to be just that, I suppose. Some tension, maybe (I do like the interaction between Sookie and Sam!) but not the nitty-gritty details in all their glory. There are other genres of books for that!

My main problem with this book is that there seemed to be far too much going on for so short a story. There were two main storylines, and the Bon Temps murder took a back-seat to the Dallas Fellowship storyline, plus there was the whole Maenad bit tossed in, as well. This would have been fine if the book was long enough to fully develop all of them, but while the Fellowship story arc was given enough time to properly develop and 'mature', as it were, I though the Bon Temps murder was rushed and hurried, and wrapped up far too quickly, and the Maenad bit seemed, in the end, to be just a convenient plot device. The classic two-minute sitcom ending where everything just comes together. In reality, there was enough material to fill two books of this size. Okay, at least one and a half, depending on how many twists and turns you wanted to put into the murder.

Still, the characters (especially the development of Eric as a character) and the dialogue nudge the rating up to four, since I'd give them a five but the storyline a three. It's enough to keep me eagerly reading the series, so that's about the best an author can hope for! I'd recommend this series to any vampire aficionado, as long as they can tolerate the rather liberal application of romance.

Editorial Review:

When a vampire asks Sookie Stackhouse to use her telepathic skills to find another missing vampire, she agrees under one condition: the bloodsuckers must promise to let the humans go unharmed.

One Silent Night (Dark-Hunter, Book 13)

Sherrilyn Kenyon

Amazon Price: $6.99 List Price: $6.99 Not yet published By: St. Martin's Paperbacks

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Editorial Review:

While the world carries on unawares, Stryker, who leads an army of demons and vampires, is plotting an all out onslaught against his enemies—which, unfortunately for us, includes the entire human race. To avenge his sister, Stryker prepares to annihilate the Dark-Hunters. But things go awry when his oldest enemy returns. Enter his ex-wife. Zephyra. Just when he thought nothing could stop him, he’s now embroiled in a centuries old war with a shrew who gives new meaning to pain.

Fantasy Lover (Dark-Hunter, Book 1)

Sherrilyn Kenyon

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 204 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

There's nothing fantastic about this book 2 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

In a word, boring..
It follows the story of a man, who is cursed to be a love slave forever...ends up with a woman in present day, who sees him for more than his love slave talents...
It's a romance, yes...it's a mediocre romance. The story wasn't deep/strong/good enough...and neither were the characters. It's a very very very very light read..if you're looking for that.
I'd recommend Kresley Cole, or Elizabeth Vaughan..if you want something that's more stimulating..

Editorial Review:

Dear Reader,

Being trapped in a bedroom with a woman is a grand thing. Being trapped in hundreds of bedrooms over two thousand years isn't. And being cursed into a book as a love-slave for eternity can ruin even a Spartan warrior's day.

As a love-slave, I know everything about women. How to touch them, how to savor them, and most of all, how to pleasure them. But when I was summoned to fulfill Grace Alexander's sexual fantasies, I found the first woman in history who saw me as a man with a tormented past. She alone bothered to take me out of the bedroom and onto the world. She taught me to love again.

But I was not born to love. I was cursed to walk eternity alone. As a general, I had long ago accepted my sentence. Yet now I have found Grace--the one thing my wounded heart cannot survive without. Sure, love can heal all wounds, but can it break a two-thousand-year-old curse?

Julian of Macedon

Club Dead (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 3)

Charlaine Harris

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 135 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Cinful 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Best book yet in the Southern Vampire series. Although I am dissapointed in Bill the vamire, you can not help but admire Sookie's strength and mental fortitude. Poor kid...it's amazing she's survived thorugh book III and hasn't let Eric or Bill bring her over. Already started Dead to the World and ordered all the books, I CAN'T wait to finish the series (although I will really miss these characters when I am done). Remember to keep checking HBO for the new series "True Blood" which will air this fall (hopefully) and is based on the Southern Vampire series.

What, again? 2 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

How many times can an author recycle a love-plot that is only tepid from the start? Harris seems determined to find out.

Editorial Review:

Sookie's boyfriend has been very distant-in another state, distant. Now she's off to Mississippi to mingle with the underworld at Club Dead-a little haunt where the vampire elite go to chill out. But when she finally finds Bill-caught in an act of betrayal-she's not sure whether to save him...or sharpen some stakes.

No Future For You (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 2)

Brian K. Vaughan, Joss Whedon

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Wonderful! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Whedom continues to impress me with beautiful writing that tugs at my heartstrings and at the same time has me on the edge of my seat. The artwork is beautiful for a comic and captures moments in time that I thought could only be done on film. Both collections are well worth it to any fan of the series.

buffy comics 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

No Future For You (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 2)
as a fan of the tv show, i was intregued at the prospect of a comic book of buffy and i was pleasantly surprized. well written, well drawn, intriging stories and i can almost hear their voices as i read it. well done, all around.

Editorial Review:

Eisner award-winning writer Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina) tackles Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight with "No Future for You." When a rogue debutant Slayer begins to use her power for evil, Giles is forced to recruit the rebellious Faith, who isn't exactly known for her good deeds. Giles offers Faith a clean slate if she can stop this snooty Slayer from wreaking total havoc - that is, if Buffy doesn't beat her to it. Georges Jeanty (The American Way) remains at the top of his game as series artist, and Whedon stays on as "Executive Producer" in this direct follow-up to Season Seven of the smash-hit TV series.

Moon Called (Mercy Thompson Series, Book 1)

Patricia Briggs

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 252 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Mercy Thompson's no Mary Sue 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I saw this book when it first came out, but resisted buying it for a long time because I was afraid it was going to be yet another "Mary Sue fights the forces of darkness!" However, I had read Patricia Briggs before and found her to be an excellent author, so I was on the fence about this for a long time.

After reading it, I'm sad that I waited so long. The character of Mercy Thompson is smart and capable, without being contrived or super powerful. Sure, she has her own special abilities that allow her to get along in this world full of werewolves, vampires, and fae. She is a skinwalker, which means she can change easily from human to coyote form. However, this ability doesn't come with the super-strength, super-speed, and super-agressiveness that comes with being a werewolf.

I found Mercy to be likable and wanted to find out what happened to her next. She is confident and independent, without being completely stupid. She knows her limitations, whether or not she likes them, and yeah, sometimes she has to let the "big boys" go play while she sulks.

The romantic triangle that's beginning to take shape between Mercy, Samuel (her old flame), and Adam (her "sexy" next door neighbor.) is very well done because she's so straightforward about her feelings.

Overall, this was an excellent book with excellent characterization. The only problem I had with the novel is that sometimes the action wasn't as intense as it could be. The only time I was genuinely afraid for any of the characters was in the vampire den. I never felt a sense of heart-stopping action, though it was interesting enough to keep me reading.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in dark fantasy, and especially those who want a heroine who isn't just another, perfect "Mary Sue."

Editorial Review:

Mercy Thompson's life is not exactly normal. Her next-door neighbor is a werewolf. Her former boss is a gremlin. And she's fixing a VW bus for a vampire. But then, Mercy isn't exactly normal herself.