Fake Blood by Whitney Gardner

Sixth grade was supposed to be different. But AJ's still short, still boring, and still invisible to the girl of his dreams. When he's paired with the lovely Nia for a class project, he begins adopting various characteristics of pop culture vampires to draw her attention.

I really enjoyed this middle-grade graphic novel with its mish-mash of vampire lore and all the angst 11-year-olds can inhabit. It wasn't as predictable as I'd feared, and I quite enjoyed the twists.

The Night Wanderer by Drew Haden Taylor

A vampire returns to his homeland, seeking something. His path crosses with a teenage girl struggling with high school and family drama, who is looking for her own way out.

This one was on a recommended list for its fair, honest depiction of native people. There's a multi-generational family, racial prejudice, and discussion of ancestral beliefs. There's also the first native vampire.

Beyond that, it's a fairly common story of a teen struggling to become. She's trying (unsuccessfully) to balance friends and a boy. She's not doing well in school but doesn't really care. She's at odds with her parents, and she isn't sure where to turn.

It's a good story, but feels like it should be part of a larger tale. It's incomplete in itself. I wanted more. Hopefully, they'll continue it in a series.

The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness

The grand cross-century adventure trilogy that is about both a couple's unlikely romance and the origin of supernatural beings draws to a close with this dramatic, transcontinental chess match.

Supernatural power couple Diana (witch) and Matthew (vampire) are back from their time hop to the 16th century and now are ready to pull together the scattered pieces of an ancient alchemical manuscript and discover once and for all what's it's all about.

But not everyone wants to see Diana and Matthew succeed - there are plenty of other creatures who would like to find the "book of life" first and grab the knowledge and power it likely brings for themselves. And not merely incidental to the storyline, Diana is now pregnant with twins - a cross-species fete heretofore thought impossible.

I have loved this series, and the sweeping saga of the story's climax was worth the wait. I've been listening to them as audiobooks, and Jennifer Ikeda does a truly commendable job with the unique and varied characterization of ancient beings from all corners of the planet.

Almost Everything by Tate Hallaway

In this third (and final?) book of the Vampire Princess of St. Paul series, the animosity between the vampires and witches comes to a lethal head: the vampires can't survive without a sacrifice - and it has to be a witch. The witches wonder if it wouldn't be better just to let them die. And the half-vampire, half-witch teen at the center of this series is trying her hardest to find a fair, moral settlement for all sides.

It's too bad this is the end of the series, because it's finally a fully fleshed out story with suspense, drama, and resolution too. The other books (Almost Final Curtain and Almost To Die For) were entertaining, but this one's really quite good. I wasn't sure I believed Ana could pull off her plan - and actually, she doesn't. But I won't give away any more than that!

Hallaway has written herself an "out" to the finality of the series; she could easily spin it off into a new trilogy or series. I'm surprised to find I actually hope she does.

Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler

A girl is born into a world of hurt and hunger. Shortly, she is strong enough to heal and hunt. But who is she, and where is she? She has no memory - and yet, she seems to know how to survive. She finds a savior in an adult man named Wright and together they attempt to puzzle together her story.

In this fantasy fiction novel, Shori is a creature similar to vampires yet wholly different. She is Ina, a race of blood-drinking creatures who form close-knit communities with their human "symbionts." Her amnesia is a result of a major head injury - Ina heal from injury quickly, but complex brain regeneration can't restore lost memories.

This is a slightly different kind of vampire story with a whole new cosmology, and Shori's total amnesia allows the author leeway to have characters do a lot of lecturing on history and tradition. But the book's not without suspense and action - somebody's out to get Shori, and her amnesia makes it impossible to know who to trust.

And the culture of Ina and of their symbiots leads to a different kind of vampire philosophy - where typically there is an underlying theme of existential angst about God, death, and immortality, in this story characters spend more time pondering connections, family, and kin.

I enjoyed the book, and found it refreshing to see a unique twist on the vampire legend.

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

What happens when you throw a modern female historian into 16th century England - does she know as much as she thinks? Can she cope? That's just what happens in this installment of the search for the rare alchemical book Ashmole 782.

Second in the All Souls Trilogy that began with A Discovery of Witches, this novel continues both the love story and the epic quest of historian witch Diana Bishop and her scientist vampire Matthew Clairemont. And while I devoured the first book in practically a single sitting, this one I enjoyed in audiobook format, spread over 24 hours and several weeks in the car. (This audio version read by Jennifer Ikeda is outstanding.)

Diana and Matthew mission in the time travel is twofold: study up on Diana's previously untapped powers of witchcraft, and attempt to lay hands on the Ashmole manuscript before it's torn apart. They slip into Matthew's own actual past, which creates some new challenges - since he was at that time a sworn enemy of witches but suddenly not only consorts with one but marries her.

These arrangements allows Diana a unique peek into Matthew's past, as she gets to meet long-dead friends, enemies, and family, but she also gains a deeper understanding for a long-lifed vampire's very necessary half-truths, constant goodbyes, and ever-shifting personas.

This book's a bit of a whimsy - a historical story stuck in the middle of a contemporary series. And it's fun to read; the fish-out-of-water element of dealing with a patriarchal, monarchical society puts Diana on unsure footing from the start.

Wicked City by Alaya Johnson

In an alternate-reality past, 1920s New York is dealing not only with the Prohibition, but also with a controversial new intoxicant for its vampire population called Faust. Should that also be prohibited? Because the alcohol prohibition has worked out so well (not).

Our do-gooder heroine, Zephyr Hollis, grew up in a famous vampire killing family. But on her own as an adult, she's softened her views and taken up campaigning rather than staking. Her best friend is a mystic, and she's accidentally magically bound to a djinni.

This is the second book in the Zephyr Hollis series, and I occasionally felt like I should have read the first book to give me some additional background, but it wasn't strictly necessary for the story. I had a tough time tracking down the first book, but I'll be giving that a try also, soon. And this book ends with a dramatic phone call, certainly indicating another book in the works.

Fortunately, The Milk by Neil Gaiman

Do you have one of those storytellers in your life who, when they begin a tale, you're never quite sure if it's truth or fabrication? I do, and this book reminds me of Pops. Neil Gaiman had one, too - the book is dedicated to his father "who would have told the tale with delight" and his son "who would never have believed a word of it." Sounds about right.

When Dad takes f-o-r-e-v-e-r on his run out to get milk for breakfast, he's got some explaining to do when he returns home to the kids. Luckily, there's a good reason it took so long: abduction by aliens, pirates, dinosaurs ... I won't spoil it for you. Let's just say it's a tall, tall tale. Fortunately, the milk stayed with him through it all.

(Perhaps I've just got Halloween on my mind, but it would be soooo fun to group-costume this story. I've got dibs on Queen of the Pirates, though.)

Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell

Last week I had a nightmare based on this book: you are welcome to use that fact as a gauge to how deeply this series of short stories impacted me.

My dream can be attributed to the standout tale "Reeling for the Empire," which is not about vampires. Just because the book has vampire in the title doesn't mean it's wall-to-wall bloodsuckers - actually, only the first, titular story has anything to do with them (a mere 9% of the book, for those counting).

These are eight tales of classic, creepy horror; the kind of stories that make your shoulders creep closer to your ears as you read. As a tale begins you're never sure where it may take you - stories include persistent seagulls, an eerie scarecrow, a freak blizzard, and the absurd fans of a perpetually losing team. How will they end up? That's the fun of it.

You may remember I was underwhelmed by Swamplandia! last year. Suffice it to say I enjoyed this book much, much more. I'm a convert - this is probably my new favorite horror-genre book. Russell's unique, original tales never fall into the familiar and well-trod story grooves, and each is a jewel of suspense and creativity.

The Twelve by Justin Cronin

What a giant, sweeping saga of life after the apocalypse! Skipping across three generations of Americans during and after a virus changes the world. (The beginning of the story was told in The Passage.)

My only problem is, I keep losing track of all the seven quintrillion characters Cronin has given us. Across three generations! And I should at least be able to keep track of the viral vampires, right? Except most of them haven't been talked about for what seems like a thousand pages, so they feel a little distant. And while they're referred to as the Twelve - there are really 11 now ... except there's also Zero who's not in the count, nor is Amy who's something else entirely.

So perhaps I should have had a graph or a map or something. Cronin gives us a few outlines and character lists in the back, but I didn't find it wildly helpful. (And I know it seems bad that I found that list only because I was peeking ahead to see how many pages I had left. The book is 568 pages, but seems a lot longer.)

It's an interesting idea of the future, and I appreciate the religious and moral implications he presents. He's got some great characters with true, human flaws and drives.

Honestly, I did enjoy the book - but maybe, it was due to the fact I so loved the first book and that bled over. I'm curious to see where Cronin takes us in the next book (it's supposed to be a trilogy).

Almost Final Curtain by Tate Hallaway

In volume two of the Vampire Princess series, Ana is caught up in three projects: trying out for the school play, writing a history paper about slavery, and trying to keep all of vampiredom from being enslaved.

Her sometimes-boyfriend and rock god/vampire hunter/witch Nik is doing the music for the school play. Her other sometimes-boyfriend and warrior/vampire is looking for the lost talisman to AVOID vampire enslavement by witches. Her mother/witch queen is trying to get the lost talisman to ENSURE vampire enslavement by witches. And Ana's trying to figure out if she's more witch, more vampire, or if it's possible to balance the two.

I'm kind of liking this series. Even though it's slightly overdramatic at times, it's in a realistic teenage-hormones kind of overdramatic way. But I have to say that the next book better start with Ana getting a complete history lesson about vampires - her blundering is becoming contrived.

Bite Me: A Love Story by Christopher Moore

Have you read the other 2 books in Moore's vampire series? If so, skip the whole first disc of the audio - it's just review. I was a little annoyed by the length of "previously, in Bloodsucking Fiends & You Suck" summary that started this book. Sheesh. If you want to know all that, just go read the other books!

Past that, this is pure Christopher Moore genius: a new challenge for San Francisco's vampires, a couple wacky new characters, and the truly incomparable narration of Abby Normal - backup assistant mistress of the Bay Area darkness.

Narrator Susan Bennett does a notable job with the enormous range of voices and characters in this story: ancient multi-cultural vampires, angsty American goth teens, cops, kooks, several dogs, and even a huge vampire cats. And Moore's rapid-fire dialog can't be easy to record - sometimes I have to rewind and listen a couple times to catch it all.

Almost to Die For by Tate Hallaway

Every 16 year old is struggling to find themselves - but on her sixteenth birthday, Ana is really battling. She's set to take the initiation test to become a True Witch (not wiccan religion, but the powerful magic kind of witch) - and she knows she'll fail because she can't do it. Then, her never-before-seen father shows up at the door.

So while she's trying to figure out what it means to be some kind of magical hybrid, suddenly more than one boy begins to notice this previously date-less girl ... and she has a fight with her best friend.

It's all very teenage drama with a supernatural flair - and strangely compelling. I'm actually embarrassed to admit how much I enjoyed this book. And there are two more in the series, which I just placed holds on.

Vampire a Go-Go by Victor Gischler

This is the kind of story that got me into vampires in the first place: contemporary, yet historical. Adventure and suspense, with a satisfactory ending. Plus, it's got vampires, zombies, an Indiana Jones-like storyline, and ass-kicking swearing warrior priests. (Although honestly, the vampire element is minor in the grand scheme of the story.)

A college-age research student is unwittingly drawn into the search for the fabled philosopher's stone. What power will it bring to the numerous supernatural beings fighting to acquire it? Will Alan survive the adventure?

The story's narrated by an ancient ghost and the history of the stone unfolds slowly, intersliced with the contemporary search and battles between witches, warlocks, priests and more. The crude, terrible secret our ghost reveals at the end made me actually snort out a laugh. Escapist fiction at it best!

The Year of Disappearances by Susan Hubbard

Ari is a 14-year-old half-vampire who's way more mature than her years would indicate. Because she was homeschooled until recently, Ari's never really had friends - and her new relationships aren't 100% successful: She falls in with girls that my mother would have said were the wrong crowd. Then one of the girls disappears. 

You don't have to have read "The Society of S" to read this book. Which is good, because even though I read that (and I can't find it anywhere on this blog - it must have been before we started, but I swear I read it!), I have no recollection of the storyline. At all. Almost like I'd been hypnotized by one of the main characters ...


This is a more literary style of vampire story, and I'm not sure I'm smart enough for it. There are a lot of quotes from literary figures and philosophers. Ari gets mixed up in politics. Now that I reflect on the story, a lot happens in the novel. And this could have been a edge-of-your-seat thriller. But it's not.

Demon Song by Cat Adams

In this third installment of the Blood Singer series, bodyguard Celia Graves must help save the world by figuring out how to close a rift between the demon dimension and ours.

Along the way she'll learn more about her siren ancestry, perhaps figure out some of the mystery of her friend's strange last-will-and-testament, and fall in love/out of love/into lust with a bevy of hunky dudes.

Entertaining escapism, but you have to read the series to enjoy each book - they're not really stand-alone books. And this one ends with Celia getting dragged away for another task. Guess we'll find out soon enough ...

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

Five books into this series, and I could not be more disappointed. I'm starting to feel like I'm wasting my time.

This time, it's supposed to be Simon's story - the "Daylighter" vampire discovers what it's like to be a vampire and makes adjustments to his new life. But honestly, he's been backburnered even in his own book. It's all about Clary, Clary, Clary! And despite the fact she's got this awesome talent to use (and isn't), and despite the fact she's taking Shadowhunter butt-kicking classes, Clary spends most of this book wringing her hands and acting like an angsty wimp, a boring old damsel waiting for a white knight to remove her from harm. Irritating, and boring.

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

A different approach to the ever-popular vampires and fairy genre - and it really works!

Evie's never known "normal." She bounced around in foster care until her special talents were discovered when she was eight, and since then she's been an agent under protection of the International Paranormal Containment Agency. Her best friend is a mermaid, and she's homeschooled at the IPCA between capture-and-tag assignments. But really, she's a teen who dreams of hanging out at the mall, having a locker, and going out for pizza with friends.

When the IPCA is infiltrated by a supernatural being they can't identify, Evie's whole world is rocked off it's boring old rails. Before it's over she makes a friend, loses a friend, finds herself, and saves the world (while wearing a really pink prom dress).

The book's got a satisfactory completion, yet still leaves itself open to becoming a series. And I'd buy that - I really liked the characters, they experience realistic angst and emotions, and the action (while supernatural and weird) was also believable.

Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean by Justin Somper

I missed out on the big pirate-lovin' trend that the Pirates of the Caribbean series stoked. But when I saw the title of this book, I couldn't resist the mash-up of my beloved vampires ALONG WITH pirates. Pure gold?!

And actually, it IS pure gold. This is a dramatic, adventuresome book about a set of 14-year old twins (one boy, one girl) who are orphaned, then shipwrecked and rescued by separate ships. All they want is to be together - but getting there is quite a journey.

It's a juvenile book - but I can see it being enjoyed by anyone over the age of about ten. It's not bloody or gory, the story clips right along, and the characters are fantastic. There are major female and male characters, so readers of both sexes should stay engaged and interested.

Additionally, if you're into audiobooks - Daniel Philpott is absolutely awesome here. The pirates are a world-culture melting pot, and Philpott carries off their multitude of accents and vocal characterizations without a misstep.

Teeth: Vampire Tales edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling

Nineteen short stories about vampires - how could I resist? This book brings together some huge names in fantasy fiction; some of the authors I've read, others were new to me. And overall, it's a stellar collection.

I'm always fascinated by different views of the same subject - and vampires is a topic ripe for review. Each author here takes their own approach to the mythology - some stay true to precedent, others take liberties with the mythology to put their own spin on the genre.

And the short story format - well, it's amazing how much a really great writer can squeeze into just a few pages; you really feel connected to these characters, and then you realize you've only known them a minute. Next thing you know, it's over.

There are some excellent set-ups here - stories that I'd love to see spun into larger works. Notably, the book's last story; "Why Light?" by Tanith Lee will haunt you long after the book's been closed. Nocturnal communities? Sun-born? I'm so there ...