Posts Tagged 'werewolves'

The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks

Published October 20, 2010 Fantasy , RAC Leave a Comment
Tags: ,

Genre:  Fantasy

# of Pages:  362

RAC Book:  Yes

Nina is a vampire who belongs to a group called the reformed vampire support group.  This group meets to talk to each other about their difficult lives.  The life of a vampire is not as exciting as the movies would suggest for these vampires cannot change into bats, sparkle in the sun, or fight particularly well.  Instead they live on small rodents and take supplements, which leave them feeling sick most of the time.  They are, however, not a threat to anyone.  They are alarmed when one vampire fails to arrive for a meeting and they find him staked in his apartment.  They have no idea who could have done this and worry that the same killer could be coming for them.  In order to stop this they go on the offensive and start looking for this person, but only land themselves into more danger.

This is a very different vampire story from Twilight and Blue Bloods. These vampires are not glamorous or attractive, but nevertheless feel a need to preserve what little life they have left.  It is humorous in parts, but does get a bit long at times.  Vampire fans will enjoy this as a lighthearted story, but it won’t be anyone’s favorite vampire book.

Liar by Justine Larbalestier

Published September 3, 2010 Fantasy , RAC , Realistic Fiction Leave a Comment
Tags: , , , ,

Genre:  Realistic Fiction/Fantasy

# of Pages:  376

RAC Book:  No

Micah admits that she is a compulsive liar and would like to tell her story straight through with no lies.  Her boyfriend is found murdered in Central Park and several people suspect her involvement simply because she was his “secret” girlfriend.  She denies any knowledge of his murder and tries her best to avoid the stares and gossip.  She has difficulty getting along with her parents due to her lying and they want to send her upstate to live with relatives even though Micah is vehemently against this.  As the story goes on it becomes obvious that Micah has lied for so long that she has difficulty actually telling the straight truth, even when she wants to.  Can she ever set the record straight and tell what actually happened to her boyfriend?

While this book stays true to its title throughout the story, it does take a bizarre fantasy twist in the middle.  The twist will be liked by some, but disliked by many who thought the book was going to be more of a realistic fiction novel.  The ending is a bit quick and some teen readers may find it confusing or unsatisfying.  The story is interesting, but will leave many readers unsure about how they feel about it.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Published March 9, 2010 Fantasy , RAC , Romance 2 Comments
Tags: ,

Genre:  Fantasy/Romance

# of Pages:  392 p.

RAC list: Yes

When Grace was little she was attacked by wolves, but was saved by a wolf with yellow eyes.  Ever since then Grace has watched out her window for her wolf with yellow eyes and often sees him in the winter.  After a local teenager is attacked and killed, the town immediately tries to hunt down all of the wolves.  As Grace tries to stop them she finds an injured boy with yellow eyes.  She quickly realizes that this is in fact her wolf and wants to get to know him as a human, but unfortunately, his time is running short and soon he will have to change back…maybe forever.

This romance story reads similarly to the Twilight series, but this book is more romance and less action.  Grace and Sam’s relationship is sweet and endearing, but the book itself takes a rather leisurely pace.  Many of the plot twists are predictable and the final resolution seems much too quick, but fans of Bella and Jacob will not be able to put this one down.

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

Published September 11, 2008 Fantasy , RAC , Romance 1 Comment
Tags: , , , , , ,

Genre: Fantasy

Age Level: 14 and up

# of pages:

RAC Book: Yes

In this final installment of the Twilight series, Bella ventures down some very grown up paths compared to her previous high school life. Now that she is graduated and preparing to marry Edward she has to deal with any possible repercussions from the werewolves as the treaty between the werewolves and the vampires will be broken. She also must deal with the possibility that she will never see her family again. Despite these worries, Bella marries Edward and feels happy about her decision. On their honeymoon getaway an unexpected twist shakes their relationship to the core and Bella must make a tough decision about her own survival. In the end, her decision puts both her family and her new in-laws in danger as an imminent threat plans to destroy them all.

This series has such a strong fan base that it is impressive how Meyer managed to create an intricate and detailed final book to this saga. Although most pieces ended up fitting together nicely in the end, many readers will be unable to predict some of the unexpected plot twists and what they will eventually mean to the final story. Fans will feel okay about leaving the characters after this story because it thoroughly sets up what will happen to them after this point. There are no unanswered questions and even the most complicated obstacles are discussed. Considering how many things were left up in the air going into this book, it is amazing how Meyer managed to evolve the characters to deal with all of these issues in a way that didn’t seem too contrived or easy. A very strong and unique fantasy story that will be around for years to come.

Archives