REVIEW: Midnight Bites by Rachel Caine

*Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a review*

Expected publication: March 1, 2016

I've always loved the series tagline:  WELCOME TO MORGANVILLE, YOU'LL NEVER WANT TO LEAVE.

If you're a fan of the series then you know that want to leave and allowed to leave Morganville are two entirely different things.  Midnight Bites is a new anthology collection including six new stories. 

Readers are in store for an exciting collection of tales highlighting that Morganville is not an average college town.  These stories give us a comprehensive look at the series, supporting the novels and also providing glimpses into the past and future of these beloved characters. What I enjoyed most were that many of these were from the POV of those who didn't always get a primary voice during the main series run.  Standout stories for me were:

Myrnin's Tale - Myrnin's origin story plus some other background into harsh experiences which shaped his troubled mental state as well as his first encounters with Lady Grey aka Jesse.

Sam's Story - Sam's story as human who falls for Amelie and how a choice to protect her drastically changed his future and that of the Glass family.

Grudge - The death of Alyssa, Shane's younger sister, is such a driving force for his anger and the series.  This story is how this all plays out in the past.

The First Day of the Rest of Your Life - Eve Rosser turns eighteen and is targets following her refusal to sign a Protector contract.  I liked this story since its gives readers a look at how she ended up rooming with Michael at Glass House and previews Michael's predicament evident in the first part of the series.

All Hallows - A great Halloween story featuring Claire, Shane, Michael and Eve. 

Anger Management - I loved this one for its insight into Shane and his character.  

And One For the Devil - This is primarily a Myrnin and Claire story with guest spots from Eve and Shane.  I enjoyed this on for its twist on plausible futures and because it was super creepy.  Another highlight is that it takes place after Daylighters so we get to see Claire and Shane married for a year and pretty happy.

Overall, this is a solid collection with appeal to series fans. Some stories were certainly stronger than others; however, it is nice to have these all in one place and with a few new entries.

Final rating: 4 out of 5 stars

#MidnightBites #Morganville #RachelCaine #anthology #vampires #YAlit

REVIEW: Daylighters by Rachel Caine

“But if these past years in Morganville have taught me anything, it's that sometimes you have to just . . . jump. It's not safe. It's never safe. But sometimes you have to live dangerously.” 

Daylighters is the final book in Caine's bestselling Morganville Vampires series.  Claire and crew have returned home to a vastly different Morganville.  With the Daylighter Foundation taking over, the humans are in charge for the first time and remarkable improvements have been made to local homes and businesses. Unfortunately, all the vampires (even the friendly ones) have been imprisoned and forced into deadly experiments by Daylighter leader, Fallon, who claims to have a cure for vampirism.  Great news for some, if they can survive the process. Plus, others have unwillingly been turned into vampire hunting hell-hounds and if that wasn't enough, the Daylighters are hellbent on tearing down Glass House.

This final book has everything readers could want. There's great characters and a compelling story plus plenty of action, romance and some surprising twists.  Fans of the series won't be disappointed. I'll admit to being worried a few times but Claire, Shane, Eve, and Michael plus the other beloved good guys and even our favorite villains have proven more than once that they can handle even the most impossible situations.

It is bittersweet to finish this series after all this time.  I don't own many YA series from start to finish but I do these since I love them so much.  I'm excited to have an advanced copy of the short story anthology, Midnight Bites, to read and review before I say goodbye to these characters.

If you've never had the chance to pick these up, I can't recommend them enough.  Caine is a fantastic series writer.  I've always been impressed with the character development and overall concept.  I fondly remember speeding through the first part of the series because the cliffhangers were so incredible. I'll leave you with my favorite Daylighters quote and possible my favorite of the series:

(Chief Hannah Moses to Mrs. Grant)
"You must be Mrs. Grant."
"Heard of me?"
"You left an impression. You may be the first combat librarian I've ever met.
That earned an almost-full smile from the other woman. "I think most librarians are combat qualified," she said. "It's not as peaceful a job as it looks." 

Final rating: 5 out of 5 stars


#Morganville #vampires #Daylighters #YAlit #teen #whatimreading #review

REVIEW: Fall of Night by Rachel Caine

Fall of Night is book 14 of Caine's YA Morganville Vampires series. Claire has decided to leave Morganville to study at MIT following the events of Bitter Blood. She's unsure if her relationship with Shane will last if he can't trust her. The love is there but it takes work. Claire has the opportunity to study with scientist, Dr. Anderson, who has past connections to Morganville. Her new mentor is very interested in VLAD, a device Claire has designed with the capability to neutralize vampire agression. However, the opportunity to live out her dream isn't as wonderful as she'd hoped it would be. Claire misses Shane, Michael and Eve, is unhappy with her new roommate and rather alarmed when some shady characters are all too interested in her invention.

Unbeknownst to Claire, Shane is shadowing her in Boston, partly to ensure her safety and also because he hopes her longing to be together is as strong as his. When Claire's new roommate, Liz, is kidnapped, she learns Shane is in town.  They band together with the help of some surprise visitors (Oliver, Myrnin, Michael and Eve) to track down Liz but not before more problems arise.

This is a solid, if rather angsty, addition to the series.  I'm behind with finishing these last two books; however, since Midnight Bites, a collection of Morganville short stories is slated for release in early 2016, I thought I'd work to catch up.  I always enjoyed these books.  The characters are well written and the world building and story arcs are generally compelling.  These do not move well at our public library any longer since the teen vampire fiction trend has waned.  Nonetheless, I still recommend these quite frequently.

I was glad when Claire and Shane have seemed to work it out.  Caine incorporates great twists, especially at the end.  I'm sure there will be some fallout in Daylighters concerning the events of this book.  I certainly wasn't expecting that ending!

Final rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars



#Morganville #FallOfNight #YAlit #vampires #whatimreading #romance #mystery