DemonessTenebrae

Superb sequel to an invigorating series...

This is a third installment in The Morganville Vampires Series and is meant for the young adult audience but it is a great treat for adults as well.

This novel can be read as a stand alone but it is much better to read it in a proper order because each novel adds something extra to the story and the characters slowly develop their personalities and grow with time.

Also, once you grow attached to the characters you will re-live everything with them. All the pain, suffering, joy, love and horror. The emotions will be much more intense and you will immediately engrossed in the fantastic storyline.

Plot.

So far...

Claire Danvers and her three housemates had gone through some bad times so far. Claire was beaten, shoved done the stairs, forced to move out of campus and into the Glass house where she fell in love with Shane and got even more involved with the Morganville underground. She was repeatedly attacked by Monica the Bitch and threatened by Oliver (a very powerful vampire). When Shane was finally rescued from the cage but his fate was yet unknown, she had to make a choice between her freedom and the lives of her friends. She signed a contract with Amelie and now she is bound to Morganville.

Michael Glass, the owner of the Glass house was a known musician when he suddenly disappeared and reappeared as a ghost who was corporeal only at nighttime. He was a great support to Claire and the rest of the residents and he acted as a mature adult among them. When Shane was put in a cage and Claire and Eve had no more options or ideas how to get him out, Michael made a life-changing decision. He asked Amelie to make him a vampire. That did help with the Shane issue but made much more issues with Shane than anyone expected. His best friend become his enemy.

Eve is a sensitive but strong goth girl who defied all the rules so she could retain her freedom. Many traumas from her youth made her the girl she is today and she is in one word - special. She is different, reliable, smart, resourceful, kind and madly in love with Michael. When her family kicked her out Michael was the only one with the open door so she probably owes him her life. She loves Claire and helps her any way she can. When her disturbed brother Jason got out off jail, Eve showed true terror on her face for the first time since Claire met her.

Shane is a troubled boy with traumas from his past that haunt him every day of his life. Since he lost his sister and consequently his mother due to vampires and his father lost his sanity along the way, he is the only one left with all the memories and no way to stop them from tormenting him. He has a laid back character and no job prospect but he is very strong and the only boy Claire showed any interest for. When his best friend Michael turned vampire he felt betrayed and he simply can't reconcile with that fact or accept that he is still his friend.

Midnight Alley summary.

Claire has accepted the protection from Amelie in exchange for the lives of her friends. She feels as though she made the only possible choice. The problem is that she can't bring herself to tell anyone in the house about it since Michael turned vampire and Shane still hasn't gotten over it. Her studies are going great as usual but she finds it all boring since she knows it all already.

Everyone became suspicious of her when Monica the Bitch suddenly started showing up and doing favors for Claire. Since Claire gotten Protection from the Founder herself she has become the talk of the town. And Monica loves to be seen with the newest walking spectacle. And also demand favors of her since no one has been that close to Amelie in decades.

"Because her arch-enemy and Queen Bitch Monica Morrell, flanked by her ever-present harpies Gina and Jennifer, were standing on the doorstep. It was like seeing Barbie and her friends, blown up life size and dressed like Old Navy mannequins. Tanned, toned and perfect, from lip gloss to toenail polish."

When Claire gets a golden bracelet from Amelie and she makes her wear it, there is no more hiding the truth. She tells her housemates of her deal. They were all furious at her but since it's all water under the bridge there was nothing for them to do but help Claire deal with it.

Amelie is a one calculated cold bitch and of course she didn't give Protection to Claire out of the goodness of her heart. No. She want something from Claire. Something that will put Claire's life in danger again. Because being Myrnin's apprentice means you will soon disappear from the face of the earth. And Oliver is hell bent on finding out why Amelie cares for Claire so much...

When we involve an attempted murder at Sam into the story and Jason's killings and threats to Claire and Eve, Shane's moodiness and his heroism which lends him in a hospital, we get one hell of a suspense / crime / mystery / violence / fantasy novel which I read in one sitting (I know, again, seems to be growing on me).

Remarks.

Wow, I actually found some. Amazing. And it's only the third novel in the Series. Indeed, flattering for the author. I usually whine from the first page about something that keeps poking me in the eye.

So, first and foremost, Claire. Again! With her genius and her I'm sixteen almost seventeen behavior. It was cute at first, kind of ignored it in the second novel but it is the third novel and enough is enough. STOP saying sixteen almost seventeen and I'm not a child in the same sentence already. And in every other paragraph. I get how old you are. I did not lose my memory after a couple of pages. And it isn't cute anymore, it is simply annoying.

When we are at annoying... please oh please stop making it seem like Shane, Michael and Eve are thirty and Claire is thirteen and they are telling her how young she is and giving her advices. They are only a year and a half apart. That isn't a lot, my dear author. And they are not her parents. Like - no Claire you can't have beer even though we all drink it and were drinking it since we became teenagers. Or, - no Claire you can't show you body or properly make out 'cause you are what? an infant? oh, please.

Last but not least, Claire and Shane. I already mentioned how I don't get when they officially became boyfriend and girlfriend and I still don't but I roll with it. Now we have a different problem. Shane won't go past first base with Claire because she is too young. And we have that happening over and over and over again. Did I mention a year and a half age difference? Yeah, right. So when she tried to take her bra off, he expertly clasped it back together because he promised her parents he wouldn't do her. Oh my god. Come on. Please just do something other than kiss her. Like Michael and Eve. Be normal. I don't think this is a christian novel so please stop being so chaste. It IS ANNOYING.

The characters I loved in this book.

Eve. She is a real queen in there. She's got style, spunk, spark, humor to go with it and don't even get me started how reliable and cunning she is. And how much alike we are. In clothing (I was like her and now I wish I didn't have to be more casual due to many circumstances), thinking and COFFEE. My biggest sin and pleasure. And hating mornings. Especially early ones. Eve / me + early morning = I'll eat your heart out zombie style.

"Eve's up. You'd better make it so dark the spoon melts." Michael shot her a half-smile, still almost lethal enough to stop a girl's heart. Luckily he knew just how much current to use on his charm. "That bad, huh?"

Myrnin. He is a unique character in this Series. He is quirky, funny, gentle and beyond-belief-genius when he is at his right mind. But he turns deadly when the disease kicks in. He is the kind of man I wouldn't mind so much draining me dry. Smart, hot and unstable. It is my flaw, I know, but I love characters like that.

"Don't trust me, Claire. Don't ever trust me."