The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

Title: The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Reading Level: Young Adult
Location: YA MEYER

In this short story, we are given a closer look into the brief life of Bree Tanner and the events surrounding the creation of the vampire army from Eclipse.  Stephanie Meyer fleshes out the characters of the vampire army, including Bree Tanner.  This story opens up with Riley creating his vampire army of newborns and concludes with the aftermath of the battle between the Cullens and Victoria.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner is a quick, enjoyable read.  The tone and rhythm of the text is similar to the Twilight series.  My main issue is that there was no break in the text.  It was difficult to be able to find a place to stop for a break.

The Bottom Line:  This is a nice supplement to Eclipse.  If you enjoy Stephenie Meyer's writing style and are looking for a more in depth look into the world of Twilight, then I would definitely check it out from the library.

Spirit Bound

Title: Spirit Bound
Author: Richelle Mead
Level: Young Adult
Location: YA Mead

This review may discuss some major plot points from the four previous Vampire Academy books. If you have not yet read Vampire Academy, Frostbite, Shadow Kiss, and Blood Promise, jump ahead to The Bottom Line.

Since Spirit Bound is the fifth book in this six book series, I don’t want to say too much about it for fear of accidently giving something away. After returning from Russia, Rose comes back to the academy to take her final test to become a guardian. With Lissa’s help, Rose is still committed to finding a way to restore Dimitri’s soul, but she needs the help of dangerous Moroi prisoner Victor Dashkov, to accomplish this goal. Will Rose find a way to change Dimitri or will he strike at her first?

Although the main focus of the book seems to be on Rose’s quest to try and change Dimitri back from an evil Strigoi to his original state as a Dhampir guardian, Richelle Mead has a few other plot threads forming or coming to a conclusion in this novel. I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of plot threads that were resolved in this book even as frustrating new storylines opened up for, what should be, a truly exhilarating finish to the series in the next book. I continue to be impressed by Mead’s writing as she does an amazing job juggling her multiple plot threads while also deepening her characters in a way that is consistent with their personalities. I have never been a huge fan of Lissa or Adrian but I have a deeper appreciation for both, particularly Lissa, after reading this novel. She finally evolves into the loyal friend that Rose deserves, instead of just existing as the best friend that Rose must protect.

For the Dimitri lovers out there, he does make an appearance in this book and the scenes with him are equal parts captivating and heartbreaking. All I will say is that I love how Mead handles Dimitri’s character in this book. She writes him perfectly and consistently in this installment, even though it is upsetting at times to witness the changes in him.

The Bottom Line: I am obviously a huge fan of this series. I think it is the best fantasy/vampire series out there for teens and adults. In this 5th book, Richelle Mead closes off some plot threads and creates some crazy new ones to carry over to the final book in the series. So read Spirit Bound, start forming your conspiracy theories and get ready for the final installment, Last Sacrifice due out on December 7, 2010.

Devil's Kiss

Title: Devil's Kiss
Author: Sarwat Chadda
Level: Young Adult
Location: YA Chadda

Billi Sangreal longs for a normal teenage life of dating, friendship and even homework. But Billi is the only female member of the Knights Templar so her days normally involve dismembering ghuls (the undead/vampires), exorcising demons and nursing the frequent injuries that come with it. She’s tired of the constant responsibility of fighting creatures that no one knows exists and dealing with the demands of her father, the head of the Templars. Then she meets Mike. He’s totally hot and seems to understand the stress of all Billi's responsibilities and her issues with her controlling, emotionally absent dad. Mike is perfect, but is he too good to be true? Or does Billi have feelings for Kay, her childhood best friend and the Templars new oracle? Nothing in Billi’s life comes easy and with a new threat surfacing from the Grigori (fallen angels) is Mike the wrong guy to trust?

I was not even going to pick up this book at first. I thought it would be like every other paranormal fantasy romance all wrapped up in a neat little package. Boy, was I wrong about this title! Billi is a great character, a tough girl who just wants to be a girl, instead of fighting for her life every other night. Disappointingly, the other characters are rather stock but that didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the story. Billi’s father and Kay, do have fleeting moments of depth but the reader really does not get much insight on their feelings and motivations. This was really my only complaint with this title as I would have loved to learn more about Kay. Aside from the lack of characterization, I loved the plot and the heart-pounding action sequences it produced. With this book, Chadda creates a truly unique fantasy tale by interweaving Templar myth with religious tales, like that of the Grigori and the angels. He allows the romance to take a backseat to the action which fit with Billi’s character and the demands of her life. In all, this was a great book with a compelling main character and an original, fantasy storyline.

The Bottom Line: If you are tired of the typical fantasy plot recycled in numerous YA books out right now, try Devil’s Kiss. The story is wholly original with plenty of action to keep both male and female readers interested. Plus, the vampires are *gasp* actually evil! If you give it a shot, I guarantee you won’t regret it. I didn’t :)

Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Volume 1

Title: Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Volume 1
Author: Stephenie Meyer, Young Kim (Illustrator)
Location: (Available Soon)

When Isabella Swan moves to the gloomy town of Forks and meets the mysterious, alluring Edward Cullen, her life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. With his porcelain skin, golden eyes, mesmerizing voice, and supernatural gifts, Edward is both irresistible and impenetrable. Up until now, he has managed to keep his true identity hidden, but Bella is determined to uncover his dark secret...

This was well done. I enjoyed the manga style of illustrations and it was neat seeing a different portrayal of the characters, as opposed to the movie. The illustrations are mostly in black and white, and color is used to convey emotion - especially his eye colors.

Bottom Line: I enjoyed this graphic novel, and I enjoyed the movie - but they are definitely different in portraying the characters - in their looks and personalities. If you're a Twilight fan (and especially a manga fan), then this is a must-read!

Pretty Dead

Title: Pretty Dead
Author: Francesca Lia Block

Reading Level: Young Adult

Location: YA Block

Fans of Twilight will most likely pick up Pretty Dead as a read-alike. Sadly, many of those fans will be very disappointed. Francesca Lia Block is a talented writer who revolutionized both the fantasy and LGBT genre for teens in the 90s and 00s. When I heard she wrote a vampire story, I had high hopes. I read the book in one day but didn't realize until after finishing it that the reason I was flying through it was because I wanted to finish and read something good.

Quite different from the heroines of other vampire books, the beautiful 100+ year old Charlotte Emerson is constantly in a state of sorrow, despite being immortal, beautiful, well loved and extremely wealthy. It’s as if Block read Poe and Plath and transferred that melancholy into a vampire story, minus the good execution. Charlotte has seen everything from the bombing of Hiroshima, to Woodstock, to September 11th- all at the age of seventeen. She is immortal and perfect in every way. However, she is overcome by her constant wallowing of her immortality. She has a very close relationship with her brother (some scenes suggested a little too close, which was creepy). When he dies in the early 1900s, she tries to continue her life, despite being devastated.In present day when her best friend Emily dies suddenly, she starts to turn back into a human. Things get even weirder when her maker (and decades long lover) William comes back into her life after separating years before! The ending is extremely anti-climatic.

The reader will most likely not connect to the characters. The flowery, pseudo-intellectual prose will not be appreciated by teens looking for a fun vampire story or characters they can identitfy with. Although there are a few interesting moments, it’s obvious that this contrived story was simply Block trying to market off the vampire craze. Instead, it reads like terrible fan fiction you would find on the Hot Topic message board.

Bottom Line: Judging from this letdown, Pretty Dead sounds less like a book title and more like Block's (once present) storytelling ability.