Friday, May 13, 2011

[Review] Glass Houses (#1) by Rachel Caine

Title: Glass Houses (Morganville Vampires, #1)
Author: Rachel Caine
Publication: 04/01/2011 (AUS)
Publisher: Penguin Australia
Source: Review copy from publisher
Age: 14+
RRP: $16.95
Pages: 370
My Rating:

Summary:
Welcome to Morganville. Just don`t stay out after dark.

Morganville is a small town filled with unusual characters - when the sun goes down, the bad come out. In Morganville, there is an evil that lurks in the darkest shadows - one that will spill out into the bright light of day.

For Claire Danvers, high school was hell, but college may be murder. It was bad enough that she got on the wrong side of Monica, the meanest of the school's mean girls, but now she's got three new roommates, who all have secrets of their own. And the biggest secret of all isn't really a secret, except from Claire: Morganville is run by vampires and they are hungry for fresh blood . . .
My thoughts: 

Glass Houses is the first of the highly-acclaimed Morganville Vampires series by Rachel Caine. I was not expecting to enjoy this book like I did. Paranormal YA and I normally don’t mix very well, but I’m actually quite impressed. Not only did I finish this book in just 3 days (a big achievement for me), but I was lost in the world enclosed in this book, wherever I read it, it was so easy to continue from where I left off, making it an extremely easy to read book.

I really enjoyed the world building. A town run by vampires, where being out at night is just asking to be a snack; where people ignore others so as not to stir trouble; where no one is safe unless they have pleaded for Protection by the authorities.

The four main characters: Claire, Eve, Shane and Michael. Love their tight-knit quasi-family relationship dynamics, as well as their own individual personalities, issues and histories. Most of the time, moments remained without cheese.

THE VAMPIRES WERE NOT HOT! Or at least, in my eyes. Nor were they sparkly. There is a hierarchy produced because of the vampires, and they founded the town Morganville, but I just like that it's not just about them. Or something. I can't describe it. Anyway, I think there’s something to be said that the fact that this is a vampire book and series does not affect my opinions and feelings about continuing the series. Because, really, I hope to in the future!

The one thing I found a tad annoying, was that I got the feeling that Rachel Caine was trying too hard to create a third person POV while incorporating a teen voice. Maybe it's just me?

An amazing start to the Morganville Vampires series, and I hope to read more of it in the future. This new cover is shiny where the light blue is, and seems to me a sound portrayal of what to expect of this book.

Quotes:

First Lines

"On the day Claire became a member of the Glass House, somebody stole her laundry."


Favourite Quotes

"'Wow. Jeez, nice black eye. Who hit you?'
'Nobody.' Claire said it instantly, without even thinking why, although she knew in her bones that Goth Eve was in no way bestest friends with preppy Monica. 'I had an accident.'
'Yeah,' Eve agreed softly. 'I used to have those kinds of accidents, falling into fists and stuff. Like I said, I'm a klutz . . . '"

(p. 33)

"'Run first,' Shane said. 'Mourn later.'
It was the perfect motto for Morganville."

(p. 255)

Buy:

Live in Australia?

Live elsewhere?
Amazon | The Book Depository


Links:

Official Site
Goodreads Page


I have received this review copy in return for an honest review.

Challenge: 2011 Debut Challenge (Australia)
Related Posts with Thumbnails