New Perspectives

I am one of the few people of my acquaintance who loves Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice.

My husband hates it because he feels Anne Rice jumped the shark when writing The Vampire Lestat. He finds Queen of the Damned disjointed and poorly written. Others just think Anne Rice is overly hyped and best read by teenagers who do not know any better.

I can accept the teenager crack. It's probably a valid reaction. I know I quit reading them in college and when (spoiler) Anne wouldn't let Louis die. I threw that book across the room. Anyway...

I love Queen of the Damned. Yes, it does jump from plot line to plot line. But this is something any reader of George R. R. Martin has experienced in his Song of Ice and Fire series. I like this structure. It almost teases the reader and keeps them reading and reading to get to the plot line that really has the reader hooked. This doesn't outshine my real reason for loving this book. I love how Anne explains the reason vampires exist. To me, this is enough to make me love this book. Rice took an old myth, one that exists in every culture, and tells us why those myths exist.

I've read other books that do this, explain some fictional thing into existance. Memnoch the Devil, also by Anne Rice, does this too in a slightly different way. Lucifer approaches Lestat, looking to make an agreement with the Vampire Prince. While this book doesn't explain anything, it does present another face to Lucifer. In some ways, humanizing the Morningstar, making the reader see him in other way. Bruce Almighty and Evan Almighty did similar things in film. God needs a vacation in Bruce Almighty and Steve Carell has his own Noah experience in Evan Almighty.

It's interesting to look at things in a different way, in a different angle. As children, we play with prisms and lenses. We're fascinated by these. Books can do the same thing for adults. And I love those books for the altered thinking I experience between their covers.

Chicago Vampires Series: Drink Deep

This is the fifth book in the Chicago Vampire series by Chloe Neill.

For those not familiar with the serious, it naturally takes place in Chicago. The heroine of the series, Merit, is working on her dissertation at the University of Chicago when she's attacked by a vampire with the intent to kill. Left for dead, another vampire finds her, Ethan, and turns her in order to save her. Needless to say, this wasn't ideal for Merit.

I confess that I loved Drink Deep if only because I love the characters. Overall, the story line was week. I found myself frequently asking "Why doesn't Merit see what is obvious?" I won't provide spoilers, but it's wasn't difficult to determine the cause of the plot obstacle. The why and how, was a little more difficult to conjure so I only came close on the why. Fans of the series will probably have mixed emotions about the ending. I know I did but won't elaborate based on spoilers. Overall, a wonderful read for fans. The story is likely a transitional one for the series ark, I look forward to book six.

If you're new to the series, don't let this post dissuade you from reading the series. The first books are solid, engaging reads and I recommend them highly. This one, just doesn't live up to it's predecessors.

Love Tuesday's

Tuesday's are the best days of the week. Why? Because new books are released! Duh! I'm personally jazzed for the next installments of Chicago Vampires and Otherworlds. I've had them pre-ordered since July!

• Otherworlds -- Courting Darkness, Yasmine Galenorn
• Chicago Vampires -- Drink Deep, Chloe Neill

The books are available from every major retailer, though I recommend your local bookstore or Barnes and Noble. Buying local is always good for the local business but not every city has an independent bookstore. Why not Amazon? Well, the president/CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, has been quoted as having the goal of putting the publishing companies out of business. Amazon also undersells publisher prices which hurts the authors as well as the publishing companies. Amazon also makes books for pedophile audiences available. While one has been removed, others remain... Needless to say, there are many reasons not to support Amazon.

New Addiction

I read all four books in a week. I just couldn't get enough. I tried to defer the fourth book, knowing the fifth wouldn't be available until the fall. But I couldn't do it. I kept wondering about what was going to happen in #4. My thoughts would come back to the characters while watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows! If that can't distract a girl, I know not what will. I naturally broke down and read the fourth book (took me less than a day to read it).

What's this series? Chicagoland Vampires by Chloe Neill. As you expect, the story takes place in Chicago. As I live in Illinois and love visiting Chicago, I was naturally willing to give the first book, Some Girls Bite, a read. What I found was a female character that I liked, identified with to a large extent. Merit is a PHD literature student, living with her best friend, Mallory, who's quirky, funny, and a delight to read. As the books is about vampires, Merit naturally get's turned and must then accept her new self. She also must learn her new limitations while solving a mystery.

While some of this sounds similar to other books. I assure you, the world Chloe Neill creates is different enough to keep you reading and the characters are wonderful. They're funny, endearing, and flawed. I highly recommend trying this series. I've already pre-ordered the fifth book! Drink Deep is scheduled to release on November 1, 2011.  Books are available in print and electronic formats (another plus!).