Marked

   I just finished reading this joint effort by P.C Cast and her daughter Kristen Cast. Together they wrote a vampire novel. Actually, it is more than that.  This book is the first in a series of vampire novels.  Now, I am just as into vampires as the next guy, but I am from a different school than the current craze.  My school is comprised of Anne Rice's characters, as well as Joss Whedon's Spike and Angel.  However, I am still up for any new offering of undead lore, so I gave this novel a go....

     The story begins when our heroine, Zoey, becomes marked.  This means that she will become a vampire in a few years. As those who are marked undergo "the Change," they attend a Vampire Academy of sorts.  The rest of the book follows Zoey as she tries to fit into her new "life."

     The story has a very interesting,albeit not too original, plot line.  It is well thought out and is definitely entertaining, yet the writing is distracting.  A good writer can tell a story, including the main character's struggles and inner conflicts, and never draw the reader away from the actual tale.  However, in this story, the main character's inner monologue can be so out of place and, if you will, "wonky" that the reader has to purposely pass over it.  (Not to mention a vagrant overuse of parenthetical statetments.)....

     I do believe that I may pick up the second novel... if I can get it for free on bookmooch

Vampires and Presidents

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire HunterI have always been a bit of a history geek. I say 'bit of' because it is only certain eras  or individuals in history that I am interested in.  For instance, I am fascinated with Amelia Earhart.  Also, I study WWI history, but only from an Arab perspective, and WWII from the Japanese perspective.


One historical character I have always had a deep, abiding love for is Abraham Lincoln.  In high school, one might even say that I was a little obsessed with him.  I even went so far as to have professional senior photos taken of me beside a small statue of this illustrious, historic figure.  Knowing this, you may have some idea of the odd mix of emotions I fest as I picked up Seth Grahame-Smith's Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter.


As I sat for the first time , holding Mr. Grahame-Smith's sophomore novel,  I was all at once filled with curiosity, excitement, and apprehension.  The peculiar mix of emotions did little to dissuade me from reading the book, however.  In fact, I began reading it almost immediately.


Some books -okay most books- take a few pages to get started, a few pages before one becomes fully entrenched in the tale. Mr. Grahame-Smith wasted no time, however, in spinning such a yarn that would come to demand hours of the reader, even outside of the pages themselves. I was so engrossed in the story that I found myself considering his alternate reality. When not reading, I daydreamed about hunting vampires with Abe, or becoming part of the "Union."

That Grahame-Smith was able to closely follow the events in the life of the Great Emancipator, while interweaving an epic vampire saga, and not change any of the major events of history, is a credit to his storytelling. I am not one to add spoilers to my reviews, so I won't go any further. Just know that the mythology in this novel is fantastic and easy to sink into. I found myself wishing it were all real, that vampires really were to blame for one of the darkest times in US history....


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On a slightly different note,  and due to my absolute enjoyment of this novel, I believe that I shall have to explore the genre further.  The result is a book group.  We shall read the original literary works, and then their super extraordinary monster counter novel.  In addition, I have been throwing around a few of my one ideas:


- Love and Shapeshifters in the Time of Cholera
- Jane Eyre and the Succubus
- Crime and Punishment and Banshees
- Moby Dick and Captain Hook
- and.......

Weekly Book Review Wednesday.....

Arcadia FallsArcadia Falls
I received a copy of the book Arcadia Falls by the author Carol Goodman, just a few short days ago. I had read Ms. Goodman's first novel, The Sea of Dead Languages, and enjoyed that, so I was anxious to dive into this story.

Arcadia Falls takes place in a mountain refuge where a historic artist commune had been located. This commune had been a space for women, primarily, to nurture their talents. Later the commune became a girls' school that was shrouded in intrigue and tragedy.

The recently widowed Meg Rosenthal, and her teenage daughter Sally, move to the school so Meg can teach and Sally attend. The stage is set with the death of a student in their first days at the academy. This begins the unraveling of an intricately woven mystery.

The book immediately reeled me in, as I forsook sleep to read much of the first half. Goodman's prose flow quite freely, making the novel a relaxed and comfortable read. In the beginning (about the first 30 pages), I did struggle with the main character. Her very obvious weaknesses and the artificial dialogue between her and her daughter troubled me. However, as the book progresses, this ceases to be an issue.

Goodman has told a surprisingly complex tale, and though it bears similarity to her first novel, it is obvious that her writing has grown considerably. She completes the package with a nice, tidy ending. I would have been a bit happier if it reflected life more accurately by leaving a loose end or two. All in all, however, I truly recommend this book.