Best Book Ever: Vampires, Take Two!
So I've been getting excited about Julie Kagawa's forthcoming book, The Eternity Cure, and just finished reading her prequel short story in Til the World Ends so I've got vampires on the mind. We covered this topic over a year ago on BBE, which is practically forever in internet terms, so we're revisiting it now. Check out our selections and let us know what you think in the comments.
Oh I definitely HAVE to pick Department 19 by Will Hill. I mean who doesn't like a book about secret government department that kills vampires? I mean the book had:
* A good intertwining of time.
* A good balance between action and emotion.
* In-depth description.
* "Not your average kick ass novel" feel to it.
* Tension and emotions that could be easily felt by the readers.
* High suspense.
* Cool sci-fi gadgets! Score!
* Amazing characters with definite backgrounds. (I love how they interconnected, never a loophole. The relationships between characters were strongly felt).
Ashley from FireStarBooks
There are two vampire series that are near and dear to my heart. The first one is Stephenie Meyer's Twilight. Bella's story gripped me like nothing else had in a while and I read all 4 books in a week. The series awakened a love of reading that had been dormant since college, brought about fabulous opportunities, and was the catalyst for me to meet an amazing group of women.
The other vampire series I just cannot get enough of is Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series. They are funny, packed with action, and have amazing characters that I've grown to love. I primarily listen to the series rather than read it, and the narrator is flat out excellent.
Jessica from Simply Infatuated
As it happens, last night I finished reading Team Human by Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan. It's terrific and I highly recommend you read it! But my recommendation this week goes much farther back into my childhood: Space Vampire by Edward Packard. This was published as part of the popular Choose Your Own Adventure series, #71. The worn first edition paperback from 1987 that I still own proudly marks it as a "Special Book Fair Edition" and includes the note that it features "More Challenging Choices!" The premise is that a) You're on a spaceship (but your name is Osprey), b) With a vampire. What happens? That's up to you, mostly, as you hunt down the vampire and try to kill it before it drains everyone else on the ship. It turns out space is a great place for a vampire, unless the ship is near a sun and someone opens a window.
This book provided me with hours of entertainment, as did many other books in the series. I was always frustrated both by the lack of choices and the worry that I would miss some of the text, so I cheated a little while reading to get back to the decision points. But at the time, some of the most engaging science fiction and fantasy being published was in the CYOA series. And they often had fun illustrations too!
If you recommend continuing the search through the night, turn to page 50.
If you recommend waiting until morning, turn to page 66.
Guess what happens on page 66? Hint: It includes the words "The End."
E.C. Myers - Quantum Coin (October 23, 2012; Pyr)
My favourite vampire book couldn't be narrowed down to 1 book. Mine is the whole Morganville Vampires series by Rachel Caine. Why? Let me tell you, briefly... My partner introduced me to the MV books when I started devouring books like they were air after I'd given birth to our son. His friend at work was reading them and he decided to buy them all for me. I devoured the whole lot one after the other before I became a reviewer in 2011. The easy style with which Rachel Caine writes is fun and relaxed, yet intense and gripping at the same time. She has you laughing one moment and sitting on the edge of your seat the next. You never know which direction she'll take you in.
But on the subject of vampires, I couldn't let you go without telling you how addictive the Sookie Stackhouse novels are too. Long before True Blood became such a phenomenon, I read the entire series (I think 9 books at that time) back to back. Charlaine Harris tells a story but she also paints a picture in your minds eye. You can't help but be held captive by both her writing and her delicious characters. So if you haven't read either series, my suggestion is you do so, soon!
Keren from Gothic Angel Book Reviews
BBE is bringing back Best Vampire Books, last time I went with Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. Which is still a favorite of course, without that book, my site wouldn't exist. Since that BBE post, I have read many books and have come to love others vampire stories. So I will share those new BBE Vampire books today. Here are just a couple that stand out: The Dark Heroine by Abigail Gibbs, Black City by Elizabeth Richards and The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa. The Immortal Rules and The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden series by Julie Kagawa) really stand out for me above all others lately, there is just something about a vampire heroine that uses a katana instead of her fangs to protect herself and those she cares for. This series is all sorts of AWESOME!!!
Yara from Once Upon a Twilight
So I went through a handful of choices before picking my favorite vampire book. After seeing that Yara had already talked about The Immortal Rules, which was my first choice, I wanted to pick something else, and wound up landing on Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series. Now, vampires aren't the focus of this series, but they do still feature in a prominent way and Lord Akeldama is basically one of the best characters ever. It's easy to underestimate him, but he is quite the vampire - and never a hair out of place, either! Honorary mention also goes to The Hallowed Ones, Laura Bickle's super creepy Amish-set vampire story, and also to ongoing comic book series American Vampire, which I am woefully behind on reading.
Sarah
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