Vamplayers by Rusty Fischer

Title: Vamplayers

Author: Rusty Fischer

Release Date: 13th December 2011

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb:

At the Afterlife Academy of Exceptionally Dark Arts, the vampires in training follow one of two tracks: they become either Sisters or Saviors. Of course, everyone wants to be a Savior, swooping into infested high schools in matching red leather jumpsuits and wielding crossbows, putting down swarming vampires with deadly efficiency.

But Lily Fielding is just a Sister—a Third Sister at that, a measly trainee. When Lily and her two Sisters, Alice and Cara, are called out to their latest assignment, she figures it’s just another run-of-the-mill gig: spot the Vamplayer (part vampire, part player), identify the predictably hot, trampy girl he’s set his eyes on, and befriend her before the Vamplayer can turn her to do his bidding.

Finding the sleek and sexy Vamplayer, Tristan, and his equally beautiful and popular target, Bianca, is easy. And when Lily meets the adorably geeky Zander, she too falls under a lover’s spell. But this assignment turns out to be trickier than most when the Third Sister must battle the baddest vampire of all.

In A Nutshell:

A light, entertaining and humorous read, Vamplayers is total comfort food.

My Review:

I’ve read countless novels and short stories by Rusty Fischer and enjoyed them all. In Vamplayers, Fischer has moved away from his usual zombie protagonist and has reworked vampire mythology. They still drink blood but have a serious sweet tooth. Some are good, some are bad and the bad don’t just want to kill, they want to turn their victims, and their tactics have been perfected. Daylight may not be an issue, but garlic and holy water still is. And there is the ever-present pecking order that infiltrates every aspect of society, n both human and vampire worlds. There are rules the undead have to live by, and consequences are severe.

Lily is a Sister, whose job is to identify the Vamplayer before he manages to turn the whole school. The Sisters then call in the Saviors who take the Vamplayer down. Lily is sick of being a Sister but can’t seem to pass the test to become a Savior. When Lily and her fellow Sisters are sent to the latest school, she is determined this will be her last ever assignment as a Sister. The school is just like every other high school; the bitchy popular girls make everyone else’s lives miserable, there’s the hot guy who knows he is, and the nerdy but really totally awesome kids.  This time, Lily is to play the outcast. Her fellow Sisters are also to treat her this way to fit in with the popular crowd and gain their acceptance. Normally this exclusion would end when the girls are behind closed doors, but this time, Cara and Alice begin to take it a bit too seriously. As the girls turn on Lily, she is left utterly alone and the responsibility to find the Vamplayer before the whole school gets turned, falls solely on her shoulders.

With a focus on friendship, stereotypes and peer-pressure, it’s a typical highschool environment, but one that takes the opportunity to show characters who know what they want and try to succeed, no matter the obstacles thrown in their path. While I could see what was going to happen, Lily couldn’t and I think that is common for teenagers, to not look deeper than what is on the surface or beyond first impressions. While the story arc was somewhat predictable, the end certainly wasn’t. After the climatic showdown, I was expecting a very different conclusion but Fischer’s recreated vampire lore opened up a whole new realm of possibilities.

A light, entertaining and humorous read, Vamplayers is total comfort food.

Ushers, INC by Rusty Fischer

Title: Ushers INC
Author: Rusty Fischer

Release Date: 22nd June 2011

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb:
When the streets are full of bloodsuckers, werewolves, zombies and ghouls, where will you turn? The cops don’t know how to stop them, the Army’s pretty much given up and even the Marines are stumped when their bullets and grenades fail to stop the onslaught.

Have no fear, Ushers, Inc. is here! Four high school movie ushers, who collectively have seen over 42,000 hours of B- and C-horror movies know just what to do.

Did you know copper pennies can stop a zombie in its tracks? Abby Cooper, Head Usher, does.
Did you know garlic paste is twice as effective on vampires as garlic cloves? Abby Cooper does.
Did you know werewolves are absolutely petrified of seeing a Hershey’s kiss? Abby Cooper does.

Unfortunately, the monsters aren’t too happy about four geeky ushers beating their butts all over creation. Now the League of Associated Undead (LAD) is converging on Cypress Cove, determined to stop Ushers, Inc. once and for all.

In A Nutshell:
If you like zombie, werewolf and vampire stories that still have the undead being bad, but with plenty of humour and sarcasm thrown in, then Ushers INC is for you.

My Review:
Ushers INC is the story of four relatively normal teenagers; Abby, Zach, Tracy and Cliff who all live together at the Meriwether Home for Wayward Boys and Girls (they are not actually wayward, just orphans). Outside of school hours, they spend every waking moment at Flickers Cinemas, where they not only work as ushers, but also spend hours upon hours watching B and C grade horror movies. The story is set in the future when the undead are known to exist and are allowed to roam the streets, but go pretty much unrecognised to the majority of humans, except when they choose to show their true nature (in the case of vampires) or are forced to (full moon for werewolves).

Our heroes are unwittingly thrown into the spotlight one night when a zombie uprising disrupts Theatre 6 and the four ushers use their collective knowledge from their favourite movies to stop the carnage from spilling out onto the streets. It just so happens that when the police were called, the reporters followed and managed to catch four normal teenagers taking out a bunch of zombies. In a split second decision, ever the opportunist Cliff, declares they are ‘Ushers INC’ and so their little monster fighting team is born.

There is all the usual highschool trouble such as the mean girls, hot boys, crush dramas and who is going to take who to the fall formal, but with that comes the hilarious situations that the ushers get themselves into and the unique ways they manage to pull themselves out of them!

Usher’s INC features lots of humour and sarcasm and a great bunch of friends that stick together, no matter what. There is also a cool female lead in Abby who isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty if she has to and who somehow always has lady-luck on her side.

Rusty’s stories revolve around the undead, but with a new spin. The zombies still want to eat your brains, vamps will still suck you dry in the locker-room and werewolves are still going to rip you to shreds, but more often than not, they just want to get on with their lives, even if their true nature does get in the way some of the time!

Rusty Fischer is the author of countless short stories (my current favourite being Zombies Don't Sleep) and poems, as well as newly released novels Zombies Don't Cry and Ushers INC. Many of these are available to download for free on his website and I found that being able to read some of Rusty's work before buying was really helpful and I was left craving more.

I’ve really been quite taken by Rusty's tales of the undead. If I didn’t have so many books sitting on my shelf waiting to be reviewed, I would honestly love to curl up and devour every single one of Rusty’s stories (although I’ve already made quite a dent!). I love them, they’re like comfort food.


Buy Ushers INC on Amazon or Smashwords
Rusty’s website: Zombie’s Don’t Blog

Vampires Drool! Zombies Rule! by Rusty Fischer

Title: Vampires Drool! Zombies Rule!
Author: Rusty Fischer

Release Date: July 2010

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb:

The Vampires and Zombies at Barracuda Bay High School have a long-standing truce: don’t mess with us, we won’t mess with you.

Of course, if the human kids at Barracuda Bay High knew they were sitting next to the Living Dead in homeroom, well… all bets would be off.

So when Lucy Frost tries to use the fancy heat-sensored paper towel dispensers in the C-wing girls’ room during a busy break from classes, Fiona Rutherford, the nosiest reporter on the Barracuda Bay Bugle, just happens to witness it. But when she jokingly refers to Lucy as a “zombie,” in the next day’s paper, Fiona unknowingly sets off a chain of events that will change Lucy’s life forever.

Now the vampires want to do away with Fiona, and the only zombie who wants to save her is Lucy. Suddenly Lucy is the only hope Fiona and the rest of her friends have of surviving!

In A Nutshell:
With plenty of zombie humor and sarcasm, Rusty Fischer has adapted the general zombie lore to make way for zombies to have a proper place in YA fiction. Very cool.

My Review:
Lucy is just a normal high school girl trying to get through classes, avoid drawing attention to herself and hope that her crush asks her to the Fall Formal. She's also a zombie. The freezing cold, eat your brains, strong as steel kind. After one tiny little mistake, Lucy has one school day to try and defuse what a Normal decided to publish in the school paper before the zombie and vampire equivalent of the secret service pay her a visit.

Written with plenty of zombie humour and sarcasm, Lucy must come up with a plan to avoid a zombie-vampire apocalypse, go up against the absolutely repulsive vampires that also attend the school, try to avoid getting her new AV Club human friends killed, not freak out the boy she likes and save her own zombie self. Is that too much to ask? Maybe...

I must say, Lucy is one crafty zombie. Unlike a lot of zombie folklore, these zombies are actually pretty smart and fast moving. I mean, they eat brains, shouldn't that make them smart? Lucy comes up with some sneaky plans to avoid the vampires and then attack them but can she count on her zombie friends not to stab her in the back when she tries to save not only the person who outted her, but a human?

I really like the way Fischer has adapted the general zombie lore. It's very cool and makes way for zombies to have a proper place in YA fiction (rather than the mindless drones that are usually featured).

Rusty Fischer is the author of countless zombie short stories (my current favourite being Zombies Don't Sleep) and poems, as well as the newly released novel Zombies Don't Cry. I found that being able to read some of Rusty's work before buying his new novel was really helpful and I was left craving more of his zombie stories.

To download the ebook of Vampires Drool! Zombies Rule! or to read it online, click here.

For information on where you can find Rusty's stories and poems, some of them for free, head to his blog.

To buy Zombie's Don't Cry, head to Amazon or The Book Depository

In Conversation with Rachel Caine

As posted the other day, I had the chance to meet and interview Rachel Caine as part of her Bite Club tour in Australia, to celebrate the release of her latest book in the Morganville Vampires series.

Rachel was an absolute champ and answered so many questions for me and our hungry audience. So, as promised, below is most of our interview for those of you who couldn't make it.


ON MORGANVILLE...
Can you describe Bite Club in three words? Violent Bad Shane!

In Bite Club, we get to see some of the scenes from Shane's POV. What made you decide to do this?
Bite Club has a lot going on with Shane -- and it stirs up a lot of his past, his issues, and we see some of the hidden anger that he keeps under such tight rein. I felt it was important to really get inside his head for some of what was happening, because Claire is so much on the outside of many of the events, and without his perspective I felt readers might get too much of a one-sided view of why he was behaving as he was. I also really like writing Shane's POV ... I've done it in short stories (most notably Murdered Out, a short story included in an early UK edition, as well as a few more) and it seemed a good experiment to do in the novel.

Where did the idea for Morganville come from? Did it just pop into your head or was it something that slowly came to be?

Do you have a favourite character and why?
I enjoy writing them all, and different characters at different times, but I do love writing about Shane and Myrnin. I always know what Shane will do and I never know what Myrnin will do, so if I put them in a scene together, who knows what will happen! Monica, oddly enough, is also fun to write.

Why did you choose to write about a sixteen year old college student rather than a normal high school or college student?

I know music is a must for you when writing. If you had to pick one band/artist to represent the series, who would you pick?
Such a difficult choice, but I think I'd have to say either Lacuna Coil or H.I.M. -- but I have a very wide musical taste, all the way from '70s rock to trance, techno, alternative and blues. I tend to change the style of the music from one book to another, which is why I included all the extensive playlists at the back!

Do you know how many books you will write for this series?
At the moment there will be 12 books. If readers are still interested in Morganville after that then maybe there will be more! I love going back to Morganville. Book 12 is currently untitled and Last Breath, which is book 11, will be released in November.
And when the time comes, do you already know how it will end? I don't know if there is an ending, a town like Morganville just goes on... but obviously I would wrap up the stories of the characters in it. There's bound to be another generation of people with whole new problems though!

Is there anything you can tell us about Last Breath?
From the beginning of the series, the question about why Morganville was located in sunny West Texas has been a tricky one ... apparently. But there's a very, very good reason, and I'll give you this one hint: it has to do with water. There will be some shocking and scary events in this upcoming book, I can promise that, but also some deeply emotional scenes as well.

ON WRITING

You write a couple of other series. Do you stick with writing one book until it's finished or do you swap between them all? I will write the first draft of one consistently, but there is always a lot going on so when writing that draft, I might be re-writing a second draft of something else or proofing, etc. It's easy to swap between series, but I do have to do some traffic control issues in my head sometimes, and time management when you're juggling three series is quite an interesting challenge.

Apart from Last Breath coming out in November, you also have a new series that will be released in Australia. Can you tell us about that?
I have a new adult series coming out in August called The Revivalist. The first novel, Working Stiff, introduces Bryn Davis, who is a young funeral director discovering that her new bosses are reviving the dead, for profit, in the basement. That's only the beginning of Bryn's problems, which include tangling with a giant and sinister pharmaceutical company in the first book.

A BIT OF FUN
Have you ever had a fan-girl moment? *laughs* All the time! Although meeting Jennifer Lynn Barnes was very exciting. I've always loved her books. Carrie Ryan is also a huge literary crush of mine, and she's delightful in person, too. I also squealed quite loudly when I met Charlaine Harris for the first time.

Which fictional character would you like to trade places with? From Morganville I should pick Amelie because she always survives! But I think Eve would be a lot of fun. She has great fashion sense and drives a hearse! From other works I would say Dr John Watson so I could watch Sherlock Holmes at work.

If it was made into a film, who would you like to see portray your characters?I would love to see David Tennant play Myrnin! I really don't have a lot of great insight into who would be perfect for which characters ... it always turns out that who I'd pick for a role in other peoples' novels gets filled by an actor I'd never have picked, and they do brilliantly. Which is why I'm a writer, not a casting director!

Favourite word?
Crap *laughs*

Least favourite word?
Hard - my editor kept circling the word 'hard' throughout one of my drafts and asked me why I liked the word so much. I said 'I don't!' So now, I search and destroy it as often as I can.

Favourite sound?
Birds. I love birds. One of the most fun things about coming to a new country is to walk outside and listen to birdsong -- it's so different and beautiful!

If you were not an author, what would your dream job be?
A screenwriter, is that cheating?

What have you always wanted to do but never tried?
Scuba diving. Although as I'm deeply disturbed by the ocean, I probably never will!

How would you spend your last day on earth?
Writing. It's very rewarding and I look forward to it every day. Okay, I'd probably take a break to hold hands with my husband, but I'd obviously HAVE to finish all my stories, right?

*****

Once again, a massive THANKYOU to Rachel, and Felicity at Penguin Paranormal. And remember, Australian residents can enter my competition to win a signed copy of Bite Club. Enter here.

My Reviews
Glass Houses #1
Morganville series #2-9
Bite Club #10
Rachel Caine Event and Bite Club Giveaway

Rachel Caine Links
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Bite Club by Rachel Caine

Title: Bite Club
Series: Morganville Vampires Book 10
Author: Rachel Caine

Release Date: 2nd May 2011

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb:

Having survived a number of adventures with her new night-dwelling friends, college student Claire Danvers has come to realise that for the most part, the undead just want to get on with their lives.

But someone else wants them to get ready to rumble.

There's a new extreme sport being broadcast over the internet: bare-knuckle fights pitting captured vampires against one another, or worse, against humans. Claire soon discovers that what started as an online brawl will soon threaten everyone in Morganville. And if they want to survive, they'll have to do a lot more than fight...


My Review:
In the latest instalment in the Morganville vampires series, trouble is afoot yet again but this time, we experience far more than the normal struggles of Morganville. Unlike all the previous books, the tight-knit Glass house occupants are suffering; the danger is coming from one of their own. Whenever there has been trouble in the past, they have always fought it together, but this time, it's up to the girls to try and save not just Morganville, but Shane and Michael too.

Bite Club mostly focuses around Shane. We actually get to see some of the events that unfold through his eyes which is unprecedented throughout the series. It also focuses a lot on his relationship with Claire and his conflicting feelings concerning Michael's vampire-ness. We see what really drives Shane and how his character has been influenced throughout his life by his father, and also the vampires he is forced to live side by side with. We really get to see the effect this has been having on his psyche, especially recently. After a little persuading from a vixen vamp (who could have given Ysandre from the days of Bishop a run for her money), Shane's past and present come crashing together to create a jealous, paranoid and anger-filled Shane. Oh so much anger!

Being book ten, we are already strongly connected to many of the characters and it is actually sometimes painful to read about all the things Shane is experiencing, as well as the hurt he inflicts on those around him, especially those he loves the most. Could this be the end of Shane's friendship with Michael? And what about his future with Claire?

There is less involvement from Eve, Michael, Oliver, Amelie, Monica, Richard and the local police. Claire, Shane and Myrnin make up most of the story, which is mostly fine with me. Oh how I love Myrnin :D

Bite Club returns to the darkness and brutality we had in Lord of Misrule. Some unexpected old foes return, Claire receives some surprising news, and there is major doubt as to what the future holds for Claire, Eve, Michael and Shane. Faced paced, surprising and satisfying. And no cliff-hanger!

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

Title: Glass Houses
Series: Morganville Vampires Book 1
Author: Rachel Caine

Release Date: October 2006 (US). January 2011 (Australia)

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb:

Welcome to Morganville, Texas. It's a small college town filled with quirky characters. But when the sun goes down, the bad comes out. Because in Morganville, there is enough evil that lurks in the darkest shadows - one that will spill out into the dark light of day.

Claire Danvers has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation. The popular girls never let her forget just where she ranks on the school's social scene: somewhere less than zero. And Claire doesn't have the right connections - to the undead who run the town. When Claire heads off campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new room mates don't show many signs of life. But they'll have Claire's back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out. Hungry for fresh blood...

My Review:
I quite liked Glass Houses. It's different from your average YA vampire novel because in this, vampires are actually bad! OMG!. While I did think it was a bit slow at the beginning and wasn't really sure where the story was going, I soon became immersed in the characters we were introduced to and while I was preoccupied with them, the story unfolded before my eyes.

Claire is an awesome character. She's at college/university and she's only sixteen. If that isn't hard enough, she pissed off the most powerful (read: crazy psycho b***h) girl on campus and now she is out to get her. If you thought name calling was as bad as it could get, what Claire goes through is worse, much worse. First, all her belongings get thrown down the trash shute. Then she gets punched and thrown down the stairs and almost dies. This is at the hands of an eighteen year-old bimbo and her minions. And it only gets worse.

Claire is such a strong girl and she takes everything that comes at her and refuses to give up. She's actually kind of stubborn. I like that. She picks herself up and, not only tries to 'defeat' these psycho girls but also take on what she has recently discovered is a town run by vampires. She is one kick-ass girl.

Claire's new room-mates are really cool, and of course, they all have their own issues and secrets. Goth girl Eve, smoking-hot slacker Shane and mysterious Michael introduce Claire to the secrets of Morganville as she struggles with school bullies, vampires stalking her, getting home before dark and vampire politics. And Claire still insists on going to class, she's not going to let the undead get in the way of her dream to attend an ivy-league school, especially since a smart, logical science geek shouldn't even believe in the possibility of vampires in the first place!

This book seemed to not really have a very strong plot line, it took a little while to really get down to business, although I feel this is because it is more of an intro to the series. To me, this was ok because I really liked following what was going on in Claire and her room-mates' lives before the vampires came and screwed it all up. For those of you who may pick up the book and think, 'I'm not really liking this, I won't bother with reading the next one' the joke's on you. Glass Houses finishes with a cliff-hanger so you have to read the next book, and it is so worth it. You will be hooked on the Morganville Vampire series from then on out (like me).

And a really cool plus, at the moment Penguin is in the process of releasing the whole series in Australia for the first time over three months, so you don't have to wait the standard six months to a year for the next book!

The Morganville Vampire series:
1. Glass Houses
2. Dead Girls' Dance
3. Midnight Alley
4. Feast of Fools
5. Lord of Misrule
6. Carpe Corpus
7. Fade Out
8. Kiss of Death
9. Ghost Town

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

Title: Last Sacrifice
Series: Vampire Academy Book 6
Author: Richelle Mead

Release Date: 7th December 2010

My Rating: 5/5

Blurb:

Rose Hathaway has always played by her own rules.

She broke the law when she ran away from St. Vladimir’s Academy with her best friend and last surviving Dragomir Princess, Lissa. She broke the law when she fell in love with her gorgeous, off-limits instructor, Dimitri. And she dared to defy Queen Tatiana, leader of the Moroi world, risking her life and reputation to protect generations of dhampir guardian to come.

Now the law has finally caught up with Rose- for a crime she didn’t even commit. She’s in prison for the highest offense imaginable: the assassination of a monarch. She’ll need help from both Dimitri and Adrian to find the one living person who can stall her execution and force the Moroi elite to acknowledge a shocking new candidate for the royal throne: Vasilisa Dragomir.

But the clock on Rose’s life is running out. Rose knows in her heart the world of the dead wants her back… and this time she is truly out of second chances. The big question is, when your life is about saving others, who will save you?

My Review:
When I reviewed Spirit Bound earlier this year, I gave it a 5/5 rating. Even though I thought it was fantastic, I now wish I hadn't given it the highest rating, because Last Sacrifice was even better! Fans will not be disappointed with the thrilling conclusion to the best vampire series around. Without spoiling it for those of you who have not read it yet, Last Sacrifice sees the return of old characters, some new characters and lifestyles, tender moments, and of course some sizzling, drool-worthy moments.

I think there was some great character development, especially with Adrian and Lissa, showing new sides of everyone but I was a little disappointed Rose didn't get to kick much Strigoi ass as in previous books. But, she was still the same old Rose and I am very happy with which love interest she ended up with. While some questions are left unanswered (although not essential for you to be happy with the ending) it allows Mead to segue the story into her spin-off series Bloodlines (well hopefully they will be answered!).

This is what Richelle had to say about Bloodlines earlier this year...

"Last Sacrifice will be the last book about Rose, but it'll be followed by a spin-off series still set in the Vampire Academy world. Side characters we know from the current series will now be our main characters, and there'll be a whole new storyline (not the last one told from a different perspective). So far, there is no exact release date, but you can expect it near late summer/early fall of 2011.

At the moment, I'm not allowed to reveal the title, premise, or full cast of characters. I can tell you that it'll be written in third person, so we'll get a number of characters' perspectives. One of them will be Sydney. The others are a secret for now. Also, expect a cameo from Rose.:) "

Taken from Richelle Mead's official website.

Very exciting indeed! And word in the blogosphere is that Sydney Sage and Jill Mastrano will be main characters.

Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer

Title: Eighth Grade Bites
Series: Chronicles of Vladimir Tod Book 1
Author: Heather Brewer

Release Date: 2nd August 2010 (Australia)

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb:
Junior high really stinks for thirteen-year-old Vladimir Tod. Bullies harass him, the principal is dogging him, and the girl he likes prefers his best friend. Oh, and Vlad has a secret. His mother was human, but his father was a vampire. With no idea of the extent of his powers and no one to teach him, Vlad struggles daily with blood cravings and enlarged fangs. When a strange substitute teacher begins to question him a little too closely, Vlad worries that his cover is about to be blown. And then he realises he's being hunted by a vampire killer, and suddenly hunger, girls and bullies seem not quite such a problem after all.

My Review:
This is not a romantic vampire story. It is the tale of Vlad and his struggle growing up part vampire after his parents died three years ago in an unexplained fire. It is great to have a series where the main character is a boy with a story that will appeal to ages 10-14. There is suspense, humour, a mystery to solve, and Vlad's day-to-day difficulties like getting his blood fix and surviving school.

As an adult, it didn't capture me quite as much as other kids/YA books have in the past but I still enjoyed it and would like to read the rest of the series. I feel this will be a hit with the target age group and also a good book for reluctant readers as the language and behaviour (excluding vampire habits) are easy to relate to. This is not just a book for boys, girls will also enjoy it.

'Morning sunshine.'
Vlad blinked at her. 'Morning sulfuric acid.'
'Pardon me?'
'Well, isn't it just kinda wrong to call a vampire "sunshine"?'

While one mystery is solved in Eighth Grade Bites, there are unanswered questions that will lead you into Ninth Grade Slays, Tenth Grade Bleeds, Eleventh Grade Burns and the soon to be released Twelfth Grade Kills.

Books 1-4 will be released throughout August in Australia. Book 5 will be released October 2010.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer

Title: The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
Series: An Eclipse Novella
Author: Stephenie Meyer

Release Date: 5th June 2010

My Rating: 3/5

Bree Tanner can barely remember life before she had uncannily powerful senses, superhuman reflexes and unstoppable physical strength. Life before she had a relentless thirst for blood...life before she became a vampire.

All Bree knows is that living with her fellow newborns has few certainties and even fewer rules: watch your back, don't draw attention to yourself and, above all, make it home by sunrise or die. What she doesn't know: her time as an immortal is quickly running out.

Then Bree finds an unexpected friend in Diego, a newborn just as curious as Bree about their mysterious creator, who they know only as her. As they come to realise that the newborns are pawns in a game larger than anything they could have imagined, Bree and Diego must choose sides and decide who to trust. But when everything you know about vampires is based on a lie, how do you find the truth?

Die-hard fans of the Twilight series will not be disappointed with this short story spin-off from the third book in the series, Eclipse. For those of you who do not remember, Bree was the newborn vampire at the end of Eclipse who Carlisle gave the option of surrendering after the fight with the other Seattle newborns. Meyer had originally written this short story as a piece to be included in her yet to be released Official Twilight Saga Guide. Upon completing the novella, it was discovered it was far too long to include in the guide and it was suggested it be released as a separate title. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner was released world-wide on the 5th June to mixed reactions. It will also be available for a limited time from 7th June to 5th July to read for free online. You can find it here.

I had mixed reactions after finishing it. I was really interested in reading about the newborn vampires, their habits and exploits, but once we got up to the part where Bree comes into contact with the Cullens, my interest was lost. I think this was because I already knew what was going to happen and while I know the point was to see it from Bree's perspective, all I discovered was how sorry I felt for her. I think what I would have preferred was the release of a story about a newborn, with no mention of the Cullens. Bree is a very likeable character and there could have been a great novel created using her, rather than wasting that character on someone who ends up dead. I also loved the introduction of the character Fred and would have enjoyed reading how his story evolved.

My other gripe was with all the hype in Eclipse about how terrible newborns are. The ones in the novella weren't really that violent. Sure, they killed people, but I was expecting more.

Maybe I'm over Twilight. Maybe I just don't like the idea of anything trying to attach itself to the four Twilight books...or maybe I really would have just liked a completely separate book using the characters of Bree and Fred, or even Fred's own story, with NO mention of the Cullens...

Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

Title: Spirit Bound
Series: Vampire Academy Book 5
Author: Richelle Mead

Release Date: 18th May 2010

My Rating: 5/5

After a long and heartbreaking journey to Siberia, Dimitri's birthplace, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir's - and to her best friend Lissa Dragomir. It's graduation, and the girls can't wait for their real lives outside of the academy's cold iron gates to finally begin. But even with the intrigue and excitement of court life looming, Rose's heart still aches for Dimitri. He's out there, somewhere.

She failed to kill him when she had the chance, and now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and she knows in her heart that he is hunting her. And if Rose won't join him, he won't rest until he has silenced her...forever.

But Rose can't forget what she learned on her journey - whispers of a magic too impossible and terrifying to comprehend. A magic inextricably tied to Lissa that could hold the answer to all of Rose's prayer's, but not without devastating consequences. Now Rose will have to decide what - and who - matters most to her. And in the end, is true love really worth the price?

Oh My God! The wait is finally over and I expected Spirit Bound to be good, but I didn't expect it too blow me away! I have only ever once before given a book a 5/5 rating and this has just become my second. Fans of the series will not be disappointed! Every book in the Vampire Academy series gets more exciting, thrilling and addictive than the last and Richelle Mead is a force to be reckoned with.

I don't want to ruin the ending for others (although if you would like to chat about spoilers please feel free to contact me) but I will say it that at the end of page 489, you will be desperate for the 6th, and final, book Last Sacrifice (released 14th December 2010). If you haven't already started this series, do yourself a favour and go get the first book, Vampire Academy, and clear the rest of your day as you will not be able to put it down. This is the best YA vampire series around (yes better than Twilight and Evernight, etc).

Hourglass by Claudia Gray

Title: Hourglass
Series: Evernight Book 3
Author: Claudia Gray

Release Date: 9 February 2010 (Australia)

My Rating: 4/5

Bianca has found refuge again with the Black Cross, and she and Lucas work desperately to keep her secret. In this company, being a vampire is a death sentence, and the two of them live and train alongside the hunters without anyone noticing her increasing need for blood. Even though she's with the boy she loves more than anyone else in the world, Bianca can't help worrying about the family and friends she left behind.

Caught between three feuding worlds, it's starting to feel as though she'll never be entirely at peace again. When another betrayal puts the lovers in mortal danger once more, they realise that all they truly have is one another. But with the secret of Bianca's birth taking hold, not even Lucas can help her win her toughest fight.

I really liked Hourglass with more excitement, action and changes in the world of Bianca and Lucas. I'm not so sure I like what happens in the last few chapters, I will have to wait for 'Afterlife' to come out before my verdict is in.