Yes ok there has been a bit of a trend for a while now for vampire novels with a strong willed girl in lead who is psychic/newly a vamp/whatever and who catches the eye of the head vamps because she refuses to conform. So there are lots of these sort of novels around at the moment, to which I say great. If it's trendy then yeah, there will be more bad ones about, but there will also be more good ones and face it Vampires are always the "new black".
In Some Girls Bite, Merit has been attacked and as a result changed into a vamp to save her life, Vamps have recently come out in public and there is an uneasy peace for now. Ok, so far so nothing new. We have vamp loving goth house mate, hot vamp leader, werewolf with a crush on the leading lady, it's all pretty standard. Except, and it's a big one.. it's very well written, entertaining and a bit more grown up than these things usually are.
Merit is 27 and a grad student, she is stubborn and strong willed but not stupid or sulky and not deliberately defiant, she's just angry about being turned against her will. She steps up quickly to protect the people she cares about and those she's bound to.
That little bit of extra maturity adds a lot to the novel, giving it a gravity that a lot of the YA books in this theme can't quite offer. There is also an interesting relationship to blood, these vamps are essentially still alive so they can eat and drink whatever, but blood is required every couple of days. Most houses in the States have opted not to drink from humans in order to avoid reminding humans how vulnerable they are and rocking the boat, but Merit is changed by a House that feeds.
There is the usual thread of romance between Merit and the head vamp and there is a little Mr Darcy & Lizzie about that situation, suitable for the Eng Lit obsessive that Merit is.
It's a strong start to what will hopefully be a mature and well developed series, with some solid characters and a nice balance of fun and seriousness. Merit is well considered, her human troubles remaining with her in her new life.
I'm looking forward to getting my hands on Friday Night Bites and i'm glad I eventually caved and bought this. I was put off for a while by the cover, which doesn't do much for me to be honest.
2 comments:
Have seen this book here and there, but I really liked your review and you've conviced me to pick up a copy! Agree that this type of book seems to be a trend right now, but good to know that this is one of the good ones. Thanks!
Yup and the good ones are really good.
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