Thursday 19 August 2010

Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine (review)


Summary:
Morganville's such a nice place to live...
And die, If you don't mind
that sort of thing.

When Claire Danvers learnt that her college town was run by vampires, she did what any intelligent, self-preserving student would do: she applied for a transfer and stocked up on garlic. The transfer's no longer an option but the garlic may come in handy.

Now Claire has pledged herself to Amelie, the most powerful vampire in town. The protection her contract secures does little to reassure her friends. All of a sudden people are turning up dead, a stalker resurfaces from Claire's past, and an ancient bloodsucker extends a chilling invitation for private lessons in his secluded home.

Midnight Alley starts of where Dead Girl's Dance ends; Claire had pledged herself to Amelie to save her friends, however, she soon realises it's not what she expected it to be. As always Claire Danvers finds herself in more danger than ever before.

Amelie introduces Claire to an ancient vampire called Myrnin and instructs her to study alchemy with him. The frenzied Myrnin soon reveals to Claire a secret that could change the future of vampires and humans alike.

I'm delighted with how Claire and the rest of the gang are developing throughout the series so far. Claire is growing up in more ways that one, Michael is more responsible than ever and yet has loosened up a bit. Also, Eve has  become a tad more serious and answerable (probably because of Michael).

The one problem I have with this book, however, is Shane. I feel Shane has gone backwards in his development rather than forwards. Shane is easily provoked and now he has a 'thing' against Michael for reasons I'm not going to give away (just in case you haven't read the last book in the series). I still love Shane though; he's most girl's dream guy.

Once again, I have to mention the pace of these books. They really do engage you completely with the plot, action and all sorts of problems between each character that have to be overcome.

All in all, Midnight Alley is  a huge improvement to the last book and is full of creative, captivating plot-lines that leave you breathless in anticipation. Yet again, the book ends with a HUGE cliffhanger that kind of comes out of nowhere and would leave any reader shocked.



My Rating: 8/10

Author: Rachel Caine

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