Biblio Vampire by Robert Curran

Written by OBS Staff Member Katie

Summary: They sleep in coffins. They cast no shadows and show no reflection in mirrors. They drink blood—and as every reader will certainly recognize by now, they are Vampires! Horror movie fans and dedicated lovers of gothic tales will want a copy of this spine-chilling volume. An opening section presents a general description of vampires, offers tips to readers on how to spot them—and most important, tells how to avoid them. But to become a true vampire expert, readers must go to the book’s second section, which defines eight different vampire types.

For instance, there is the Sampiro Vampire of Albania, who wears a corpse’s shroud and totters around on high heels. And from Scandinavia we encounter Draugr Vampires, who guard stockpiles of gold in their stinking nests until nightfall, when they roam the earth in search of human prey. The book’s lengthy final section is a compilation of spooky vampire tales collected from around the world. The terror-inducing text is complemented with more than 100 creepy illustrations in full color—though mostly, in appropriately dark and shadowy hues.

Review:
When I received Biblio Vampire I was very excited to see that it was a relatively big book. It has an awesome cover and the design on all the pages looked very professional. I was very impressed by how well made the book was.

Now on to the content of the book. I had read another book similar a few months ago and this book puts the other one to shame. Everything was very well organized unlike the other one. At first while reading I was a little bit confused because the author would name different vampires and talk about things they did and I knew nothing about these vampires. And I was lost, but then the next chapter went and broke down each vampire and it cleared up the stuff from the last chapter.

The whole section on ‘types of vampires’ was great. I really learned a lot about the different kinds and how to know if I run in to one before. 

But what I really enjoyed was the chapter called ‘Vampire Tales’. It wasn’t overly detailed, just enough that I could take the names that they gave me and I could look up more info if I wanted. Which will really help me with the senior research paper I will be writing this year.

At the end of the book they had a map with listings of all the places that are known for vampires. Then there were some fun cheesy test you could take. Yes I called the cheesy, but they where still cute.

The only thing I wish books like this would have our some ‘scientific proof’ of vampires. I mean I know that there isn’t actual proof that supernatural beings a exist, but I know that there has to be some kind of information on scientist finding skulls or anything else that could hint at supernatural beings.

Laurell K. Hamilton
Kiss of Shadows

Brought to you by OBS Member Deannerenee

Summary:
My name is Meredith Gentry, but of course it’s not my real name. I dare not even whisper my true name after dark for fear that one hushed word will travel over the night winds to the soft ear of my aunt, the Queen of the Air and Darkness. She wants me dead. I don’t even know why.”

Meredith Gentry, Princess of the high court of Faerie, is posing as a human in Los Angeles, living as a P.I. specializing in supernatural crime. But now the Queen’s assassin has been dispatched to fetch her back–whether she likes it or not. Suddenly Meredith finds herself a pawn in her dreaded aunt’s plans. The job that awaits her: enjoy the constant company of the most beautiful immortal men in the world. The reward: the crown–and the opportunity to continue to live. The penalty for failure: death.
Source:

Review:

This is the first book in the Meredith Gentry series and I really liked it. It is the first series I’ve read that had to do with the Fae, so I was unsure of what to expect. When I started reading the book, I was prepared not to like it, but to my surprise I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The author did well in explaining the background without being too much and too boring. The characters were defined and you knew who and what they are.

The book is about deceit, murder, sex, and (I think) love. Unlike Laurell K. Hamilton’s other series, Anita Blake, which started out good then developed into a guilty sex fest, this book had no hidden or closet sex. It was established early in the book that they are very sexual beings and that they have no problem using sex to further their means.

What I do find interesting, the men are celibate (not by choice) where as the women (the Queen and then Merry) are the ones who dictate as to how, what, when and if they get to have sex.

I am looking forward to the next book and seeing what happens with Merry and Doyle (the Queens Darkness). I think that in this book we see that he is more that her assassin, and he wants to be more. We shall see.

Brought to by OBS staff member Annabell Cadiz

Synopsis:

Luella, fierce, strong vampire,
Falls for a pretty human catch
Sent on her fiance’s desire
To celebrate they are engaged.
This unexpected turnabout
Is doomed to come to a dead end:
Her human sweetheart’s dead to shroud;
Her fiance’s avenged for that;

And she is punished for blood treason,
Banished into a mortal child,
Whose human body is a prison
For all her powers to bind.

Her memories obliterated,
She is to find her love at last
Who proves to be too much related
To the misfortunes from her past.

Still need a bit of a break down to help you understand what the heck this book is about? Don’t worry you aren’t alone! I will be glad to offer you a glimpse of understanding.

Ordeal is unique because although it is considered a book, it’s written as a lyrical poem.

Ordeal is a story of a girl named Allison. The story opens with Allison dreaming of the birth of a child and waking up feeling as if it was more a memory than a dream. Allison goes on a hiking trip one day and ends up falling into a river because she’s day dreaming. Her savior comes in the form of a man who disappears just as suddenly as he saves her. Allison then starts dreaming of this mysterious man. She starts seeing him everywhere. She feels as if she already knows this man, as if they belong together. The years pass and Allison continues to dream of the man but never sees him again.

Read more here and join us on the forum to discuss Ordeal.

The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor

Brought to you by OBS Staff Member Sophie

“You think you know the true story of Alice in Wonderland? Well think again…Alyss is destined to become Queen of Wonderland, until her parents are murdered. She flees to the safety in our world. Years pass, now it is time to return.”

When my friend handed me this book and told me I would love it, I was not 100% sure if it was my thing. I am a huge fan of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and I did not know if this story would be my cup of tea but oh how I was wrong. From the moment I started to read this novel I was hooked.

Where the story came from: Frank Beddor wrote at the beginning of the novel that he wrote the true story of Alyss after seeing an incomplete deck of cards at a display at the British Museum. The images on the cards resembled Wonderland characters and the cards them self seem to have a glow about them, Frank later went to a playing card collector who had the missing cards from the deck and told him the story of the Looking Glass Wars.

The Looking Glass Wars tells the true story of Princess Alyss Heart of Wonderland. Her seventh birthday ends in blood and tears and Princess Alyss Heart is forced to leave her best friend (the love of her life) Dodge Anders, her tutor Bibwit Harte, her recently murdered parents and the person who killed them, Alyss’s aunt Redd behind in her Queendom and flees to our world with her bodyguard Hatter Madigan by jumping though the pool of tears not knowing where it leads. Hatter Madigan and Alyss get pulled apart, Hatter Madigan popped up though a puddle in Pairs, France and Alyss popped up though a muddy puddle in Victorian London.

Alyss struggles in our world to keep her imagination alive and to prove she is from Wonderland but after being adopted by the Liddell family and meeting Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a family friend becomes the only person who has ever believed Alyss about Wonderland, he changes his name (enter Lewis Carroll) and wrote two books about Alyss even if they were very unlike her Wonderland andseems like lies. This upsets Alyss so much she puts her past behind her and grows up as Alice Liddell a proper young lady who later becomes engaged to England’s, Prince Leopold.

While Alyss has moved on from Wonderland and knows there is no way back, Hatter Madigan searches all around the world hoping to find Alyss and after thirteen years of hunting for the princess he finds out how to get back to Wonderland and finds Alyss on the night before her wedding to Prince Leopold. Mean while back in Wonderland, Alyss aunt Red has taken over the Queendom, all of the Wonderland people have been living in fear since the takeover or they have become a Alyssians, the resistance against Redd, Dodge is all grown up and still alive and fighting to get pay back.

Will Hatter Madigan get to Princess Alyss before she is married? Will they ever get back to Wonderland and back to Dodge? Or will Alyss chose to stay in our world? Will she ever become Queen and defeat Redd?

Anyone who loves Alice in Wonderland will love this even more, it puts a stop to all the nonsense. At the end you really do feel like Alyss is real and this is her true story…

Author: Jeaniene Frost
At Grave’s End – Book 3 – Night Huntress

Brought to you by OBS Staff Member Deannerenee

Summary:

Some Things Won’t Stay Buried … At Grave’s End
It should be the best time of half-vampire Cat Crawfield’s life. With her undead lover Bones at her side, she’s successfully protected mortals from the rogue undead. But though Cat’s worn disguise after disguise to keep her true identity a secret from the brazen bloodsuckers, her cover’s finally been blown, placing her in terrible danger.
As if that wasn’t enough, a woman from Bones’s past is determined to bury him once and for all. Caught in the crosshairs of a vengeful vamp, yet determined to help Bones stop a lethal magic from being unleashed, Cat’s about to learn the true meaning of bad blood. And the tricks she’s learned as a special agent won’t help her. She will need to fully embrace her vampire instincts in order to save herself – and Bones – from a fate worse than the grave.
source:

Review:

This is the 3rd installment in The Night Huntress series, and what a good 3rd book it is! Cat and Bones are epic. With so many outside forces against them there is never a dull moment! With friends at their side, they can overcome anything. With a wife out for blood and a small army on her side, the outcome is not looking very promising.

I really enjoyed this book, I like the characters Bones and Cat , as well as the other characters that are in this book. There is a great mix of action and romance.

I find this series different from most other paranormal romances because most of the other series are the same story just with different characters. But with the Night Huntress series, we know that Cat and Bones are together and that it is forever. They put each other before themselves, they work as a team, and who or what comes after them they fight it side by side. Yes, they have had their share of problems but Cat and Bones work it out and and I am sure will continue to do so.

I look forward to the 4th book, I want to know who is going to go after them and why. I want to know if Cat is going to choose to be a vampire or will she remain Human (well half-human).

This book was such a fun read. I love the quirky, snarky attitude and the doodles. I read this book in one sitting. The diary format allowed the book to flow, but you could dip in and out of it with ease.

Nigel is a typical teenage boy, who is bored, doesn’t fit in at school, thinks no-one will ever love him and is embarrassed by his parents. But, Nigel is different, his family are different. They are all vampires but not the sparkly fluffy ones we are accustomed to at present, they have fangs and they drink blood. They have urges to drink human blood. So not only does Nigel have urges for girls, but he has urges to drink their blood to contend with.

Nigel has been trapped as a 15 year old for 100 years. His little sister has more vampire powers than he does and that’s just down right embarrassing. She wants to be a princess and his parents look a bit like they stepped out of the Adams family house, cape and all.

Poor Nigel, will he ever get the girl he is lusting after?
There were so many times in which I was reading this book and laughed out loud. My hubby looking at me like I was crazy, I just had to read it aloud to him. He was then laughing along with me.

I cannot wait to hear what Nigel and Chloe do next, in the sequel to this book.

Everyone should read this book, it’s a lighthearted, fun and topical book.