The Passage

Title: The Passage by Justin Cronin
Genre: Paranormal, Fiction
Rating:3/5

When a government experiment to improve human cellular regeneration goes horribly wrong, a nightmare beyond all imagining is released on the world. As civilization falls, one young girl is sheltered by an FBI agent who is haunted by his role in the catastrophe. But her survival is only the first step in much longer journey, one that will span decades, to bring an end to creatures that never should have existed.

The Passage by Justin Cronin is beautifully written and just brimming with vivid imagery. Cronin's talent with the written word is evident from the very first page.

As one of the most talked about books in North America last summer, I've been waiting months to read The Passage. At more than 750 pages it was obviously going to be a longer read, but until I actually started it, I didn't realize how truly dense the story was going to be. The book begins with several different story lines that slowly weave together until they join at the point where the experiment subjects break free of the compound. Unfortunately, this does mean that the first third of the book feels a lot like backstory and that the main storyline doesn't begin until 250 pages in, when we're presented with a whole new cast of characters.

This isn't the type of vampire story that's been popular for the last few years. These vampires aren't the friendly, vegetarian vampires of Twilight, but brutal and gruesome killers. In fact, with the virus-like way in which the vampirism spreads, the book is actually a really interesting combination of the vampire myth with the modern-day zombie apocalypse. And Cronin's writing style is very much in the vein of Stoker's Dracula - it's a literary, Gothic epic.

Although I was really intrigued by Cronin's idea, I wasn't captivated by the story itself. I had no problem putting the book down when other things came up, and I probably wouldn't have finished as quickly had I not been commuting at the time. Moreover, there's no true ending to the book as Cronin intends this to be the first book in a trilogy.

Although I wasn't overwhelmed but the book, I do recommend The Passage to other readers, particularly those interested in darker literature. As for me, I'm waiting to give the next book in the trilogy a try.

The Radleys

Title: The Radleys by Matt Haig
Genre: Fiction, Paranormal
Rating: 3/5

The Radleys appear to be your average family in a small, quiet English village. But they have a secret, one that not even their son and daughter know. They're vampires, abstaining from their dark desires so that their children can lead safe and normal lives. Until the shocking events of one horrifying night make it all impossible.

I found it really interesting that Haig took the idea of vegetarian vampires (a popular concept thanks to Twilight) to a whole new level by having the Radleys abstain from blood completely. I especially enjoyed the side effects he attributed to their lack of blood; Clara's poor sight and ill health and Rowan's terrible rash. But as a complement to this twist on the regular vampire story, Haig's kept a lot of the other parts of the mythology; the weakness to direct sunlight, garlic and stakes through the heart.

I also really enjoyed the notion that the community bottles vampire blood like wine so that they no longer need to hunt humans like they once did. And I found the quotes from the Abstainer's Handbook hilarious. They seem to be advising vampires to not only act human but to become the most boring individuals imaginable. Only don't imagine anything because that road leads to temptation.

I did find that there was a little too much going on, and not all of the storylines that popped up seem to develop or conclude. In particular, the flirtation and possibility of an affair between Peter and the wife next door felt unnecessary and didn't really seem to go anywhere.

The Radleys is an extremely quick and easy read (most of the chapters are only a couple pages long) and one that many will enjoy.

Thanks to Free Press for the review copy of The Radleys. The views expressed above are my own. For more information on The Radleys, check out the Simon & Schuster website.

The Reckoning

Title: The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Fiction, YA, Paranormal
Rating: 5/5

Two weeks ago, Chloe Saunders was your average fifteen-year-old girl. Then she started seeing ghosts. Now she's on the run from the corporation that experimented on her as a child and is attempting to cover up what they see as their mistakes. And the only people she can trust are the other three teenage paranormals who are running with her.

I absolutely loved The Reckoning. I admit that I'm a bit biased because I think Kelley Armstrong's a fantastic writer, but I was completely captivated by the story. All that suspense and action, I couldn't put it down.

I really enjoyed the character development over the trilogy, which was rounded out in this book. Chloe, Derek, Simon and Tori have all gained increased control over their powers, though it's less noticeable with Simon. Derek's still over-protective but he tries to listen to the others' opinions and to think before he flips out. Tori's probably grown the most, having come to some unpleasant realizations about her family. She's no longer the spoiled brat that she was to start and she's willing do her part to help out.

I don't really have anything negative to say about the book. The only thing I found disappointing was that we didn't really see any of the characters of Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series. Perhaps that will come. Armstrong's kicking off a new YA trilogy in April with The Gathering and I can't wait to read it.

I have to say that The Darkest Powers trilogy is probably one of the best YA paranormal series that I've read since I started reading the genre in the mid-1990s. I completely recommend The Reckoning. But make sure to read The Summoning and The Awakening first. You don't want to miss the setup.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

Title: The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephanie Meyer
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal, Novella
Rating: 4/5

From Little, Brown: Fans of The Twilight Saga will be enthralled by this riveting story of Bree Tanner, a character first introduced in Eclipse, and the darker side of the newborn vampire world she inhabits. In another irresistible combination of danger, mystery, and romance, Stephenie Meyer tells the devastating story of Bree and the newborn army as they prepare to close in on Bella Swan and the Cullens, following their encounter to its unforgettable conclusion.

As a fan of the Twilight Saga, I knew I was going to read The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner but after the cracktasticness of Breaking Dawn I wasn't sure what to expect. Luckily, Stephanie Meyer seems to have returned to the more polished writing of her earlier books. It was intriguing to see how a more traditional vampire, one that hunts humans, fits in the Twilight world and to see Bella from the POV of a vampire other than Edward. The Bree of this novella is less animalistic than the one in Eclipse. She befriends another new vampire named Diego, is suspicious of their unnamed creator and avoids confrontation with the other new vampires rather than participating in the in-fighting. I also found it interesting to see how Victoria used superstitions about vampires in order to control her new army. Each morning they returned to the coven before sunrise for fear of its effects.

I really enjoyed The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner and would recommend it to fans and non-fans alike. Bree won me over within pages, and despite knowing what would happen, I found the ending bittersweet and wished it could end another way. Rumour has it that Meyer may be writing other books based on minor characters in the Twilight Saga and I'll definitely read them if she does, particularly if Freaky Fred gets his own book.

Soulless

Title: Soulless by Gail Carriger
Genre: Fiction, Paranormal, Romance, Steampunk
Rating: 4/5

In a Victorian London populated with werewolves, vampires and ghosts, there is only one being that can negate their supernatural powers. Alexia Tarabotti is a preternatural, a person without a soul, and when she accidentally kills a newly turned vampire, she becomes embroiled in the investigation of the mysterious appearances and disappearances of other vampires. And she must face an enemy crueler than she can imagine.

Soulless is the best paranormal novel I've read in ages. It was nice to read something a little different after all the recent paranormal novels set in modern-day. The writing was a little rough for the first thirty pages or so while Carriger figured out her characters and style, but after that I couldn't put it down. The combination of the paranormal, steampunk and Victorian romance genres was intriguing. I especially enjoyed the idea that the success of the British Empire was due in large part to the accepted presence of werewolves and vampires in society. Soulless is a book that I'd recommend to a variety of readers. And I can't wait to read the sequel, Changeless, which is out on March 31.

Dead Until Dark

Title: Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
Genre: Fiction, Horror, Romance
Rating: 4/5

Synopsis from Penguin:

Sookie Stackhouse is just a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. Until the vampire of her dreams walks into her life - and one of her coworkers checks out...

Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend isn't such a bright idea.

I hate to admit it but I put off reading Dead Until Dark and its sequels for a long time because I wasn't a fan of the covers. The artwork just wasn't my style. That was most definitely a mistake. I really enjoyed Dead Until Dark. I truly liked Sookie; she's caring, charming and sentimental. Most importantly, I didn't find her annoying like I have some of the other first-person narrators in vampire and supernatural books.

The book is a real page-turner, following the mystery of the murders and the romance between Sookie and Vampire Bill. There are also several minor plotlines going on throughout involving the secondary characters. As this was the first book in the series, it understandably focused on Sookie and Vampire Bill for the most part. Hopefully the later books in the series will expand on some of the secondary characters. I'd particularly love to see more of Bubba.

I'd definitely recommend Dead Until Dark to any paranormal lover. I've already leant my copy of the book to a friend and mentioned it to several others.

Over the Moon

Title: Over the Moon by Angela Knight, MaryJanice Davidson, Virginia Kantra and Sunny
Genre: Fiction, Paranormal Romance, Short Stories
Rating: 3/5

From the back cover: "Three beloved bestselling superstars and one exciting new voice in paranormal romance come together in an anthology of startling seduction.
"Experience the lure of the moon..."

Over the Moon was a decent book overall, I didn't hate it but I also didn't love it. The first story, "Moon Dance" by Angela Knight was good. I liked her writing style though I found the whole daughter running away from overbearing father to the protection of the strong newcomer a little cliched. "Between the Mountain and the Moon" by Virginia Kantra was also good and I'm pretty sure its a sequel to another short story I've already read. I found the main character a little annoying and oblivious at points but I was rooting for her in the end. I was surprised when I realised that I liked "Driftwood" by MaryJanice Davidson. I've read a book by her before and wasn't quite sold on her style. Frankly I'm still not, but I found her main characters hilarious and endearing and I would definitely read a book that focuses on them. The last story in the book, "Mona Lisa Three" by Sunny, didn't work for me at all. Truthfully, it read like a poor imitation of Laurell K. Hamilton's writing, and it seems to fall more under the "erotica" genre than paranormal romance. I did enjoy some of the secondary characters though. In the end, Over the Moon is a book that I'd suggest borrowing from the library or a friend if you like one of the authors but don't spend your money on it.