Book: Bite Club by Rachel Caine
Published by: NAL, May 3 2011
Genre: Young Adult
Format/pages: Hardcover 340 pages / Audio book 10 hrs. 25 mins.
Format read/Source: Audiobook via Audible.com
Date read: May 18 2011
Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars
In this tenth installment of the Morganville Vampire series, Shane gets himself into a heap of trouble. He joins the new gym in town and gets involved in a human/vampire fight club. Shane is glamored into joining the fight club, but his vampire killing impulses make him an easy recruit. He alienates himself from his friends as he gets sucked into fighting these high stakes matches. The baddies behind these Immortal Battles need to be taken down in order to save the town and Shane’s life.
The Morganville vampire series always delivers a new fun adventure in a town where humans and vampires coexist. There is always a new villain to kill or problem to solve for Claire Danvers and her friends. We are near the end of the series, with only two more books planned. While I enjoyed the perfectly titled Bite Club, it was not my favorite of the series, and I did not like it as well as the last book, Ghost Town. The tone is a bit darker this time around and did not have the familiar blend of humor, fun and action as in previous books.
Shane’s journey to the dark side and separation from the group dragged down the first half of the book for me. Shane does get a chance to share his POV in this book, and it is obvious he is suffering a lot as he battles his internal demons. It’s interesting to get Shane’s POV, but in a way I think the book would have worked just as well without it.
On the bright side, Myrnin, the eccentric vampire, really shines in this book. He plays a bigger role and is protective of Claire as she tries to solve the latest crisis in Morganville. The characters really make this series, and I’m still enjoying following Claire and her friends Michael, Eve and Shane on their crazy adventures. Along with Myrnin, Amelie, Oliver, the dreaded Monica Morrell, and other familiar characters make an appearance in the book.
Bite Club delivers a different side of Shane along with some insight into other favorite characters. Fans of the series will want to read Bite Club to get the latest Morganville fix and dose of Myrnin. Even though this wasn’t my favorite of the series, there are still many hints and questions in this book that gave me pause to consider where the series may be headed. I’m in it until the end and anxious to read the next book, Last Breath, due out November 1 2011.
I listened to this book in audio format, and the narrator Cynthia Holloway does a great job as always nailing the voice of the characters. If you haven’t listened to this series in audio format, give it a try sometime.
For more information:
Morganville website| Amazon | Goodreads | Audible