Title: Peeps (Peeps #1)
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Published: August, 2005 by Penguin
Pages: 312
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

Okay, let’s clear up some myths about vampires. First of all, you won’t see me using the V-word much. In the Night Watch, we prefer the term parasite-positives, or peeps, for short. The main thing to remember is that there’s no magic involved. No flying. No transforming into bats or rats either . . .

After a chance encounter with a mysterious woman one night, Cal’s life is changed forever. He’s been infected with an insidious parasite. The good news: he’s only a carrier. The bad news: he’s infected all his former girlfriends – and now they’ve turned into what Cal calls ‘Peeps’. The rest of us know them as vampires. And it’s Cal’s job to hunt them down, before they create even more of their own kind . . .

Final Thoughts:
Not your ordinary vampires, actually they don’t like that word. Call them peeps. Bringing science into the myth, this novel treats vampirism as an infection rather than a curse. I didn’t love this as much as I wanted to, but I’m sure others will enjoy it. With a swarm of creepy rats and an unintentionally horny 19 yo guy, there’s lots of fun to be had in this.

Title: Shadow Of The Vampire
Author: Meagan Hatfield
Published: July, 2010 by Mira
Pages: 331
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

Vampire princess Alexia Feodorovna has been undead for 125 years, so it’s been awhile since any man has made her pulse race. Until Declan Black. One look at his bronzed body and a fire like no other consumes her. Then she discovers that he’s a dragon lord, come to take revenge on the vamps who killed his parents. And claim a crystal said to imbue its owner with incredible powers.

Alexia is ordered to torture and kill the dragon lord. Yet with each reckless encounter, she finds herself consumed by his fiery passion. A passion Declan battles, as well. Will he be able to resist the fire of lust she kindles within him and keep revenge in his heart? Or will he risk everything to quench the burning desire and claim the vampire as his own?

Final Thoughts:
Burning sexual desires held up the majority of the book as a captor and her prisoner are drawn together. The introduction of dragon shifters kept my interest in this erotic novel full of action and scheming. The plot is nothing to rave about, but it should keep fans of the genre happy.

Title: Old Magic
Author: Marianne Curley
Published: April, 2000 by Bloomsbury
Pages: 317
Rating:  
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Jarrod Thornton is mesmerizing,
but Kate Warren doesn’t know why.

The moment the new guy walks into the room, Kate senses something strange and intense about him. Something supernatural. Her instincts are proven correct a few minutes later when, bullied by his classmates, Jarrod unknowingly conjures up a freak thunderstorm inside their classroom.

Jarrod doesn’t believe in the paranormal. When Kate tries to convince him that he has extraordinary powers that need to be harnessed, he only puts up with her “hocus pocus” notions because he finds her captivating. However, the dangerous, uncontrolled strengthening of his gift finally convinces Jarrod that he must take Kate’s theories seriously. Together, they embark on a remarkable journey—one which will unravel the mystery that has haunted Jarrod’s family for generations and pit the teens against immense forces in a battle to undo the past and reshape the future.

Final Thoughts:
An annoyingly stubborn and funnily clumsy guy brings a sort of flat first half, full of the lots of running in circles. A surprisingly interesting second half centred on a magical curse improved my feelings as it took on a whole new direction.

Title: Evernight (Evernight #1)
Author: Claudia Gray
Published: February, 2009 by HarperTeen
Pages: 327
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

Bianca’s been uprooted from her small hometown and enrolled at Evernight Academy, an eerie Gothic boarding school where the students are somehow too perfect: smart, sleek, and almost predatory. Bianca knows she doesn’t fit in.

Then she meets Lucas. He’s not the “Evernight type” either, and he likes it that way. Lucas ignores the rules, stands up to the snobs, and warns Bianca to be careful—even when it comes to caring about him.

“I couldn’t stand it if they took it out on you,” he tells Bianca, “and eventually they would.”

But the connection between Bianca and Lucas can’t be denied. Bianca will risk anything to be with Lucas, but dark secrets are fated to tear them apart . . . and to make Bianca question everything she’s ever believed.

Final Thoughts:
A slow start to another vampire boarding school series. Stick around through the first half and it picks up the pace. There’s lots of romantic angst, but plenty of the good stuff to balance it out. Not as much vampy-ness as I would have liked, but I’m guessing that’s what book two is for.

Title: Hearts At Stake (Drake Chronicles #1)
Author: Alyxandra Harvey
Published: December, 2009 by Walker Books
Pages: 248
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

On Solange’s sixteenth birthday, she is going to wake up dead. As if that’s not bad enough, she also has to outwit her seven overprotective older brothers, avoid the politics involved with being the only daughter born to an ancient vampire dynasty, and elude Kieran Black—agent of an anti-vampire league who is searching for his father’s killer and is intent on staking Solange and her entire family. Luckily she has her own secret weapon—her human best friend Lucy—who is willing to defend Solange’s right to a normal life, whether she’s being smothered by her well-intentioned brothers or abducted by a power-hungry queen. Two unlikely alliances are formed in a race to save Solange’s eternal life—Lucy and Solange’s brother Nicholas, and Solange and Kieran Black—in a dual romance that is guaranteed to jump start any romance-lover’s heart. Even fans of the genre who’ve seen it all will find a fresh read with kick-butt characters and family dynamics that ring true for all brothers and sisters—vampire or otherwise.

Final Thoughts:
Also released as My Love Lies Bleeding in AUS/UK. Nothing ground-breakingly new to the genre, but it has plenty of action, scheming and hot vamp boys if you’re interested in a quick read.

Title: March (Conspiracy 365 #3)
Author: Gabrielle Lord
Published: March, 2010 by Scholastic
Pages: 181
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

On New Year’s Eve, Cal is chased down the street by a crazed man with a deadly warning: They killed your father. They’ll kill you. You must survive the next 365 days! Now everyone’s searching for Cal, the psycho kid who’s meant to have attacked his uncle and put his sister in a coma. He’s desperate to clear his name and protect his family, but he also has less than a year to solve an ancient family secret: the Ormond Singularity. And the closer he gets to the truth, the more dangerous his life becomes. He has 306 days. The threat is growing…

Final Thoughts:
The story is still building its web. Mystery, action and the strength of friendship. Fun light reading.

Title: February (Conspiracy 365 #2)
Author: Gabrielle Lord
Published: February, 2010 by Scholastic
Pages: 183
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

On New Year’s Eve, Callum Ormond is chased down the street by a crazed man with a deadly warning: They killed your father. They’ll kill you. You must survive the next 365 days! Now he’s on the run. The people who killed his father want him dead, and the police are chasing him for a crime he didn’t commit. A month has gone by and he’s still no nearer to solving the Ormond Riddle, the family secret that has turned his life into a nightmare. Can he trust the mysterious Winter Frey, or will she lead him further into danger? He has 334 days. The clock is ticking…

Final Thoughts:
A quick afternoon read with lots of suspense. Only lessened by the fact that there are 10 more books therefore the main character isn’t going to be bumped off just yet.