Review: Midnight Bites by Rachel Caine

Midnight Bites by Rachel Caine
Publisher- NAL
Released- March 1st 2016
Pre-Order- Amazon / B & N

New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine presents a collection of stories—including six new tales—featuring the little Texas town that’s overrun by the undead. WELCOME TO MORGANVILLE. YOU’LL NEVER WANT TO LEAVE.
By day, Morganville, Texas, is just a typical college town. By night, the vampires emerge and take control....In a town where it’s not safe to be out after dark, student Claire Danvers and her friends have had their fair share of thrills. But Morganville still has a few secrets left to tell.Now, in this collection, you can venture down the town’s strange streets, revisit all the tales you’ve come to love, and experience six new stories featuring your favorite Morganville residents—both human and vampire...

My Thoughts:
Wow, the memories guys! The Morganville series has a very special place in my heart. It's the kind of escape where you never want to stop reading, miss it when it's over and crave for the next book. Rachel Caine has written 15 books in this world and then I had to say goodbye, so you can imagine my crazed reaction when I found out that she's not quite done with this extraordinary universe!

Now before I begin, I'd like to say that there is a reason I don't read very many novellas or anthology's. I always, and I mean always, want more. I'm a greedy little reader and want the big books to pour myself into, but this book is different and truly a wonderful treat to any existing Morganville fans or new readers.

Midnight Bites, is a collection of 22 short stories, 16 of which were previously released and 6 brand new material to sink our teeth in. I really loved that that each story is in order of the timelines within the series and that Caine introduces each story with her thoughts. I remembered a lot of the stories from before, but there are a few I had forgotten about and it was a really blast to come back to this world. Myrnin still holds the record for most zany and eccentric character I've ever had the pleasure of reading and I can't believe how much I've missed this wacky vampire. Sam's story made me sad, but of course it had nothing to do with his chapter. It was cool to find a story about Hannah Moses but the best parts would still have to go to my favorite foursome and the heart of the Morganville series, Shane, Claire, Michael and Eve's stories. Ah, I've missed my friends. These guys still have the best connections and chemistry and when reading about them (old and new) it felt like it never ended. My favorite story was a new one called, Pitch-black Blues, it's a Shane/ Myrnin story ('nuff said) but it was so fun to see Shane and Myrnin working together, or well, trying to. Given the history here I think they've come a long way but it was also so wonderful to see that after a year, Shane and Claire are still happily married and they still do stupid things to my heart.

Bottom line, I loved this book. Midnight Bites is the perfect collection and a must have for any Morganville fans new or old. It makes me feel sad and happy to have read this but one thing is for sure, it's still the most funnest times I ever had reading a book and I still have hopes that Caine will come back to this universe one day and give us all another round of thrills, chills, friends, action and romance. It's still very much a place, I never want to leave! Beautifully done. 

Find the author:
Goodreads / Website                                  5 Snowflakes

Review & Interview: Ink and Bone (The Great Library, #1) by Rachel Caine

Today on WinterHaven Books we have the amazing Rachel Caine with us!!  She has graciously answered a few of my questions and I have to say her answers are some of my favorites ever!  Take a look!

1. Ink and Bone really made me think about how it is more common now to see someone reading an electronic device rather than holding a physical book. Do you think your story could become a somewhat reality for our world later in the future?
I don't think it will ever become a complete reality; print will always have a place, especially since data, by its very natural, is even more ephemeral and subject to destruction. Plus, we have printed books, reproduced and available, so I don't think the situation of the Great Library will be quite the same. But I do foresee a possibility that a monolithic retailer like Amazon will drive print bookstores to the brink, then (as they already are doing) seek to force publishing companies out as well, to control authors directly. Once that happens, and we have one "outlet" for our work ... anything can happen.
I'm not saying Amazon is evil. I'm saying that competition is always good for creators.

2. Your story was very dark at times and I personally loved it. Will the future books in the series stay with the same dark tone?
Yes, very likely. Jess's situation is that he is seeing the dark side of the Library, and though we will also see the bright side, the one full of passionate idealists and bravery, there's no doubt he's up against enemies willing to go to any extreme to preserve their power, under the guise of the good of everyone. I can't see that's going to be easy.

3. Who was your favorite character to write?
I go back and forth, but I love a good, snarky character. Jess has his own brand of sarcasm, which I love, but Scholar Wolfe definitely has them all beat for that particular acidic brand of humor. So I love him as well.

4. I am completely heartbroken over the ending! Did you know from the beginning how things would turn out the way they did for each character?
It was a hard choice, but I did know, and though I knew it would give the book a real darkness, I felt it really was necessary to take the characters all the way to the edge. Without giving anything away, though, there are still some surprises to come in Book 2.

5.You created a mind blowing and intricate world. How much research and planning did you do throughout your writing process?
It's a story about 10 years in the making, quite honestly, though for about 9 years of it, it was shiftless and lazy and unformed. I had elements but no unifying idea. It wasn't until 2013 that I really began to put the pieces together, and realized I had a lot of work to do to make this very different world credible, but also convey it in ways that didn't distract the reader too much from the story. So I crafted it over time, and at each point, I kept altering and refining my choices so that the world developed naturally from the decisions the Library itself made. You have to really shape the world around the points of power, and what people will do to hang onto it, so that helped me create the world in which Jess lives.

Thank you very much for these wonderful questions, and I hope you enjoy the rest of Jess's epic adventure!

Rachel

Rachel thank you so much for stopping by!!  This is truly a highlight of my blogging career!  I can't wait to see more of Jess! 

Ink and Bone (The Great Library, #1) by Rachel Caine

Publisher: NAL

Release Date: July 7th, 2015

Purchase: Amazon

Find Rachel: Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

In an exhilarating new series, New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine rewrites history, creating a dangerous world where the Great Library of Alexandria has survived the test of time.…

Ruthless and supremely powerful, the Great Library is now a presence in every major city, governing the flow of knowledge to the masses. Alchemy allows the Library to deliver the content of the greatest works of history instantly—but the personal ownership of books is expressly forbidden.

Jess Brightwell believes in the value of the Library, but the majority of his knowledge comes from illegal books obtained by his family, who are involved in the thriving black market. Jess has been sent to be his family’s spy, but his loyalties are tested in the final months of his training to enter the Library’s service.

When he inadvertently commits heresy by creating a device that could change the world, Jess discovers that those who control the Great Library believe that knowledge is more valuable than any human life—and soon both heretics and books will burn.…

My thoughts:
Ink and Bone was such a unique read.  Going in I was super excited because the premise sounded absolutely amazing and I am very happy to report that my expectations were totally met and exceeded.

This story is about books which for any reader is well awesome.  In the beginning we learn that Jess works for his family and is a smuggler of rare books. He hides them underneath his clothes and runs routes to his customers.  If caught the punishment is death because all books must stay in the Library. If you have a Codex (an electronic device) you can read just about any book, but people crave the feel of a real book an sometimes go to extreme measures to get their hands on them.  Jess knows this is a dangerous business so when his Dad says he has to go to the Library as part of their program to hopefully secure a job he's somewhat relieved.  Even though he knows he will still have to help his family and that his dad does have ulterior motives, he still wants to go because he loves books.  What happens isn't what he expected and by the end being inside the Library might be just as dangerous as being on the outside.

I will say that while reading this I did get a George R.R. Martin feeling because every time I turned around the cast of characters dwindled.  Rachel Caine is fearless in her writing and honestly I'm a little scared to pick up the sequel.  As with most dystopianish books there are always causalities and usually I am okay with them, but with this story I just don't want to lose anybody else. Jess and his crew are so special and it will truly break my heart of anything happens to them.  I know things will happen though because Caine proved she will do what she needs to, but man I'm terrified.  This won't deter me from reading the sequel though. I have to know what happens!!

The characters were just amazing.  I loved Jess and Morgan especially.  They both did what they had to at times and at others they acted human.  I am really rooting for them even though I know it will be a long road for them after that ending.  I also adored Wolfe and Santi.  They were the adults in the story and they acted like them which I appreciated.  I honestly would love a prequel so I could see why they are the way they are.  I have a feeling their back stories will come out in later books though and that will work too.

Rachel Caine's writing was also phenomenal.  This book was around 360 pages and while it did feel long everything flowed.  When I say it felt long that's not a bad thing.  I love getting lost in books and I find that sometimes books that are around 300 go too quickly.  Ink and Bone was not one of these books.  It is rich in story and very vivid with details.  I loved that it took me an extra few days to finish.  This story deserved the extra time.   

I was truly amazed with this story.  Rachel Caine really made me think that maybe our world will come to this type of future.  Not the magic of course, but the whole smuggling physical copies of books.  Electronic devices are so huge now that I wonder if somewhere in the not to distant future this could be our reality.  If it is I am truly frightened. 

Wonderful story that had me grasping for breath!

4.5 snowflakes

 

Review: Daylighters by Rachel Caine

Daylighters by Rachel Caine
Publisher-Penguin Group (NAL)
Released- Nov 5th 203
Purchase- Amazon / B & N

While Morganville, Texas, is often a troubled town, Claire Danvers and her friends are looking forward to coming home. But the Morganville they return to isn’t the one they know; it’s become a different place—a deadly one…Something drastic has happened in Morganville while Claire and her friends were away. The town looks cleaner and happier than they’ve ever seen it before, but when their incoming group is arrested and separated—vampires from humans—they realize that the changes definitely aren’t for the better.It seems that an organization called the Daylight Foundation has offered the population of Morganville something they’ve never had: hope of a vampire-free future. And while it sounds like salvation—even for the vampires themselves—the truth is far more sinister and deadly.Now, Claire, Shane and Eve need to find a way to break their friends out of Daylighter custody, before the vampires of Morganville meet their untimely end

My Thoughts:

I was late to the party when the first Morganville book came out back in 2006. I ended up reading the first book, Glass House, four years later, in 2010, quickly fell in love with it and proceeded to read the next eight books in the series. With ever addition I became head-over-heals addicted and couldn't wait to dive back into my beloved town filled with the most witty characters, bone-chilling vampires and crazy action. So, I write this review with a heavy heart. Fifteen books later and my beloved Morganville is over. Even though I was ready to let them go, I will never forget the amazing experience I had with this escape. It was a place, I indeed, never wanted to leave.

Daylighters starts off minutes after Fall of Night ends. There is a new boss in town and he’s cleaning up all the imperfections by repairing old buildings and houses and taking out any trash he finds along the way. Which are namely, Vampires. It’s up to Claire, Shane and Eve to find a way to stop Fallon and the Daylighters foundation and get back their friends in a heart-pumping, pulse-pounding and action-packed finale that screams Morganville style!!

Since this is the last book, I don’t like to give out any spoils, so all I’m gonna say is that I love that this book delivered all kinds of awesome. Caine gave us one last explosive hurrah in this fast-paced, twisty and intriguing conclusion in the Morganville series. I love the hellhound’s idea and how it affected a couple of these characters. I though I saw it all in these books, but leave it to Caine to give us one more paranormal goodie one last time. I also love that Caine gave us a little surprise in this book. I never thought it could happen, or well, be possible and I kept thinking how brilliant of a move it was and very well played for the final book. I feel so blue. There are just so many of my favorite series ending and it feels like I have nothing to look forward to anymore. I know it’s not true and it’s just the sadness talkin’, but it’s just so odd to imagine that I won’t be picking up another Morganville book next year. Claire, Shane, Michael, Eve and Myrnin were some of my all time favorite characters ever written. I can’t even express how much I will truly miss them.

There is a something Oliver said to Claire in this book that stayed with me;

“You know, you are not the mousy little thing I met that morning in Common Grounds,” he said. “You've become something else entirely. It’s to your credit, but it’s also extremely inconvenient.”
Now, this quote is really saying something when you have someone like Oliver who actually recognizes how much Claire has grown in this book. She has become a very strong, independent and fierce friend and ally. Be gone is the girl who let Monica Morrell push her around and is replaced by a character that has faced endless maddening challenges, and comes out of each experience with her head a little higher and her skills-both in mind and body- a little more kickass. I've never been prouder.
Shane has had many bumps along the road in this series, but one thing that’s never truly wavered was his loyalty to his friends and his love for Claire. He may have acted like an asshat on occasion and may still be a punk, but he’s my punk and he will always own a piece of my heart.
Eve and Michael deserve all kinds of happiness and I’m glad that they got to do it right in the end. And last but not least, my beloved crazy-ass bipolar Vampire, Myrnin. I've always adored Myrnin’s eccentric behavior and will miss his flip-flops, vampire bunny slippers and his pet Bob-the-spider. He’s been one of the most entertaining and corky character that I've ever read and as crazy as it sounds, I think I’ll miss him the most.

I really don’t know what else to say, expect that these books will be forever loved and missed. I will always treasure the friendship between Claire, Shane, Eve and Michael. They have some of the best chemistry, banter and wit that never failed to put a smile on my face or dip my stomach in butterflies. I can’t even count how many times I've reached for these books when ever I have readers-block and I’m sure I’ll still visit these old friends the next time that happens.
I hate to say good-bye to Morgaville, but I’m happy with the way it ends. With hope and happiness and Tacos;) Congrats and thanks to Rachel Caine for bringing us thrills, chills, laughter, friends and romance in the world of Vampires. They will never be forgotten.

Find the author:
Goodreads / Website                                4.5 Snowflakes