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WVMP Radio #1
Wicked Game
LATE NIGHT RADIO YOU CAN SINK YOUR TEETH INTO
Recovering con artist Ciara Griffin is trying to live the straight life, even if it means finding a (shudder!) real job. She takes an internship at a local radio station, whose late-night time-warp format features 1940s blues, '60s psychedelia, '80s goth, and more, all with an uncannily authentic flair. Ciara soon discovers just how the DJs maintain their cred: they're vampires, stuck forever in the eras in which they were turned.
Ciara's first instinct, as always, is to cut and run. But communications giant Skywave wants to buy WVMP and turn it into just another hit-playing clone. Without the station and the link it provides to their original Life Times the vampires would "fade," becoming little more than mindless ghosts of the past. Suddenly a routine corporate takeover is a matter of life and undeath.
To boost ratings and save the lives of her strange new friends, Ciara rebrands the station as "WVMP, the Lifeblood of Rock 'n' Roll." In the ultimate con, she hides the DJs' vampire nature in plain sight, disguising the bloody truth as a marketing gimmick. WVMP becomes the hottest thing around next to Ciara's complicated affair with grunge vamp Shane McAllister. But the "gimmick" enrages a posse of ancient and powerful vampires who aren't so eager to be brought into the light. Soon the stakes are higher and the perils graver than any con game Ciara's ever played...
Recovering con artist Ciara Griffin is trying to live the straight life, even if it means finding a (shudder!) real job. She takes an internship at a local radio station, whose late-night time-warp format features 1940s blues, '60s psychedelia, '80s goth, and more, all with an uncannily authentic flair. Ciara soon discovers just how the DJs maintain their cred: they're vampires, stuck forever in the eras in which they were turned.
Ciara's first instinct, as always, is to cut and run. But communications giant Skywave wants to buy WVMP and turn it into just another hit-playing clone. Without the station and the link it provides to their original Life Times the vampires would "fade," becoming little more than mindless ghosts of the past. Suddenly a routine corporate takeover is a matter of life and undeath.
To boost ratings and save the lives of her strange new friends, Ciara rebrands the station as "WVMP, the Lifeblood of Rock 'n' Roll." In the ultimate con, she hides the DJs' vampire nature in plain sight, disguising the bloody truth as a marketing gimmick. WVMP becomes the hottest thing around next to Ciara's complicated affair with grunge vamp Shane McAllister. But the "gimmick" enrages a posse of ancient and powerful vampires who aren't so eager to be brought into the light. Soon the stakes are higher and the perils graver than any con game Ciara's ever played...
361 pages, Paperback
First published May 13, 2008
39 people are currently reading
4215 people want to read
About the author
Jeri Smith-Ready
29 books1,587 followersJeri Smith-Ready has been writing fiction since the night she had her first double espresso. A steady stream of caffeine has produced twelve published novels for teens and adults since 2001.
Jeri lives in Maryland with her husband and two cats, who often play tag-team "sit in the author's lap and keep her from writing." (The cats, that is, not the husband. Though, actually...)
Jeri lives in Maryland with her husband and two cats, who often play tag-team "sit in the author's lap and keep her from writing." (The cats, that is, not the husband. Though, actually...)
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March 1, 2022
Boy, do I have a lot of reviews to catch up on. I've been tearing through the Night Huntress series over the last few days - for the second time, of course, I've read them before - but this is the series which inspired a desire for more vampire romances. It was definitely an unexpected pleasure.
24-year-old Ciara Griffin is a former con artist and current uni student who signs up for a job at WVMP radio station. Its selling point is that it has DJs who specialise in the music of pretty much every decade from the 1940s onwards. As she quickly learns, those DJs are vampires - and vampires suffer from 'temporal adhesion', basically meaning they struggle to mentally grow out of the mores of whatever era they were changed in,
The newest DJ is 27-year-old Shane McAllister, who was changed over in 1995 (only a decade ago, in the book's time) and quickly develops a relationship with Ciara. Initially I was put off by how quickly their romance develops, but you know what? They make it work. Both Ciara and Shane are surprisingly funny people, with complementary streaks of snark I totally lapped up. Plus there are a couple of roadblocks which means they aren't declaring their love for each too quickly.
The portrayal of vampires in this series is really interesting, too. The temporal adhesion thing basically means that while they're immortal, they have a finite time before they're effectively mad. They all know it's coming for them eventually and it's surprisingly poignant. The closest thing I can remember having read before is Catherine Jinks's excellent The Reformed Vampire Support Group, where the vampires are effectively chronically ill patients.
Ciara is what makes this book: she's smart, funny, and a little subversive. The romance is great, the action fast-paced, and to top it all off there's a backdrop of 20th-century music. I enjoyed this one a lot more than I expected to.
24-year-old Ciara Griffin is a former con artist and current uni student who signs up for a job at WVMP radio station. Its selling point is that it has DJs who specialise in the music of pretty much every decade from the 1940s onwards. As she quickly learns, those DJs are vampires - and vampires suffer from 'temporal adhesion', basically meaning they struggle to mentally grow out of the mores of whatever era they were changed in,
The newest DJ is 27-year-old Shane McAllister, who was changed over in 1995 (only a decade ago, in the book's time) and quickly develops a relationship with Ciara. Initially I was put off by how quickly their romance develops, but you know what? They make it work. Both Ciara and Shane are surprisingly funny people, with complementary streaks of snark I totally lapped up. Plus there are a couple of roadblocks which means they aren't declaring their love for each too quickly.
The portrayal of vampires in this series is really interesting, too. The temporal adhesion thing basically means that while they're immortal, they have a finite time before they're effectively mad. They all know it's coming for them eventually and it's surprisingly poignant. The closest thing I can remember having read before is Catherine Jinks's excellent The Reformed Vampire Support Group, where the vampires are effectively chronically ill patients.
Ciara is what makes this book: she's smart, funny, and a little subversive. The romance is great, the action fast-paced, and to top it all off there's a backdrop of 20th-century music. I enjoyed this one a lot more than I expected to.
June 28, 2010
It practically takes an act of God to get me to pick up a new vampire series these days, but wow, I'm sure glad I gave this one a whirl. Wicked Game is book 1 of the Ciara Griffin/WVMP radio urban fantasy series by Jeri Smith-Read
The plot, quickly: Vampires, stuck forever in the eras when they were turned, work as DJs in a radio station. (The '40's guy does blues, the '60's guy does psychedelia, etc.) and the radio station is in danger of being bought and destroyed; intern Ciara Griffin to the rescue.
Anyway, I am loving the character of Shane MacAllister the youngest of the vamps, who spins grunge (he was turned in the 90's).
Shane MacAllister is an exquisitely and perfectly drawn portrait of the grunge guy, a species that roamed the streets of Minneapolis in small herds in the late 80's and early 90's, though I think even somebody who missed all that would recognize this type of guy--I think he's typical of the counterculture 20-something you find in a number of alternative scenes, and it's just really fun to read about him.
The most perfect Shane scene was when he takes Ciara, who has trust issues with him at this point, to a bluff to watch fireworks, and packs this little picnic, then he somewhat awkwardly pulls out a guitar to sing her a song. Just before he starts, we get this little moment of self-effacement:
"He takes a deep breath and blows it out slowly. 'I apologize ahead of time for fucking it up.'"
But then it's actually a very lovely song that he plays well. I never see this type in UFs, and certainly never as the hero. But he's excellent as a hero. He's neither alpha nor beta, just your smart, easygoing buddy who underplays his strengths, but he'll whip them out when he needs to.
In fact, all the DJs here are a real-life types, they're all a guy (or girl, in the case of the goth girl) that you might work with or be neighbors with. Except the older era vamps, though they seem like somebody's grandfather (in behavior, anyway). They seem so familiar and friendly, especially Shane, that it is startling to know they have this violent animal nature, and some killed for food, or have it in them to do so.
Ciara is constantly having to be reminded--and reminding herself--that they are not human. Shane is not human. He seems so cuddly, and acts so cuddly--it's a just a wonderful effect, wonderful tension. I know other books play this card, but JSR's excellent characterization makes it fresh and powerful.
Is there a saying about this? Like, when something dangerous is embedded in the familiar, that makes it all the more intense?
One of the things I loved about the Buffy TV show is how it sort of pulled some of its truth from real life. Truths like: Nobody ever goes to the high school library. The nerdy kids always turn out more interesting. As soon as you have sex with your high school boyfriend his personality completely changes, and he turns into a monster freak.
The thing about the vampires here is that they are stuck in their eras, and they stop growing, become more empty husk, empty patterns of the past--less and less human and more monster, until eventually, they really are dangerous to society. To me, this is a sad thing that happens to real life people: they grow old, stop taking in new things and get fossilized, somehow less human. But then I also know older people who are interested in the changing world around them, and they continually take in new ideas and learn new things, and they beat the fossilization. Really, we are all on that journey to some extent.
So beyond the external battle with the baddies, there's a poignant internal battle and a character journey for all these vampires - can they stop the dehumanization process? Specifically Shane - can he fight the fossilization of being stuck in his era? Can he learn new things? Play new songs on his radio show? Learn computers? Can Ciara help him?
It's a character journey that doesn't end with this book - I'm looking richly forward to continuing it in Bad to the Bone.
The plot, quickly: Vampires, stuck forever in the eras when they were turned, work as DJs in a radio station. (The '40's guy does blues, the '60's guy does psychedelia, etc.) and the radio station is in danger of being bought and destroyed; intern Ciara Griffin to the rescue.
Anyway, I am loving the character of Shane MacAllister the youngest of the vamps, who spins grunge (he was turned in the 90's).
Shane MacAllister is an exquisitely and perfectly drawn portrait of the grunge guy, a species that roamed the streets of Minneapolis in small herds in the late 80's and early 90's, though I think even somebody who missed all that would recognize this type of guy--I think he's typical of the counterculture 20-something you find in a number of alternative scenes, and it's just really fun to read about him.
The most perfect Shane scene was when he takes Ciara, who has trust issues with him at this point, to a bluff to watch fireworks, and packs this little picnic, then he somewhat awkwardly pulls out a guitar to sing her a song. Just before he starts, we get this little moment of self-effacement:
"He takes a deep breath and blows it out slowly. 'I apologize ahead of time for fucking it up.'"
But then it's actually a very lovely song that he plays well. I never see this type in UFs, and certainly never as the hero. But he's excellent as a hero. He's neither alpha nor beta, just your smart, easygoing buddy who underplays his strengths, but he'll whip them out when he needs to.
In fact, all the DJs here are a real-life types, they're all a guy (or girl, in the case of the goth girl) that you might work with or be neighbors with. Except the older era vamps, though they seem like somebody's grandfather (in behavior, anyway). They seem so familiar and friendly, especially Shane, that it is startling to know they have this violent animal nature, and some killed for food, or have it in them to do so.
Ciara is constantly having to be reminded--and reminding herself--that they are not human. Shane is not human. He seems so cuddly, and acts so cuddly--it's a just a wonderful effect, wonderful tension. I know other books play this card, but JSR's excellent characterization makes it fresh and powerful.
Is there a saying about this? Like, when something dangerous is embedded in the familiar, that makes it all the more intense?
One of the things I loved about the Buffy TV show is how it sort of pulled some of its truth from real life. Truths like: Nobody ever goes to the high school library. The nerdy kids always turn out more interesting. As soon as you have sex with your high school boyfriend his personality completely changes, and he turns into a monster freak.
The thing about the vampires here is that they are stuck in their eras, and they stop growing, become more empty husk, empty patterns of the past--less and less human and more monster, until eventually, they really are dangerous to society. To me, this is a sad thing that happens to real life people: they grow old, stop taking in new things and get fossilized, somehow less human. But then I also know older people who are interested in the changing world around them, and they continually take in new ideas and learn new things, and they beat the fossilization. Really, we are all on that journey to some extent.
So beyond the external battle with the baddies, there's a poignant internal battle and a character journey for all these vampires - can they stop the dehumanization process? Specifically Shane - can he fight the fossilization of being stuck in his era? Can he learn new things? Play new songs on his radio show? Learn computers? Can Ciara help him?
It's a character journey that doesn't end with this book - I'm looking richly forward to continuing it in Bad to the Bone.
July 17, 2020
Some parts of this were 4 stars but the majority was 3 stars. Overall 3.5
February 11, 2010
Calling all fans of smoldering romance, sassy heroines, and badass vampires: this brilliant series by Jeri Smith-Ready is sure to make your year! Not since Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series have I read a vampire book that’s so hot, funny, intelligent, and well written.
If you like your protagonists bold and witty, look no further than Ciara Griffin. Her irreverent narration makes WICKED GAME a nonstop entertaining and mindblowing read. Ciara is a remarkably well-developed heroine: not only is she an original thinker who exudes appeal in the here and now, she also has a tender family history that is almost always subconsciously at odds with the woman she has turned herself into after her complicated childhood. This balance of present-day confidence and psychoanalytical complexities ensures that readers will never tire of learning about Ciara and following her around.
Fans of the HBO hit show True Blood will LOVE Jeri Smith-Ready’s vampires. No more are they impeccably perfect and sparkly. These vampires are dangerous: the risks that Ciara takes on with her job and romantic pursuits are almost deliciously tangible. At the same time, the vampires are also flawed, neurotic in their compulsions and need of staying connected with their era. It is this weakness, this humanity in these vampires that make them appealing and all the more “realistic” to paranormal fans. I don’t think I speak only for myself when I say that I’m bored by perfect paranormal creatures and naively “innocent” romances between humans and supernaturals. Toss in a hint of danger—that lethal combination of supernatural superstrength and human vulnerabilities—and you really crank the heat up in the romance and action departments.
I could say more about the sexy but not offensively purely erotic romance, or the complex vampire bad guys, or the phenomenally brilliant writing, or the number of times I cracked up reading the dialogue or evidence of Ciara’s con artist background—but I think I’ll leave off here. Suffice it to say that it is highly unlikely that a more well researched, smart, and supremely enjoyable paranormal read is currently out there. Jeri Smith-Ready has sated my demands for excellence in this genre, and has left me wanting much more from Ciara and her unforgettable vampires.
If you like your protagonists bold and witty, look no further than Ciara Griffin. Her irreverent narration makes WICKED GAME a nonstop entertaining and mindblowing read. Ciara is a remarkably well-developed heroine: not only is she an original thinker who exudes appeal in the here and now, she also has a tender family history that is almost always subconsciously at odds with the woman she has turned herself into after her complicated childhood. This balance of present-day confidence and psychoanalytical complexities ensures that readers will never tire of learning about Ciara and following her around.
Fans of the HBO hit show True Blood will LOVE Jeri Smith-Ready’s vampires. No more are they impeccably perfect and sparkly. These vampires are dangerous: the risks that Ciara takes on with her job and romantic pursuits are almost deliciously tangible. At the same time, the vampires are also flawed, neurotic in their compulsions and need of staying connected with their era. It is this weakness, this humanity in these vampires that make them appealing and all the more “realistic” to paranormal fans. I don’t think I speak only for myself when I say that I’m bored by perfect paranormal creatures and naively “innocent” romances between humans and supernaturals. Toss in a hint of danger—that lethal combination of supernatural superstrength and human vulnerabilities—and you really crank the heat up in the romance and action departments.
I could say more about the sexy but not offensively purely erotic romance, or the complex vampire bad guys, or the phenomenally brilliant writing, or the number of times I cracked up reading the dialogue or evidence of Ciara’s con artist background—but I think I’ll leave off here. Suffice it to say that it is highly unlikely that a more well researched, smart, and supremely enjoyable paranormal read is currently out there. Jeri Smith-Ready has sated my demands for excellence in this genre, and has left me wanting much more from Ciara and her unforgettable vampires.
Read
June 23, 2011Read this review at Smash Attack Reads! http://www.smashattackreads.com/2011/...
The thing that sold me on this book was the vampires. Yes, we’ve got a bazillion vampire books out there with all sorts of lore and history, but what other books can you name where the vampires remain mentally stuck in their era? (if there are other books, I’d like to know about them) These are some of the most original vampires I’ve come across, a far cry from Dracula and his kin. No, they can’t do daylight, but they also can’t do music from another decade.
Yes, these vamps are DJs at WVMP and they each host a unique show catering to their era of expertise. They all have very unique personality styles and while you want to slap around a few of them, you really love them all by the end of the book.
Ciara (pronounced Keer-ah) is the human hired to be WVMP’s new marketing manager, as the station is in dire straits. Her idea to save the radio station is comical and while the vampires are not opposed to the idea, they think Ciara is off her rocker. You see, Ciara is a former con-artist, and while she doesn’t practice that lifestyle anymore, she still possesses the skills, and she uses them to perfection.
LOVE the author’s writing. Love, love, love it. She certainly knows how to engage the reader, her humor is perfect, and she creates some pretty likeable characters, as well. And her knowledge of music is ridiculous. I mean, ridiculous.
The thing that sold me on this book was the vampires. Yes, we’ve got a bazillion vampire books out there with all sorts of lore and history, but what other books can you name where the vampires remain mentally stuck in their era? (if there are other books, I’d like to know about them) These are some of the most original vampires I’ve come across, a far cry from Dracula and his kin. No, they can’t do daylight, but they also can’t do music from another decade.
Yes, these vamps are DJs at WVMP and they each host a unique show catering to their era of expertise. They all have very unique personality styles and while you want to slap around a few of them, you really love them all by the end of the book.
Ciara (pronounced Keer-ah) is the human hired to be WVMP’s new marketing manager, as the station is in dire straits. Her idea to save the radio station is comical and while the vampires are not opposed to the idea, they think Ciara is off her rocker. You see, Ciara is a former con-artist, and while she doesn’t practice that lifestyle anymore, she still possesses the skills, and she uses them to perfection.
LOVE the author’s writing. Love, love, love it. She certainly knows how to engage the reader, her humor is perfect, and she creates some pretty likeable characters, as well. And her knowledge of music is ridiculous. I mean, ridiculous.
February 14, 2009
Man, these are hard to classify sometimes.
This is one of the better paranormal books I've read. It focuses solely on vampires - no werewolves, no witches, no gremlins etc. - and does a really great job of it. There is significantly less angst than in a lot of vampire-related stuff, and yet there is still romance (and sex), lots of humor, and an interesting, entertaining story. There were some REALLY amusing scenes, which I won't describe because I wouldn't want to ruin it for anyone.
I liked Jeri Smith-Ready's writing style and characterizations (and the fact that she provided a playlist for the music in the book).
I'd definitely recommend this for paranormal fans.
This is one of the better paranormal books I've read. It focuses solely on vampires - no werewolves, no witches, no gremlins etc. - and does a really great job of it. There is significantly less angst than in a lot of vampire-related stuff, and yet there is still romance (and sex), lots of humor, and an interesting, entertaining story. There were some REALLY amusing scenes, which I won't describe because I wouldn't want to ruin it for anyone.
I liked Jeri Smith-Ready's writing style and characterizations (and the fact that she provided a playlist for the music in the book).
I'd definitely recommend this for paranormal fans.
June 10, 2008
I first discovered Jeri Smith-Ready through her highly unique urban fantasy Requiem for the Devil. A sort of sequel to Paradise Lost told from Lucifer's point of view, I thought it was beautiful, disturbing and, in the end, unexpectedly hopeful. When I heard she was writing an urban fantasy about vampire DJs and a female lead who is a con artist, I was eager to get my hands on it. It took forever for my local store to get it in, but when if finally did I snatched it up immediately. And it didn't disappoint in the least. In fact, it had me laughing out loud several times.
In this delightfully original world, vampires are surprisingly vulnerable creatures. Psychologically stuck in the decade they "died" in, they dress and talk the same as they did when they were alive, unable to make sense of the cold, hard fact that the world has moved on without them. As a form of dealing, they develop extremely specific obsessive compulsive coping mechanisms such as meticulously organizing CDs alphabetically, by genre, decade, etc. When confronted with the task of saving WVMP, the failing radio station this group of vampires work at, former con artist turned part-time marketing intern Ciara Griffin finds herself unexpectedly protective of this group of oddball vampires who will begin to mentally deteriorate and slowly fade away completely without their jobs to link them to the contemporary world outside.
Fortunately, Ciara is more than up to the task and her daring marketing campaign triggers a series of hilarious and life threatening events. Ciara is a complicated girl. In many ways, she is tough as nails. Her rough past gives her the tools to step up and protect the few people she cares about. At the same time, her unsavory upbringing haunts her every step. Each time she tries to make the right decision or accept the hand of someone reaching out to her, the temptation to take the easy way out and avoid entanglement or responsibility threatens to overwhelm her desire to do good. These qualities make her a very sympathetic, very unpredictable character who I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with. Fortunately, I'll get to spend more time with Ciara, Shane, and the whole crew, as Ms. Smith-Ready is at work on the sequel, Bad to the Bone, due out next May.
In this delightfully original world, vampires are surprisingly vulnerable creatures. Psychologically stuck in the decade they "died" in, they dress and talk the same as they did when they were alive, unable to make sense of the cold, hard fact that the world has moved on without them. As a form of dealing, they develop extremely specific obsessive compulsive coping mechanisms such as meticulously organizing CDs alphabetically, by genre, decade, etc. When confronted with the task of saving WVMP, the failing radio station this group of vampires work at, former con artist turned part-time marketing intern Ciara Griffin finds herself unexpectedly protective of this group of oddball vampires who will begin to mentally deteriorate and slowly fade away completely without their jobs to link them to the contemporary world outside.
Fortunately, Ciara is more than up to the task and her daring marketing campaign triggers a series of hilarious and life threatening events. Ciara is a complicated girl. In many ways, she is tough as nails. Her rough past gives her the tools to step up and protect the few people she cares about. At the same time, her unsavory upbringing haunts her every step. Each time she tries to make the right decision or accept the hand of someone reaching out to her, the temptation to take the easy way out and avoid entanglement or responsibility threatens to overwhelm her desire to do good. These qualities make her a very sympathetic, very unpredictable character who I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with. Fortunately, I'll get to spend more time with Ciara, Shane, and the whole crew, as Ms. Smith-Ready is at work on the sequel, Bad to the Bone, due out next May.
December 21, 2009
I am feeling very uninspired to write a review right now, so I doubt I will have much to say but I will give it a go.
Ok so Ciara is pretty tough and can take care of herself, she con people and take their money to pay for tuition and she didn't exactly have a normal childhood. She is studying at college and she needs a job for it, an internship at this radio station could be something. Oh yes a radio station where the djs are vampires, I do like that idea and how that have stayed in their own time period and that they do not live forever. They just loose touch with reality. I also like that they have OCD in order to keep focus on things. This is an interesting takes on vampires and I appreciate the freshness of it.
Then there is Shane, the grunge vampire who falls for her. Sad thing here is that I see no future what so ever for them. He will be stuck in his time and perhaps make it a bit longer thanks to her, but still. Though there is hope so perhaps she will get that HEA. Or perhaps she will date a nice normal human, there is one. But I like Shane, he has no excuses.
There is a bit of romance, there is a bit of danger since there are those big bad vampires out there that do not appreciate this gimmick.
It is an easy flowing book, it feels nice to read it. Strange really since I would place it at ok, but I still read it really fast. So it is good (even if just ok for me) but I know that others would enjoy this book, and yes I would like to read the next book too. It is one of those strange ok books that I still wanna read more off. And I love a book that I can just read easily without thinking, a book that reads itself. It keeps me focused, something always happens.
I also like that each chapter is the name of a song.
Yup that was my not so inspiring review, but nice book, that is all I say.
Blodeuedd's Cover Corner. Not liking it, mostly cos I can't see her eyes.
Reason for Reading: My own book
Final thoughts: Never anything wrong with some UF, and if book 2 would come my way I would happily read it.
Ok so Ciara is pretty tough and can take care of herself, she con people and take their money to pay for tuition and she didn't exactly have a normal childhood. She is studying at college and she needs a job for it, an internship at this radio station could be something. Oh yes a radio station where the djs are vampires, I do like that idea and how that have stayed in their own time period and that they do not live forever. They just loose touch with reality. I also like that they have OCD in order to keep focus on things. This is an interesting takes on vampires and I appreciate the freshness of it.
Then there is Shane, the grunge vampire who falls for her. Sad thing here is that I see no future what so ever for them. He will be stuck in his time and perhaps make it a bit longer thanks to her, but still. Though there is hope so perhaps she will get that HEA. Or perhaps she will date a nice normal human, there is one. But I like Shane, he has no excuses.
There is a bit of romance, there is a bit of danger since there are those big bad vampires out there that do not appreciate this gimmick.
It is an easy flowing book, it feels nice to read it. Strange really since I would place it at ok, but I still read it really fast. So it is good (even if just ok for me) but I know that others would enjoy this book, and yes I would like to read the next book too. It is one of those strange ok books that I still wanna read more off. And I love a book that I can just read easily without thinking, a book that reads itself. It keeps me focused, something always happens.
I also like that each chapter is the name of a song.
Yup that was my not so inspiring review, but nice book, that is all I say.
Blodeuedd's Cover Corner. Not liking it, mostly cos I can't see her eyes.
Reason for Reading: My own book
Final thoughts: Never anything wrong with some UF, and if book 2 would come my way I would happily read it.
July 30, 2008
Despite the huge upsurge in vampire urban fantasy books out there, this novel still seems fresh and interesting. Basically, a young con artist/student Ciara takes a job at a radio station as a marketing intern. While there she finds that all of the late night DJ's are vampires, who because of when they were "turned" are stuck in the time frame of when they turned. In essence they are perfect for their time slots at the radio station because they never moved past it. The Station Manager, David is a former member of a group called Control who know about Vampires and tries to control them by giving them supplies of blood from blood banks. The book is filled with small interesting tidbits about how vampires die, and their obsessive compulsive behavior. The author has really thought about the vampires and has interesting takes on the people who volunteer to help the vampires, con artist, music, big radio stations. Its a well thought out world, and the story and main characters are drawn well.
I liked it
I liked it
January 24, 2010
I love to learn new things from books...granted learning how to pull a con might not be the best thing to learn but who knows it might be a handy tool some day. The main character of this book, Ciara Griffin (perhaps a play on grifter)is not a saint and sometimes not even a good person. I think that's what I liked about her - she's not perfect, she keeps going back to her con-artist skills, sometimes for the good of her new friends and sometimes for her own good. I also liked the characterization of the vampires in this book, they are stuck in the decade in which they died and anything new leads to anxiety and the need to alphabetize CDs or count dropped paperclips as a coping mechanism. The vampires seem much more "mortal" as well since most rarely survive for more than 30 years due to difficulties with coping with the world. I really enjoyed this book and I will definitely be downloading book #2 to my reader soon!
February 27, 2016
My string of less than satisfying books continues. This was an okay story but it was just that...okay. It's an urban fantasy story that is totally lacking in any badassery whatsoever. It's a story that revolves mainly around a group of radio station employees (mostly vampires) trying to avoid a corporate takeover. Oh, and there's a lukewarm romance brewing on the side. Frankly, neither has enough meat to sustain a book that comes close to hitting the 400 page mark.
September 24, 2013
DNF at 50ish percent. Premise was ridiculous and plot was just kind of plodding along.
July 21, 2025
Dear Jeri,
More please!
Sincerely,
Briar
I LOVED this book. And bold that, italicize, underline, all of the things. This book had me glued like back in my high school years when I was binging adult fantasy romance novels. I haven't had this much fun for over a decade!!
Vampires + Radio Show Hosts + Romance + Drama = Happy Briar.
I loved every single and I need every single book in the series, now. This is the kind of book that had me hooked to reading. I had far too much fun and I'm very disappointed I don't have the sequel in my hand so I can binge my heart out. Jeri needs to write more... She's been so quiet! Where did she go?! I need more! More more more more!
Five out of five stars. Take a sixth!
More please!
Sincerely,
Briar
I LOVED this book. And bold that, italicize, underline, all of the things. This book had me glued like back in my high school years when I was binging adult fantasy romance novels. I haven't had this much fun for over a decade!!
Vampires + Radio Show Hosts + Romance + Drama = Happy Briar.
I loved every single and I need every single book in the series, now. This is the kind of book that had me hooked to reading. I had far too much fun and I'm very disappointed I don't have the sequel in my hand so I can binge my heart out. Jeri needs to write more... She's been so quiet! Where did she go?! I need more! More more more more!
Five out of five stars. Take a sixth!
July 26, 2015
I have had this urban fantasy series to read for some time. There are four books in this series. It ended up being an okay vampire urban fantasy read. There are some interesting aspects to the vampires in this book that are new and interesting. I thought the characters were okay but not great. Additionally the plot was a mystery of sorts and again was okay but not great.
Ciara is an ex-con artist trying to stay on the straight and narrow. She ends up taking a job as a marketing intern at the WMMP radio station which it known for it’s authentic 40’s, 80’s, and 90’s rock hours. Shortly into her new job she finds out that the shows are so authentic because they are run by vampires from those eras. These vampires get kind of stuck in the era they died and the radio station provides them something to latch onto and preserves their sanity.
Ciara is shocked and her first instinct is to run, but then she finds out WMMP is under the threat of being bought out by the big corporate conglomeration called Skywave. So Ciara comes up with the idea to actually tout to the world that these DJs are vampires and save the radio station. However things go horribly wrong when some ancient vampires object to this vampire coming out.
This was a decent urban fantasy featuring music and vampires; however I wasn't absolutely captured by the world, characters or story. I kind of felt like everything was just okay. Ciara is an okay character; I enjoyed her past as a con artist and how that comes into play in her new marketing job. She does make a lot of bad decisions throughout though and I didn’t really engage with her all that well as a character.
She ends up dating one of the vamps form the station named Shane. Shane is honestly pretty creepy and I never really liked or engaged with their relationship.
The other vampires at the station are okay as well but lacked depth. Same with the story it just felt a bit awkward and was hard to engage with.
Overall this is an okay urban fantasy but nothing that I was super excited about. There are some interesting ideas here but most of it is pretty typical UF. There’s a lot of great UF out there so I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this series. I would recommend checking out the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews, the October Daye series by Seanan McGuire, the Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter or the Steel and Stone series by Annette Marie instead. I don’t plan on reading future books in this series.
Ciara is an ex-con artist trying to stay on the straight and narrow. She ends up taking a job as a marketing intern at the WMMP radio station which it known for it’s authentic 40’s, 80’s, and 90’s rock hours. Shortly into her new job she finds out that the shows are so authentic because they are run by vampires from those eras. These vampires get kind of stuck in the era they died and the radio station provides them something to latch onto and preserves their sanity.
Ciara is shocked and her first instinct is to run, but then she finds out WMMP is under the threat of being bought out by the big corporate conglomeration called Skywave. So Ciara comes up with the idea to actually tout to the world that these DJs are vampires and save the radio station. However things go horribly wrong when some ancient vampires object to this vampire coming out.
This was a decent urban fantasy featuring music and vampires; however I wasn't absolutely captured by the world, characters or story. I kind of felt like everything was just okay. Ciara is an okay character; I enjoyed her past as a con artist and how that comes into play in her new marketing job. She does make a lot of bad decisions throughout though and I didn’t really engage with her all that well as a character.
She ends up dating one of the vamps form the station named Shane. Shane is honestly pretty creepy and I never really liked or engaged with their relationship.
The other vampires at the station are okay as well but lacked depth. Same with the story it just felt a bit awkward and was hard to engage with.
Overall this is an okay urban fantasy but nothing that I was super excited about. There are some interesting ideas here but most of it is pretty typical UF. There’s a lot of great UF out there so I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this series. I would recommend checking out the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews, the October Daye series by Seanan McGuire, the Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter or the Steel and Stone series by Annette Marie instead. I don’t plan on reading future books in this series.
January 28, 2009
If you haven't burned out on the many, many, many vampire novels out there right now, Wicked Game is a good one to pick up when you want some mental chewing gum. The main character has sufficient talents and flaws (and the requisite fun-but-mundane best friend) for the book to roll right along.
Don't let the cover fool you, though. There is barely enough blood and assorted vampiric attractions to qualify as a vampire novel, and enough girly-spite/hate-at-first-sight inspired hijinks to make you check the binding again to make sure you didn't pick up the latest beach bag novel. It is currently a stand-alone book, so you are not committing to a series, either.
What I really enjoyed about Wicked Game, besides the situational comedy, was Smith-Ready's version of the vampire kind. In her urban fantasy (set in Maryland!), vampires are psychologically stuck in the era in which they "died" and suffer progressive dislocation (and eventually disintegration) as time moves along. The way in which the subject vampires in this book avoid dislocation is to work at a radio station as DJs for specific genres/eras of music. The second interesting thing about Smith-Ready's vampires is that, as they age, they develop obsessive-compulsive tendencies. For example, our hero - amusingly named "Shane"* - has a psychological requirement that things be in alphabetical order. One of the other vampires is stopped from rushing off to do something by our heroine throwing 57 pencils on the floor, which the vampire has to stop and pick up while counting them aloud.
The largest fallacy in the book is Smith-Ready's insistence at introducing a pivotal character at the start of the climactic set of scenes. Wait... who now? Why? There was no reason to include this character except that it allowed for convenient plot reversal at just the most convenient time. Oh, well, at least the main characters did not change overly much for that introduction.
The plot is not the strongest. The writing is not very constant in depth or style. And really, that's not the point of my purchase of the book. This was a fun read when I wanted one, and most of the punchlines were delivered straight up.
* So sorry, but there is only ONE character named Shane. Subject of the book by the same title, Shane will always win the gun battle when it matters most, and fight for the little guy until it is time to ride off into the sunset again.
Don't let the cover fool you, though. There is barely enough blood and assorted vampiric attractions to qualify as a vampire novel, and enough girly-spite/hate-at-first-sight inspired hijinks to make you check the binding again to make sure you didn't pick up the latest beach bag novel. It is currently a stand-alone book, so you are not committing to a series, either.
What I really enjoyed about Wicked Game, besides the situational comedy, was Smith-Ready's version of the vampire kind. In her urban fantasy (set in Maryland!), vampires are psychologically stuck in the era in which they "died" and suffer progressive dislocation (and eventually disintegration) as time moves along. The way in which the subject vampires in this book avoid dislocation is to work at a radio station as DJs for specific genres/eras of music. The second interesting thing about Smith-Ready's vampires is that, as they age, they develop obsessive-compulsive tendencies. For example, our hero - amusingly named "Shane"* - has a psychological requirement that things be in alphabetical order. One of the other vampires is stopped from rushing off to do something by our heroine throwing 57 pencils on the floor, which the vampire has to stop and pick up while counting them aloud.
The largest fallacy in the book is Smith-Ready's insistence at introducing a pivotal character at the start of the climactic set of scenes. Wait... who now? Why? There was no reason to include this character except that it allowed for convenient plot reversal at just the most convenient time. Oh, well, at least the main characters did not change overly much for that introduction.
The plot is not the strongest. The writing is not very constant in depth or style. And really, that's not the point of my purchase of the book. This was a fun read when I wanted one, and most of the punchlines were delivered straight up.
* So sorry, but there is only ONE character named Shane. Subject of the book by the same title, Shane will always win the gun battle when it matters most, and fight for the little guy until it is time to ride off into the sunset again.
April 18, 2008
Please note: I received an ARC (Advanced Reader's Copy) of this book, which is actually coming out May 13th!
Ciara Griffin grew up in a family of grifters, but is looking to go straight when she finds an internship at a radio station. To her surprise, WMMP's eclectic play list ranging from 1940s blues to 1990s grunge stems from the fact that the disc jockeys are all vampires, each stuck (sartorially as well as musically) in the decade they became undead. Since the station is at risk of being bought out by a huge media conglomerate, Ciara has the idea of using the vampire angle as a selling point and marketing the station as "WVMP: the Lifeblood of Rock 'n' Roll." But not all vampires are happy about the attention that ensues. . .
This book offers perhaps the most original take on the vampire myth I've encountered since Robin McKinley's Sunshine. Smith-Ready does a terrific job of making her vamps equally dangerous and pathetic, as they suffer from OCD and need the trappings of their decade of turning to anchor them, or else they will fade. They are all quite appealing, including sexy Seth (whose appearance I kind of edited in my mind, not being attracted to the grunge type), who may be the only vampire able to learn new tricks. Ciara is an intriguing heroine, with a mysterious past (though Smith-Ready doesn't make you feel too in the dark) and a skeptical nature that may prove to be a boon. One warning: if you are as musically unhip as I am, many of the musical references will make you go "huh?", but that won't detract from your enjoyment of the story, and may inspire you to check out a new (to you) artist or two!
Ciara Griffin grew up in a family of grifters, but is looking to go straight when she finds an internship at a radio station. To her surprise, WMMP's eclectic play list ranging from 1940s blues to 1990s grunge stems from the fact that the disc jockeys are all vampires, each stuck (sartorially as well as musically) in the decade they became undead. Since the station is at risk of being bought out by a huge media conglomerate, Ciara has the idea of using the vampire angle as a selling point and marketing the station as "WVMP: the Lifeblood of Rock 'n' Roll." But not all vampires are happy about the attention that ensues. . .
This book offers perhaps the most original take on the vampire myth I've encountered since Robin McKinley's Sunshine. Smith-Ready does a terrific job of making her vamps equally dangerous and pathetic, as they suffer from OCD and need the trappings of their decade of turning to anchor them, or else they will fade. They are all quite appealing, including sexy Seth (whose appearance I kind of edited in my mind, not being attracted to the grunge type), who may be the only vampire able to learn new tricks. Ciara is an intriguing heroine, with a mysterious past (though Smith-Ready doesn't make you feel too in the dark) and a skeptical nature that may prove to be a boon. One warning: if you are as musically unhip as I am, many of the musical references will make you go "huh?", but that won't detract from your enjoyment of the story, and may inspire you to check out a new (to you) artist or two!
May 11, 2009
The one where recovering con artist Ciara gets a job at a radio station, only to discover that all the late-night DJs are vampires.
I'd like to be able to give this only two and a half stars, but it's closer to a three than to a two.
On the plus side: the vampire thing is really well thought out. The author has done some real science-fiction thinking about how vampires might survive in everyday life and what effect vampirism might have on their personalities. There were pleasant surprises of that sort all the way through the book.
The suspense and danger are good and creepy. The plotting is OK; things got a little excessively complicated at the end, though.
On the minus side: The romance fell flat for me, and so did Ciara's conflict with her father. Chiefly this is because the characterization is so telly. Ciara is supposed to be torn between living a con artist's life and going straight, but we don't ever really see her thinking like a con artist except when she has to do it to save her life; we never see her looking at people she's supposed to like and thinking about their sucker potential or preventing herself from conning them. And Shane is supposed to be more or less a vampire Cobain (I know, right? I wish the author had succeeded at that, because, man), but that only comes through in what he tells Ciara; what we see him do (with one glaring exception early in the book) is pretty much generic Supportive Romantic Hero.
Also, I wish authors would learn that coitus interruptus is not the same thing as sexual tension.
I'd like to be able to give this only two and a half stars, but it's closer to a three than to a two.
On the plus side: the vampire thing is really well thought out. The author has done some real science-fiction thinking about how vampires might survive in everyday life and what effect vampirism might have on their personalities. There were pleasant surprises of that sort all the way through the book.
The suspense and danger are good and creepy. The plotting is OK; things got a little excessively complicated at the end, though.
On the minus side: The romance fell flat for me, and so did Ciara's conflict with her father. Chiefly this is because the characterization is so telly. Ciara is supposed to be torn between living a con artist's life and going straight, but we don't ever really see her thinking like a con artist except when she has to do it to save her life; we never see her looking at people she's supposed to like and thinking about their sucker potential or preventing herself from conning them. And Shane is supposed to be more or less a vampire Cobain (I know, right? I wish the author had succeeded at that, because, man), but that only comes through in what he tells Ciara; what we see him do (with one glaring exception early in the book) is pretty much generic Supportive Romantic Hero.
Also, I wish authors would learn that coitus interruptus is not the same thing as sexual tension.
July 31, 2012
(July) This started off pretty good - it seemed well paced, and interesting until...it wasn't. It got sloggy, convoluted, vague, and boring. I didn't know you could make vampires boring, but this book succeeded, much to my dismay. I've read enough vampire romance books to know what I expect, what I like - which is dangerous, powerful, sexy guys and gals. Here they were almost impotent - not sexually, but in terms of how they acted and managed their own lives. I was amazed when it was said that most vamps in this world die after about 80 years because they could not adjust - that was so off, IMO. Once **SPOLIER** Ciara's dad entered the picture the entire book derailed into a complete mess - nothing fit, nothing made sense, I was left with an overall feeling of "huh...what?!". Definitely a disappointment.
June 3, 2009
A great book! It has an original premise for vampire lit, skilled writing and character development, and a terrific plot. It wasn't too dark or too light, there was romance without it being the main focus of the book. There is a bit of a mystery, some action, and some drama. The rock and roll aspect was creative and fun. This was definitely one of my favorite urban fantasy books. Be sure to check out the wvmpradio.com website to hear each DJ's playlists. There is even a fun Cafe Press store with WVMP merch, including a cute tee for the dogs. According to the back cover of the book and her website, Ms. Ready-Smith is an active volunteer for dog rescue and has personally adopted a retired racing greyhound. Go Greys!
February 26, 2009
These are a VERY different sort of vampire. They almost need protecting more than they need to be protected from...and that's a bad sentence, but hopefully you know what I mean. Vampires get stuck in the era in which they died, and the more the world changes, the harder it is for them. The heroine goes to work for a radio station with "era" shows that are DJed by vampires from that era. There's some action from some bad vampires, but overall, this isn't a terribly action heavy book. It's a nice read with a very different angle.
April 2, 2012
Bon malgré les mauvaises critiques, perso j'ai adoré ! Ca nous change des vampires, surpuissant, méga sexy, sûr d'eux, limite imbus d'eux même, trop lisses et sans défaut ! Je les ai trouvé très touchant avec leurs phobies et tocs qui les rendent très humains ! J'aime les esprits torturés ! Quant à leur univers de station radio, ça nous change également des méga vampires, riches comme crésus, vivant dans un luxe sans nom à faire palir de jalousie le Baron Rotchild ! Je reste sur ma position et je répète que j'ai adoré !
December 21, 2015
Wicked Game was truly a wicked first book in WVMP Radio series. The storyline began in the middle of action and pulled me fast in to Ciara Griffin life. Ciara is interesting young woman, with many hidden talents, which aren't legal. I found her fresh, realistic and positive. The main storyline developed fast and was interesting till the end.
I'm definitely looking forward for more!!
I'm definitely looking forward for more!!
June 24, 2020
3.5/5
https://delivreenlivres.home.blog/202...
Malgré un concept original et une intrigue intéressante, j’avoue que je n’ai pas été emballée plus que ça. Aficionados de musiques indé de la fin du 20ième siècle, ce livre vous est destiné.
J’avoue que celui ci n’était absolument pas dans ma liste d’envies actuelle. Le thème aurait pu me plaire quand il est sorti, à l’époque ou je l’ai acheté en fait, mais la ça fait au moins 15 ans que j’ai arrêté d’écouter régulièrement de la musique, du coup je ne me suis pas sentie intéressée. Je l’ai sorti pour un challenge. On ne peux pas dire que je regrette, parce que je ne me suis pas ennuyé, juste que ce livre n’était pas vraiment pour moi.
On est sur de l’Urban fantasy « old school », la série datant de début des années 2000 (la même époque que les débuts des Kate Daniels ou des Mercy Thompson)
Alors comment décrire cette série. Si vous cherchez du vampire genre Anne Rice, flamboyant, gothique, séduisant, voir effrayant … passez votre tour. Ici on est sur les vampires les plus ordinaires qu’il soit possible d’imaginer, même si ça reste violent.
Ils ne sont pas des prédateurs de la nuit, ni des démons, juste exactement la personne qu’ils étaient avant d’être transformée. Pas de super pouvoirs non plus, pas de morsure qui ne fait pas mal (ou carrément du bien), ou de vol dans la nuit, de transformation en chauve souri ou autre.
Sur le principe on est sur un peu un anti Anne Rice vu que c’est le même thème mais pris de façon inversée. Dans Lestat on assiste à la montée en puissance d’un vampire ancien qui découvre le Rock et qui devient une star car il transcende le style avec ses manière de vampire et son image gothique.
Ici c’est l’inverse : les vampires sont « bloqués » mentalement dans le contexte qui les a vu mourir. En gros le principe c’est qu’étant morts, ils ne peuvent plus assimiler de nouvelles données, ou très peu, très lentement. Du coup les nouveaux genres de musique par exemple, les nouvelles technologies, ça leur passe par dessus la tête, ils ne comprennent pas.
Plus un vampire s’éloigne de sa période, plus il se vide de son essence, plus il a du mal psychologiquement parlant. Ils développent des dépressions, des épisodes violents, des troubles du comportement, des tocs excessifs …
En gros pour survivre longtemps ils ont besoin d’un environnement rassurant pour eux, en lien avec eux, pour vivre longtemps. En moyenne vivre 80 ans après sa mort est déjà une longue vie pour un vampire, ensuite ils ont tendance à s’étioler (et même souvent avant).
C’est la qu’intervient la radio WVMP (c’est d’ailleurs le nom de la série en VO). Celle ci propose chaque nuit une série de programme lié au Rock, mais sa particularité est que chaque DJ est un vampire, et donc qu’il passe la musique qui lui est familière.
On a le rockeur des années 50 avec sa banane, le rasta des années 70 avec son Reggae, le jazzman noir des années 20-30 ou les grunge/rock des années 80/90 …
Cette radio en plus de les faire vivre est un peu leur cocon, leur façon de ne pas se déconnecter avec leur période de vie.
Elle les maintient vraiment en vie.
Mais voila la radio est menacée, la propriétaire a eu une bonne offre d’un gros groupe qui veut standardiser la radio pour la rendre rentable. Si elle est reprise adieu donc la particularité de celle ci, bienvenue dans la pop bateau qui passe de partout.
Pour cela le directeur commercial décide d’engager une stagiaire pour l’été, Ciara, une jeune étudiante en marketing.
Celle ci vient d’une grande famille d’arnaqueurs qui c’est fait prendre, ses parents sont donc encore en prison. Mais elle a besoin d’argent pour terminer ses études et donc besoin du salaire de son stage.
Elle a une super idée : rendre la radio populaire en lançant une grande campagne de pub centrée sur le fait que les DJ sont effectivement des vampires (exactement comme dans Lestat en fait). Bien sur tout les humains seront persuadés que c’est du faux mais ça enverra du rêve et du coup reboostera l’audience.
Mais bien sur, certains vampires ne sont pas du tout contents de cette publicité et prennent peur. Les menaces commencent à fleurir autours de WVMP de la part d’anciens vampires qui ont peur pour leur vie et leur secret … (exactement aussi comme Lestat)
On est vraiment sur une histoire hyper classique mais ce qui lui donne aussi une image vraiment propre à elle.
Je pense que si vous aimez la musique du 20ième siècle, le rock indé, les différents courants musicaux. Si vous avez envie d’un livre dont les chapitres ont des noms de chansons, ou on cite des paroles comme exemple régulièrement et vraiment centrée la dessus, cette série pourra tout à fait vous plaire. On y parle de lutte de la vrai musique contre la daube commerciale, de l’authenticité indé vis à vis du grand public …
Comme je le disais au tout début, de mon coté j’ai arrêté d’écouter de la musique depuis longtemps, mais je pense que si je l’avais lu à sa sortie, je l’aurais vraiment adoré parce que c’est totalement ça.
Ça me donne une ambiance nostalgique aussi, parce qu’on ne fait plus trop ce genre d’histoires de nos jours. Nostalgie de l’époque ou il fallait un lecteur MP3 pour écouter sa musique, ou il n’y avait pas encore de smartphones, ou internet était une nouveauté, ou les radio avaient limite le monopole sur la musique …
Bref, ce livre a vraiment une ambiance qu’on pourrait qualifier de rétro maintenant, tout en restant sexy (ça va avec le Rock) et violent (pour le coté vampire sans édulcorant).
Sinon pour mesurer un peu mes propos, si il y a de nombreux parallèles avec les Anne Rice, on ne part finalement pas du tout dans la même finalité ce qui fait que les deux oeuvres sont clairement totalement différentes. Surtout au niveau de l’ambiance. Sur la fin j’ai trouvé que le tome partait plus vers de l’urban fantasy classique de nos jours, gros combats contre un ennemi bien plus fort qu’eux, mais ensemble ils luttent …
Au final je ne dirais pas ce que le livre était mauvais, il n’a juste pas su accaparer mon attention. Le thème de départ ne me plaisait pas plus que ça du coup je n’ai pas su entrer dedans. Pour autant il propose une revisite du vampire originale qui plaira aux amateurs du genre.
https://delivreenlivres.home.blog/202...
Malgré un concept original et une intrigue intéressante, j’avoue que je n’ai pas été emballée plus que ça. Aficionados de musiques indé de la fin du 20ième siècle, ce livre vous est destiné.
J’avoue que celui ci n’était absolument pas dans ma liste d’envies actuelle. Le thème aurait pu me plaire quand il est sorti, à l’époque ou je l’ai acheté en fait, mais la ça fait au moins 15 ans que j’ai arrêté d’écouter régulièrement de la musique, du coup je ne me suis pas sentie intéressée. Je l’ai sorti pour un challenge. On ne peux pas dire que je regrette, parce que je ne me suis pas ennuyé, juste que ce livre n’était pas vraiment pour moi.
On est sur de l’Urban fantasy « old school », la série datant de début des années 2000 (la même époque que les débuts des Kate Daniels ou des Mercy Thompson)
Alors comment décrire cette série. Si vous cherchez du vampire genre Anne Rice, flamboyant, gothique, séduisant, voir effrayant … passez votre tour. Ici on est sur les vampires les plus ordinaires qu’il soit possible d’imaginer, même si ça reste violent.
Ils ne sont pas des prédateurs de la nuit, ni des démons, juste exactement la personne qu’ils étaient avant d’être transformée. Pas de super pouvoirs non plus, pas de morsure qui ne fait pas mal (ou carrément du bien), ou de vol dans la nuit, de transformation en chauve souri ou autre.
Sur le principe on est sur un peu un anti Anne Rice vu que c’est le même thème mais pris de façon inversée. Dans Lestat on assiste à la montée en puissance d’un vampire ancien qui découvre le Rock et qui devient une star car il transcende le style avec ses manière de vampire et son image gothique.
Ici c’est l’inverse : les vampires sont « bloqués » mentalement dans le contexte qui les a vu mourir. En gros le principe c’est qu’étant morts, ils ne peuvent plus assimiler de nouvelles données, ou très peu, très lentement. Du coup les nouveaux genres de musique par exemple, les nouvelles technologies, ça leur passe par dessus la tête, ils ne comprennent pas.
Plus un vampire s’éloigne de sa période, plus il se vide de son essence, plus il a du mal psychologiquement parlant. Ils développent des dépressions, des épisodes violents, des troubles du comportement, des tocs excessifs …
En gros pour survivre longtemps ils ont besoin d’un environnement rassurant pour eux, en lien avec eux, pour vivre longtemps. En moyenne vivre 80 ans après sa mort est déjà une longue vie pour un vampire, ensuite ils ont tendance à s’étioler (et même souvent avant).
C’est la qu’intervient la radio WVMP (c’est d’ailleurs le nom de la série en VO). Celle ci propose chaque nuit une série de programme lié au Rock, mais sa particularité est que chaque DJ est un vampire, et donc qu’il passe la musique qui lui est familière.
On a le rockeur des années 50 avec sa banane, le rasta des années 70 avec son Reggae, le jazzman noir des années 20-30 ou les grunge/rock des années 80/90 …
Cette radio en plus de les faire vivre est un peu leur cocon, leur façon de ne pas se déconnecter avec leur période de vie.
Elle les maintient vraiment en vie.
Mais voila la radio est menacée, la propriétaire a eu une bonne offre d’un gros groupe qui veut standardiser la radio pour la rendre rentable. Si elle est reprise adieu donc la particularité de celle ci, bienvenue dans la pop bateau qui passe de partout.
Pour cela le directeur commercial décide d’engager une stagiaire pour l’été, Ciara, une jeune étudiante en marketing.
Celle ci vient d’une grande famille d’arnaqueurs qui c’est fait prendre, ses parents sont donc encore en prison. Mais elle a besoin d’argent pour terminer ses études et donc besoin du salaire de son stage.
Elle a une super idée : rendre la radio populaire en lançant une grande campagne de pub centrée sur le fait que les DJ sont effectivement des vampires (exactement comme dans Lestat en fait). Bien sur tout les humains seront persuadés que c’est du faux mais ça enverra du rêve et du coup reboostera l’audience.
Mais bien sur, certains vampires ne sont pas du tout contents de cette publicité et prennent peur. Les menaces commencent à fleurir autours de WVMP de la part d’anciens vampires qui ont peur pour leur vie et leur secret … (exactement aussi comme Lestat)
On est vraiment sur une histoire hyper classique mais ce qui lui donne aussi une image vraiment propre à elle.
Je pense que si vous aimez la musique du 20ième siècle, le rock indé, les différents courants musicaux. Si vous avez envie d’un livre dont les chapitres ont des noms de chansons, ou on cite des paroles comme exemple régulièrement et vraiment centrée la dessus, cette série pourra tout à fait vous plaire. On y parle de lutte de la vrai musique contre la daube commerciale, de l’authenticité indé vis à vis du grand public …
Comme je le disais au tout début, de mon coté j’ai arrêté d’écouter de la musique depuis longtemps, mais je pense que si je l’avais lu à sa sortie, je l’aurais vraiment adoré parce que c’est totalement ça.
Ça me donne une ambiance nostalgique aussi, parce qu’on ne fait plus trop ce genre d’histoires de nos jours. Nostalgie de l’époque ou il fallait un lecteur MP3 pour écouter sa musique, ou il n’y avait pas encore de smartphones, ou internet était une nouveauté, ou les radio avaient limite le monopole sur la musique …
Bref, ce livre a vraiment une ambiance qu’on pourrait qualifier de rétro maintenant, tout en restant sexy (ça va avec le Rock) et violent (pour le coté vampire sans édulcorant).
Sinon pour mesurer un peu mes propos, si il y a de nombreux parallèles avec les Anne Rice, on ne part finalement pas du tout dans la même finalité ce qui fait que les deux oeuvres sont clairement totalement différentes. Surtout au niveau de l’ambiance. Sur la fin j’ai trouvé que le tome partait plus vers de l’urban fantasy classique de nos jours, gros combats contre un ennemi bien plus fort qu’eux, mais ensemble ils luttent …
Au final je ne dirais pas ce que le livre était mauvais, il n’a juste pas su accaparer mon attention. Le thème de départ ne me plaisait pas plus que ça du coup je n’ai pas su entrer dedans. Pour autant il propose une revisite du vampire originale qui plaira aux amateurs du genre.
August 28, 2018
WVMP radio where the DJs are vampires. Great gimmick. Or is it? This is a great book. I'm going to ILL the second one tomorrow while I'm at work. I'm absolutely thrilled that there are 4 books in this series.
November 24, 2020
Interesting vampire lore with urban fantasy feel. I remember the heroine was a grifter and maybe this was told in first person. The coolest part was the vampires and how they were dealing with their "immortality". I can still remember that part 12 years later.
June 4, 2018
Re-read for 2018 "If All Kent County Read the Same Book"
January 19, 2011
Plot Summary: Recovering con artist Ciara Griffin is trying to live the straight life, even if it means finding a (shudder!) real job. She takes an internship at a local radio station, whose late-night time-warp format features 1940s blues, 60s psychedelia, 80s Goth, and more, all with an uncannily authentic flair. Ciara soon discovers how the DJs maintain their cred: they’re vampires, stuck forever in the eras in which they were turned.
Ciara’s first instinct, as always, is to cut and run. But communications giant Skywave wants to buy WMMP and turn it into just another hit-playing clone. Without the station—and the link it provides to their original Life Times—the vampires would “fade,” becoming little more than mindless ghosts of the past. Suddenly a routine corporate takeover becomes a matter of life and un-death.
To boost ratings and save the lives of her strange new friends, Ciara re-brands the station as “WVMP, the Lifeblood of Rock ’n’ Roll.” In the ultimate con, she hides the DJs’ vampire nature in plain sight, disguising the bloody truth as a marketing gimmick. WVMP becomes the hottest thing around—next to Ciara’s complicated affair with grunge vamp Shane McAllister. But the “gimmick” enrages a posse of ancient and powerful vampires who aren’t so eager to be brought into the light. Soon the stakes are higher—and the perils graver—than any con game Ciara’s ever played…
Review> My thoughts about a PNR series centered around a radio station was; how freaking cool! Since I spent the late part of the 1980's as a Traffic Manager, DJ, and Sales Person for a TV station and a combination radio station, how could I refuse? I remember several Saturday night with fellow DJ's sitting around playing cards, eating pizza and subs, and generally causing mischief. I'm very glad I decided to read this book. The primary character Ciara, is alot like me in that she was struggling to make it thru college. I, actually, worked several jobs while working. I love the fact that the writer uses actual songs in the storyline, and several of the chapters, if not all, are musical numbers which one way or the other, I've either listened to or owned myself. Having vampires as radio DJ's that are stuck in the period of time that they were turned, was pretty crazy, but it works! If you've never met a DJ in person, they are quikier than a 3 dollar bill.
There are several plot lines:
1 - Ciara goes to work for WMMP, what the radio station was called before she started working there, as a marketing/sales intern. They have a huge conglomerate called Skywave (Think Clear Channel Communications) that wants to gobble up the station. Ciara's job, simple really, change the course and revenue of the station. Why should anyone care about a station full of vampire DJ's? Because they have absolutely no where else to go, and if they leave, they will lose focus and die. Ciara is stunned to learn from David that the DJ's are all vampires. The only humans are David, Lawrence and Ciara herself.
2 - After finally accepting, she also has to stop a very old vampire named Gideon, from interferring in the stations business. When the station changes it's call letters to WVMP, the Lifeblood of Rock and Roll, and does an on spot meet and greet with the DJ, Gideon vows to stop Ciara and friends from embarrasing the vampires. She in turn, is kidnapped, and nearly killed while the owner of the station Elizabeth, who is also a vampire, is killed because Gideon thought she was responsible for his son's death. She wasn't. In fact, she was actually turned into a vamp by him. I was actually surprised that she was offed, as it were, and not given more opportunities as a member of Control.
3 - She has to deal with her feelings, as they are, for the mysterious Shane McAllister. Shane and Ciara's relationship goes from 0 to OMG, in 30 seconds. Of course, Shane biting her in the Owzers zone, didn't do anything to help Shane's reputation. This is definite material for anyone who loves PNR novels. Then there is the whole issue with her blood and what exactly it contains that healed Shane so quickly after being dosed with holy water.
Ciara is actually a very likeable character. She's smart but not perfect. Yes, she was a former con-artist, but that came from being around her mother and father, who make an appearance and then disappear. Shane has a very serious issue with OCD, as do other vampires, most notably Regina, Shane's mentor. What's funny is, a serious amount of book these days, stall at the start, and then get better. The writer tries to put too much information into one story instead of saving it for another novel. Not the case here. This one kept me occupied the entire time. I am seriously ready for the sequel to this book, and have already put it on hold at my local library.
Ciara’s first instinct, as always, is to cut and run. But communications giant Skywave wants to buy WMMP and turn it into just another hit-playing clone. Without the station—and the link it provides to their original Life Times—the vampires would “fade,” becoming little more than mindless ghosts of the past. Suddenly a routine corporate takeover becomes a matter of life and un-death.
To boost ratings and save the lives of her strange new friends, Ciara re-brands the station as “WVMP, the Lifeblood of Rock ’n’ Roll.” In the ultimate con, she hides the DJs’ vampire nature in plain sight, disguising the bloody truth as a marketing gimmick. WVMP becomes the hottest thing around—next to Ciara’s complicated affair with grunge vamp Shane McAllister. But the “gimmick” enrages a posse of ancient and powerful vampires who aren’t so eager to be brought into the light. Soon the stakes are higher—and the perils graver—than any con game Ciara’s ever played…
Review> My thoughts about a PNR series centered around a radio station was; how freaking cool! Since I spent the late part of the 1980's as a Traffic Manager, DJ, and Sales Person for a TV station and a combination radio station, how could I refuse? I remember several Saturday night with fellow DJ's sitting around playing cards, eating pizza and subs, and generally causing mischief. I'm very glad I decided to read this book. The primary character Ciara, is alot like me in that she was struggling to make it thru college. I, actually, worked several jobs while working. I love the fact that the writer uses actual songs in the storyline, and several of the chapters, if not all, are musical numbers which one way or the other, I've either listened to or owned myself. Having vampires as radio DJ's that are stuck in the period of time that they were turned, was pretty crazy, but it works! If you've never met a DJ in person, they are quikier than a 3 dollar bill.
There are several plot lines:
1 - Ciara goes to work for WMMP, what the radio station was called before she started working there, as a marketing/sales intern. They have a huge conglomerate called Skywave (Think Clear Channel Communications) that wants to gobble up the station. Ciara's job, simple really, change the course and revenue of the station. Why should anyone care about a station full of vampire DJ's? Because they have absolutely no where else to go, and if they leave, they will lose focus and die. Ciara is stunned to learn from David that the DJ's are all vampires. The only humans are David, Lawrence and Ciara herself.
2 - After finally accepting, she also has to stop a very old vampire named Gideon, from interferring in the stations business. When the station changes it's call letters to WVMP, the Lifeblood of Rock and Roll, and does an on spot meet and greet with the DJ, Gideon vows to stop Ciara and friends from embarrasing the vampires. She in turn, is kidnapped, and nearly killed while the owner of the station Elizabeth, who is also a vampire, is killed because Gideon thought she was responsible for his son's death. She wasn't. In fact, she was actually turned into a vamp by him. I was actually surprised that she was offed, as it were, and not given more opportunities as a member of Control.
3 - She has to deal with her feelings, as they are, for the mysterious Shane McAllister. Shane and Ciara's relationship goes from 0 to OMG, in 30 seconds. Of course, Shane biting her in the Owzers zone, didn't do anything to help Shane's reputation. This is definite material for anyone who loves PNR novels. Then there is the whole issue with her blood and what exactly it contains that healed Shane so quickly after being dosed with holy water.
Ciara is actually a very likeable character. She's smart but not perfect. Yes, she was a former con-artist, but that came from being around her mother and father, who make an appearance and then disappear. Shane has a very serious issue with OCD, as do other vampires, most notably Regina, Shane's mentor. What's funny is, a serious amount of book these days, stall at the start, and then get better. The writer tries to put too much information into one story instead of saving it for another novel. Not the case here. This one kept me occupied the entire time. I am seriously ready for the sequel to this book, and have already put it on hold at my local library.
April 16, 2018
This wasn’t bad. I really liked all the music references. I thought that the male lead was pretty fabulous. The developing relationship between the two main characters was also pretty great with an extremely sweet first date.
The plot was ok. I didn’t think it was as exciting as some, and I’m not quite sold on the logistics of it all. My one big specific complaint was that Ciara the female lead has a background as a con artist and I didn’t think there was enough detail about that. It was mostly referred to and I wanted more of a play by play.
I thought there was a really entertaining mix of supporting characters. And the female lead has a female friend. So that’s a plus.
The plot was ok. I didn’t think it was as exciting as some, and I’m not quite sold on the logistics of it all. My one big specific complaint was that Ciara the female lead has a background as a con artist and I didn’t think there was enough detail about that. It was mostly referred to and I wanted more of a play by play.
I thought there was a really entertaining mix of supporting characters. And the female lead has a female friend. So that’s a plus.
December 2, 2013
The review is also available on my blog, Bows & Bullets Reviews
Can I just say that I love this book? Seriously, these is the first book in the WVMP Radio series which is now officially my favorite vampire series (knocking the Sookie Stackhouse series from the spot). I love everything about this book. I seriously can't think of anything I didn't like.
This book follows Ciara Griffin (pronounced KEER AH) in her pursuit of a normal life. She fails to find it, in fact she finds a life that just gets stranger. She finds a job at a radio station as a marketing manager and they give her a manual to read to introduce her to the station's unique world. The manual contains the most basic information about vampires. Ciara, naturally, thinks this is insane and calls to resign immediately because she doesn't find the prank funny. Boy is she in for a surprise. She soon runs across one of the DJ's in a bar and learns the hardway that they weren't fooling her, the DJ's truly are vampires (all six of them). She takes her job back and comes up with an awesome marketing plan. To keep the station from going under, why not promote the truth as a gimmick to get listeners? Tell the world that, yes, we are a station full of vampires which is why our broadcasts only play at night and each DJ only plays music from a specific period of time (because it is their 'lifetime', the period of time in which they were made into vampires and therefore that is where their mentality is stuck).
::blank stares:: ...so she wants the real vampires to pretend to be humans pretending to be vampires to get attention for the station?
That would be correct. And it works like a charm until an older vampire decides it is a dumb idea and wants to kill them all if they don't stop. During all this craziness, Ciara starts to develop a relationship with the youngest DJ, Shane McAllister. Obviously a rocky, interesting relationship since she refuses to be a donor for him to feed off of.
Seriously though, this book is so different than most vampire novels and the main character is so far from the generic heroines that it had me doing mental happy dances. How can you not love a girl who was raised by con artists? And the vampires are all OCD in an incredibly indearing way. Shane's obsession with alphabetizing things really struck a cord because I am similarly obsessed with how my books/cds/dvds are organized.
Speaking of Shane...::drools:: damn can Mrs Smith-Ready create a leading male character. After reading Shade where she has not one but two amazing male leads, I didn't think it was possible to have another one I adored this much but I was wrong. Now granted, Shane isn't perfect and he definitely doesn't knock Damon from The Vampire Diaries (books not the show) from his perch as favorite male vampire ever (because let's face it, there is no way a catholic vampire is gonna ever rock my world THAT much given my very athiest religious outlook) but he is definitely high on the list. He's tall, he plays guitar and sings, and he is hot as hell...need I say more?
Here, this is what I imagined Shane to sound like when I was reading: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FdO4k... Is this because he was described this way or because I have a sick obsession with the one known as Shimon Moore (in the video, he is the blond one)? Well, I'll never really know, but I'd like to think it's the former.
So everyone who likes vampires, con artists, rock music, and amazing writing should read this. Seriously. GO BUY IT NOW.
Disclaimer: those with issues with cursing, description sex, or hearing the main character bash Christianity a time or two might want to steer clear.
Can I just say that I love this book? Seriously, these is the first book in the WVMP Radio series which is now officially my favorite vampire series (knocking the Sookie Stackhouse series from the spot). I love everything about this book. I seriously can't think of anything I didn't like.
This book follows Ciara Griffin (pronounced KEER AH) in her pursuit of a normal life. She fails to find it, in fact she finds a life that just gets stranger. She finds a job at a radio station as a marketing manager and they give her a manual to read to introduce her to the station's unique world. The manual contains the most basic information about vampires. Ciara, naturally, thinks this is insane and calls to resign immediately because she doesn't find the prank funny. Boy is she in for a surprise. She soon runs across one of the DJ's in a bar and learns the hardway that they weren't fooling her, the DJ's truly are vampires (all six of them). She takes her job back and comes up with an awesome marketing plan. To keep the station from going under, why not promote the truth as a gimmick to get listeners? Tell the world that, yes, we are a station full of vampires which is why our broadcasts only play at night and each DJ only plays music from a specific period of time (because it is their 'lifetime', the period of time in which they were made into vampires and therefore that is where their mentality is stuck).
::blank stares:: ...so she wants the real vampires to pretend to be humans pretending to be vampires to get attention for the station?
That would be correct. And it works like a charm until an older vampire decides it is a dumb idea and wants to kill them all if they don't stop. During all this craziness, Ciara starts to develop a relationship with the youngest DJ, Shane McAllister. Obviously a rocky, interesting relationship since she refuses to be a donor for him to feed off of.
Seriously though, this book is so different than most vampire novels and the main character is so far from the generic heroines that it had me doing mental happy dances. How can you not love a girl who was raised by con artists? And the vampires are all OCD in an incredibly indearing way. Shane's obsession with alphabetizing things really struck a cord because I am similarly obsessed with how my books/cds/dvds are organized.
Speaking of Shane...::drools:: damn can Mrs Smith-Ready create a leading male character. After reading Shade where she has not one but two amazing male leads, I didn't think it was possible to have another one I adored this much but I was wrong. Now granted, Shane isn't perfect and he definitely doesn't knock Damon from The Vampire Diaries (books not the show) from his perch as favorite male vampire ever (because let's face it, there is no way a catholic vampire is gonna ever rock my world THAT much given my very athiest religious outlook) but he is definitely high on the list. He's tall, he plays guitar and sings, and he is hot as hell...need I say more?
Here, this is what I imagined Shane to sound like when I was reading: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FdO4k... Is this because he was described this way or because I have a sick obsession with the one known as Shimon Moore (in the video, he is the blond one)? Well, I'll never really know, but I'd like to think it's the former.
So everyone who likes vampires, con artists, rock music, and amazing writing should read this. Seriously. GO BUY IT NOW.
Disclaimer: those with issues with cursing, description sex, or hearing the main character bash Christianity a time or two might want to steer clear.
July 24, 2014
Ciara est une jeune femme de 24 ans qui a eu une jeunesse mouvementée, elle commet encore quelques infractions mais essaye de rester plus ou moins dans le droit chemin. Elle postule pour être stagiaire marketing dans une station service un peu minable, et va se retrouver plongé dans un monde qu'elle n'imaginait même pas.
Ce qui frappe au départ c'est que l'on pense dans les premiers chapitres que notre héroïne est une jeune femme normale ,un peu marginale certes mais une femme ordinaire qui postule pour un simple job ,c'est une passionnée de musique qui galère un peu , et qui va se retrouver un peu violemment on va dire au milieu des vampires mais au fur et à mesure que l'histoire avance on se rend compte que Ciara n'est pas si simple que cela, c'est amené de façon très subtile par l'auteure. De façon très habile l'auteure nous distille des informations sur son passé, la raison pour laquelle elle se fait passer pour orpheline, pourquoi elle vit ainsi et ce qui a forgé son caractère très entier.
Elle va accepter très facilement les révélations de son patron sur ses collègues DJ vampires et incidemment elle va finir par s'attacher à eux, leurs problèmes et surtout essayer de les sauver de leurs particularités (je n'en dirais pas plus sur celles ci car cela serait dévoiler l'histoire et l'intrigue) seulement que c'est la première fois pour ma part qu'un auteur aborde ce sujet très original mais d'une certaine logique à laquelle on croit très vite. Jeri Smith- Ready si elle a conservé les caractéristiques que nous connaissons toutes sur cette race, elle soulève de nouvelles idées très innovatrices et nous fait voir les
Vampires sous un autre aspect qui les montre plus fragiles.
Les personnages des DJ jouent un rôle important dans l'histoire car c'est à cause d'eux que notre héroïne va vouloir d'une part sauver cette petite station qui au départ n'était pour elle qu'un petit job pour survivre et surtout lorsque le danger apparait elle n'hésite pas à foncer pour les défendre. Petit à petit Ciara voit en eux une nouvelle famille et elle est prête à beaucoup pour les aider, la romance est présente car elle va développer avec le plus jeune d'entre eux Shane une belle histoire mais ce n'est pas le fil conducteur.
Je comprends maintenant pourquoi certaines critiques que j'ai vue ; nous avons été habitués à un certain schéma pour la Bit Lit et ce livre ne suit pas ce schéma ce qui a du déstabiliser les lectrices. Il y a des vampires oui mais pas ceux charismatiques, beaux comme des dieux vivants qui vous font frémir dès qu'ils vous jettent un regard non ceux de Jeri Smith-Ready sont fragiles mentalement, presque humains avec leurs névroses, de l'action et du sang non juste une chronique douce amère d'humains et de vampires qui essayent de continuer à trouver le goût de vivre avec une passion commune : La Musique qui est présente dans tout le livre , une chanson pour chaque titre de chapitre, une époque musicale pour chaque DJ, de nombreuses références à une multitude d'artistes de tout genre morts ou vivants peut être est ceci qui a dérangé les lectrices.
Moi j'ai adoré c'est original, bien écrit et à aucun moment l'ennui n'a surgi, enfin de la nouveauté dans ce genre et le second tome est déjà pré-commandé sans hésitation
Ce qui frappe au départ c'est que l'on pense dans les premiers chapitres que notre héroïne est une jeune femme normale ,un peu marginale certes mais une femme ordinaire qui postule pour un simple job ,c'est une passionnée de musique qui galère un peu , et qui va se retrouver un peu violemment on va dire au milieu des vampires mais au fur et à mesure que l'histoire avance on se rend compte que Ciara n'est pas si simple que cela, c'est amené de façon très subtile par l'auteure. De façon très habile l'auteure nous distille des informations sur son passé, la raison pour laquelle elle se fait passer pour orpheline, pourquoi elle vit ainsi et ce qui a forgé son caractère très entier.
Elle va accepter très facilement les révélations de son patron sur ses collègues DJ vampires et incidemment elle va finir par s'attacher à eux, leurs problèmes et surtout essayer de les sauver de leurs particularités (je n'en dirais pas plus sur celles ci car cela serait dévoiler l'histoire et l'intrigue) seulement que c'est la première fois pour ma part qu'un auteur aborde ce sujet très original mais d'une certaine logique à laquelle on croit très vite. Jeri Smith- Ready si elle a conservé les caractéristiques que nous connaissons toutes sur cette race, elle soulève de nouvelles idées très innovatrices et nous fait voir les
Vampires sous un autre aspect qui les montre plus fragiles.
Les personnages des DJ jouent un rôle important dans l'histoire car c'est à cause d'eux que notre héroïne va vouloir d'une part sauver cette petite station qui au départ n'était pour elle qu'un petit job pour survivre et surtout lorsque le danger apparait elle n'hésite pas à foncer pour les défendre. Petit à petit Ciara voit en eux une nouvelle famille et elle est prête à beaucoup pour les aider, la romance est présente car elle va développer avec le plus jeune d'entre eux Shane une belle histoire mais ce n'est pas le fil conducteur.
Je comprends maintenant pourquoi certaines critiques que j'ai vue ; nous avons été habitués à un certain schéma pour la Bit Lit et ce livre ne suit pas ce schéma ce qui a du déstabiliser les lectrices. Il y a des vampires oui mais pas ceux charismatiques, beaux comme des dieux vivants qui vous font frémir dès qu'ils vous jettent un regard non ceux de Jeri Smith-Ready sont fragiles mentalement, presque humains avec leurs névroses, de l'action et du sang non juste une chronique douce amère d'humains et de vampires qui essayent de continuer à trouver le goût de vivre avec une passion commune : La Musique qui est présente dans tout le livre , une chanson pour chaque titre de chapitre, une époque musicale pour chaque DJ, de nombreuses références à une multitude d'artistes de tout genre morts ou vivants peut être est ceci qui a dérangé les lectrices.
Moi j'ai adoré c'est original, bien écrit et à aucun moment l'ennui n'a surgi, enfin de la nouveauté dans ce genre et le second tome est déjà pré-commandé sans hésitation
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