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The Tear Collector
Fans of urban fantasy should prepare for a new kind of vampire-one that feeds off of tears instead of blood. Descended from an ancient line of creatures that gain their energy from human tears, Cassandra Gray depends on human sorrow to live. Her job as a grief counselor at the hospital provides the perfect cover to keep this secret safe, and any time a friend needs a shoulder to cry on, she's there. Only Cass has grown tired of living a lie and wants to live like a human, especially now that she's found someone worth fighting for. With a perfect blend of supernatural and romance, Patrick Jones treats his current fans to a different taste of storytelling and will have new ones scrambling to devour this unique offering.
263 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2009
10 people are currently reading
1051 people want to read
About the author
Patrick Jones
246 books224 followersPatrick Jones is the author of five realistic teen novels, most recently Stolen Car((Walker / Bloomsbury, 2008). His first young adult novel Things Change (Walker & Company, 2004) was named by the Young Adult Library Services Association as a best book for reluctant readers, and was runner-up in the Teen Buckeye Book Award selected by Ohio teens. His second novel Nailed was published by Walker / Bloomsbury in spring 2006 and was a runner-up for the Great Lake Book Award. His 2007 novel, Chasing Tail Lights, is nominated for the Minnesota Books Awards. His most recent (and last) professional publication is Connecting with Reluctant Readers (Neal-Schuman, 2006). In 2006, he won lifetime achievement awards from both the Catholic Library Association, and the American Library Association. Jones is a frequent speaker at library conferences, having visited all fifty states, as well as in Canada, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand. Jones grew up in Flint, Michigan, but now lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Read more at his web page www.connectingya.com, including FAQs about Things Change and Nailed (perfect for book reports!). NOTE: After a bruising experience with another author, he's limited his reviews on Good Reads to only raves as not to disturb the "fellowship" of YA writers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
September 6, 2009
I think there is a misconception for the Tear Collector. So far I’ve seen many call this book a new twist to an old vampire lore. “…she’s just like me now—not human, but not a classic horror movie vampire either. I’m more of a succubus that maintains a human form to get along in the world but is void of so much of what makes a person human—such as the ability to love.” This is where things throw me off track. I’m not sure if I can call this a vampire novel or not. There are certain attributes that make a vampire just as being able to transform into a wolf makes a werewolf. I’m grasping at thin straws right now; I guess it’s up to the reader to decide. Anyway that’s the least of my worries.
While I do think that The Tear Collector is unique within its idea and premise, the execution faltered. There seemed to be a lot of high school drama, redundant scenes, and many missing details.
I found the whole scenario of high school a bore actually. Jones starts a great idea then stops short from anything really excited. We have the generic mean girls, the popular but still nice cheerleader, the why-do-you-keep-mentioning-that-Cassandra-gives-blow-jobs-often-to jocks, the weird but deep Goth/Emo girl, and finally the not-the-best-looking-but-so-sweet guy. It’s a battle between which environment is dominate—high school or Cassandra’s family. There are times when they both intermingle but other times it’s more of a Monopoly game—pass Go and collect $200.
Cassandra hangs out in high school, comforts people, collects their tears, gives them to her great godmother, goes back to high school and collects tears again. This is where the redundancy comes into play. You can throw in random hissy cat fights but that doesn’t make it any better. I did, however, like the friendship with Samantha and Cassandra. We follow them when they were enemies to being something special. I thought her story was touching but had missing details to make it even more of a pow.
I couldn’t fully connect with many of the characters. I wasn’t as empathic to Cassandra as I would have liked, I didn’t like Scott as much as I hoped, and I couldn’t get the full intimate details of why they like each so darn much. I mean there were scenes that I thought “wow” but the conversations they had were very similar to other conversations she had.
Then there’s Alexei, her cousin whom she was promised to. A third of the novel was a build-up to this point and even then it fell short and anticlimactic. Again it showed promise, the chapter articles of children kidnappings, the suspense, and the anticipation but in the end all I could say was “that’s it”?
And the ending! Oh goodness. *no comment*
Overall: It’s frustrating because it had so much potential not because it was horrid! I craved for something more.
While I do think that The Tear Collector is unique within its idea and premise, the execution faltered. There seemed to be a lot of high school drama, redundant scenes, and many missing details.
I found the whole scenario of high school a bore actually. Jones starts a great idea then stops short from anything really excited. We have the generic mean girls, the popular but still nice cheerleader, the why-do-you-keep-mentioning-that-Cassandra-gives-blow-jobs-often-to jocks, the weird but deep Goth/Emo girl, and finally the not-the-best-looking-but-so-sweet guy. It’s a battle between which environment is dominate—high school or Cassandra’s family. There are times when they both intermingle but other times it’s more of a Monopoly game—pass Go and collect $200.
Cassandra hangs out in high school, comforts people, collects their tears, gives them to her great godmother, goes back to high school and collects tears again. This is where the redundancy comes into play. You can throw in random hissy cat fights but that doesn’t make it any better. I did, however, like the friendship with Samantha and Cassandra. We follow them when they were enemies to being something special. I thought her story was touching but had missing details to make it even more of a pow.
I couldn’t fully connect with many of the characters. I wasn’t as empathic to Cassandra as I would have liked, I didn’t like Scott as much as I hoped, and I couldn’t get the full intimate details of why they like each so darn much. I mean there were scenes that I thought “wow” but the conversations they had were very similar to other conversations she had.
Then there’s Alexei, her cousin whom she was promised to. A third of the novel was a build-up to this point and even then it fell short and anticlimactic. Again it showed promise, the chapter articles of children kidnappings, the suspense, and the anticipation but in the end all I could say was “that’s it”?
And the ending! Oh goodness. *no comment*
Overall: It’s frustrating because it had so much potential not because it was horrid! I craved for something more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 28, 2010
This book 100% took me by suprise:
1. I thought the main character would be a boy from looking at the cover.
Wrong! It was a girl!!!
2. It was way more emotionally developed than i had thought from reading the back.
We deal with death, sickness, family devotion, bullying, abuse, suicide, etc., but it's entertaining.. not depressing
3.The actual "tear collecting" thing was interesting and complex.
Not cheesy or overdone.
4. The main character seems really selfish at first, but after a couple of chapters I really started to feel sorry for her and connect with her character.
5. "The Family" was a cool side story that added depth to the book.
I despise Alexi.
negatives:
1. To not know what love is or have any real feelings, Cassandra falls entirely too quickly for Scott!
2. Some of her family story needed more devlopment, imo.
3. Some of the conversations feel a little forced/not like a real conversation.
4. I hate the ending... unless it means there is another story?!?!?!?!?
All in all, a solid 4 stars for me. A pleasant suprise. A book I recommend to you Young Adult readers.
1. I thought the main character would be a boy from looking at the cover.
Wrong! It was a girl!!!
2. It was way more emotionally developed than i had thought from reading the back.
We deal with death, sickness, family devotion, bullying, abuse, suicide, etc., but it's entertaining.. not depressing
3.The actual "tear collecting" thing was interesting and complex.
Not cheesy or overdone.
4. The main character seems really selfish at first, but after a couple of chapters I really started to feel sorry for her and connect with her character.
5. "The Family" was a cool side story that added depth to the book.
I despise Alexi.
negatives:
1. To not know what love is or have any real feelings, Cassandra falls entirely too quickly for Scott!
2. Some of her family story needed more devlopment, imo.
3. Some of the conversations feel a little forced/not like a real conversation.
4. I hate the ending... unless it means there is another story?!?!?!?!?
All in all, a solid 4 stars for me. A pleasant suprise. A book I recommend to you Young Adult readers.
February 26, 2011
I wanted to love this book. It has all the makings of a true masterpiece. A cliché(vampires) + hot, unexpected twist. But I must admit it went down with a flop.
I don't like vampires, I mean I've read a few books about them and liked (some even love)them, but I was never obsess with the beings themselves.
Anyhow, this "vampire family" don't feed with blood, but the sorrow and sadness of people.
And although I expected to be mesmerize with this intriguing tale, it never did. It was cliché after cliché and I got to admit I barely got half way.
Warning: I don't know the next can be count as spoilers, I personally think not, but I think I should warn you.
The reason I stopped altogether: the main character likes having boyfriends and then breaking their hearts so she can feed off them. So, she meets this guy and kisses him and thinks: "oh this guy needs some practice." And barely a page after she says she's falling for him without a serious explanation or any kind and/or progression of how her feelings got there.
Anyway, I think it's clear what I thought about this book. I tried getting through it, but there's so many books out there and didn't think I could handle more of this one.
I don't like vampires, I mean I've read a few books about them and liked (some even love)them, but I was never obsess with the beings themselves.
Anyhow, this "vampire family" don't feed with blood, but the sorrow and sadness of people.
And although I expected to be mesmerize with this intriguing tale, it never did. It was cliché after cliché and I got to admit I barely got half way.
Warning: I don't know the next can be count as spoilers, I personally think not, but I think I should warn you.
The reason I stopped altogether: the main character likes having boyfriends and then breaking their hearts so she can feed off them. So, she meets this guy and kisses him and thinks: "oh this guy needs some practice." And barely a page after she says she's falling for him without a serious explanation or any kind and/or progression of how her feelings got there.
Anyway, I think it's clear what I thought about this book. I tried getting through it, but there's so many books out there and didn't think I could handle more of this one.
February 18, 2010
Well, this book disappointed me. Even if I hadn't entertained high hopes based on the author's great work in the field of YA librarianship and the wonderful articles he writes, this book would STILL have disappointed me.
Positive: The different slant on vampires gave me my high hopes. Instead of drinking blood, these vampires live by soaking up human emotion via tears. The heroine is a tear vampire who attends a human high school, the perfect breeding ground for tear-producing drama. She falls in love with a human boy and begins to question her family's way of life, eventually leading to rebellion. It takes place in an ordinary high school full of ordinary cliques (Goths, cheerleaders, jocks) and ordinary high school goings-on (make outs, breakups, sex, cat fights, family drama, etc.)
Sounds great, right?
Negative (with spoilers, sorry, I HAVE to): This book may take place in a realistic high school environment, but I felt like it was TOO well-drawn. It read like a field guide for grown ups: this is what Goths think, this is how jocks act. The setting remains superficial throughout the book.
The heroine didn't get much of my sympathy. She doesn't just thrive on the high school drama, she gets at-risk people to trust her and then creates drama so they will cry on her shoulder, literally. Until she meets a boy and falls in love, she never questions the morality of her actions. Speaking of morality, she's also very blase about sexual favors and uses them to get what she wants.
Character development is at a low here. The heroine is fairly well-done, and her boyfriend sort of has a personality. Everyone else is a cookie cutter, from the has-to-be-perfect cheerleader to the witch-with-a-B cheerleader, from the dumb jock to the traumatized Goth. Even the villain of the piece, the heroine's cousin (with whom she is supposed to "mate" and reproduce at the age of 16), is just evil, the end.
My big gripe with this book was the ending. The heroine wants to stop being a vampire, but finds out the only way she can is by taking a human life. She briefly contemplates killing her best friend's 8-year-old sister, who is dying of cancer. She decides she simply can't, because the child is too innocent and the heroine loves her too much.
At this point, I thought, "Wow, she is stuck. She just has to stay a vampire."
Oh, no. The book ends with her calling the cheerleader-with-a-B and asking if they can meet! Then I realized that character was set up to be the nastiest in the book: she starts rumors to break up the heroine's best friend and her boyfriend. When the best friend kills herself over it, she cries fake tears even as she hooks up with the boyfriend. She's so mean. She's so fake. Blah blah.
So it's okay to KILL her? I lost what little compassion for the heroine I still had at that point. Yes, the cheerleader was a fake mean girl. But only in cardboard cut-out land do fake mean girls with no feelings really exist. In real life, even mean girls have lives and feelings, loves and hopes and dreams and redeeming qualities. The author tries to make it seem like poetic justice. The heroine even accuses the girl of killing her best friend at one point, because she caused the breakup that sent the girl over the edge.
I know there are probably some high schoolers out there who are teased and tormented by pretty, popular girls every day. Been there, done that. Maybe for some of those kids, the ending will be cathartic and meaningful. But to me, it just meant the heroine was sinking lower than the villain. At least he didn't murder anyone!
I gave this book two stars because the premise was original, it obviously took considerable effort, and because some teens might like it. Other than that, I'd say "Complete BOMB. Walk on by."
Positive: The different slant on vampires gave me my high hopes. Instead of drinking blood, these vampires live by soaking up human emotion via tears. The heroine is a tear vampire who attends a human high school, the perfect breeding ground for tear-producing drama. She falls in love with a human boy and begins to question her family's way of life, eventually leading to rebellion. It takes place in an ordinary high school full of ordinary cliques (Goths, cheerleaders, jocks) and ordinary high school goings-on (make outs, breakups, sex, cat fights, family drama, etc.)
Sounds great, right?
Negative (with spoilers, sorry, I HAVE to): This book may take place in a realistic high school environment, but I felt like it was TOO well-drawn. It read like a field guide for grown ups: this is what Goths think, this is how jocks act. The setting remains superficial throughout the book.
The heroine didn't get much of my sympathy. She doesn't just thrive on the high school drama, she gets at-risk people to trust her and then creates drama so they will cry on her shoulder, literally. Until she meets a boy and falls in love, she never questions the morality of her actions. Speaking of morality, she's also very blase about sexual favors and uses them to get what she wants.
Character development is at a low here. The heroine is fairly well-done, and her boyfriend sort of has a personality. Everyone else is a cookie cutter, from the has-to-be-perfect cheerleader to the witch-with-a-B cheerleader, from the dumb jock to the traumatized Goth. Even the villain of the piece, the heroine's cousin (with whom she is supposed to "mate" and reproduce at the age of 16), is just evil, the end.
My big gripe with this book was the ending. The heroine wants to stop being a vampire, but finds out the only way she can is by taking a human life. She briefly contemplates killing her best friend's 8-year-old sister, who is dying of cancer. She decides she simply can't, because the child is too innocent and the heroine loves her too much.
At this point, I thought, "Wow, she is stuck. She just has to stay a vampire."
Oh, no. The book ends with her calling the cheerleader-with-a-B and asking if they can meet! Then I realized that character was set up to be the nastiest in the book: she starts rumors to break up the heroine's best friend and her boyfriend. When the best friend kills herself over it, she cries fake tears even as she hooks up with the boyfriend. She's so mean. She's so fake. Blah blah.
So it's okay to KILL her? I lost what little compassion for the heroine I still had at that point. Yes, the cheerleader was a fake mean girl. But only in cardboard cut-out land do fake mean girls with no feelings really exist. In real life, even mean girls have lives and feelings, loves and hopes and dreams and redeeming qualities. The author tries to make it seem like poetic justice. The heroine even accuses the girl of killing her best friend at one point, because she caused the breakup that sent the girl over the edge.
I know there are probably some high schoolers out there who are teased and tormented by pretty, popular girls every day. Been there, done that. Maybe for some of those kids, the ending will be cathartic and meaningful. But to me, it just meant the heroine was sinking lower than the villain. At least he didn't murder anyone!
I gave this book two stars because the premise was original, it obviously took considerable effort, and because some teens might like it. Other than that, I'd say "Complete BOMB. Walk on by."
July 6, 2010
Despite the mixed reviews for this read, I wanted to give this one a go and I could see both sides to the good and bad.
This is definitely a very unique concept to Vampires, collecting the emotional tears instead of blood for energy's life force is something that is very different from the typical more traditional Vampire lore.
However, I think I'll have to stick with the blood in this case. That sounds strange, I know, but when it comes to this kind of paranormal? You kinda don't mess with it.
Still, I found The Tear Collector to be very intriguing and again really enjoyed reading about a new concept. I could sympathize with the characters and the writing was very well done.
Anyone looking for something that is entirely of it's own might want to take a look at this one.
October 7, 2009
The premise of this story sounded so different and unique. A vampire that didn't need blood to survive, but rather lived off the tears of humans. I was pretty skeptical at first. I haven't read anything by Patrick Jones before, but could he really pull this off?
Cassandra was an interesting character but I had real trouble connecting with her. This "vampire" is up to her neck in school drama and family troubles. And while I can certainly relate to her actual problems, I found a lack of emotional depth to her. Her character was a little flat and I simply could not sympathize with her. She basically seeks out emotionally hurt people at school or work and comforts them. She collects their tears and gains strength from them. Then she has to turn around and go home to give those tears to her weak great-grandmother. After that, she's off to do it again. Of course I kind of felt bad for her situation, but I feel there was so much more to be had with her family life. Towards the end of the book the reader meets her cousin and finds out a surprising twist to the story that basically flops at the very end.
Her school life is filled with dramatic stereotypes that really just made me yawn. I didn't feel anything though. The fighting between Cassandra and the other popular girls were petty and while there is nothing wrong with that I just felt it didn't really go anywhere. And then there is Scott. The relationship between Scott and Cassandra was limited at best. Yes, they really liked each other but how I don't really know. Their conversations were limited and if I was basically tired of hearing Cassandra say "Well, what do you mean Scott?"
The story lacked in a lot of different departments which really disappointed me. I didn't go into the story with high expectations because I had never read anything by Patrick Jones. But throughout the entire book I just wanted more. More depth, more description, more real interaction with the characters. I don't think I'd even classify this as a vampire novel. Not that I'm an expert, but I do love me some vampires. Even without the blood, this story was more about family duty - not vampire lore.
All in all, I was disappointed I didn't enjoy the novel. I would like to say I will be giving Patrick Jones another chance because I've read blurbs of his other books and I'm interested in them. But THE TEAR COLLECTOR just wasn't my cup o' tea. Maybe it will be yours though, I have seen a few reviews where the reader absolutely loved the book. Yay for them! I'm glad they found something in it that I couldn't.
Cassandra was an interesting character but I had real trouble connecting with her. This "vampire" is up to her neck in school drama and family troubles. And while I can certainly relate to her actual problems, I found a lack of emotional depth to her. Her character was a little flat and I simply could not sympathize with her. She basically seeks out emotionally hurt people at school or work and comforts them. She collects their tears and gains strength from them. Then she has to turn around and go home to give those tears to her weak great-grandmother. After that, she's off to do it again. Of course I kind of felt bad for her situation, but I feel there was so much more to be had with her family life. Towards the end of the book the reader meets her cousin and finds out a surprising twist to the story that basically flops at the very end.
Her school life is filled with dramatic stereotypes that really just made me yawn. I didn't feel anything though. The fighting between Cassandra and the other popular girls were petty and while there is nothing wrong with that I just felt it didn't really go anywhere. And then there is Scott. The relationship between Scott and Cassandra was limited at best. Yes, they really liked each other but how I don't really know. Their conversations were limited and if I was basically tired of hearing Cassandra say "Well, what do you mean Scott?"
The story lacked in a lot of different departments which really disappointed me. I didn't go into the story with high expectations because I had never read anything by Patrick Jones. But throughout the entire book I just wanted more. More depth, more description, more real interaction with the characters. I don't think I'd even classify this as a vampire novel. Not that I'm an expert, but I do love me some vampires. Even without the blood, this story was more about family duty - not vampire lore.
All in all, I was disappointed I didn't enjoy the novel. I would like to say I will be giving Patrick Jones another chance because I've read blurbs of his other books and I'm interested in them. But THE TEAR COLLECTOR just wasn't my cup o' tea. Maybe it will be yours though, I have seen a few reviews where the reader absolutely loved the book. Yay for them! I'm glad they found something in it that I couldn't.
February 25, 2010
Going into The Tear Collector I wasn't sure what to except exactly. Since there has been an abundance of negative reviews for it. Sadly enough I'm going to have to agree with those negative reviews; because while I did personally find the Tear Collector to be an interesting book with an even more intriguing premise, it feel flat for me in a big way.
Cassandra was someone who I found extremely hard to like and sympathize with, which is odd for me because I can usually find the good in almost anyone I read about. Though, Cassandra felt like a complete alien to me, but I guess that kind of makes sense since she wasn't exactly human. Since not only was she an odd girl, but I hated how for 95% of the book she used people to her own benefit, pretending to be their friend so that she could get to their sadness in life, and in turn fed of the one thing she craved the most: tears. I get that was something she had to do in order to live, but the way in which she never truly cared about most of the people she fed off of bothered me. With saying that I did like the supporting characters, though, such as Robyn, Samantha, and Scott. All three where ones that I not only liked, but could feel sadness towards with the sad, lonely lives they were given.
As mentioned above, I did find the premise to be intriguing. I mean vampires feeding off tears instead of blood? I can't say I've heard that one before. Though while the book had an interesting feel to it that made it an easy read, at times the plot was predictable and the dialogue lacked emotion and feelings instead coming out in a clichéd type of way. With saying that I could still see promise in Mr. Jones' writing and because of that, I may give at least one of his books another try, even though The Tear Collector was pretty much a let down.
In all, The Tear Collector is a book that I don't exactly recommended because in all truth, it's far from being a gem. Though, if you are set on reading, I would highly suggest you pick it up from the library instead, and maybe, just maybe, you'll see the light in it that I unfortunately did not.
Grade: C-
Cassandra was someone who I found extremely hard to like and sympathize with, which is odd for me because I can usually find the good in almost anyone I read about. Though, Cassandra felt like a complete alien to me, but I guess that kind of makes sense since she wasn't exactly human. Since not only was she an odd girl, but I hated how for 95% of the book she used people to her own benefit, pretending to be their friend so that she could get to their sadness in life, and in turn fed of the one thing she craved the most: tears. I get that was something she had to do in order to live, but the way in which she never truly cared about most of the people she fed off of bothered me. With saying that I did like the supporting characters, though, such as Robyn, Samantha, and Scott. All three where ones that I not only liked, but could feel sadness towards with the sad, lonely lives they were given.
As mentioned above, I did find the premise to be intriguing. I mean vampires feeding off tears instead of blood? I can't say I've heard that one before. Though while the book had an interesting feel to it that made it an easy read, at times the plot was predictable and the dialogue lacked emotion and feelings instead coming out in a clichéd type of way. With saying that I could still see promise in Mr. Jones' writing and because of that, I may give at least one of his books another try, even though The Tear Collector was pretty much a let down.
In all, The Tear Collector is a book that I don't exactly recommended because in all truth, it's far from being a gem. Though, if you are set on reading, I would highly suggest you pick it up from the library instead, and maybe, just maybe, you'll see the light in it that I unfortunately did not.
Grade: C-
January 26, 2010
Cassandra Gray is a vampire but not the blood drinking kind, her and her family live off of tears. She is also given the task of providing for her family. She must go out and feed off other people's pain, and take the tears back home. A huge problem for Cassandra is that she's been promised to a cousin for marriage, that way the family can continue their species and live on forever. But Cassandra is starting to have feelings of her own as a result of being so deeply involved in the human world. Her best friend dies leaving her unsure of how to feel, and she meets Scott who she thinks she's falling in love with. Cassandra is torn between helping her family and doing what is right for them, or moving on and living a life for herself in the human world.
You know, I thought this was going to be a good book since it has such a solid premise. I liked the idea of not living off of only EMOTIONS but the tears themselves. How does one go about collecting them? I wondered, so I had to buy this one. The Tear Collector was disappointing because it could have been so much better. The secondary characters were pretty awful. White boys who want to be gangsters, bitchy cheerleaders, and the sweet religious love interest. Alright, the sweet religious love interest wasn't too bad, but he was just too good. The bad guy isn't introduced for a while, he's mentioned but not an obvious bad guy until the end. Cassandra is almost impossible to connect with. I felt pretty bad that her family is so awful, but the emotional changes she goes through aren't that surprising.
The writing didn't pull me in, and I can only hope that his other books are better because he obviously has great ideas. Or maybe it was just me and I had trouble connecting with his voice. I'll have to check out his other book Chasing Tail Lights which has been on my list of want to reads for a while.
You know, I thought this was going to be a good book since it has such a solid premise. I liked the idea of not living off of only EMOTIONS but the tears themselves. How does one go about collecting them? I wondered, so I had to buy this one. The Tear Collector was disappointing because it could have been so much better. The secondary characters were pretty awful. White boys who want to be gangsters, bitchy cheerleaders, and the sweet religious love interest. Alright, the sweet religious love interest wasn't too bad, but he was just too good. The bad guy isn't introduced for a while, he's mentioned but not an obvious bad guy until the end. Cassandra is almost impossible to connect with. I felt pretty bad that her family is so awful, but the emotional changes she goes through aren't that surprising.
The writing didn't pull me in, and I can only hope that his other books are better because he obviously has great ideas. Or maybe it was just me and I had trouble connecting with his voice. I'll have to check out his other book Chasing Tail Lights which has been on my list of want to reads for a while.
October 4, 2009
I really liked the idea of The Tear Collector. When I read that the main character was a girl who basically lived off human tears, I was intrigued. While I felt that the idea of the book was well conceived, I didn't think the novel was very well executed.
One aspect that I felt was a major negative of The Tear Collector was the characters. I think this is the aspect that caused the most distraction for me. I didn't feel like the dialogue between characters was well written and I didn't feel like the characters were fully developed or believable.
The romantic aspect of the novel was very disappointing to me. I thought the love story would be greater, more epic, than it was. I felt like Cassandra didn't really do much to deserve any of the devotion that she received - her character was too flat for me to feel any attachment to her and I didn't see how any guy would be attached to her either. Her only quality that I could imagine her using to attract a guy would be her tendency to have sex with guys. I liked the idea of a guy finally seeing more to her than just what she could do for him physically, but I don't think that she ever really showed that other side.
I did think that the premise for The Tear Collector was a really unique and original idea. That was the one redeeming quality, it is unfortunate that I didn't enjoy the other main part of this book: the romance.
Ratings (Out of 10):
Plot: 8
Characters: 4
Writing style: 4
Romance: 4
Originality: 10
Total: 30/50 (D-)
The Tear Collector wasn't a book that I particularly enjoyed, but my sister read it as well and liked it. I recommend reading some other reviews before deciding whether to pick it up youself.
One aspect that I felt was a major negative of The Tear Collector was the characters. I think this is the aspect that caused the most distraction for me. I didn't feel like the dialogue between characters was well written and I didn't feel like the characters were fully developed or believable.
The romantic aspect of the novel was very disappointing to me. I thought the love story would be greater, more epic, than it was. I felt like Cassandra didn't really do much to deserve any of the devotion that she received - her character was too flat for me to feel any attachment to her and I didn't see how any guy would be attached to her either. Her only quality that I could imagine her using to attract a guy would be her tendency to have sex with guys. I liked the idea of a guy finally seeing more to her than just what she could do for him physically, but I don't think that she ever really showed that other side.
I did think that the premise for The Tear Collector was a really unique and original idea. That was the one redeeming quality, it is unfortunate that I didn't enjoy the other main part of this book: the romance.
Ratings (Out of 10):
Plot: 8
Characters: 4
Writing style: 4
Romance: 4
Originality: 10
Total: 30/50 (D-)
The Tear Collector wasn't a book that I particularly enjoyed, but my sister read it as well and liked it. I recommend reading some other reviews before deciding whether to pick it up youself.
September 12, 2009
The Tear Collector, by Patrick Jones, is a creative spin on the vampire myth, were the main character Cassandra Gray doesn’t live off of the blood of humans, but rather the tears and sorrow of the people around her. The author did a good job of creating a paranormal creature that the reader was able to feel compassion for. The book is well written and structured in my opinion; however, I did find a couple of typos, but nothing major to distract me from the story line. I liked how the book immediately captured my attention, infused lore and action throughout, and ultimately ended with a captivating conclusion.
Cassandra is a succubus that maintains a human form in order to get along in the world, but she is void of what makes a person human. She sustains her and her family by soaking up human emotions and suffering into her skin in order to survive. Her kind is prohibited to cause sorrow, but at the same time is unable to feel love. All that changes when she meets Scott, a sweet and religious guy from her high school. After numerous relationships, that are void of the love and compassion she is incapable of feeling, Cass begins to experience emotions she never thought she could achieve. However, following her heart would mean two things; defying her family and their centuries old traditions, as well as battling with herself to be more than a creature that exists between fact and fiction and all that she has ever known.
Overall, I enjoyed the story and will continue to look for other novels by Patrick Jones. The Tear Collector was a book that I would feel comfortable recommending to my fellow readers if you are interested in something a little different than the typical vampire novel. The characters are likeable and the storyline is captivating. Great read!
Cassandra is a succubus that maintains a human form in order to get along in the world, but she is void of what makes a person human. She sustains her and her family by soaking up human emotions and suffering into her skin in order to survive. Her kind is prohibited to cause sorrow, but at the same time is unable to feel love. All that changes when she meets Scott, a sweet and religious guy from her high school. After numerous relationships, that are void of the love and compassion she is incapable of feeling, Cass begins to experience emotions she never thought she could achieve. However, following her heart would mean two things; defying her family and their centuries old traditions, as well as battling with herself to be more than a creature that exists between fact and fiction and all that she has ever known.
Overall, I enjoyed the story and will continue to look for other novels by Patrick Jones. The Tear Collector was a book that I would feel comfortable recommending to my fellow readers if you are interested in something a little different than the typical vampire novel. The characters are likeable and the storyline is captivating. Great read!
July 28, 2009
I really enjoyed reading this book. The vampire novels that are written now a days express the stereotypical blood sucking vampires. However, Patrick Jones totally took another approach to the definition of a vampire. At first I was a little skeptical since I have a fascination with the whole smooth, sexy approach of a vampire. But, once I got into the story with the main character Cassandra, I fell in love with the new type of urban fantasy. I loved the concept of vampires needing tears instead of blood. It is definitely not gruesome and does not fulfill a sexy, satisfying feel like the stereotypical vampire would experience. It is a more deep, emotional connection that these vampires have to induce with the human in order to receive their energy. So, I thought the idea of vampires having to work their way into getting what they want was awesome. I also feel Cassandra was relateable because most human beings fight turmoil within themselves and seek a way to rebel against the nature that every parent enforces on us. I recommend this book to readers if they are looking for something fresh and new that hasn't been done before.
November 13, 2009
I picked this up at BEA because the cover drew me in. A guy crying?! Cool! Then I read the back: “a new kind of vampire—one who feeds off tears instead of blood”! Awesome! Original!
I got to page 22. I could not like the main character Cassandra Grey. She was totally bitchy. Unlikeable and not relatable. I could not subject myself to her for one more page let alone 241 more pages. I also have read some not so great reviews from other bloggers, therefore, I don’t feel so bad not finishing it. I thought the premise was a truly unique idea. Too bad.
I got to page 22. I could not like the main character Cassandra Grey. She was totally bitchy. Unlikeable and not relatable. I could not subject myself to her for one more page let alone 241 more pages. I also have read some not so great reviews from other bloggers, therefore, I don’t feel so bad not finishing it. I thought the premise was a truly unique idea. Too bad.
December 26, 2022
The worse book I’ve read in 2 years woooooo. But honestly I waited a decade to read this book because I met the author in high school and this one is set in my hometown. I figured it would be fine ya. No. This besmirches the name of shitty ya. I’m very happy I got to borrow this so I didn’t spend money on this waste of paper.
Did I finish this just to say I finished it? Yeah.
Did I finish this just to say I finished it? Yeah.
November 18, 2009
It might be "urban fantasy" but urban teens won't read it! I tried taking it to book club and the kids refused to discuss it - even to say why they disliked like it so much. One teen did say he appreciated the effort of the author's project but didn't care about the book. Better luck next time...
July 10, 2011
Cassandra Gray comes from a vary special family. See, Cassandra is a vampire. A special kind of vampire that feeds on tears instead of blood. Forced to feed of other people's pain, Cassandra can never allow herself to get too close to any one person. To make matters worse, as her grandmother gets older and weaker Cassandra must almost help provide the energy they collect from tears to her grandmother. This added strain has Cassandra working overtime to try and reach her family's high expectation. But as Cassandra tries to be everything her family wants her to be, she realizes she's tired of having to keep everyone an arms length away. Even though Cassandra is popular and volunteers in a hospital bursting with people, she's actually very alone. But as Cassandra starts to reach out to the people around her, she learns sometimes there's a high price to pay for getting what you want.
One issue I really had with this book was the use of several different stereotypes. One, not all goths genuinely believe in vampires. This really bothered me because I felt like the entire goth subculture was being distorted and generalized for the sake of easy characterization. That's not to say there isn't a vampyre subculture, but I still think the oversimplification of goths was problematic. (I found a really great post here if you'd like more info.) While Samantha does happen to be a vampire-believing-goth, saying she's like this because all goths are like this was lazy writing. This also leads into my second problem, the way Jones characterized atheism. I'll admit there's the possibility I'm being overly sensitive since I'm an atheist myself, but I really felt like Jones botched the whole thing. I honestly felt like atheism was misrepresented in a pseudo-debate in an attempt to discredit the genuine and complicated reasons people question belief in a god. Instead I felt like Jones used these conversations to speak to me as a reader. And it pissed me off. The characters Catholicism also seemed too heavy handed for me. Considering how heavy handed all the characters were though, this isn't very surprising. The cheerleaders are stuck up and shallow. The jocks are all brawn and no brain. The villain is very very evil. Scott is the "surprising" love interest that's sweet yet shy. Samantha is the wounded goth girl who writes poetry and hurts herself. It's was all too...expected. There was nothing distinctive about any of the characters.
This story was also woefully short on details. We're told Cassandra's family is some kind of succubus or vampire that feeds on human emotions like fear and sadness, but that's about it. We don't know what extent these emotions can be. Cassandra mentions she wants to feed on love not tears, but I wasn't sure what she meant. Was she being serious? If so, did Jones not think of the horror such a thing would cause? Is Cassandra immortal? How does doing something inhumane make a person human? There simply wasn't enough details for me. The reader is left with zero understanding of the supernatural elements of the story and instead is bombarded with random high school gossip and drama. I know more about one of the cheerleaders facebook page then I do about Cassandra's powers. Honestly, compared to the Dresden Files, where the White Court vampires (similar to Cassandra in this story) are fleshed out and considered from several angles, the supernatural part of this story was seriously lacking.
Since this story is light on the details and heavy on the stereotypes, it would take a really strong protagonist to make the story still work. And that's where this book falls short. While the begging of the story was interesting, it automatically distanced me emotionally from Cassandra. Her apathy caused my indifference and yet the story relies on the readers connection with her. Instead of wanting Cassandra to get a chance at a normal life, all her introspection just bored me. Her whining about the unfairness of it all was just that, whining. I genuinely didn't care what happened to her. And because of that, I wasn't able to feel her sacrifices were genuine sacrifices or her fears were worth being worried about. I just felt really meh about it all. Even more boring was the love story. Jeez, when will two dimensional instant attraction just die already? There's a part in the book when Cassandra thinks "we have so many connection" because Scott has read A Tale of Two Cities. Yeah, cause that's a totally obscure book that no one has ever heard about. That's be like me getting all emotional over the fact Ryan also read Huckleberry Finn. It's called eleventh grade English. Soul mates it does not make. Also, the fact Cassandra had to tell us they had connections means they didn't actually have any connections. Except for their simplistic views of theology of course. I also love the totally ridiculous relationship drama that was thrown in just to move things along.
At the end of the day this book is more coming-of-age-story than urban fantasy and it just didn't work for me since I couldn't feel Cassandra's journey. The dangling plot thread with Alexei, Cassandra's evil cousin, also really bothered me. the best thing about this story are the first and last lines.
http://sunshineandbones.blogspot.com/...
One issue I really had with this book was the use of several different stereotypes. One, not all goths genuinely believe in vampires. This really bothered me because I felt like the entire goth subculture was being distorted and generalized for the sake of easy characterization. That's not to say there isn't a vampyre subculture, but I still think the oversimplification of goths was problematic. (I found a really great post here if you'd like more info.) While Samantha does happen to be a vampire-believing-goth, saying she's like this because all goths are like this was lazy writing. This also leads into my second problem, the way Jones characterized atheism. I'll admit there's the possibility I'm being overly sensitive since I'm an atheist myself, but I really felt like Jones botched the whole thing. I honestly felt like atheism was misrepresented in a pseudo-debate in an attempt to discredit the genuine and complicated reasons people question belief in a god. Instead I felt like Jones used these conversations to speak to me as a reader. And it pissed me off. The characters Catholicism also seemed too heavy handed for me. Considering how heavy handed all the characters were though, this isn't very surprising. The cheerleaders are stuck up and shallow. The jocks are all brawn and no brain. The villain is very very evil. Scott is the "surprising" love interest that's sweet yet shy. Samantha is the wounded goth girl who writes poetry and hurts herself. It's was all too...expected. There was nothing distinctive about any of the characters.
This story was also woefully short on details. We're told Cassandra's family is some kind of succubus or vampire that feeds on human emotions like fear and sadness, but that's about it. We don't know what extent these emotions can be. Cassandra mentions she wants to feed on love not tears, but I wasn't sure what she meant. Was she being serious? If so, did Jones not think of the horror such a thing would cause? Is Cassandra immortal? How does doing something inhumane make a person human? There simply wasn't enough details for me. The reader is left with zero understanding of the supernatural elements of the story and instead is bombarded with random high school gossip and drama. I know more about one of the cheerleaders facebook page then I do about Cassandra's powers. Honestly, compared to the Dresden Files, where the White Court vampires (similar to Cassandra in this story) are fleshed out and considered from several angles, the supernatural part of this story was seriously lacking.
Since this story is light on the details and heavy on the stereotypes, it would take a really strong protagonist to make the story still work. And that's where this book falls short. While the begging of the story was interesting, it automatically distanced me emotionally from Cassandra. Her apathy caused my indifference and yet the story relies on the readers connection with her. Instead of wanting Cassandra to get a chance at a normal life, all her introspection just bored me. Her whining about the unfairness of it all was just that, whining. I genuinely didn't care what happened to her. And because of that, I wasn't able to feel her sacrifices were genuine sacrifices or her fears were worth being worried about. I just felt really meh about it all. Even more boring was the love story. Jeez, when will two dimensional instant attraction just die already? There's a part in the book when Cassandra thinks "we have so many connection" because Scott has read A Tale of Two Cities. Yeah, cause that's a totally obscure book that no one has ever heard about. That's be like me getting all emotional over the fact Ryan also read Huckleberry Finn. It's called eleventh grade English. Soul mates it does not make. Also, the fact Cassandra had to tell us they had connections means they didn't actually have any connections. Except for their simplistic views of theology of course. I also love the totally ridiculous relationship drama that was thrown in just to move things along.
At the end of the day this book is more coming-of-age-story than urban fantasy and it just didn't work for me since I couldn't feel Cassandra's journey. The dangling plot thread with Alexei, Cassandra's evil cousin, also really bothered me. the best thing about this story are the first and last lines.
http://sunshineandbones.blogspot.com/...
May 26, 2018
She collects tears to survive but wants to change
December 13, 2019
Inventive and enjoyable to the degree that you can enjoy such a tragic story.
November 6, 2009
Think all the teen vampire novels are the same? Then you definitely need to check out The Tear Collector, in this new tale, Patrick Jones really does find a new approach to the 'vampire' novel.
Cassandra (Cass) Gray and her family and not human, they don't burn in the sunlight or cringe away in horror when presented with garlic but they do need something extra to survive: human tears. And tears of joy or happiness won't do either, they have to be tears or sorrow...so you can just imagine what sort of life Cass lives, all the pain she is surrounded by.
But while the rest of her family is fine with this life, Cass has grown tired of it. Aching to be human and be done with her family 'duty' Cass has become discontent with the way things are.
The Tear Collector--which I find a hard book to summarize and still keep with my 'no spoilers' rule--is really a great twist on the recent explosion of 'teen vampire romance' books. The story is Cass's and her struggle keeping her identity secret from her friends and school (and dealing with high school drama like every other teenager) while still serving her family and deciphering how she feels about them and what they all are.
I really liked that there was Cass's family and her friends in fairly equal measure and not a 90/10 proportion because it was really need to explain who Cass was and why she had to deal with everything she did. Her family and friends were, though, where one of my few problems with one of the book came in. There were a few times where it felt like the storyline was at a sort of plateau to tell about both family members and different friends without really progressing to a peak/climax. Those parts weren't long or often, however.
I also really enjoyed that all aspects of Cassandra's life seemed to have been factored into the 'needing tears.' One hundred percent of her life (from the weather to her chapped lips and on) had something to do with her and her family's need for the moisture. It really added a lot to my enjoyment of the story that it wasn't, "Oh, Cass finds people when they're crying then her life is more or less normal."
It mirrored a traditional vampire story well in that there was still death that the characters had to deal with (in a high school setting no less). In this there weren't vampire killings, obviously, but I found it a nice symmetry to still have death be a part of the story and affect the characters.
One last bit, there was a character that added more drama to the story--and news reports interspersed with the story introduce that early on and that added another touch of drama and intrigue to the tale.
(thank you to the author/publisher for this book for review)
Cassandra (Cass) Gray and her family and not human, they don't burn in the sunlight or cringe away in horror when presented with garlic but they do need something extra to survive: human tears. And tears of joy or happiness won't do either, they have to be tears or sorrow...so you can just imagine what sort of life Cass lives, all the pain she is surrounded by.
But while the rest of her family is fine with this life, Cass has grown tired of it. Aching to be human and be done with her family 'duty' Cass has become discontent with the way things are.
The Tear Collector--which I find a hard book to summarize and still keep with my 'no spoilers' rule--is really a great twist on the recent explosion of 'teen vampire romance' books. The story is Cass's and her struggle keeping her identity secret from her friends and school (and dealing with high school drama like every other teenager) while still serving her family and deciphering how she feels about them and what they all are.
I really liked that there was Cass's family and her friends in fairly equal measure and not a 90/10 proportion because it was really need to explain who Cass was and why she had to deal with everything she did. Her family and friends were, though, where one of my few problems with one of the book came in. There were a few times where it felt like the storyline was at a sort of plateau to tell about both family members and different friends without really progressing to a peak/climax. Those parts weren't long or often, however.
I also really enjoyed that all aspects of Cassandra's life seemed to have been factored into the 'needing tears.' One hundred percent of her life (from the weather to her chapped lips and on) had something to do with her and her family's need for the moisture. It really added a lot to my enjoyment of the story that it wasn't, "Oh, Cass finds people when they're crying then her life is more or less normal."
It mirrored a traditional vampire story well in that there was still death that the characters had to deal with (in a high school setting no less). In this there weren't vampire killings, obviously, but I found it a nice symmetry to still have death be a part of the story and affect the characters.
One last bit, there was a character that added more drama to the story--and news reports interspersed with the story introduce that early on and that added another touch of drama and intrigue to the tale.
(thank you to the author/publisher for this book for review)
December 27, 2010
The novel is about a female vampire named Cassandra Gray collecting human tears to fulfill her duty to her family. She does peer counseling, volunteer work at the hospital, stirs drama at school to set off a release of emotions, and breaks boys' hearts to obtain enough tears to help her family of vampires survive. Cassandra starts to change and avoid her duty of indirectly causing people to suffer when she falls in love with a boy named Scott. Her duty is to also marry her evil cousin, Alexei, to continue the line of vampires. She longs for the separation from her family to become a normal human being who can feel emotions.
I loved how the book discusses the topics of selflessness and personal desires through internal thoughts rather than actions. My favorite character is Cassandra Gray because she had the courage to do something that she actually wanted personally.She also had the emotional strength to bear through the grave situations of picking between love or duty. The author unravels the story when Cassandra indirectly causes her friend Robyn to die by spreading rumors.
I have read books about vampires gathering and sucking human blood in order to survive, but this book is unconventional. The vampires in this book need human tears to survive instead. I also love how the story is written in first person point of view. I feel as if I am actually in the story because I share similar views of doing what my family wants me to do and what I want to do. This book shows that it is better to follow one's own wishes and goals, rather than what one's family desires her to do. The open-ended ending of the story gives me the option to choose the story's ending and in a way decide for myself on how I should live my life. The book appeals to me in an emotional way because I have experienced similar emotions that the characters have felt before.
I would definitely recommend this book to others, especially people who like drama and slice-of life stories. I would persuade others to read it because this book is very different from other supernatural stories and contains life lessons. I would ask them what parts they could relate to in the book and what insights the story has given them, after they have finished the book.
I loved how the book discusses the topics of selflessness and personal desires through internal thoughts rather than actions. My favorite character is Cassandra Gray because she had the courage to do something that she actually wanted personally.She also had the emotional strength to bear through the grave situations of picking between love or duty. The author unravels the story when Cassandra indirectly causes her friend Robyn to die by spreading rumors.
I have read books about vampires gathering and sucking human blood in order to survive, but this book is unconventional. The vampires in this book need human tears to survive instead. I also love how the story is written in first person point of view. I feel as if I am actually in the story because I share similar views of doing what my family wants me to do and what I want to do. This book shows that it is better to follow one's own wishes and goals, rather than what one's family desires her to do. The open-ended ending of the story gives me the option to choose the story's ending and in a way decide for myself on how I should live my life. The book appeals to me in an emotional way because I have experienced similar emotions that the characters have felt before.
I would definitely recommend this book to others, especially people who like drama and slice-of life stories. I would persuade others to read it because this book is very different from other supernatural stories and contains life lessons. I would ask them what parts they could relate to in the book and what insights the story has given them, after they have finished the book.
November 13, 2012
Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com
Vampires, zombies, and werewolves seem to be dominating young adult literature, but Patrick Jones has created another life form with enough similarities to make it popular, but enough uniqueness to possibly make it a far more disturbing read. Enter THE TEAR COLLECTOR.
News reports around Flint, Michigan, have been filled with reports of young boys disappearing, taken right off the street, from playgrounds and backyards. Even more mysterious is their return several days later, terrorized but alive.
Someone paying close attention to these news reports is Cassandra Gray. She has an idea who, or rather what, might be responsible, but it is her duty to protect and serve the family that might be involved. Cass has been given the task of collecting the sadness and sorrow of humans in the form of their tears and bringing it back to a small circle of those dependent on her for their survival. Not vampires dependent on the blood of their victims, but another non-human form that draws energy found in the tears of its victims.
Cass has always accepted her role willingly. She has become the trusted friend of many in order to offer her shoulder during times of crisis. In Lapeer High School the drama of everyday life provides tears aplenty. But Cass's family responsibility is becoming clouded by the sudden death of her best friend and the appearance of a boy who has her feeling things she never has before.
THE TEAR COLLECTOR by Patrick Jones adds a new dimension to the current trend in YA lit. With the use of sorrow and tears, he has chosen a direction I found more believable than the vampire/zombie fare of recent years. Set in a high school where emotions run amok on the best of days, having tears represent the life-sustaining power required for this alternate life form seems more realistic than glistening fangs and dripping blood.
Although this novel breaks from Jones's traditional genre, it reads well and will break open a whole new audience for his work.
Vampires, zombies, and werewolves seem to be dominating young adult literature, but Patrick Jones has created another life form with enough similarities to make it popular, but enough uniqueness to possibly make it a far more disturbing read. Enter THE TEAR COLLECTOR.
News reports around Flint, Michigan, have been filled with reports of young boys disappearing, taken right off the street, from playgrounds and backyards. Even more mysterious is their return several days later, terrorized but alive.
Someone paying close attention to these news reports is Cassandra Gray. She has an idea who, or rather what, might be responsible, but it is her duty to protect and serve the family that might be involved. Cass has been given the task of collecting the sadness and sorrow of humans in the form of their tears and bringing it back to a small circle of those dependent on her for their survival. Not vampires dependent on the blood of their victims, but another non-human form that draws energy found in the tears of its victims.
Cass has always accepted her role willingly. She has become the trusted friend of many in order to offer her shoulder during times of crisis. In Lapeer High School the drama of everyday life provides tears aplenty. But Cass's family responsibility is becoming clouded by the sudden death of her best friend and the appearance of a boy who has her feeling things she never has before.
THE TEAR COLLECTOR by Patrick Jones adds a new dimension to the current trend in YA lit. With the use of sorrow and tears, he has chosen a direction I found more believable than the vampire/zombie fare of recent years. Set in a high school where emotions run amok on the best of days, having tears represent the life-sustaining power required for this alternate life form seems more realistic than glistening fangs and dripping blood.
Although this novel breaks from Jones's traditional genre, it reads well and will break open a whole new audience for his work.
October 5, 2009
While the premise for this vampire book is unique, it failed to work for me. It's supposed to be a paranormal book, but I never really got the paranormal aspect. It read much more like any contemporary fiction novel about a girl trying to break away from her family mold. It seemed like the paranormal stuff got thrown in there at times it needed to be mentioned-and on yeah, she's a vampire.
Cassandra was a very unsympathetic narrator and I didn't care for her. I actually found her annoying and at times creepy. She was always comforting "friends" and she tries to reach out to goth girl Samantha. She doesn't even know Samantha, yet she's getting all gushy on her and encouraging her to let out her emotions because she knows she hurts. If someone I didn't know well started talking to me like that, I would be seriously weirded out!! There's also a romance plot to the book, but I didn't find it all that romantic or interesting, so I'm not sure I would even call this one a paranormal romance.
There were many times it felt like I was reading a rejected script for a bad CW show-the dialog was corny and unrealistic, the characters were stereotypes (the goth girl who bottles up her emotions, the backstabbing cheerleader, the popular beautiful girl with secret issues at home, the dumb jock boyfriends). I thought that the author kept telling me what I should feel and why I was supposed to care instead of showing me, which was pretty weird since he even mentions that in the novel that good writing shows, not tells!
Overall this one didn't work for me, although the plot picked up about halfway through. If readers enjoy unique takes on vampires, they might find something to enjoy in this one.
Cassandra was a very unsympathetic narrator and I didn't care for her. I actually found her annoying and at times creepy. She was always comforting "friends" and she tries to reach out to goth girl Samantha. She doesn't even know Samantha, yet she's getting all gushy on her and encouraging her to let out her emotions because she knows she hurts. If someone I didn't know well started talking to me like that, I would be seriously weirded out!! There's also a romance plot to the book, but I didn't find it all that romantic or interesting, so I'm not sure I would even call this one a paranormal romance.
There were many times it felt like I was reading a rejected script for a bad CW show-the dialog was corny and unrealistic, the characters were stereotypes (the goth girl who bottles up her emotions, the backstabbing cheerleader, the popular beautiful girl with secret issues at home, the dumb jock boyfriends). I thought that the author kept telling me what I should feel and why I was supposed to care instead of showing me, which was pretty weird since he even mentions that in the novel that good writing shows, not tells!
Overall this one didn't work for me, although the plot picked up about halfway through. If readers enjoy unique takes on vampires, they might find something to enjoy in this one.
October 10, 2009
THE TEAR COLLECTOR attempts to work an interesting spin on the well-established genre of vampire lit, but fails miserably at raising readers’ sympathies and holding their attention. The characters are flat and the interactions unbelievable.
Cassandra is an unlikable protagonist, and not because she’s a girl with questionable morals and intentions—there are many “mean girls” in YA lit whose faults and funky attitudes I embrace fully. However, Cassandra is often difficult to connect to emotionally: we hear that she is frustrated by her family, scornful of her classmates and ex-boyfriends, but we don’t see or feel it. This emotional distance makes readers unable to sympathize with Cassandra’s difficulties. She’s really a character in a fictional story, not someone who could be our classmate or a person we knew back in school.
Cassandra’s interactions with the other characters in the book are far from interesting. Most of the time, conversation falls flat as stereotypes attempt to catfight with one another…while neither of them have real claws. Cassandra and Scott’s relationship is also dull: there’s about as much successful chemistry between the two of them as remedial science classes.
Perhaps that was a bit harsh, but that’s the problem: THE TEAR COLLECTOR doesn’t know what harsh is. Jones comes up with a brilliant premise, one that could really go places, but ends up only playing on stereotypes and surface emotions. And it’s really a shame. THE TEAR COLLECTOR will appeal to those not as well read in YA vampire lit or those who are willing to overlook uninspiring writing for the sake of an original concept.
Cassandra is an unlikable protagonist, and not because she’s a girl with questionable morals and intentions—there are many “mean girls” in YA lit whose faults and funky attitudes I embrace fully. However, Cassandra is often difficult to connect to emotionally: we hear that she is frustrated by her family, scornful of her classmates and ex-boyfriends, but we don’t see or feel it. This emotional distance makes readers unable to sympathize with Cassandra’s difficulties. She’s really a character in a fictional story, not someone who could be our classmate or a person we knew back in school.
Cassandra’s interactions with the other characters in the book are far from interesting. Most of the time, conversation falls flat as stereotypes attempt to catfight with one another…while neither of them have real claws. Cassandra and Scott’s relationship is also dull: there’s about as much successful chemistry between the two of them as remedial science classes.
Perhaps that was a bit harsh, but that’s the problem: THE TEAR COLLECTOR doesn’t know what harsh is. Jones comes up with a brilliant premise, one that could really go places, but ends up only playing on stereotypes and surface emotions. And it’s really a shame. THE TEAR COLLECTOR will appeal to those not as well read in YA vampire lit or those who are willing to overlook uninspiring writing for the sake of an original concept.
November 15, 2009
Cassandra Gray is a vampire-only she doesn't feast off blood, she thrives on human tears. Cass is always there when someone needs a shoulder to cry on and she'll be the one to listen and comfort. But Cassandra isn't happy with her manipulative life-she wants more and she wants to be human, especially since she's starting to fall in love with a human boy. Can she betray her family and the life she's always know?
(synopsis)
The Tear Collector accumulated mixed reviews. The premise was seriously interesting. The whole idea of tear-sucking vampires was so unique and unheard of.
Cassandra was a character that was a little uneven. I found her to be fluctuating with her thoughts and emotions, making for a not so solid characterization. I wasn't able to relate with her relationship with Scott because it was so out-of-the-blue. Also, I wished that Alexei was there more often because the action in the book really needed a lot of pizazz.
I found her family interesting. The hierarchy was fascinating but her grandmother, mother, and aunt were all unrealistically cruel to her. I wasn't able to understand why the family worked that way and how they could ever put Cassandra in that position. Her aunt is so intent on getting her to make Alexei her 'mate'. It's kind of gross and sick of them to breed within the family.
Overall, The Tear Collector was an okay start to a new series. I hope that the next books will be more action-packed. The Tear Collector just didn't have that spark for me. It fell flat and was almost superficial. The potential of the book is amazing. Hopefully, the series will grow from The Tear Collector.
(synopsis)
The Tear Collector accumulated mixed reviews. The premise was seriously interesting. The whole idea of tear-sucking vampires was so unique and unheard of.
Cassandra was a character that was a little uneven. I found her to be fluctuating with her thoughts and emotions, making for a not so solid characterization. I wasn't able to relate with her relationship with Scott because it was so out-of-the-blue. Also, I wished that Alexei was there more often because the action in the book really needed a lot of pizazz.
I found her family interesting. The hierarchy was fascinating but her grandmother, mother, and aunt were all unrealistically cruel to her. I wasn't able to understand why the family worked that way and how they could ever put Cassandra in that position. Her aunt is so intent on getting her to make Alexei her 'mate'. It's kind of gross and sick of them to breed within the family.
Overall, The Tear Collector was an okay start to a new series. I hope that the next books will be more action-packed. The Tear Collector just didn't have that spark for me. It fell flat and was almost superficial. The potential of the book is amazing. Hopefully, the series will grow from The Tear Collector.
November 19, 2009
The Tear Collector turns vampire lore completely on it’s head, and I’m not sure that it really worked.
I felt that the lore and myth of Patrick Jones’ vampires was vague and undefined. For a large part of the book I was grasping every tendril of information I could find. And it just wasn’t enough. I understand that Cass’s own knowledge was sketchy and to explain every detail to the reader would require Cass’s narration to be undermined, but she still didn’t tell us all she knew and that really quite annoyed me.
One of the elements of the lore that was mentioned prevented me from connecting with Cass for a large portion of The Tear Collector. Cass encouraged misery from her friends and received it from her family as well. Her nature prevented her from feeling any real emotion, it was even prohibited by her family. Regardless of this, I did begin to warm to her as she fell in love and learned what happiness is.
The Tear Collector moved at a slow pace in the beginning but it was a quick and easy read. Although I didn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to, I’d recommend it to die-hard vampire fans who are eager for a brand new take on the traditional lore.
Regardless of all my complaints, I did kind of enjoy The Tear Collector and if there’s going to be a sequel, which seemed like a possibility to me, then I will read it.
I felt that the lore and myth of Patrick Jones’ vampires was vague and undefined. For a large part of the book I was grasping every tendril of information I could find. And it just wasn’t enough. I understand that Cass’s own knowledge was sketchy and to explain every detail to the reader would require Cass’s narration to be undermined, but she still didn’t tell us all she knew and that really quite annoyed me.
One of the elements of the lore that was mentioned prevented me from connecting with Cass for a large portion of The Tear Collector. Cass encouraged misery from her friends and received it from her family as well. Her nature prevented her from feeling any real emotion, it was even prohibited by her family. Regardless of this, I did begin to warm to her as she fell in love and learned what happiness is.
The Tear Collector moved at a slow pace in the beginning but it was a quick and easy read. Although I didn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to, I’d recommend it to die-hard vampire fans who are eager for a brand new take on the traditional lore.
Regardless of all my complaints, I did kind of enjoy The Tear Collector and if there’s going to be a sequel, which seemed like a possibility to me, then I will read it.
April 14, 2010
Cassandra Gray and her family are like vampires but instead of living off blood, they live off people’s tears. So that means they have to somehow be involved wherever there is sorrow: hospitals, bereavement groups, high schools. Cass began a peer counseling group in her high school and she volunteers at the hospital, both abundant sources of tears. On top of that her best friend Robyn, whose little sister is dying of cancer, was just dumped by her boyfriend after she confronted him about rumors that he cheated on her. Cass is also a heartbreaker, hooking up with boys, making them fall in love with her and then breaking up with them, but always offering them a shoulder to cry on. Inexplicably that is how she gathers the energy of the tears that she then dispenses to her extended family including mom, her maternal grandmother and great-grandmother. Sound confusing? That is just the half of it. Throw in a bunch of subplots including a love interest for Cass (but tear vampires are supposed to be incapable of love), a reunion of “the family” (an extended group of tear vampires), a rogue tear vampire who is kidnapping young boys and torturing them, and the impending betrothal of Cass to that same rogue tear vampire, Alexei and you have a confusing mix. Cassandra’s voice sounded stilted and self-conscious and allusions to her performing oral sex run through the book.
August 28, 2009
Jones introduces us to a new world where sorrow and grief is fed upon and celebrated like no other...
Cassandra Gray is a new breed of vampire that feeds off of human emotions through tears, she constantly finds herself questioning her true nature and the possibility of going against everything she’s ever known…
The Tear Collector is the first book I’ve read by Patrick Jones and I’m thrilled to say it won’t be the last. Jones introduced readers to a new kind of vampire and it’s always refreshing to see a different spin on these supernatural beings than the trend that’s out now with blood sucking and all. Supernatural aside, I think readers can relate to the characters in this book as they go through day to day activities dealing with family and high school drama. Cass, although a
Vampire has the same issues I think we can relate to as far as wanting to live your own life and not have to constantly sacrifice to make others happy. Scott is a sweetheart and I love his strength and tenacity.
These pages flowed effortlessly for me as I enjoyed Patrick’s writing style. The Tear Collector gives readers a perfect combination of romance, drama and suspense. I look forward to seeing what’s in store for Cassandra as she takes a big step in the next chapter of her life.
Cassandra Gray is a new breed of vampire that feeds off of human emotions through tears, she constantly finds herself questioning her true nature and the possibility of going against everything she’s ever known…
The Tear Collector is the first book I’ve read by Patrick Jones and I’m thrilled to say it won’t be the last. Jones introduced readers to a new kind of vampire and it’s always refreshing to see a different spin on these supernatural beings than the trend that’s out now with blood sucking and all. Supernatural aside, I think readers can relate to the characters in this book as they go through day to day activities dealing with family and high school drama. Cass, although a
Vampire has the same issues I think we can relate to as far as wanting to live your own life and not have to constantly sacrifice to make others happy. Scott is a sweetheart and I love his strength and tenacity.
These pages flowed effortlessly for me as I enjoyed Patrick’s writing style. The Tear Collector gives readers a perfect combination of romance, drama and suspense. I look forward to seeing what’s in store for Cassandra as she takes a big step in the next chapter of her life.
February 1, 2010
This is a tough book to reivew as I found the protagonist so unlikeable that it was hard for me to hope that she'd get what she wanted, a human life. Having read all of her story, I'm still not sure I understand exactly what she is or what her family is. Is her great-grandmother, the Veronica, who was alive at the time of Jesus? So is she, Cassandra, an immortal?
I get that they are some kind of vampiric-type creature that survives on human sadness, fear, all dark emotions, but I didn't quite understand why she needed to sex up her boyfriends(she's had a bunch) in order to break their hearts. And she says she's an actual virgin so whatever 'servicing' she does is, thankfully, left to the imagination, but why is this her behavior? She gets no enjoyment from her relationships, so I had trouble understanding the sexual aspect of it.
When she meets Scott, he's different. Why? How? Simply because he isn't a jock or because his feelings are deeper, easier for her to access?
There was so much not really explained although I did like the character of Scott.
Cassandra is expected to mate with Alexei, so the older generation will give up their power. Again, why?
Disappointing ending.
I get that they are some kind of vampiric-type creature that survives on human sadness, fear, all dark emotions, but I didn't quite understand why she needed to sex up her boyfriends(she's had a bunch) in order to break their hearts. And she says she's an actual virgin so whatever 'servicing' she does is, thankfully, left to the imagination, but why is this her behavior? She gets no enjoyment from her relationships, so I had trouble understanding the sexual aspect of it.
When she meets Scott, he's different. Why? How? Simply because he isn't a jock or because his feelings are deeper, easier for her to access?
There was so much not really explained although I did like the character of Scott.
Cassandra is expected to mate with Alexei, so the older generation will give up their power. Again, why?
Disappointing ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2009
In a time of vampire obsessions, the idea behind this book was fantastic. I loved the idea of some other creature that is dependent on humans and feeds off them but needs something besides their blood. On that note, I also had a great appreciation for Samantha and her obsession with classical vampires.
Often times, it was hard to remember that Cass really was just a high school student and not someone that was essentially immortal and had been through this for decades rather than just a few years, given her voice and her view on things. Given that, there were times I felt like things didn’t really progress in a logical way to the character, including the changes Scott introduced in her- sometimes it seemed like it changed too quickly and without any real prodding but at the same time, if everything was for love it still would seem logical.
Overall, I did like the book as well as the shifts between typical, drama filled high school and the deeper going ons of Cass’ life and family. I also thought Scott was a very adorable character and the incorporation of religion into the book was also well done- even for nonreligious readers, the addition won’t detract from the story or put it in an ill light.
Often times, it was hard to remember that Cass really was just a high school student and not someone that was essentially immortal and had been through this for decades rather than just a few years, given her voice and her view on things. Given that, there were times I felt like things didn’t really progress in a logical way to the character, including the changes Scott introduced in her- sometimes it seemed like it changed too quickly and without any real prodding but at the same time, if everything was for love it still would seem logical.
Overall, I did like the book as well as the shifts between typical, drama filled high school and the deeper going ons of Cass’ life and family. I also thought Scott was a very adorable character and the incorporation of religion into the book was also well done- even for nonreligious readers, the addition won’t detract from the story or put it in an ill light.
September 10, 2009
THE TEAR COLLECTOR is a quick read and an interesting concept. No, it's not quite vampires, but it is about supernatural creatures that feed off of humans. Cassandra and her Family are a sort of emotional succubi. In order for their kind to survive, they must cause sorrow and collect and consume human tears. The Family has it's rules and traditions, and they cannot be broken. One rule is that Cass can never fall in love. She incapable of feeling it. This usually isn't a problem since she tends to go from guy to guy, getting them to fall for her, then breaking their hearts. Her latest "victim", Scott, has begun to mean more to her than just a bucket of tears and she decides that she wants to feel love. Cass knows that her kind can't do this, but she does know of someone who was able to escape this horrible fate. When she finds out how, she must ask herself what she will be willing to do to become human.
I actually would like to give this book 3.5 stars because while I enjoyed the story, I would have liked to know a little bit more about the history of Cass's Family and more about the creatures themselves.
I actually would like to give this book 3.5 stars because while I enjoyed the story, I would have liked to know a little bit more about the history of Cass's Family and more about the creatures themselves.
November 26, 2009
In his acknowledgements, Patrick Jones discusses the inspiration for this book: a girl at one of his author visits who refused to read any of his books because she only read[s:] vampire books. This is his answer to the vampire frenzy. Unfortunately, this is not a vampire book. The creature in this fantasy does not subsist on blood, but human tears, and the emotional impact of such a succubus does not have the same terror as creatures which bite you on the neck. Granted, this is another somewhat rare example of a paranormal female (in contrast to the rampant male supernatural beings of the genre). And the idea of a protagonist with a very practical motivation to manipulate themselves into situations of grief is an intriguing premise. However, the writing here is clumsy and awkward, and this reader found herself correcting several turns of phrase in her head so that they would sound more smooth. The cover is appealing, and the vampire-marketing of this title will certainly attract readers, but this really is not worth their time.
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