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Den of Shadows #1-4
The Den of Shadows Quartet
FOUR COMPLETE NOVELS—ONE CAPTIVATING WORLDIn the Forests of the NightThree hundred years ago Risika had a family—a brother and a father who loved her. Three hundred years ago she was human. Now she is a vampire, a powerful one. And her past has come back to torment her.Demon in My ViewJessica isn’t your average high school student—she’s an acclaimed published author of vampire fiction. Now two new students at her high school strongly remind her of her favorite characters. But those characters only live in her imagination—right?Shattered MirrorChristopher Raneva and Sarah Vida may look like a normal high school couple, but he’s actually a vampire who’s sworn off human blood and she’s an incredibly powerful, vampire-hunting witch. As if that weren’t enough to prevent their love, his past and her future collide when they get tangled up with Nikolas, one of the most reviled vampires ever.Midnight PredatorOnce a happy teenager, Turquoise Draka is now a vampire hunter. Her current assigment is to assassinate Jeshikah, one of the cruelest vampires in history. But to do that, she’ll have to enter Midnight, a fabled vampire realm, as a human slave. . . .
610 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 11, 2009
149 people are currently reading
4201 people want to read
About the author
Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
35 books3,430 followersI grew up in Concord, Massachusetts, where I matriculated through the public Concord-Carlisle school district from kindergarten until my graduation in 2001. The best part of school, from fifth grade until the year I graduated, was definitely chorus. I love music, and I love to sing, and though I never had the courage or the talent to participate in any of the high school plays as a performer, I enjoyed being involved at other levels; the music and drama community at CCHS was the highlight of my high school career. I was also on the fencing team for two years, an experience that actually inspired a couple storylines, and regret that I did not continue with that sport.
I now live in Massachusetts with several pets... as well as, of course, my family. I am a student at the University of Massachusetts, with an English/psychology double-major. I hope to work either as an English teacher at the secondary level, or in special education. I have strong opinions about literacy, education, and how our educational systems are treated- strong enough that most of my friends know not to get me started on the subject.
My non-writing hobbies are eclectic, and cover everything from rather domestic pastimes like cross-stitch and cooking to aquarium keeping, playing piano, gardening, carpentry, Harley-Davidsons, driving, and arguing- there are few things I enjoy more than a good debate with someone who knows how to argue, which might have something to do with a best friend who works in politics. I love to learn, so if I have down-time and nothing to do, it is not at all unusual to find me pouring over some book, website or video designed to teach me some new skill, from belly dancing (something I desperately want to learn but have not yet been brave enough to sign up for classes on) to JavaScript.
I now live in Massachusetts with several pets... as well as, of course, my family. I am a student at the University of Massachusetts, with an English/psychology double-major. I hope to work either as an English teacher at the secondary level, or in special education. I have strong opinions about literacy, education, and how our educational systems are treated- strong enough that most of my friends know not to get me started on the subject.
My non-writing hobbies are eclectic, and cover everything from rather domestic pastimes like cross-stitch and cooking to aquarium keeping, playing piano, gardening, carpentry, Harley-Davidsons, driving, and arguing- there are few things I enjoy more than a good debate with someone who knows how to argue, which might have something to do with a best friend who works in politics. I love to learn, so if I have down-time and nothing to do, it is not at all unusual to find me pouring over some book, website or video designed to teach me some new skill, from belly dancing (something I desperately want to learn but have not yet been brave enough to sign up for classes on) to JavaScript.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 149 reviews
September 1, 2009
I would give this book a 2.5 if I could. It was one book with four separate novellas. The first two stories were not good. They were poorly written and developed. I would give them 2 stars. The last two novellas were better, but not great. They showed a lot of promise and had intriguing characters, but the story was not developed and didn't go anywhere. The author would flirt with romantic interests, but never delivered. She never showed a resolution for any of her characters, just raised questions. It was frustrating. The author just did not reach the full potential of her stories, in my opinion. She also tended to repeat things a lot. The first story was the worst in this habit. The entire story was filled with repeated sections that never went anywhere. Overall, I give it 2 stars. I might give the author another chance if she comes out with a full-length novel that has gotten decent reviews. I just hate being disappointed, especially when she made me care about the people.
April 4, 2010
This series, frankly, was incredible. I started reading and was totally grabbed by the first story. The second one continued with some great characters from the first. The third brought in mostly new characters (that I still loved). And the fourth was totally entertaining.
I didn't know if I was going to like the stories so much, since they didn't follow one main character like most other series do. But I think this worked out really well, considering the fact that each book seemed to bring back a familiar face.
And the vampires! These vampires were awesome. I don't usually find myself enthralled in the workings of the vampire world in a series, but this was incredible. I loved the rules and the lineage that accompanied it. Totally fascinating. It's a really good read.
I didn't know if I was going to like the stories so much, since they didn't follow one main character like most other series do. But I think this worked out really well, considering the fact that each book seemed to bring back a familiar face.
And the vampires! These vampires were awesome. I don't usually find myself enthralled in the workings of the vampire world in a series, but this was incredible. I loved the rules and the lineage that accompanied it. Totally fascinating. It's a really good read.
February 15, 2010
Original review here: http://thebookpixie.blogspot.com/2010...
In the Forests of the Night
In the Forests of the Night is the first actual vampire book I've read - sparkling 'vegetarian' vampires so don't count - so I wasn't entirely sure how I would take to it.
When I started reading this, I found it very interesting to realize Amelia was only 13 when she wrote In the Forests of the Night.
I liked Risika as a character. The inner battle going on within herself between who she was before and who she is now made her a complex and riveting character. The alternating chapters between past and present helped me to understand her even more. I also thought her friendship with the tiger was such a beautiful and unique edition to the story. Aubrey was......well......I'm still not entirely sure what I think of Aubrey. Part of me was inexplicably drawn to him and the other part of me hated him.
My main qualm with this story was that I wanted to know more about Risika's brother, Alexander. Who/what he was, what happened to him, what took him so long to come back, etc. Other than that, In the Forests of the Night was a good, though extremely short, story that I mostly enjoyed.
Demon in My View
Even though I liked In the Forests of the Night, I LOVED Demon in My View. The story itself was even more gripping than the previous and I just loved the main character, Jessica. She was such a brave and kick ass heroine.
Also, I got to learn a little more of some of the vampires history and as an even bigger plus, I got to know Aubrey more. Okay so I know I said before that I wasn't sure what I thought of him but now I know. I love him! I really got to see his sweeter side in Demon in My View and there is something about that dry, sardonic humor of his that I can't resist. XD
Now unlike In the Forests of the Night, Demon in My View is written in third person and alternates between three points of view. I liked this because it gave me a totally unbiased look at the characters, leaving me to form my own opinions without influence from the MC. As for the quality of the writing, it didn't disappoint.
Shattered Mirror
So far I would say Shattered Mirror is my second favorite.
One thing about Shattered Mirror was it was a little more twisted than the other two. I also loved the poems through out. I was however a little disappointed with the ending. It was predictable and I was hoping for something...well...different.
The characters were likable and somewhat complex, and the writing was great.
Midnight Predator
Ok so this one comes in third place for me. It wasn't quite as great as I was hoping, however I did like how different it was from the others.
The story was compelling, fast paced, and fairly well written. Turquoise wasn't my favorite of the main characters but she was likable. I found that her and Risika had a lot in common as far as how both were struggling with their past and present. Who they were versus who they are now. It was almost repetitive, like Turquoise was the vampire hunter version of Risika. As for Jaguar, I liked him mostly but then there was something about him that rubbed me the wrong way.
The ending was good, leaving things a little bit open for your mind to wonder.
Overall Review
Amelia's writing is dark but beautiful, though definitely not perfect. There was more depth to the stories than I expected and I loved how each story was preceded by a poem. I also enjoyed how Amelia went about tying each individual story to the next. Though some people haven't liked the somewhat open endings, I actually liked being left to wonder a little bit since the ending would already give you a pretty good idea. Amelia Atwater-Rhodes is a good writer and story-teller that I think most people would enjoy. I, however, wouldn't recommend this to those looking for light-vampire-romance-fluff.
In the Forests of the Night
In the Forests of the Night is the first actual vampire book I've read - sparkling 'vegetarian' vampires so don't count - so I wasn't entirely sure how I would take to it.
When I started reading this, I found it very interesting to realize Amelia was only 13 when she wrote In the Forests of the Night.
I liked Risika as a character. The inner battle going on within herself between who she was before and who she is now made her a complex and riveting character. The alternating chapters between past and present helped me to understand her even more. I also thought her friendship with the tiger was such a beautiful and unique edition to the story. Aubrey was......well......I'm still not entirely sure what I think of Aubrey. Part of me was inexplicably drawn to him and the other part of me hated him.
My main qualm with this story was that I wanted to know more about Risika's brother, Alexander. Who/what he was, what happened to him, what took him so long to come back, etc. Other than that, In the Forests of the Night was a good, though extremely short, story that I mostly enjoyed.
Demon in My View
Even though I liked In the Forests of the Night, I LOVED Demon in My View. The story itself was even more gripping than the previous and I just loved the main character, Jessica. She was such a brave and kick ass heroine.
Also, I got to learn a little more of some of the vampires history and as an even bigger plus, I got to know Aubrey more. Okay so I know I said before that I wasn't sure what I thought of him but now I know. I love him! I really got to see his sweeter side in Demon in My View and there is something about that dry, sardonic humor of his that I can't resist. XD
Now unlike In the Forests of the Night, Demon in My View is written in third person and alternates between three points of view. I liked this because it gave me a totally unbiased look at the characters, leaving me to form my own opinions without influence from the MC. As for the quality of the writing, it didn't disappoint.
Shattered Mirror
So far I would say Shattered Mirror is my second favorite.
One thing about Shattered Mirror was it was a little more twisted than the other two. I also loved the poems through out. I was however a little disappointed with the ending. It was predictable and I was hoping for something...well...different.
The characters were likable and somewhat complex, and the writing was great.
Midnight Predator
Ok so this one comes in third place for me. It wasn't quite as great as I was hoping, however I did like how different it was from the others.
The story was compelling, fast paced, and fairly well written. Turquoise wasn't my favorite of the main characters but she was likable. I found that her and Risika had a lot in common as far as how both were struggling with their past and present. Who they were versus who they are now. It was almost repetitive, like Turquoise was the vampire hunter version of Risika. As for Jaguar, I liked him mostly but then there was something about him that rubbed me the wrong way.
The ending was good, leaving things a little bit open for your mind to wonder.
Overall Review
Amelia's writing is dark but beautiful, though definitely not perfect. There was more depth to the stories than I expected and I loved how each story was preceded by a poem. I also enjoyed how Amelia went about tying each individual story to the next. Though some people haven't liked the somewhat open endings, I actually liked being left to wonder a little bit since the ending would already give you a pretty good idea. Amelia Atwater-Rhodes is a good writer and story-teller that I think most people would enjoy. I, however, wouldn't recommend this to those looking for light-vampire-romance-fluff.
September 16, 2009
I am definitely in love with this series. I really hope that Amelia will choose to extend series from a quartet and go farther with it.
August 24, 2021
Ditch Twilight and read this instead. I’m serious. I just finished this and I’m as ecstatic as teenage me would have been had I found out about these books ten years earlier!
This “quartet” is extremely well-rounded and you can feel the evolving maturity of the author as you read each novella.
Each plot is very easy to follow and the way the stories are told easily drags you in, immersing you completely in the supernatural world. By the way, world-building is really amazing: it is detailed enough, yet leaves room for the reader to imagine and extrapolate, which is something I love to do and I think is crucial in supernatural literature, especially YA. I would nonetheless like to give a special mention to the different explanations of bloodlines and genealogy which transpired with mastery and a sense of the real.
Character-wise, I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that the main characters are strong-willed, determined, and not reliant on romance. Yes, all the main characters have flirts, but the endings are very open and again, it helps building a sense of the real—because, really, after living through traumatic events for weeks (and mainly have tragic/traumatic back stories) it’s only NORMAL not to throw yourself in the arms of someone you barely know.
These also deal with morals and morality as well as what makes us human and it really was enjoyable to see it being treated.
My favorite is either #2 or #4 but truly, this entire collection is magnificent.
This “quartet” is extremely well-rounded and you can feel the evolving maturity of the author as you read each novella.
Each plot is very easy to follow and the way the stories are told easily drags you in, immersing you completely in the supernatural world. By the way, world-building is really amazing: it is detailed enough, yet leaves room for the reader to imagine and extrapolate, which is something I love to do and I think is crucial in supernatural literature, especially YA. I would nonetheless like to give a special mention to the different explanations of bloodlines and genealogy which transpired with mastery and a sense of the real.
Character-wise, I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that the main characters are strong-willed, determined, and not reliant on romance. Yes, all the main characters have flirts, but the endings are very open and again, it helps building a sense of the real—because, really, after living through traumatic events for weeks (and mainly have tragic/traumatic back stories) it’s only NORMAL not to throw yourself in the arms of someone you barely know.
These also deal with morals and morality as well as what makes us human and it really was enjoyable to see it being treated.
My favorite is either #2 or #4 but truly, this entire collection is magnificent.
August 4, 2019
3 ½ Stars
The Den of Shadows Quartet contains the first four books in The Den of Shadows series by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. I was impressed to discover that the first book of the series was written when the author was just thirteen years old. Now, that’s quite an accomplishment!
This is a great YA, paranormal fantasy series with vampires, shapeshifters, supernatural elements, mystery, suspense, danger, action, drama, and a little angst.
These first four books follow the adventures of teenage leading characters- Risika, Jessica, Turquoise, and Sarah as they discover all about themselves and their part in the mysterious world of Vampires, and witches.
An original take on vampire and witch lore- with well developed and interesting characters. It’s well crafted and is a credit to Ms. Atwater-Rhodes! You can certainly see the author’s own growth and development as a writer, over the course of the series. She really comes into her own!
A fun read!
Thank you, Ms. Atwater-Rhodes!
The Den of Shadows Quartet contains the first four books in The Den of Shadows series by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. I was impressed to discover that the first book of the series was written when the author was just thirteen years old. Now, that’s quite an accomplishment!
This is a great YA, paranormal fantasy series with vampires, shapeshifters, supernatural elements, mystery, suspense, danger, action, drama, and a little angst.
These first four books follow the adventures of teenage leading characters- Risika, Jessica, Turquoise, and Sarah as they discover all about themselves and their part in the mysterious world of Vampires, and witches.
An original take on vampire and witch lore- with well developed and interesting characters. It’s well crafted and is a credit to Ms. Atwater-Rhodes! You can certainly see the author’s own growth and development as a writer, over the course of the series. She really comes into her own!
A fun read!
Thank you, Ms. Atwater-Rhodes!
January 6, 2012
When I first picked up “The Den of Shadows Quartet” I was nothing more than mildly curious. I have never been a big fan of short stories, my feeling is that if you have spent the time to think out the twist and turns of a plot, then be big enough to write and entire book, but pushing all of my preconceived skepticism to the back of my already full brain I decided…What the hell…give it a try…it’s got vampires how bad can it be?
And then I read the first story…
“In The Forests of the Night” was tofu. A mass of hype, with zero taste, that leaves you nothing but annoyed and hungry after you have already devoured 2 full bowls of the crap. The story followed Rachel/Risika in her vampiry quest to prove herself against her arch-enemy Aubrey. The story had potential to be interesting, it’s just to bad the writing was crap! The entire language and flow of the first story felt forced…as though a new author was trying to prove their uncanny ability to use a thesaurus. It was choppy, it was boring, and while normally I can trick myself into “reading” personality into the characters even my mind refused to do anything but translate the words into monotone High School history teacher mode.
(1/5)
The 2nd story “Demon in My View” was much better than it’s predecessor. Plucking a character from the 1st story, (Aubrey) we are again taken on a small journey of self discovery. Jessica isn’t your typical high school senior, she is an accomplished author of a series of vampire paranormal fiction (go figure), and (ironically enough) the target of a much anticipated “vampire” hit. (Note-to-self: never piss off those significantly more lethal than yourself.) She finds herself stuck in a complicated race to save her life and to figure out the mysterious Aubrey. (Whom, by the way I detested in the first book and then jumped the fence and liked in story 2) The plot was much more smooth, and the writing was SIGNIFICANTLY better, the main problem found in this little snippet of a story was the crash ending…so much potential and then BLAH!
(2.5/5)
“Shattered Mirror” was by far my favorite of all 4. As a matter of fact, at one point (even though I hate to admit this) I got a little choked up by the visual I had playing in my head (you’ll know the scene when you read it) This story followed a naive vampire hunter named Sarah Vida. After several failed attempts at conquering the ultimate evil she is dragged away (by her more successful hunter mother) for more training and, much to her excitement, a chance to attend a “mortal” school again. She is quickly confronted by not 1 but 2 “friendly” vampires and despite herself is sucked (excuse the pun) into a comfortable “normal” existence of school work and doting boys. It’s just to bad that her mother doesn’t see her new friends as acceptable. She is manipulated, physically torn down, and in the end has to decide to take or keep her own life. It is a story of self evaluation, and despite its quick ending, it was actually a pleasant read.
(3/5)
And last, but certainly not least was “Midnight Predator”. I thought this story actually had the most potential to be expanded upon, but again…it reached the dreaded short story, cut quick ending. It followed Cathy/Turquoise/Audra (yes that is 1 person) and her rival Rayvn in their assignment (as hunters) to assassinate the evil she-vamp Jeshickah. The duo is forced to go under cover as human slaves in a wildly written vampire power-play, but shortly after entering the compound both girls quickly learn that their past are back to haunt them…in more ways than one. Turquoise finds herself enamored but those she has pledged to destroy and in the end realizes that she trust them more than she trust herself This particular journey to self discovery had the most fluid writing and the most tied up (still short though) ending. Not bad, just not great.
(2.5/5)
All in all the book was…ok. There were quick snippets of emotionally driven writing, but nothing that you could “sink your teeth” into. (Sorry.. I had to do it.) Read it if you have nothing better, but expect no more than airplane fiction…a quick read with a dap of depth and nothing more.
Happy reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: just because Audra’s Jaguar turned out to be a hot vampire with a kind heart doesn’t mean you should go jumping into zoo cages snickering “here kitty kitty”
And then I read the first story…
“In The Forests of the Night” was tofu. A mass of hype, with zero taste, that leaves you nothing but annoyed and hungry after you have already devoured 2 full bowls of the crap. The story followed Rachel/Risika in her vampiry quest to prove herself against her arch-enemy Aubrey. The story had potential to be interesting, it’s just to bad the writing was crap! The entire language and flow of the first story felt forced…as though a new author was trying to prove their uncanny ability to use a thesaurus. It was choppy, it was boring, and while normally I can trick myself into “reading” personality into the characters even my mind refused to do anything but translate the words into monotone High School history teacher mode.
(1/5)
The 2nd story “Demon in My View” was much better than it’s predecessor. Plucking a character from the 1st story, (Aubrey) we are again taken on a small journey of self discovery. Jessica isn’t your typical high school senior, she is an accomplished author of a series of vampire paranormal fiction (go figure), and (ironically enough) the target of a much anticipated “vampire” hit. (Note-to-self: never piss off those significantly more lethal than yourself.) She finds herself stuck in a complicated race to save her life and to figure out the mysterious Aubrey. (Whom, by the way I detested in the first book and then jumped the fence and liked in story 2) The plot was much more smooth, and the writing was SIGNIFICANTLY better, the main problem found in this little snippet of a story was the crash ending…so much potential and then BLAH!
(2.5/5)
“Shattered Mirror” was by far my favorite of all 4. As a matter of fact, at one point (even though I hate to admit this) I got a little choked up by the visual I had playing in my head (you’ll know the scene when you read it) This story followed a naive vampire hunter named Sarah Vida. After several failed attempts at conquering the ultimate evil she is dragged away (by her more successful hunter mother) for more training and, much to her excitement, a chance to attend a “mortal” school again. She is quickly confronted by not 1 but 2 “friendly” vampires and despite herself is sucked (excuse the pun) into a comfortable “normal” existence of school work and doting boys. It’s just to bad that her mother doesn’t see her new friends as acceptable. She is manipulated, physically torn down, and in the end has to decide to take or keep her own life. It is a story of self evaluation, and despite its quick ending, it was actually a pleasant read.
(3/5)
And last, but certainly not least was “Midnight Predator”. I thought this story actually had the most potential to be expanded upon, but again…it reached the dreaded short story, cut quick ending. It followed Cathy/Turquoise/Audra (yes that is 1 person) and her rival Rayvn in their assignment (as hunters) to assassinate the evil she-vamp Jeshickah. The duo is forced to go under cover as human slaves in a wildly written vampire power-play, but shortly after entering the compound both girls quickly learn that their past are back to haunt them…in more ways than one. Turquoise finds herself enamored but those she has pledged to destroy and in the end realizes that she trust them more than she trust herself This particular journey to self discovery had the most fluid writing and the most tied up (still short though) ending. Not bad, just not great.
(2.5/5)
All in all the book was…ok. There were quick snippets of emotionally driven writing, but nothing that you could “sink your teeth” into. (Sorry.. I had to do it.) Read it if you have nothing better, but expect no more than airplane fiction…a quick read with a dap of depth and nothing more.
Happy reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: just because Audra’s Jaguar turned out to be a hot vampire with a kind heart doesn’t mean you should go jumping into zoo cages snickering “here kitty kitty”
January 8, 2010
This was a really interesting series. It was mostly about the vampire hunters falling in love with the vampires or vampires falling in love with the hunter.
In the Forests of the Night-
It was not the best one out of the four. It was kinda dull and I felt like it was going over the same information over and over again. I found the characters interesting because the author tried to make Risika weak and Aybrey the strongest living vampire. But Risika was scared most of the time throughout the story, and Aybrey was this weak trying to act tough-punk.
Was not the best story out of the four like i said,but near the end it said that it was published when she was 13 in 1984 considering that it was okay.
Demon in Mt View-
Was pretty good. A little strange because the character from In the Forest of the Night was in it and he was vampire who wants to be normal and falls in love with the strangest girl in the whole school. Jessica secretly wrote vampire novels under the name Ash Night. She had no friends and had the aura that caused all the students to instictly dislike her. Aybrey transfers and unknownly had his heart stolen by Jessica. But the books that she has been writing was making the vampires uneasy because they were the past and it all happened. Vampires have no idea that Jessica has been writing the stories but all they wanted was her dead because Aybrey was writtened out as the strongest vampire alive.
I thought it was good i thought the plot was really different and it was interesting to read.
Shattered Mirror-
Sarah is the youngest Vida vampire hunter. She seems cold and unwelcoming at first but as the story goes on she just had a lot to deal with being a vampire hunter. Sarah is new in school because she was exspelled out of the other school because she openedly fought a vampire in plain sight. Vampire hunters are all after Nikolas who has murdered countless of people and engraved his name into there skin. Sarah makes two friends who happen to be vampire and has to decide between killing her friends or leaving them alone.
This story had very little twist and turns but i really enjoyed this book.
Midnight Predator
This book was a book where you had to reread to get full details.
Turquoise Draka is a vampire hunter who was a high ranked hunter and wanted the title Crimson,it was the most elite of the three guilds. Her biggest rival was Ravyn; they were equally matched. When a mission comes up to kill on of the most powerful vampires,Jeshikah. Turquoise and Ravyn end up going into Midnight as vampire slaves.
I thought the story was good but the character Jaguar was a little strange it was like the author had a little hard time trying to ''get into character.''
In the Forests of the Night-
It was not the best one out of the four. It was kinda dull and I felt like it was going over the same information over and over again. I found the characters interesting because the author tried to make Risika weak and Aybrey the strongest living vampire. But Risika was scared most of the time throughout the story, and Aybrey was this weak trying to act tough-punk.
Was not the best story out of the four like i said,but near the end it said that it was published when she was 13 in 1984 considering that it was okay.
Demon in Mt View-
Was pretty good. A little strange because the character from In the Forest of the Night was in it and he was vampire who wants to be normal and falls in love with the strangest girl in the whole school. Jessica secretly wrote vampire novels under the name Ash Night. She had no friends and had the aura that caused all the students to instictly dislike her. Aybrey transfers and unknownly had his heart stolen by Jessica. But the books that she has been writing was making the vampires uneasy because they were the past and it all happened. Vampires have no idea that Jessica has been writing the stories but all they wanted was her dead because Aybrey was writtened out as the strongest vampire alive.
I thought it was good i thought the plot was really different and it was interesting to read.
Shattered Mirror-
Sarah is the youngest Vida vampire hunter. She seems cold and unwelcoming at first but as the story goes on she just had a lot to deal with being a vampire hunter. Sarah is new in school because she was exspelled out of the other school because she openedly fought a vampire in plain sight. Vampire hunters are all after Nikolas who has murdered countless of people and engraved his name into there skin. Sarah makes two friends who happen to be vampire and has to decide between killing her friends or leaving them alone.
This story had very little twist and turns but i really enjoyed this book.
Midnight Predator
This book was a book where you had to reread to get full details.
Turquoise Draka is a vampire hunter who was a high ranked hunter and wanted the title Crimson,it was the most elite of the three guilds. Her biggest rival was Ravyn; they were equally matched. When a mission comes up to kill on of the most powerful vampires,Jeshikah. Turquoise and Ravyn end up going into Midnight as vampire slaves.
I thought the story was good but the character Jaguar was a little strange it was like the author had a little hard time trying to ''get into character.''
October 10, 2012
The Den of Shadows Quartet
“The night is full of mystery. Even when the moon is brightest, secrets hide everywhere. Then the sun rises and its rays cast so many shadows that the day creates more illusion than all the veiled truth of the night,” Jessica – Demon in my View
With the enigmatic picture the above words paint how can anyone not get sucked into the tumescent world of Demon in my View? Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, author of The Den of Shadows Quartet and many of my other favorite books has been bewitching me for years. The very first non-school related book I picked up when I was thirteen was In the Forests of the Night, the first book in this quartet, and I immediately fell in love with it.
I’ve always had a bit of a thing for vampires and the supernatural world, it was just something that called to me and from the second I stepped into Rhodes’ world I knew I was hooked, line and sinker. Out of all four stories in The Den of Shadows series my favorite is of course Demon in My View. There isn’t much I love more than a strong female character and Jessica brings new meaning to the words.
She is tough as nails, beautiful, smart, and sarcastically witty in the best way possible. One of the things I love most about Jessica is she’s far from perfect and she doesn’t fit into this cookie cutter mold that most main characters fit into. She isn’t popular, or beloved by guys or anything else that writers today use to make their characters more three dimensional.
There are no love triangles or guys falling over their feet to line up and date Jessica. The characterizations in this book are real and relatable. Jessica’s life is the opposite of perfect. She lives with her foster Mom, Anne, the students at her high school hate her, and vampires who don’t understand why she’s writing about their lives are after her.
You would be amazed at what Rhodes is able to cram into a 139 page story without filling the story with subplot yet still keeping things moving at a fast and interesting pace. I’ve read a lot of books and the imagery created here is unmatched. I have yet to find a paranormal writer who I enjoy more than Rhodes.
If the plot isn’t enough to get you interested, there’s Aubrey. My god I love Aubrey. Her male characters are always so regal without being obnoxious. They have this way about them that just sort of make them float off the page. Whenever I read one of her books I feel like I genuinely know her characters, I feel what they feel, live what they live. Her descriptions are vivid without being over the top and the picture I’ve created in my mind of Aubrey, just wow, Supernova for sure. (If you didn’t read Death and the Girl Next Door, you probably won’t get that reference.)
I want to describe him as a lethal injection. He’s bad for you, dangerous, mysterious, but at the same time intoxicating. Once he’s inside of you, you can’t get rid of him and he slowly takes over your system until there’s nothing left, but darkness. It sounds terrifying and sexy and just amazing. Another great thing about Rhodes books including Demon in My View is that not all the stories end the way you think they will.
Happy ending, sad, good, bad, it’s all relative to the story being told and Rhodes tells an amazing story. I haven’t been disappointed yet and trust me; I’m picky so that takes a lot. If you have yet to delve into the world of The Den of Shadows I suggest you do it immediately. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the results!
“The night is full of mystery. Even when the moon is brightest, secrets hide everywhere. Then the sun rises and its rays cast so many shadows that the day creates more illusion than all the veiled truth of the night,” Jessica – Demon in my View
With the enigmatic picture the above words paint how can anyone not get sucked into the tumescent world of Demon in my View? Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, author of The Den of Shadows Quartet and many of my other favorite books has been bewitching me for years. The very first non-school related book I picked up when I was thirteen was In the Forests of the Night, the first book in this quartet, and I immediately fell in love with it.
I’ve always had a bit of a thing for vampires and the supernatural world, it was just something that called to me and from the second I stepped into Rhodes’ world I knew I was hooked, line and sinker. Out of all four stories in The Den of Shadows series my favorite is of course Demon in My View. There isn’t much I love more than a strong female character and Jessica brings new meaning to the words.
She is tough as nails, beautiful, smart, and sarcastically witty in the best way possible. One of the things I love most about Jessica is she’s far from perfect and she doesn’t fit into this cookie cutter mold that most main characters fit into. She isn’t popular, or beloved by guys or anything else that writers today use to make their characters more three dimensional.
There are no love triangles or guys falling over their feet to line up and date Jessica. The characterizations in this book are real and relatable. Jessica’s life is the opposite of perfect. She lives with her foster Mom, Anne, the students at her high school hate her, and vampires who don’t understand why she’s writing about their lives are after her.
You would be amazed at what Rhodes is able to cram into a 139 page story without filling the story with subplot yet still keeping things moving at a fast and interesting pace. I’ve read a lot of books and the imagery created here is unmatched. I have yet to find a paranormal writer who I enjoy more than Rhodes.
If the plot isn’t enough to get you interested, there’s Aubrey. My god I love Aubrey. Her male characters are always so regal without being obnoxious. They have this way about them that just sort of make them float off the page. Whenever I read one of her books I feel like I genuinely know her characters, I feel what they feel, live what they live. Her descriptions are vivid without being over the top and the picture I’ve created in my mind of Aubrey, just wow, Supernova for sure. (If you didn’t read Death and the Girl Next Door, you probably won’t get that reference.)
I want to describe him as a lethal injection. He’s bad for you, dangerous, mysterious, but at the same time intoxicating. Once he’s inside of you, you can’t get rid of him and he slowly takes over your system until there’s nothing left, but darkness. It sounds terrifying and sexy and just amazing. Another great thing about Rhodes books including Demon in My View is that not all the stories end the way you think they will.
Happy ending, sad, good, bad, it’s all relative to the story being told and Rhodes tells an amazing story. I haven’t been disappointed yet and trust me; I’m picky so that takes a lot. If you have yet to delve into the world of The Den of Shadows I suggest you do it immediately. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the results!
May 11, 2019
Amelia Atwater-Rhodes was thirteen (I think) when she published Into The Forests of the Night and I personally believe she read too much Night World then tried to pull off some of the stories, just not as well as the fabulous L. J. Smith.
I'm going to go backwards here and start with Midnight Predator. Midnight Predator was an okay copy of Black Dawn. Let's compare:
Black Dawn
A girl becomes a slave in a vampire/shape-shifter infested fortress
She is semi-friendly with a girl who is bitter and has experience in the slave trade
She falls in love with the guy who runs it
Delos thinks he is in charge but realises he is slowly losing his authority
Midnight Predator
A girl becomes a slave in a vampire/shape-shifter infested fortress
She is semi-friendly with a girl who is bitter and has experience in the slave trade
She falls in love with the guy who runs it
Jaguar thinks he is in charge but realises he is slowly losing his authority
Now, Shattered Mirror. Shattered Mirror reminded me strongly of Enchantress (Spellbinder).
Enchantress
Blonde witch who is related to the most powerful of witches
Tells a human about what she is and gets disowned for it
A family member of hers helps her escape her old life to join the guy she loves by fooling everyone
Truly gentle guy
There is an evil family member who turns out to be not that evil
Shattered Mirror
Blonde witch who is related to the most powerful of witches
Tells a human about what she is and gets disowned for it
A family member of hers helps her leave her old life to join the guy she loves by fooling everyone
Truly gentle guy
There is an evil family member who turns out to be not that evil
We're up to Demon in My View. This was more original than the others but did bear the telltale resemblance to Soulmate.
Soulmate
Unusual beauty who knows about the darker world but can't unlock her secrets
Falls inlove with an old, powerful, blonde vampire
An overachiever in her own way
Friendly girl who is working against Thierry
Demon in My View
Unusual beauty who knows about the darker world but can't unlock her secrets
Falls inlove with an old,powerful, blonde vampire
An overachiever in her own way
Friendly girl who is working against Aubrey
Last but not least, Into the Forests of the Night. This story was a lot more original than the other three but was not as fluidly written. It bore some resemblance to The Chosen, though.
The Chosen
Gothic female protagonist who is a real loner
She believed her brother was horrifically murdered but he wasn't and he is now immortal
In the end, she meets her brother again, but is dismayed at what he has turned into
Into the Forests of the Night
Gothic female protagonist who is a real loner
She believed her brother was horrifically murdered but he wasn't and he is now immortal
In the end, she meets her brother again, but is dismayed at what he has turned into
Lucky for Ms Atwater-Rhodes, I am a massive Night World fan, otherwise this book would have crashed and burned.
I'm going to go backwards here and start with Midnight Predator. Midnight Predator was an okay copy of Black Dawn. Let's compare:
Black Dawn
A girl becomes a slave in a vampire/shape-shifter infested fortress
She is semi-friendly with a girl who is bitter and has experience in the slave trade
She falls in love with the guy who runs it
Delos thinks he is in charge but realises he is slowly losing his authority
Midnight Predator
A girl becomes a slave in a vampire/shape-shifter infested fortress
She is semi-friendly with a girl who is bitter and has experience in the slave trade
She falls in love with the guy who runs it
Jaguar thinks he is in charge but realises he is slowly losing his authority
Now, Shattered Mirror. Shattered Mirror reminded me strongly of Enchantress (Spellbinder).
Enchantress
Blonde witch who is related to the most powerful of witches
Tells a human about what she is and gets disowned for it
A family member of hers helps her escape her old life to join the guy she loves by fooling everyone
Truly gentle guy
There is an evil family member who turns out to be not that evil
Shattered Mirror
Blonde witch who is related to the most powerful of witches
Tells a human about what she is and gets disowned for it
A family member of hers helps her leave her old life to join the guy she loves by fooling everyone
Truly gentle guy
There is an evil family member who turns out to be not that evil
We're up to Demon in My View. This was more original than the others but did bear the telltale resemblance to Soulmate.
Soulmate
Unusual beauty who knows about the darker world but can't unlock her secrets
Falls inlove with an old, powerful, blonde vampire
An overachiever in her own way
Friendly girl who is working against Thierry
Demon in My View
Unusual beauty who knows about the darker world but can't unlock her secrets
Falls inlove with an old,powerful, blonde vampire
An overachiever in her own way
Friendly girl who is working against Aubrey
Last but not least, Into the Forests of the Night. This story was a lot more original than the other three but was not as fluidly written. It bore some resemblance to The Chosen, though.
The Chosen
Gothic female protagonist who is a real loner
She believed her brother was horrifically murdered but he wasn't and he is now immortal
In the end, she meets her brother again, but is dismayed at what he has turned into
Into the Forests of the Night
Gothic female protagonist who is a real loner
She believed her brother was horrifically murdered but he wasn't and he is now immortal
In the end, she meets her brother again, but is dismayed at what he has turned into
Lucky for Ms Atwater-Rhodes, I am a massive Night World fan, otherwise this book would have crashed and burned.
June 1, 2016
A short review:
The Den of Shadows Quartet offers interesting stories that are skillfully written but with two-dimensional main characters that I found hard to like as their personalities lacked any true (positive) emotion. The books were relatively short with endings that offered little resolve and left a part of the story unsaid.
Now I'll review each book individually as the main characters are different in each book, though thy are set in the same world.
In the Forest of the Night: 3 stars
This book wasn't exactly up to my reading taste but I still enjoyed it. It alternates between present events and the past ones as they are connected by Risika's need to avenge her brother’s death. It shows Risika's transformation, her fight to keep her humanity and failing at it. So she's not exactly a »good vampire« but I still liked reading about her way of thinking, she has an interesting mentality. It’s an interesting vampire story, I’ve never read anything like it before.
Demon in My View: 2 stars
A little more exciting than the first book, there were a few mysterious things going on that kept me guessing. But I didn’t like Jessica much. She was rude to the one person that was nice to her and tried to help her. One other thing that bothered me was the ending. It was a kind of a let-down after all the previous excitement. And there were a few things left unsaid. I hate endings like that
Shattered Mirror: 3 stars
The synopsis for this book is a little misleading so I found myself constantly surprised by the events in the book (in a good way). I liked Christopher, Nissa and even Nikolas, but I only started to like the main character Sarah at the end. Before that she was constantly repeating the same thing: thinking she’s going to kill Nikolas, trying to kill Nikolas, failing to kill Nikolas, going home thinking she’s going to kill Nikolas next time. And the whole cycle was repeated. And Sarah’s change of personality in the end was too abrupt, almost miraculous.
Midnight Predator: 3 stars
I liked this book the most, the story was more up to my reading taste than the previous ones. I loved Jaguar and his conversations with Turquoise and I feel like there could be more than just tentative friendship between them. But unfortunately I’ll never know as the book ended abruptly with minimal conclusion. I feel like this book didn’t tell the entire story, like there should be a couple more chapters to make this book a truly satisfying read.
The Den of Shadows Quartet offers interesting stories that are skillfully written but with two-dimensional main characters that I found hard to like as their personalities lacked any true (positive) emotion. The books were relatively short with endings that offered little resolve and left a part of the story unsaid.
Now I'll review each book individually as the main characters are different in each book, though thy are set in the same world.
In the Forest of the Night: 3 stars
This book wasn't exactly up to my reading taste but I still enjoyed it. It alternates between present events and the past ones as they are connected by Risika's need to avenge her brother’s death. It shows Risika's transformation, her fight to keep her humanity and failing at it. So she's not exactly a »good vampire« but I still liked reading about her way of thinking, she has an interesting mentality. It’s an interesting vampire story, I’ve never read anything like it before.
Demon in My View: 2 stars
A little more exciting than the first book, there were a few mysterious things going on that kept me guessing. But I didn’t like Jessica much. She was rude to the one person that was nice to her and tried to help her. One other thing that bothered me was the ending. It was a kind of a let-down after all the previous excitement. And there were a few things left unsaid. I hate endings like that
Shattered Mirror: 3 stars
The synopsis for this book is a little misleading so I found myself constantly surprised by the events in the book (in a good way). I liked Christopher, Nissa and even Nikolas, but I only started to like the main character Sarah at the end. Before that she was constantly repeating the same thing: thinking she’s going to kill Nikolas, trying to kill Nikolas, failing to kill Nikolas, going home thinking she’s going to kill Nikolas next time. And the whole cycle was repeated. And Sarah’s change of personality in the end was too abrupt, almost miraculous.
Midnight Predator: 3 stars
I liked this book the most, the story was more up to my reading taste than the previous ones. I loved Jaguar and his conversations with Turquoise and I feel like there could be more than just tentative friendship between them. But unfortunately I’ll never know as the book ended abruptly with minimal conclusion. I feel like this book didn’t tell the entire story, like there should be a couple more chapters to make this book a truly satisfying read.
November 2, 2011
This book is called 'The Den Of Shadows Quartet'
I decided to read this book, because somebody in my form class
recommended it to me.
This fits into my Bingo board under the category:'A book with a female main character'.
It is a great book on the life of vampires, and Amelia is the best writer of the Genre that i have ever read.
This book features four different stories,but some of these characters are also featured within these other stories.
The first of this collection is called: In the Forest of the Night
This story is about Risika, a three-hundred year old vampire, fighting a conflict for the same time as her age. Her father and brother were killed and she is stronger than ever, but her past is come back to torment her..
The next book in line is called : Demon in my View
which is a classic sequel to, In the Forest of the Night.
The only thing i didn't like about this book, was that sometimes the story turns very complicated and the characters change very quickly and they turned into completely different characters.
I would like to recommend this book to all ages, who love reading paranormal romance, because of the writers style and individuality in her writing sense.
Overall, this book knows how to please lovers of Paranormal Romance, and their addiction to Vampires.
I decided to read this book, because somebody in my form class
recommended it to me.
This fits into my Bingo board under the category:'A book with a female main character'.
It is a great book on the life of vampires, and Amelia is the best writer of the Genre that i have ever read.
This book features four different stories,but some of these characters are also featured within these other stories.
The first of this collection is called: In the Forest of the Night
This story is about Risika, a three-hundred year old vampire, fighting a conflict for the same time as her age. Her father and brother were killed and she is stronger than ever, but her past is come back to torment her..
The next book in line is called : Demon in my View
which is a classic sequel to, In the Forest of the Night.
The only thing i didn't like about this book, was that sometimes the story turns very complicated and the characters change very quickly and they turned into completely different characters.
I would like to recommend this book to all ages, who love reading paranormal romance, because of the writers style and individuality in her writing sense.
Overall, this book knows how to please lovers of Paranormal Romance, and their addiction to Vampires.
April 12, 2011
I liked the idea very much - teenage girl annoys the vampires by writing them into her novel, not realising they're real. The trouble is, it wasn't funny as I'd assumed it was going to be. No matter how horrible the vampires are, the heroine thinks of them as her friends. She tells off the vampire hunter for killing her friends, who are, let's face it, serial killers. My students love it and who am I to argue with them, but I couldn't finish this set of novellas, I'm afraid. Maybe I should have forced myself to do it and there's an explanation somewhere, other than the fact that the author was thirteen when she wrote the first one? But there's plenty more for this cynical old librarian to read. It's going back to my library, where the girls, and possibly one or two of the boys, will pounce on it with cries of joy, because it is, after all, written for them, not for me.
July 10, 2012
This is a new author to me and I have to say... I was dissapointed and don't really like her writing style. In the first book she is just flinging out vampire terminology like we are all professors of it. That made it fairly confusing to start with. Plus the information itself was fairly useless too. None of the books ended well enough for me either. The last book in the series was the best and could've been great but of course it fell flat at the end too. I'd have to be heavily convinced her other books end better before I pick up another one of hers. They were all fairly clean though just a bit dark so if you don't mind an unperfect ending you might like it better than I did. The cover picture was interesting.
December 30, 2012
If you love vampire novels (and even if you don't) then you NEED to read these books.
It so hard to believe that Amelia Atwater-Rhodes wrote these when she was a teenager. The writing is rich and mature. The stories unique and enthralling. And the characters are strong.
In order from most loved to least loved (but still loved) here is how I enjoyed these books:
Midnight Predator
Demon In My View
In the Forest of the Night
Shattered Mirror
I have read all of these quick novels multiple times and will continue to read them again and again and again.
It so hard to believe that Amelia Atwater-Rhodes wrote these when she was a teenager. The writing is rich and mature. The stories unique and enthralling. And the characters are strong.
In order from most loved to least loved (but still loved) here is how I enjoyed these books:
Midnight Predator
Demon In My View
In the Forest of the Night
Shattered Mirror
I have read all of these quick novels multiple times and will continue to read them again and again and again.
March 24, 2010
This is a interesting book. It is a collection of 4 smaller stories that are all linked together one way or another. All four are mostly involving Vampires, witches and hunters as the main characters. It was not my favorite book and I found the first two stories poorly written and a little more childish. overall the book is geared to a younger reader in there teens. I cannot see myself reading the book a second time but I would definatly recommend it to someone interested in vampires.
March 12, 2016
Overall, I really enjoy these books! Each book is reviewed separately on Goodreads too.
June 29, 2013
These are my abridged reviews of the series. The links to the full reviews are here -
In the Forests of the Night: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Demon in My View: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Shattered Mirror: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Midnight Predator: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
In the Forests of the Night:
I first read this book when I was twelve. I found it tucked away in a dark corner of the school library - a small book, one of those that feels used and well-loved. After I read it, and loved it, I was amazed to find that this book was written when the author was only thirteen years old.
The book switches between the 1700's, and the present day. The story follows a girl called Risika - a vampire who, before she was changed, was called Rachel Weatere. She was changed by a vampire called Ather, and her arch enemy is her blood brother Aubrey - the one that she believes killed her brother hundreds of years ago, the one who left her a black rose on the day that she died.
Risika needs to learn how to live in the world of vampires, and spends the centuries clinging to the last vestiges of her precious humanity. Throughout the story she struggles with finding out who she truly is, and coming to terms with the fact that despite how much she wishes she wasn't, she is a killer. Eventually she comes to accept what she is, mostly due to an event near the end of the book. Lately, she has partly eased her centuries-long loneliness by striking up a deep friendship with a tiger- Tora, a beautiful animal.
This book is masterfully written, and compelling in the way that we connect with Risika throughout the short narrative. The author strives to make us understand exactly what a vampire is, and what draws some people to them so inexplicably. I'm also drawn in some way to the protagonist, Aubrey. Though he is undoubtedly evil in some way, his character is also delicious to read, and I think that it becomes easy to hate him mainly because the novel is narrated by Risika. To me there is something redeemable in Aubrey, and even if you don't agree- you have to love his disposition. I actually do quite like him, if I try to ignore Risika's point of view.
Alexander was another intriguing character. You have to feel sorry for the poor boy, who clearly has a strong sense of morality and conscience, and a great care for his family, and then finds out about these powers he has. Which of course the Church would condemn him for, and so he condemns himself.
The other way that I find this book compelling, aside from the wonderful characterization, is the way that Atwater-Rhodes flawlessly creates a new, still dark, yet believable slant on the world of vampires. Truly, this is the best vampire-world I have ever, and probably will ever, encounter.
Though I now own the omnibus, I will never forget that little copy that I first picked up in the corner of the library - it occupies a small, precious - albeit probably dark- place in my heart.
Demon in My View:
This book was simply beautiful. It was, in a way, everything I felt was missing from the beautiful prequel to this novel, which was In the Forests of the Night. It was, in a way, Aubrey’s side of the story – but of course, it isn’t the same story.
The prologue of this book is intriguing, and to my peril I didn’t take much notice of it, dismissing it as the usual; “Short, dark, mysterious prologue designed to pull you in.” That is, of course, exactly what it was, but as a seasoned reader I should have known better than to not pay attention.
The book starts with Jessica waking up in a scene that is perfectly familiar to every teenager. The obnoxious alarm clock with its sadistically glowing red numbers telling you just how little sleep you’ve had. But of course, Jessica is no ordinary teenager. She is the vampire “fiction” writer briefly mentioned in In the Forests of the Night.
Jessica is a great main character for a novel, if only because she was so refreshing. She is… not exactly socially awkward, but rather seems to prefer being by herself. She’s sharp, direct, and perhaps a little bit mean, she knows it, and she doesn’t give a damn. Which I thought was great, myself. Immediately she meets Caryn, a sweet girl at school who seems to want to help her out of her loneliness.
In Demon In My View we are introduced to a very interesting new type of witch – called Macht witches, or the Daughters of Macht. Caryn is one of them, and for some reason her kind have taken an interest in Jessica. And speaking of people who aren’t all what they seem…
Of course, the new hot guy shows up at school, and this one is called Alex Remington. That name bothered me, for two reasons. 1; I’ve read another book where the disguised vampire dude is called Alex, and 2; I would have thought Aubrey could have chosen something with a little more class. In any case, Jessica immediately recognizes Alex as Aubrey, one of the characters from her vampire stories. Jessica dismisses the thought as silly, though disconcerted by how alike Alex is to Aubrey.
It soon becomes obvious to the reader that Alex (a.k.a Aubrey) also has an interest in Jessica and is doing a good job of gaining Jessica’s trust. Ironically enough, Aubrey does this by being quite honest with her, which is unusual. In any case, I enjoyed reading the interchange between the two of them. But the most interesting question that arises is; How in the world can Jessica’s stories be real without her knowing that they are?
I simply can’t go any longer without writing about Aubrey. Aubrey is, without a doubt, my favourite vampire I’ve ever read about. I’m not going to say it’s because he’s morally correct. In fact, at times he’s not even nice – Tora being a case in point. But I think the quote that best describes why I’m drawn to him is this; ”I have some morals, I suppose. But none that interfere with the way I survive.” Aubrey never pretends to be anything that he isn’t – he is a dangerous killer, and he knows it, and he isn’t going to try to justify it. But at the same time, there is something nice in him, something redeemable, something that shows he has his own code of morality.
The vampire who falls into that category is Fala. She’s a cold, crazy bitch, make no mistake. Fiery tempered, vicious, vengeful, and totally insane. At least, that’s the impression I got. What I don’t get, however, is why Jager was so fond of Fala. Jager… I like him too. You know he’s strong, and he’s rather brilliantly nonchalant, but best of all he just doesn’t seem all that concerned with being violent. All he’s concerned with is living his life, protecting his fledglings, and causing mayhem if he can find some decent mayhem worth causing. But Fala… I guess if she was his first fledgling she’d be important to Jager, but I certainly think the vampire world would be better off without her crazy ass around the place.
Caryn was a nice character, a sweet thing that was always just trying to do what was best for her family and her friends. Like Jessica, I despised most of the rest of the witches, especially Dominique, for what they’d done to the vampires. And what Jessica says best sums it up;”If it’s a choice between you and them, the I would choose the vampires any day. At least they don’t preach the morality of their killing.” But Caryn was different – she never wanted to hurt, only to heal.
I was very surprised by the revelation that Aubrey’s line (more accurately Ather’s/Silver’s line) was so powerful only because they fought against the change. And it did add an interesting dilemma to the story, quite apart from making me wonder why Aubrey would have fought so hard in the first place. In any case, it meant that Aubrey couldn’t just go ”Nom, nom, nom, great, you’re a vampire now Jessica, our problems are over.” It meant that she actually had to fight for her immortality – and I loved that, because it meant the author wasn’t just taking the easy way out.
Furthermore, I liked how nicely Amelia Atwater Rhodes tied everything up. We get to learn how Jessica knew everything she did about vampires; it was a wonderful revelation to finally learn the truth about that, though I had a slight uncomfortable feeling that I knew was because it vaguely reminded me of Breaking Dawn… but let’s not talk about that, shall we? In any case, the ending was fast and furious, and finally beautiful, everything I could have wished for from Demon in My View.
Overall, Demon in My View was a relatively short read, but just like In the Forests of the Night it was a breath-taking one none the less. An original setting, wonderful, chilling and believable characters, and absolutely brilliant writing.
Shattered Mirror:
My only real problem with all of Amelia Atwater Rhodes' books - not just this one - is that I always wish she had taken the time to make them a little longer, a little more in depth. Because they are Just. So. Damn. Good. That being said, Shattered Mirror was not quite as enjoyable as it's two predecessors, perhaps because *cough* *cough* it didn't have Aubrey in it *cough*, or perhaps because there generally seemed to be less of a vampire vibe, but in any case it was still amazingly enjoyable. Even if a little more detail would have been wonderful - I just want to dive deeper into this world, every time I read Den of Shadows.
It was interesting to see the vampire world through the eyes of a witch. Unfortunately, that witch is Sarah Vida; meaning that she has a totally cold-hearted bitch of a mother. Dominique Vida’s husband died when Sarah was young. He was slowly tortured by vampires and then his body dumped on the Vida’s doorstep. Sarah loses it with grief, and smashes her hand repeatedly into a window until it breaks. You would think that Dominique would comfort her, cry over her husband’s death with her daughter, and help her daughter heal. Oh no. Dominique Vida stays completely cold and dry-eyed at her husbands’ death, and takes her daughters witchy-powers away for a week in punishment for reacting so strongly to the death of her father. Dominique remains a shadow over Sarah’s life throughout the book.
Sarah Vida is a wonderful character – totally bad ass, barely afraid of anything, really tough. But on the other hand, she is nothing like Dominique. She has a warmth in her; she’s nice, and able to accept that the views of the witches can’t be right all the time. One of the best things about Shattered Mirror is Sarah’s internal conflict between loyalty to her family and knowing within her heart that not all vampires deserve Dominique’s treatment of them.
Christopher and Nissa Ravenna - the brother and sister vampires at the school - are actually quite sweet, as far as vampires go. Christopher has an easy manner, and a talent for drawing and poetry that would certainly make my knees go weak. Nissa has a beautiful talent for sculpture. You can certainly see that Christopher is falling in love with Sarah, and I couldn’t help my heart breaking for him as I realized how difficult Dominique would make it for Sarah to even associate with Christopher – let alone be with him in any romantic capacity. His sensitivity is refreshing for a vampire, as is Sarah’s struggle to not fall in love with him, because she knows how difficult that would make things. But despite everything you can still see her fall for him, which is beautiful to watch.
Aside from the love story, I liked the idea that there was a line of wonderfully artistic vampires, weird as that sounds. And, again aside from the love story, I liked the main plot line of this vampire Nikolas that Sarah was hunting. The fact that Nikolas carved his name into his victims’ skin like they were some kind of trophy… that made me shiver. And it was strange that he did it so carefully, but coming from a line of artistic vampires... well, at least he cares about his work. Nikolas didn't have quite as much class as a villain as Aubrey had, but he does well enough. And the vampire "bashes" (parties) were an interesting addition to the series as well.
After a lot of creepy stuff in the middle , the story ends as you would expect. But for its predictability it was no less sweet, and I was very happy with it. If only because Dominique Cold-Bitch Vida was so completely and utterly thwarted. Teehee.
Amelia Atwater Rhodes’ beautiful writing and the world she has created never cease to impress me. For the short length of her books her characters are very well developed, and it always amazes me that you can empathise with all of them… even the worst ones. Well done, Amelia – you have managed to make me fall in love with yet another of your brilliant works.
Midnight Predator:
Though it was close, I didn’t enjoy Midnight Predator quite as much as it’s three predecessors. Before I get to properly reviewing the book, there is one complaint I just have to get out of the way, before anything else. Turquoise?! Who names their bloody main character Turquoise? It’s just… just no. I much preferred her original name, Catherine, or even her fake name Audra (though even that sounds like it belongs to a Daedric Lord in Oblivion…).
The beginning drew me in from the moment I started reading. Turquoise Draka and Ravyn are fighting for the leadership of the Crimson, one of the three sections of the Bruja organisation. Which, as far as I can tell, are assassins and hunters, targeting both the natural and the super-natural. Turquoise and Ravyn’s fight is declared a draw, and Ravyn gets to choose what they fight with a month from now. And she chooses the whip, which is apparently the only weapon Turquoise isn’t all that great at using. In the intervening period before their next duel, Turquoise and Ravyn decide to relax, kick back and prepare… oh, no wait. They’re going to just casually tootle off and try and take down the most hard-core slave driving vampire they could find; Jeshickah. (Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is another good name. Why, why did Amelia’s name-making skills choose to desert her when naming the main character? No, it’s okay, I’m over it, really, I am…).
Relatively soon into the book we meet Nathaniel, the vampire who is going to help Turquoise and Ravyn get into the slave complex Midnight, run by Jeshickah. Nathaniel is the vampire who originally rescued Catherine (Turquoise) from Midnight and Lord Daryl’s clutches in the first place. He’s a strange character – I like his attitude, and he doesn’t seem to care for a lot of things, but it’s also clear that he really cares for Turquoise. But mainly he was just an awesome character because he was like the vampiric equivalent of a bad-ass smuggler – one of those guys who can basically get on the cell phone and very coolly get you anything you need. Like I said. Awesome. Nathaniel gets them into Midnight by selling them as slave girls – Catherine/Turquoise now under the name of Audra.
The greatest – and most pleasant – surprise in Midnight Predator was Jaguar. He was utterly intriguing, and my mind had a fine time trying to puzzle him out. He seemed to be, well, nice, compared to everyone else in Midnight at least, but it only took Jeshickah or someone equally unpleasant for him to become as cold as ice, painfully competent, and very intimidating. But the moment he had me won over was when he played in his private courtyard with his jaguars. It was such a beautiful moment, especially when he let his guard down long enough to snuggle with Audra (or Turquoise, or Catherine…). It was simply cute, especially for a vampire capable of what Jaguar is capable of. What I also found intriguing about Jaguar was his past. You know he was a brutal trainer, with the uncanny ability to see and manipulate human nature – yet something in him inspires trust. Soon enough you find out the source of that trust is the fact that he is ashamed of his past, and one-hundred years with Jeshickah has taught him to reach for something different other than blood and pain and suffering and manipulation. And whatever he reached for, he found it without losing his deadly competence – which to me is what makes him such an alluring character.
Lord Daryl was a first class ass-hole, but even so I wish his and Catherine's history was more fully explained than the brief flashbacks we get given. Those are sad enough - the death of Catherine's family, and the abuse she went through at Daryl's hands. Daryl was an interesting character for me because though he was of course strong compared to humans - and enjoyed the fact - compared to the rest of his vampire trainer counterparts he was relatively weak and incompetent. Which of course made him dangerous, and an intriguing character. Still, the only times I smiled when Daryl was on the page was when Jaguar was busy taking him down a peg (or ten).
Though the ending was satisfying , it felt… unfinished. There were too many questions unanswered; what does Turquoise want to do now? Will she become a vampire? Did Jeshickah finally get killed? What happened to Midnight in the end? And most importantly – did Jaguar and Catherine (I’m sorry, at least for this I have to call her Catherine) finally get the chance to be together? I truly hope so, because Jaguar (aside from Nathaniel) was my favourite thing about this book, and it gives me warm fuzzy feelings to think of Jaguar and Catherine together, forever. In any case, as you can see the end was a bit too abrupt, with too many questions un-answered – and if not for the character of Jaguar my frustration at the ending would have dropped Midnight Predator down to four stars.
But, in the end, it was a five star book. Amelia Atwater Rhodes’ writing, as usual, was beautiful and immediately drew me in – though as I previously said her awful name choice almost threw me right back out again. Ugh. But her characters are as always well developed and intriguing, the story fast paced, the plot clever, and the lack of extra details slightly disappointing. But that doesn’t mean that Midnight Predator wasn’t an amazing story – there were just some things that could have made it even better.
Overall Review of the Den of Shadows Quartet:
Simply beautiful. It was thrilling, dark and alluring. 5/5 stars. Miss Amelia Atwater Rhodes, thank you for your writing.
For anyone interested in discussing the Den of Shadows series with other people, or in role-playing the Den of Shadows world, here's the link to my group: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1...
Feel free to join! All welcome. :)
In the Forests of the Night: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Demon in My View: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Shattered Mirror: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Midnight Predator: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
In the Forests of the Night:
I first read this book when I was twelve. I found it tucked away in a dark corner of the school library - a small book, one of those that feels used and well-loved. After I read it, and loved it, I was amazed to find that this book was written when the author was only thirteen years old.
The book switches between the 1700's, and the present day. The story follows a girl called Risika - a vampire who, before she was changed, was called Rachel Weatere. She was changed by a vampire called Ather, and her arch enemy is her blood brother Aubrey - the one that she believes killed her brother hundreds of years ago, the one who left her a black rose on the day that she died.
Risika needs to learn how to live in the world of vampires, and spends the centuries clinging to the last vestiges of her precious humanity. Throughout the story she struggles with finding out who she truly is, and coming to terms with the fact that despite how much she wishes she wasn't, she is a killer. Eventually she comes to accept what she is, mostly due to an event near the end of the book. Lately, she has partly eased her centuries-long loneliness by striking up a deep friendship with a tiger- Tora, a beautiful animal.
This book is masterfully written, and compelling in the way that we connect with Risika throughout the short narrative. The author strives to make us understand exactly what a vampire is, and what draws some people to them so inexplicably. I'm also drawn in some way to the protagonist, Aubrey. Though he is undoubtedly evil in some way, his character is also delicious to read, and I think that it becomes easy to hate him mainly because the novel is narrated by Risika. To me there is something redeemable in Aubrey, and even if you don't agree- you have to love his disposition. I actually do quite like him, if I try to ignore Risika's point of view.
Alexander was another intriguing character. You have to feel sorry for the poor boy, who clearly has a strong sense of morality and conscience, and a great care for his family, and then finds out about these powers he has. Which of course the Church would condemn him for, and so he condemns himself.
The other way that I find this book compelling, aside from the wonderful characterization, is the way that Atwater-Rhodes flawlessly creates a new, still dark, yet believable slant on the world of vampires. Truly, this is the best vampire-world I have ever, and probably will ever, encounter.
Though I now own the omnibus, I will never forget that little copy that I first picked up in the corner of the library - it occupies a small, precious - albeit probably dark- place in my heart.
Demon in My View:
This book was simply beautiful. It was, in a way, everything I felt was missing from the beautiful prequel to this novel, which was In the Forests of the Night. It was, in a way, Aubrey’s side of the story – but of course, it isn’t the same story.
The prologue of this book is intriguing, and to my peril I didn’t take much notice of it, dismissing it as the usual; “Short, dark, mysterious prologue designed to pull you in.” That is, of course, exactly what it was, but as a seasoned reader I should have known better than to not pay attention.
The book starts with Jessica waking up in a scene that is perfectly familiar to every teenager. The obnoxious alarm clock with its sadistically glowing red numbers telling you just how little sleep you’ve had. But of course, Jessica is no ordinary teenager. She is the vampire “fiction” writer briefly mentioned in In the Forests of the Night.
Jessica is a great main character for a novel, if only because she was so refreshing. She is… not exactly socially awkward, but rather seems to prefer being by herself. She’s sharp, direct, and perhaps a little bit mean, she knows it, and she doesn’t give a damn. Which I thought was great, myself. Immediately she meets Caryn, a sweet girl at school who seems to want to help her out of her loneliness.
In Demon In My View we are introduced to a very interesting new type of witch – called Macht witches, or the Daughters of Macht. Caryn is one of them, and for some reason her kind have taken an interest in Jessica. And speaking of people who aren’t all what they seem…
Of course, the new hot guy shows up at school, and this one is called Alex Remington. That name bothered me, for two reasons. 1; I’ve read another book where the disguised vampire dude is called Alex, and 2; I would have thought Aubrey could have chosen something with a little more class. In any case, Jessica immediately recognizes Alex as Aubrey, one of the characters from her vampire stories. Jessica dismisses the thought as silly, though disconcerted by how alike Alex is to Aubrey.
It soon becomes obvious to the reader that Alex (a.k.a Aubrey) also has an interest in Jessica and is doing a good job of gaining Jessica’s trust. Ironically enough, Aubrey does this by being quite honest with her, which is unusual. In any case, I enjoyed reading the interchange between the two of them. But the most interesting question that arises is; How in the world can Jessica’s stories be real without her knowing that they are?
I simply can’t go any longer without writing about Aubrey. Aubrey is, without a doubt, my favourite vampire I’ve ever read about. I’m not going to say it’s because he’s morally correct. In fact, at times he’s not even nice – Tora being a case in point. But I think the quote that best describes why I’m drawn to him is this; ”I have some morals, I suppose. But none that interfere with the way I survive.” Aubrey never pretends to be anything that he isn’t – he is a dangerous killer, and he knows it, and he isn’t going to try to justify it. But at the same time, there is something nice in him, something redeemable, something that shows he has his own code of morality.
The vampire who falls into that category is Fala. She’s a cold, crazy bitch, make no mistake. Fiery tempered, vicious, vengeful, and totally insane. At least, that’s the impression I got. What I don’t get, however, is why Jager was so fond of Fala. Jager… I like him too. You know he’s strong, and he’s rather brilliantly nonchalant, but best of all he just doesn’t seem all that concerned with being violent. All he’s concerned with is living his life, protecting his fledglings, and causing mayhem if he can find some decent mayhem worth causing. But Fala… I guess if she was his first fledgling she’d be important to Jager, but I certainly think the vampire world would be better off without her crazy ass around the place.
Caryn was a nice character, a sweet thing that was always just trying to do what was best for her family and her friends. Like Jessica, I despised most of the rest of the witches, especially Dominique, for what they’d done to the vampires. And what Jessica says best sums it up;”If it’s a choice between you and them, the I would choose the vampires any day. At least they don’t preach the morality of their killing.” But Caryn was different – she never wanted to hurt, only to heal.
I was very surprised by the revelation that Aubrey’s line (more accurately Ather’s/Silver’s line) was so powerful only because they fought against the change. And it did add an interesting dilemma to the story, quite apart from making me wonder why Aubrey would have fought so hard in the first place. In any case, it meant that Aubrey couldn’t just go ”Nom, nom, nom, great, you’re a vampire now Jessica, our problems are over.” It meant that she actually had to fight for her immortality – and I loved that, because it meant the author wasn’t just taking the easy way out.
Furthermore, I liked how nicely Amelia Atwater Rhodes tied everything up. We get to learn how Jessica knew everything she did about vampires; it was a wonderful revelation to finally learn the truth about that, though I had a slight uncomfortable feeling that I knew was because it vaguely reminded me of Breaking Dawn… but let’s not talk about that, shall we? In any case, the ending was fast and furious, and finally beautiful, everything I could have wished for from Demon in My View.
Overall, Demon in My View was a relatively short read, but just like In the Forests of the Night it was a breath-taking one none the less. An original setting, wonderful, chilling and believable characters, and absolutely brilliant writing.
Shattered Mirror:
My only real problem with all of Amelia Atwater Rhodes' books - not just this one - is that I always wish she had taken the time to make them a little longer, a little more in depth. Because they are Just. So. Damn. Good. That being said, Shattered Mirror was not quite as enjoyable as it's two predecessors, perhaps because *cough* *cough* it didn't have Aubrey in it *cough*, or perhaps because there generally seemed to be less of a vampire vibe, but in any case it was still amazingly enjoyable. Even if a little more detail would have been wonderful - I just want to dive deeper into this world, every time I read Den of Shadows.
It was interesting to see the vampire world through the eyes of a witch. Unfortunately, that witch is Sarah Vida; meaning that she has a totally cold-hearted bitch of a mother. Dominique Vida’s husband died when Sarah was young. He was slowly tortured by vampires and then his body dumped on the Vida’s doorstep. Sarah loses it with grief, and smashes her hand repeatedly into a window until it breaks. You would think that Dominique would comfort her, cry over her husband’s death with her daughter, and help her daughter heal. Oh no. Dominique Vida stays completely cold and dry-eyed at her husbands’ death, and takes her daughters witchy-powers away for a week in punishment for reacting so strongly to the death of her father. Dominique remains a shadow over Sarah’s life throughout the book.
Sarah Vida is a wonderful character – totally bad ass, barely afraid of anything, really tough. But on the other hand, she is nothing like Dominique. She has a warmth in her; she’s nice, and able to accept that the views of the witches can’t be right all the time. One of the best things about Shattered Mirror is Sarah’s internal conflict between loyalty to her family and knowing within her heart that not all vampires deserve Dominique’s treatment of them.
Christopher and Nissa Ravenna - the brother and sister vampires at the school - are actually quite sweet, as far as vampires go. Christopher has an easy manner, and a talent for drawing and poetry that would certainly make my knees go weak. Nissa has a beautiful talent for sculpture. You can certainly see that Christopher is falling in love with Sarah, and I couldn’t help my heart breaking for him as I realized how difficult Dominique would make it for Sarah to even associate with Christopher – let alone be with him in any romantic capacity. His sensitivity is refreshing for a vampire, as is Sarah’s struggle to not fall in love with him, because she knows how difficult that would make things. But despite everything you can still see her fall for him, which is beautiful to watch.
Aside from the love story, I liked the idea that there was a line of wonderfully artistic vampires, weird as that sounds. And, again aside from the love story, I liked the main plot line of this vampire Nikolas that Sarah was hunting. The fact that Nikolas carved his name into his victims’ skin like they were some kind of trophy… that made me shiver. And it was strange that he did it so carefully, but coming from a line of artistic vampires... well, at least he cares about his work. Nikolas didn't have quite as much class as a villain as Aubrey had, but he does well enough. And the vampire "bashes" (parties) were an interesting addition to the series as well.
After a lot of creepy stuff in the middle , the story ends as you would expect. But for its predictability it was no less sweet, and I was very happy with it. If only because Dominique Cold-Bitch Vida was so completely and utterly thwarted. Teehee.
Amelia Atwater Rhodes’ beautiful writing and the world she has created never cease to impress me. For the short length of her books her characters are very well developed, and it always amazes me that you can empathise with all of them… even the worst ones. Well done, Amelia – you have managed to make me fall in love with yet another of your brilliant works.
Midnight Predator:
Though it was close, I didn’t enjoy Midnight Predator quite as much as it’s three predecessors. Before I get to properly reviewing the book, there is one complaint I just have to get out of the way, before anything else. Turquoise?! Who names their bloody main character Turquoise? It’s just… just no. I much preferred her original name, Catherine, or even her fake name Audra (though even that sounds like it belongs to a Daedric Lord in Oblivion…).
The beginning drew me in from the moment I started reading. Turquoise Draka and Ravyn are fighting for the leadership of the Crimson, one of the three sections of the Bruja organisation. Which, as far as I can tell, are assassins and hunters, targeting both the natural and the super-natural. Turquoise and Ravyn’s fight is declared a draw, and Ravyn gets to choose what they fight with a month from now. And she chooses the whip, which is apparently the only weapon Turquoise isn’t all that great at using. In the intervening period before their next duel, Turquoise and Ravyn decide to relax, kick back and prepare… oh, no wait. They’re going to just casually tootle off and try and take down the most hard-core slave driving vampire they could find; Jeshickah. (Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is another good name. Why, why did Amelia’s name-making skills choose to desert her when naming the main character? No, it’s okay, I’m over it, really, I am…).
Relatively soon into the book we meet Nathaniel, the vampire who is going to help Turquoise and Ravyn get into the slave complex Midnight, run by Jeshickah. Nathaniel is the vampire who originally rescued Catherine (Turquoise) from Midnight and Lord Daryl’s clutches in the first place. He’s a strange character – I like his attitude, and he doesn’t seem to care for a lot of things, but it’s also clear that he really cares for Turquoise. But mainly he was just an awesome character because he was like the vampiric equivalent of a bad-ass smuggler – one of those guys who can basically get on the cell phone and very coolly get you anything you need. Like I said. Awesome. Nathaniel gets them into Midnight by selling them as slave girls – Catherine/Turquoise now under the name of Audra.
The greatest – and most pleasant – surprise in Midnight Predator was Jaguar. He was utterly intriguing, and my mind had a fine time trying to puzzle him out. He seemed to be, well, nice, compared to everyone else in Midnight at least, but it only took Jeshickah or someone equally unpleasant for him to become as cold as ice, painfully competent, and very intimidating. But the moment he had me won over was when he played in his private courtyard with his jaguars. It was such a beautiful moment, especially when he let his guard down long enough to snuggle with Audra (or Turquoise, or Catherine…). It was simply cute, especially for a vampire capable of what Jaguar is capable of. What I also found intriguing about Jaguar was his past. You know he was a brutal trainer, with the uncanny ability to see and manipulate human nature – yet something in him inspires trust. Soon enough you find out the source of that trust is the fact that he is ashamed of his past, and one-hundred years with Jeshickah has taught him to reach for something different other than blood and pain and suffering and manipulation. And whatever he reached for, he found it without losing his deadly competence – which to me is what makes him such an alluring character.
Lord Daryl was a first class ass-hole, but even so I wish his and Catherine's history was more fully explained than the brief flashbacks we get given. Those are sad enough - the death of Catherine's family, and the abuse she went through at Daryl's hands. Daryl was an interesting character for me because though he was of course strong compared to humans - and enjoyed the fact - compared to the rest of his vampire trainer counterparts he was relatively weak and incompetent. Which of course made him dangerous, and an intriguing character. Still, the only times I smiled when Daryl was on the page was when Jaguar was busy taking him down a peg (or ten).
Though the ending was satisfying , it felt… unfinished. There were too many questions unanswered; what does Turquoise want to do now? Will she become a vampire? Did Jeshickah finally get killed? What happened to Midnight in the end? And most importantly – did Jaguar and Catherine (I’m sorry, at least for this I have to call her Catherine) finally get the chance to be together? I truly hope so, because Jaguar (aside from Nathaniel) was my favourite thing about this book, and it gives me warm fuzzy feelings to think of Jaguar and Catherine together, forever. In any case, as you can see the end was a bit too abrupt, with too many questions un-answered – and if not for the character of Jaguar my frustration at the ending would have dropped Midnight Predator down to four stars.
But, in the end, it was a five star book. Amelia Atwater Rhodes’ writing, as usual, was beautiful and immediately drew me in – though as I previously said her awful name choice almost threw me right back out again. Ugh. But her characters are as always well developed and intriguing, the story fast paced, the plot clever, and the lack of extra details slightly disappointing. But that doesn’t mean that Midnight Predator wasn’t an amazing story – there were just some things that could have made it even better.
Overall Review of the Den of Shadows Quartet:
Simply beautiful. It was thrilling, dark and alluring. 5/5 stars. Miss Amelia Atwater Rhodes, thank you for your writing.
For anyone interested in discussing the Den of Shadows series with other people, or in role-playing the Den of Shadows world, here's the link to my group: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1...
Feel free to join! All welcome. :)
did-not-finish
February 22, 2021DNF at 42%
I really tried to push through this but this was a really hard collection to get into. I was excited because I loved another book by this author (Hawksong for those of you who are curious) and people said it was a really good vampire book.
Which is hard to find these days.
But, for me, this was not a vampire book I’d recommend. It reminded me a lot of twilight especially in the second novella and I was hoping to get away from that insta love “I want to kill you” vampire cliche. Note: I’m not against cheesy vampire stories—I absolutely adore The Vampire Diaries (the tv show mind you. I’ve had a hard time with the books.) but this was difficult for me to like.
The first novella was actually pretty interesting but the second one was a train wreck. To keep it simple: the main girl Jessica is a spoiled brat who is a jerk to everyone around her for literally no reason and Aubrey fell in love with her why?
I have no idea. The amount of eye rolling I did during the second novella could have won me the eye rolling olympics. (If there was one.)
I know this author can write good books and the writing itself was okay. Although I am very critical of this as a whole if you enjoy it I’m glad. It just wasn’t for me.
Content (as far as I got): clean with some minor violence
I really tried to push through this but this was a really hard collection to get into. I was excited because I loved another book by this author (Hawksong for those of you who are curious) and people said it was a really good vampire book.
Which is hard to find these days.
But, for me, this was not a vampire book I’d recommend. It reminded me a lot of twilight especially in the second novella and I was hoping to get away from that insta love “I want to kill you” vampire cliche. Note: I’m not against cheesy vampire stories—I absolutely adore The Vampire Diaries (the tv show mind you. I’ve had a hard time with the books.) but this was difficult for me to like.
The first novella was actually pretty interesting but the second one was a train wreck. To keep it simple: the main girl Jessica is a spoiled brat who is a jerk to everyone around her for literally no reason and Aubrey fell in love with her why?
I have no idea. The amount of eye rolling I did during the second novella could have won me the eye rolling olympics. (If there was one.)
I know this author can write good books and the writing itself was okay. Although I am very critical of this as a whole if you enjoy it I’m glad. It just wasn’t for me.
Content (as far as I got): clean with some minor violence
March 22, 2020
I read this more for the purpose that I really like the author and her writing style. But this was one of her weaker collection of books. They had a feeling like she was pushed to the point that whatever she handed over was what you were going to get. There wasn’t a bow at the end and I was hoping the fourth and final would bring all the characters together for a final epic adventure that didn’t happen. Once the book was finished with an unfinished ending the characters were forgotten like they never existed.
I do really adore the authors writing style so I am a bit disappointed to see this collection weaker than other books I’ve read of hers.
I do really adore the authors writing style so I am a bit disappointed to see this collection weaker than other books I’ve read of hers.
July 12, 2022
I remember when In the Forest of the Night came out. I remember going to get my book signed by the author who was only 2 years older then me. And I remember not being able to read past the poem in the beginning of the book.
This time was different, while I still am not a big fan of poetry, the words flew off the pages this time. I didn’t want to put the book down, I wanted to see how it ended. And when the 1st book was over I went right into the 2nd and so on.
The books seemed dark, yet showed a humane side to the main vampire character.
This time was different, while I still am not a big fan of poetry, the words flew off the pages this time. I didn’t want to put the book down, I wanted to see how it ended. And when the 1st book was over I went right into the 2nd and so on.
The books seemed dark, yet showed a humane side to the main vampire character.
July 16, 2020
Great book for anyone who has a hard time getting into books.
I've read these books at least 15 times since middle school and recommend them to almost everyone I know. Great characters that really pull you in and each story ties in to the same world. Amelia Atwater-Rhodes has a wonderful world built into her different book series and I can't recommend them enough. If you like these books please check out her other works. 10/10 will read again.
I've read these books at least 15 times since middle school and recommend them to almost everyone I know. Great characters that really pull you in and each story ties in to the same world. Amelia Atwater-Rhodes has a wonderful world built into her different book series and I can't recommend them enough. If you like these books please check out her other works. 10/10 will read again.
April 10, 2025
a story containing 4 short stories that have characters that are all intertwined.
each story follows a different person who was mentioned in the story prior. who doesn’t love vampires? that was one of the main reasons i pick this up.
each story has a lot of information but wraps things up nicely BUT i could easily read full length novels for each book. i wanted more but also i felt satisfied with what was given.
each story follows a different person who was mentioned in the story prior. who doesn’t love vampires? that was one of the main reasons i pick this up.
each story has a lot of information but wraps things up nicely BUT i could easily read full length novels for each book. i wanted more but also i felt satisfied with what was given.
June 27, 2021
I strongly disliked 3 of the fours stories. The characters even though they had powers, were weak and whiny. The last story was better but probably only because we don’t get to see the character’s choice at the end. It leaves you with a little hope that at least one heroine will value her humanity.
August 5, 2020
Read for nostalgia
I loved these books in middle and early high school. The first book in the quartet is pretty indicative of Amelia's age when she wrote it, but the other three are still fairly captivating and fun reads.
I loved these books in middle and early high school. The first book in the quartet is pretty indicative of Amelia's age when she wrote it, but the other three are still fairly captivating and fun reads.
August 6, 2021
Not as good as my teenage fangirl remembers...but, I'll forever owe Ameila Atwater-Rhodes for literary devotion to all things paranormal...she was my gateway author!
Although, to be fair, I always like Hawksong better anyway...
Although, to be fair, I always like Hawksong better anyway...
June 11, 2024
Absolutely loved reading this quartet in my teens many years ago and absolutely loved it. Its well-written with amazing stories, world-building and characters. Read it many times since. I would highly recommend this quartet to any fans of vampire fiction.
January 16, 2018
This was ok. Some stories caught my interest and some didn't. Not bad overall. I certainly won't rule out reading this author again.
August 14, 2018
It was ok book
August 24, 2018
The first novel i ever read.... It was sooo awesome i couldn't stop speaking to my friend about this.... Tooo good
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