Amanda Weidensjö

Summary: Myrnin and Oliver, who have a strange affinity, mostly because they’re both capable of being utterly weird and cruel when pushed, but also capable of kindness, too. Myrnin’s kindness is on display here, but so is his weirdness, and Oliver’s cruelty. A little of everything, and a creepy tale of a pursuit that ends in a sinister house with secrets, ghosts, lies, and monsters. I am beyond impressed with this short story! And I didn't know that I needed some more Oliver and Myrnin scenes. I love how they interact with each other and I am curious to know exactly how old they both are. It was also so interesting how one is haunted by the past while the other looks only to the future and does not like to dwell on things that cannot be changed. There is definitely a lot that we can learn from those two and I am so happy we got this insight!  Do you know what is scarier than an old vampire who is a little psycho? The ghost of a little girl who scares said psycho vampire. It's n...

 Summary: There's a new extreme sport getting picked up on the bare—knuckle fights pitting captured vampires against each other—or humans. Tracking the remote signal leads Claire—accompanied by her friends and frenemies—to discover that what started as an online brawl will soon threaten everyone in Morganville... This the tenth book in the Morganville series and typically it's around this time where I start questioning just how much more an author can give us before they are stretching out a story that has already been told in its entirety. They already defeated Bishop; Amelie's dad and Mr. Big Bad who practically brought Morganville down to its knees. We thought Amelie did he right thing and killed him but unfortunately revenge makes you do stupid things... I'm surprised with the turn of events in this book. The fact that a fight club was even started and Amelie and her brigade of vampires didn't get involved until the very end was surprising. I can understand her ...

 Summary: A Morganville Vampires short story about Myrnin and how/when he was turned.  Interestingly enough, this short story was only available through Wattpad. I love authors who go out of their way to make it easily accessible for their readers to find and read short stories. I hate when they make it difficult to obtain or it's clearly a money grab.  Myrnin is that one character in the Morganville series that you want to know their whole story. He's so quirky and nutty that you wonder just how he came to be and who would be crazy enough to turn him into a vampire.  I am so happy we got this short story because it truly gave us an insight on his backstory. He was sold by his mother so she could help sustain her other children. His father was a loony which is where he gets his mania side from...probably not the best kind of person to turn into a vampire because it doesn't stop the mental illness from progressing. Give them centuries to live and just how unhinged can...

 ***This will contain spoilers*** Summary: (From the author) I know what you’re thinking. I KNOW! Why? Why did I do … okay, I’ll avoid spoilers, but I hear the question a lot. Well, this story doesn’t answer that, unfortunately, but it does show a little bit of Sam’s history and character. I do plan to write, in detail, a story of Sam and Amelie, and how their romance came to be … but I’m not quite ready yet. This is a little piece of character study that I did to help understand Sam in my mind – who he was, what he felt, how he related to the other characters around him. And if you’re asking WHYYYYY … I can only say that Sam told me it was the right thing to do. Would I do it again? Probably not, because at the time, I didn’t know that we’d continue Morganville for so many more books, and reach so many more readers. But choices get made, and there’s no going back. I think Sam would say that, too. I love when we have a chance to get some more background on different characters from...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: Deep in the heart of Texas, Morganville is a small college town full of laid-back students and eccentric townies, not to mention the sort of creatures you wouldn't want to run into after dark. Despite their obvious differences, the human and vampire residents of Morganville have learned to coexist, but that doesn't stop genius student Claire Danvers from keeping up her guard. Because in Morganville, nothing is as it seems...While developing a new system to maintain the town's defenses, Claire discovers a way to use the vampires' powers to help keep outsiders from spreading news of Morganville's "unique" situation once they've crossed the city limits. But the new system has an unexpected and possibly deadly consequence: People inside the town start forgetting who and what they are - even the vampires. And when Claire's boyfriend, Shane, and her best friend, Eve, start treating her like a perfect stra...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: Vampire musician Michael Glass has attracted the attention of a big- time producer who wants to cut a demo and play some gigs-which means Michael will have to enter the human world. For this, he's been assigned escorts that include both a dangerous immortal as well as Michael's all-too-human friends. And with that mix of personalities, this is going to be a road trip from hell... When I first started reading this book, I had a sinking feeling and was asking myself if a ghost writer wrote it? The first couple chapters were written completely different to how Caine has written all her previous books in the series. Even the short stories had the same writing style to them. It's hard to pin point exactly what was different but the whole feel of those chapters felt like it was someone who read the previous books and were writing the characters how they thought they would be written. Think of fanfiction writing. It's not quite...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: This short story dates back to the period shortly after Michael turns vampire, and Shane’s still deeply uncomfortable about it. He’s also still picking fights to work off his rage, which never really helps him. Warning: there’s drinking. And confessions. And secret missions with night vision. Bonus Bishop, and scary battles. Michael and Shane, being heroes together. Which seems about right. Another great short story! One of the oldest friendships (human friendship) is Shane and Michael. And it was nice having a story of them together, especially, after Michael turning into a vampire their relationship has been strained. Shane hasn't been holding back when it comes to jabbing at Michael about the whole vampire thing but at the end of the day he will have Michael's back and protect him, and vice versa.  I loved the perspective being from Shane's point of view for this story. Claire has had thoughts and feelings of doubt when i...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: Without the evil vampire Bishop ruling over the town of Morganville, the resident vampires have made major concessions to the human population. With their newfound freedoms, Claire Danvers and her friends are almost starting to feel comfortable again…Now Claire can actually concentrate on her studies, and her friend Eve joins the local theatre company. But when one of Eve’s castmates goes missing after starting work on a short documentary, Eve suspects the worst. Claire and Eve soon realize that this film project, whose subject is the vampires themselves, is a whole lot bigger—and way more dangerous—than anyone suspected. Another fantastic book in this wonderful series that keeps on giving. The previous one we finally got the big bad Bishop killed and brought back some normalcy in Morganville. So typically, once you kill the big antagonist, it's hard to keep a story going, however, I'm so happy to say this wasn't the case. I...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: Normal life in Morganville. As far as normal ever was, Shane Collins thought; nobody was overtly rioting, getting arrested, or killing anyone. Not on the street, anyway. One of the hard-to-find exclusive stories written specifically for the UK editions (which at the time were being published a month or two after the US releases, meaning that die-hard fans rushed to buy internationally) … it was offered as an extra to help the UK publisher convince fans there to wait for the local edition, and it seems to have worked! I love these little short stories. Especially, when it is from a different character's perspective. We don't often get to see much from Shane by himself so I'm happy this short story exists. He has truly grown and changed for the better so far in the series and it truly shows in this story.  Aside from Claire, Shane is the only one in the house who doesn't have a car. For most it doesn't seem much but wh...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: In the small college town of Morganville, vampires and humans lived in (relative) peace-until all the rules got rewritten when the evil vampire Bishop arrived, looking for the lost book of vampire secrets. He's kept a death grip on the town ever since. Now an underground resistance is brewing, and in order to contain it, Bishop must go to even greater lengths. He vows to obliterate the town and all its inhabitants-the living and the undead. Claire Danvers and her friends are the only ones who stand in his way. But even if they defeat Bishop, will the vampires ever be content to go back to the old rules, after having such a taste of power? Another fantastic book in the Morganville series! I seem to be a broken record but damn it I’ll say it again. I am beyond impressed by how much Caine is able to include in a book with only a couple hundred pages. I’ve wasted my time on reading books with triple the amount of pages and maybe with 5%...

***This review will contain spoilers***  Summary: This story came about just because I wanted to know more about Myrnin for my own understanding of his character, and sometimes, the best way to achieve that is to write a character’s history from his/her point of view. The character tells me what’s important, and what changed, for better or worse. Discovering that Myrnin’s father had some type of mental disorder was important to me, because of course when he was born, such things weren’t really understood. When I was working on the draft of the first book in which Myrnin appeared, my co-worker who read it said, ‘Oh, you’ve written a bipolar character, and he’s actually really cool! Did you know that I take medication for that?’ She went on to relate all the ways he was familiar to her. I was amazed, and honoured. I won’t name the co-worker, for privacy, but I say now, as then: thank you for sharing your story with me, and you know who you are. I hope Myrnin continues to make you pro...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: In the college town of Morganville, vampires and humans coexist in (relatively) bloodless harmony. Then comes Bishop, the master vampire who threatens to abolish all order, revive the forces of the evil dead, and let chaos rule. But Bishop isn't the only threat. Violent black cyclone clouds hover, promising a storm of devastating proportions as student Claire Danvers and her friends prepare to defend Morganville against elements both natural and unnatural. I have said it in the past and I shall say it again. I am beyond impressed how much Caine is able to include in just a couple hundred pages. I have read books with 700+ pages and have just a fraction of action or plot in comparison to the Morganville books.  Lord of Misrule is slightly different in comparison to the previous books where they were structured this one is more chaotic and erratic. Which absolutely makes sense. There's an outright war in Morganville, humans are h...

***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: Living in West Texas is sort of like living in Hell, but without the favorable climate and charming people. Living in Morganville, Texas, is all that and a takeout bag of worse. I should know. My name is Shane Collins, and I was born here, left here, came back here—none of which I had much choice about. Another great short story from Caine! It was nice to have the point of view of a different character than Claire. Shane plays a huge part in the series but we have rarely seen a emotional side to him thus far. I love when authors write short stories because it adds a different level of intimacy with a character that we might not have experienced otherwise through the series. Zombies in Morganville? I guess with vampires around it wouldn't be surprising that a different type of undead would be around and of course creating havoc in Shane Collins life. And of course who else would be behind Shane's abduction than daddy dearest. Shan...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: In the town of Morganville, vampires and humans live in relative peace. Student Claire Danvers has never been convinced, though, especially with the arrival of Mr. Bishop, an ancient, old-school vampire who cares nothing about harmony. What he wants from the town's living and its dead is unthinkably sinister. It's only at a formal ball, attended by vampires and their human dates, that Claire realizes the elaborately evil trap he's set for Morganville. I love how much Caine is able to pack in a book of just a couple hundred pages. It's like non stop organized chaos. There's a war brewing with Bishop in town and all these motherfuckers are playing chess while most of the humans in town are unsure of what is even happening. Another reason why I love Claire is that no matter how outnumbered or outpowered she is, she is still going to stand up for what's right and hold her ground. Granted she might not hold it for lon...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: When Claire Danvers learnt that her college town was run by vampires, she did what any intelligent, self-preserving student would do: she applied for a transfer and stocked up on garlic. The transfer is no longer an option, but that garlic may come in handy. Now Claire has pledged herself to Amelie, the most powerful vampire in town. The protection her contract secures does little to reassure her friends. All of a sudden, people are turning up dead, a stalker resurfaces from Claire's past, and an ancient bloodsucker extends a chilling invitation for private lessons in his secluded home. Another great book! Just when I think the story will start to die down, Caine just suckers me right back in. I love that the books start right where the previous one left off, so you can finish one and pick up the next one to continue on with the journey. The fact that Caine is able to fit so much in just a couple hundred pages shows the talent she h...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary:  This story details events discussed in The Dead Girls’ Dance about the death of Shane’s sister Alyssa. Here, in its entirety, is the story of that night told mainly from Shane’s point of view. Another great short story by Rachel Caine! The first two books briefly mentioned Shane's sister; Alyssa and her tragic demise but it was nice to get a different perspective on the Morganville residents prior to Claire's attendance. Of course, Michael and Shane are the best of buds and we had a insight to the dynamics of Shane's family. Mother is absent working to keep the family afloat, the father is a drunk drowning in his sorrows which if you asked me being drunk would be the last thing I would want to do in a town full of vampires. Finally, we have baby sister Alyssa and big brother Shane. Both have the usual sibling dynamic and Shane being the older brother took up that mantle quite easily.  A bitch is a bitch and unfortunately ...

 Summary: A brief vignette to understand Amelie's and Oliver's relationship. This was written very early on, between Glass Houses and The Dead Girls’ Dance... This really was a short story of maybe 4 to 5 pages. I wish it would have been longer since I find Amelie from what little has been introduced about her in the first two books quite interesting. We don't know much about her. We don't know how old she is, how she came to become a vampire or why Morganville is so important to her. Out of all the places to choose to reside in, the United States wouldn't be my first choice. Especially, as a vampire.  Amelie doesn't seem to like Oliver either but yet she allows him some leeway. I do wish to see these two go head to head which seems to be coming up soon in the series seeing as how in The Dead Girls' Dance he was plotting with Shane's dad to get rid of Amelie. I know Amelie doesn't take kindly to disrespect and I hope she puts Oliver in his place.  Fr...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: Eve Rosser is turning eighteen. Does she accept the Protection or go without? This is a short story about Eve prior to the start of the series and the Glass Houses book. It is technically before the start of Glass Houses but I preferred to read a couple of the books in the series first and then read some of the short stories of our favourite or new characters. Makes it easier for me to understand the whole story and I love getting an insight on characters since the Morganville series is read from Claire's point of view.  I am impressed with how much Caine was able to include in a short story. Eve had to endure more than anyone should have to, especially, on their birthday. She is out with some friends drinking and celebrating her eighteenth birthday but things turn for the worse when one of her friends drives while under the influence. Of course it leads to an accident and only but two girls make it out alive. Eve and her best ...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: Claire Danvers has her share of challenges---like being a genius in a school that favors beauty over brains, dealing with the homicidal girls in her dorm, and above all, finding out that her college town is overrun with vampires. On the up side, she has a great roommate (who tends to disappear at sunup) and a new boyfriend named Shane, whose vampire-hunting dad has called in backup: cycle punks who like the idea of killing just about anything. Now a fraternity is throwing its annual Dead Girls' Dance and---surprise!---Claire and her equally outcast best friend, Eve, have been invited. When they find out why, all hell is going to break loose. Because this time both the living and the dead are coming out---and everybody's hungry for blood. I just need to start off by saying how amazing this book was! We have murder, action, teen angst and a whole lot of vampires. Despite it being the second book in the series, we weren't overw...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: College freshman Claire Danvers has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation. When Claire heads off-campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new roommates don't show many signs of life, but they'll have Claire's back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood. Will she be able to face the town's terror or will she drown like everyone else? This is exactly what I needed right now in my life! I have read books from this series at least over a decade ago at this point and I remember loving them back then. I have been in such a reading funk these past few years trying/soldiering through Hamilton's Anita Blake series that I'm making a shift for the remainder of this year and I am happy to say this decision is already proving to be the best one. I ended up reading Glass Houses  within 4 days. Granted this book has less than 300 pages but wi...