Review: Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine (Morganville Vampires #3)

Publisher - Allison and Busby
Publication Date - 5th September 2008
Paperback - 384 pages
Genre - Young Adult/Urban Fantasy

Source - Purchased

Rating - 5 out of 5: I really liked it.

Reviewed by - Chrissie

Book Info - Morganville is such a nice place to live… and die. If you don’t mind that sort of thing.

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.

My Thoughts - ***It is impossible to write this review without giving away some spoilers for events in the previous books in this series. If you have not read the other books please read this review with caution***
 
For me, this has to be my favourite book in the series so far. I love all of the housemates and find them all likeable and relateable. What I really like about this installment of this series is the impact that is caused by Michael becoming a vampire in Dead Girls’ Dance. It brings more complexity to the relationships between himself and Claire, Eve and Shane. Shane finds it very hard to accept that his best friend is now a vampire and this leads to a lot of testosterone-fuelled fighting between the two boys. Although at times I felt like I wanted to bang their heads together to knock a bit of sense into them both, it also shows how much Shane truly cares for Michael and how difficult he is finding the transition. Michael’s new life as a vampire, along with some other things, also helps Claire to come to some realisations about the world she lives in as she realises that the lines between good and evil are quite often not very clear at all. She has always believed that vampires are the bad guys but how can this be the case when one of her best friends is a vampire? And this belief is further shattered when Eve’s brother (a human, so supposedly one of the good guys) starts hurting young women in Morganville.

But Claire is the same old Claire that we know and love from the previous books in the series – a brave and mature girl who always seems to find her way into trouble. She once again needs to be rescued several times in this book but you always know that she will end up saving the day. Her relationship with Shane is sweet and endearing, although there are times when the chemistry between them sizzles on the page.

There is a new vampire introduced to the readers of this book in the form of Myrnin. He is teaching Claire about alchemy after school but he is ill and this illness is leading him to bouts of anger, confusion and uncontrollable hunger for Claire’s blood. I will admit to not liking this new character too much. I just found him a little bit too creepy, as he went from being Claire’s friend to trying to eat her. Every time she was alone with him I found myself feeling very on edge.

The action in Midnight Alley is well-paced and the storyline is intriguing and pulled me in right from the beginning. This book really needs to be read as part of the series and not as a stand-alone, as the plot of all the books is too tightly woven together to really be able to understand the complexities from just one of the novels. And as always, Rachel Caine has left us with a huge cliff-hanger that will ensure that all readers will rush off to get Feast of Fools as soon as they have finished reading Midnight Alley.

Summary - Overall, an amazing read that will keep you turning the pages well into the night. It’s a must read for any fans of vampire fiction.

Other books in the series:
1. Glass Houses
2. Dead Girl's Dance
3. Midnight Alley
4. Feast of Fools
5. Lord of Misrule
6. Carpe Corpus
7. Fade Out
8. Kiss of Death
9. Ghost Town
10. Bite Club
11. Last Breath
12. Black Dawn

Other reviews of this book:
Love Vampires / Mindful Musings / The Bookette