Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror Reviews

Book Review: Bitter Blood

By Sandy Amazeen Oct 25, 2012, 2:46 GMT

For years, the human and vampire residents of Morganville, Texas, have managed to co-exist in peace. But now that the threat to the vampires has been defeated, the human residents are learning that the gravest danger they face is the enemy within... Thanks to the eradication of the parasitic creatures known as the draug, the vampires of Morganville have been freed of their usual constraints. With the vampires indulging ...more

If the humans who assisted the Morganville vampires in winning their battle against the draugs expected their situation to improve, they’d be dead wrong. The draugs were nightmarish parasitic creatures that preyed on vampires and kept them under some degree of control. With the draugs eradicated, the vampires were free to do as they wished. The community barely had time to rebuild before Amelie, the vampire queen began passing sweeping edicts requiring humans to carry identification cards at all times and allowing vampires unrestricted hunts. Claire, Shane and Eve, the human residents of the Glass House and Eve’s vampire husband Michael are immediately at odds as the new laws clearly demonstrate the differences in status between the two groups. As certain key humans and vampires within the community begin acting differently, Claire suspects there are even worse things ahead.

During one major fight against the draugs, Amelie’s decidedly evil sister Naomi was thought to have been killed but the lack of a body always bothered Claire. As Claire works on her latest pet project with the mentally unbalanced Myrnin, a news crew looking for a good ghost story rolls into town. It’s a challenge to keep the outsiders from seeing more then they should as the vampires begin using humans as little more then cattle. Clearly, there is something sinister growing in Morganville yet even Claire’s most trusted allies view her theories with suspicion and derision. Sometimes the most difficult challenges to overcome come from within.

Caine’s thirteenth addition to the Morganville Vampire series delivers all the speed, character development and plot twists fans have come to expect as once again, Claire and her friends find themselves in a do-or-die situation. The bonds between Eve and Michael, Claire and Shane are tested to the breaking point as compulsion and distrust rules the day. A few new characters both human and otherworldly keep the personal interactions fresh as Claire proves once again; she is the best friend anyone could ask for. The story is set up for an entirely new direction that will leave fans guessing what’s next for Claire, Shane and the residents of Morganville.