Glass Houses By Rachel Caine (4/5)

Okay firstly, I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I was going to, what can I say? When it comes to Vampires I've been burned *coughtwilightcough* Actually, not only burned, but staked, decapitated, garlic thrust into my mouth, left out in the sun to turn crispy, kind of betrayed. *wipes away tear*

Finally I can get back to a Vampire story that I can have some respect for. The Vampires in this book were not cuddly or heaven forbid sparkly. *shudder* They were intelligent, controlling, master business men and women of a small community. One small detail that improves this notion is the addition that everyone in the town has to pay a Blood Tax. That is a very fabulous and creative concept that really works in the world that is being built up. I like the idea of the Vampires being at the top of a hierarchy and keeping the humans alive around them that are serving a purpose. This whole aspect of the fantasy seemed a very common sense approach to the town and anchored the novel in this reality, which made it such a better read.

The book shines most with its human characters though. All four of the main personalities are so individual and different that they really are fun to read. Their interactions are casual and understandable. I thought Claire was a great character. I liked the fact that despite being intelligent and placed into College in advance she was still naïve in relation to the world around her in a lot of ways. I also loved how she found a fierce inner strength and was capable of achieving great things when she put her mind to it. She was scrappy and scared and I enjoyed reading about her a lot. Eve was a lot of fun. A snarky Goth girl who was thrown out of her house by her parents because she refused to accept the protection that was being offered her, in exchange for something she wasn't prepared to give. She was fun, loyal and I'd read the sequel just to find out more about her. The boys close friendship is a highlight, improved by their subtle differences in temperament. I like the way they all work as part of a team, and have their own roles in the house. They are a very small community and function separately from the rest of the town, with each of them playing their part. Plus it can't help that both boys are described as cute, right? ; )

I do look forward to the rest of the series and regret not picking it up earlier, simply because it was a Vampire novel! I can understand how one of the author's favourite books is Salem's Lot, I can read that vibe quite clearly in this story. The whole idea of a town being taken over with very little being done about it is very King. In my opinion, this first novel of this series is very well done, building up an interesting world and introducing great characters. Can't wait for more!

Read about my brief meeting with Rachel Caine HERE

Currently Reading: The Changeover By Margaret Mahy