Title: Fade Out (Morganville Vampires #7) Author: Rachel Caine Pages: 239 Publication Date: November 3rd, 2009 Source: Purchased from Better World Books |
Back Cover
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.
First Line
"Eve Rosser's high-pitched scream rang out through the entire house, bouncing off every wall, and, like a Taser applied to the spine, it brought Claire out of a pleasant, drowsy cuddle with her boyfriend."
In a Sentence
Fade Out was an entertaining and quick read, but it wasn't my favorite of the series.
My Thoughts
I have to admit, it's been awhile since I've read my last Morganville Vampires book. Seriously guys, I reviewed book number six, Carpe Corpus, in July of 2010. I honestly didn't realize it had been that long, but I guess this is just one of those examples of how easy it is to get behind on reading! When I found an unexpected review copy of Black Dawn, the latest book in the series, in my mailbox, it was the perfect motivation to get me back into the books. Though it had been just a few months short of two years since I'd last read the series, it didn't take me long to get back into the Morganville atmosphere.
However, with that being said, Fade Out wasn't quite everything I wanted it to be. In the aftermath of the the giant storm and the humans versus vampires showdown, a mystery surrounding a new girl who wasn't all that likeable in the first place (to me, at least), just seemed a little bland. While I did enjoy the book for its entertainment value, I finished it feeling unsatisfied. Ultimately, Fade Out seemed to me to contain mostly filler when placed in the larger spectrum of the series as a whole.
I also wished there had been more character development in this book. It wasn't non-existent, but it wasn't a huge part of the novel either. With one of Shane's former hook-ups making an appearance, I did get to see a deeper glimpse into Claire's insecurities surrounding her relationship, and while her jealous reaction could be seen as understandable, there were times when I wouldn't to shake her and tell her to get a grip on herself (but I think a lot of us have had relationship insecurities at one point or another, so I didn't want to be too critical of her either).
I have to admit...after all the BIG stuff that had gone down in the previous books in the series, Fade Out seemed a little underwhelming to me. Not overly so, but I was expecting all the heart-pounding, blood-racing action that I remembered from previous installments. Fade Out had its moments, but overall, it was a bit slower and less entertaining than the last few books. However, I feel like I've said a lot of negative things in this review, and I don't want to give off the impression that this book isn't worth reading. So far, Fade Out has only been a little speed bump on an otherwise enjoyable cruise through the Morganville world. I definitely still plan on continuing this series!
(Also, this review is noticeably shorter than my usual length, for which I apologize. I'm going to have to blame my brevity on the amount of papers I've had to work on lately. My poor little brain is tired of writing)!
However, with that being said, Fade Out wasn't quite everything I wanted it to be. In the aftermath of the the giant storm and the humans versus vampires showdown, a mystery surrounding a new girl who wasn't all that likeable in the first place (to me, at least), just seemed a little bland. While I did enjoy the book for its entertainment value, I finished it feeling unsatisfied. Ultimately, Fade Out seemed to me to contain mostly filler when placed in the larger spectrum of the series as a whole.
I also wished there had been more character development in this book. It wasn't non-existent, but it wasn't a huge part of the novel either. With one of Shane's former hook-ups making an appearance, I did get to see a deeper glimpse into Claire's insecurities surrounding her relationship, and while her jealous reaction could be seen as understandable, there were times when I wouldn't to shake her and tell her to get a grip on herself (but I think a lot of us have had relationship insecurities at one point or another, so I didn't want to be too critical of her either).
I have to admit...after all the BIG stuff that had gone down in the previous books in the series, Fade Out seemed a little underwhelming to me. Not overly so, but I was expecting all the heart-pounding, blood-racing action that I remembered from previous installments. Fade Out had its moments, but overall, it was a bit slower and less entertaining than the last few books. However, I feel like I've said a lot of negative things in this review, and I don't want to give off the impression that this book isn't worth reading. So far, Fade Out has only been a little speed bump on an otherwise enjoyable cruise through the Morganville world. I definitely still plan on continuing this series!
(Also, this review is noticeably shorter than my usual length, for which I apologize. I'm going to have to blame my brevity on the amount of papers I've had to work on lately. My poor little brain is tired of writing)!
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Rating
A few flaws but worth reading
There is nothing wrong with a short Review!! I tempt to be longer the more excited I am but sometimes one can say more than enough in a shorter one!
ReplyDeleteI admit I canot fully recall what happened in Fade Out, I read all those books a good while back, but I totally get what you are saying. This is a fairly long series and in between there are books that feel like fillers so that you can move on to another epic evil battle of sorts.
But fans of this series will love it anyways and I can't wait to hear your thoughts on the next books!
I am only book 5 (don't die of shock but yes this is one of the YA series that I like)! I do have the rest to catch up and read. I love her characters and how Rachel writes. Plus she lives here in Dallas so I felt I must give them a whirl. I wasn't disappointed at all :)
ReplyDeleteI am on on book one..still needing to start this series. I know have heard so many good things but can't get myself ramped up to read it. Who can blame you on brevity..writing papers is a pain. Hope you are almost done with your semester.
ReplyDeleteI've yet to read anything by Rachel. Don't kill me! I hear the most wonderful things, but I just never get around to reading them. Honestly, this actually tempts me even more! Great review :)
ReplyDeleteFade Out is one of the weirder books in the the Morganville Vamps series. I remember the thing with the cameras *squirms*. Yeah, totally underwhelming compared to the previous books. The series goes through a little lull for a bit but picks back up with Ghost Town and then in a major way with Last Breath.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any in this series yet! I swears I will! :) I love character development so I'm sad to hear that it lacks in that department. Still, if you enjoyed it I think I will.
ReplyDeleteAww, don't worry about writing a short review, Natalie! I understand completely about school driving us crazy with papers LOL. And besides: Sometimes short reviews are more efficient! They get the info out that they need to while being concise, like yours! ;)
ReplyDeleteSoooo, another reason to want to read a Rachel Caine book? Check! Even though it wasn't everything you wanted it to be, the heart-pounding, blood-racing action sounds like just what I need right now! Those action-packed books are my favourites! :) <3
I haven't started this series & I'm not sure if I'm going too. There are way too many series out there that I want to read first. ;) Still it sounds like a nice one. Great review.
ReplyDeleteI'm so ashamed of myself. I love vampires, and I'm from TEXAS, and this is a series about Vampires in TX and I haven't read it? Seriously?
ReplyDeleteFunny how easily you can lose track of series books and not even realize it, huh? Happens to me all the time. There is just too much good stuff to keep track of.
Nice honest review, Natalie! I haven't read any of these books yet. I'll have to check out the first one at my library :)
ReplyDeleteI'm just now reading Black Dawn and it's not quite as good as Last Breath, but good enough. I have to admit, though, all Morganville books sort of melted into one in my head, maybe because there are too many, maybe because they are all esntially very similar.
ReplyDeleteThat doesn't mean I don't enjoy them, though, it just means they're enjoyable, but forgettable for me.
Excellent review, Natalie!
I'm so far behind on this series Natalie! I'm on book 5 (the name escapes me) and I really need to get caught up! I do love how quick these books are, even if one isn't the strongest of the group, I still plow through it in no time:) Glad for the heads up that this one didn't really stand out for you though!
ReplyDeleteI agree, this one wasn't as great as the previous books in the series. While I still love the series, it seems like Rachel Caine kind of lost speed (direction? focus?) after the big show down in the fifth books. Last Breathe was awesome though, so keep truckin' and she gets back to her former glory!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness... I kind of can't believe how long ago 2010 was... it's tripping me out :S
ReplyDeleteEeee! I'm so excited to read this series. I have the first 4, then books 7 and 8 waiting to read, and it just never seems like the time... when there are books out all at once, I read compulsively, and I know onced I start, I won't want to stop, if you know what I mean? Anyway... even though this wasn't your favorite, the series still sounds SUPER fun, and for you to have read this far in the series, you obviously like it, and I KNOW you have fabulous taste in books (which often matches mine really closely), so I'm SO going for it... I just need to find the time -___-
Fantastic review AS ALWAYS, shorter than normal or now ;D