Thirst NO. 1 by Christopher Pike

Cover: As to blood -- ah, blood, the whole subject fascinates me. I do like that as well, warm and dripping, when I am thirsty. And I am often thirsty....

Alisa has been in control of her urges for the five thousand years she has been a vampire. She feeds but does not kill, and she lives her life on the fringe to maintain her secret. But when her creator returns to hunt her, she must break her own rules in order to survive.

Her quest leads her to Ray. He is the only person who can help her; he also has every reason to fear her. Alisa must get closer to him to ensure her immortality. But as she begins to fall in love with Ray, suddenly there is more at stake than her own life....
Summary:
The Last Vampire: In this novel Alisa is being hunted by a man named Slim. Her life is being found out and a fear of discovery of her nature is being hung over head. She starts highschool trying to get on good terms with a boy named Ray who is the last hope to help her discover who this Slim is. Throw in that it isn't Slim who really is hunting her, but her creator, Alisa must fight to stay alive.
Black Bloods: Yaksha has been destroyed, but that is the least of Alisa's problems. Ray is not adapting well to his new life while a sadistic vampire much like Yaksha is roaming the streets creating an army. Now the FBI is stalking her and she is the only one who has the power or stregnth to defeat Eddie.
Red Dice: After making Joel a vampire and destroying Eddie, Alisa believes that she can just start a nice normal life. Only problem? She is being hunted yet again. This time they capture someone she loves-Joel. Alisa has to find a way to break into the compound without dying herself. Her creator is not dead and instead of destroying her he offers her aid for one of the first and last times. It's a struggle that brings up a haunting past and person, but in the end Alisa might get exactly what she wanted to keep five-thousand years before.

Reviews: I give these novels a wonderful review !! A new outlook on vampires and how they were created was very good and I loved Mr. Pike's writing style. I definatly ate this book up !! I give this book a standing nine out of ten for it's fabulous outlook on the world of vamires !! :)

The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and the Struggle by L.J Smith

Cover:

Elena: the golden girl, the leader, the one who can have any boy she wants.
Stefan: brooding and mysterious, he seems to be the only one who can resist Elena, even as he struggles to protect her from the horrors that haunt his past.
Damon: sexy, dangerous, and driven by an urge for revenge against Stefan, the brother who betrayed him. Determined to have Elena, he'd kill to possess her.
Collected here in one volume for the first time, volumes one and two of The Vampire Diaries, the tale of two vampire brothers and the beautiful girl torn between them.


Summary: Elena Gilbert is a 17 year old girl, living in the small town of Fell's Church with her Aunt, and younger sister.Elena has always been the golden girl, and the most popular in her highschool. But now, since the tragic death of her parents, Elena must struggle to keep up her old life with the unexpected Rivalry from one of her old friends.
                        
  Elena is a attracted to a handsome and mysterious boy,Stefan Salvatore, who resists her for all he is worth. Not used to being rejected, Elena has to have him, whatever the cost. Even if it is her life. And so, aided by her loyal friends Meredith and Bonnie, the girls delve into secrets that might better be left unknown, and their whole world is changed.


Review: I loved this book, and my review is absolutely positive. I liked the fresh twist that portrayed Vampires as more dangerous and intense, and not sparkly and overbearing. Twilight was the first supernatural book I read, but it was completely overshadowed when I was introduced to both The Vampire Diaries books, and the show. I give this book an 11 out of 10!!!

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Cover: Riding a bike is only one of the many things Auden's missed out on. Even before her parents' divorce, she was cast in the role of little adult, never making waves, focusing on academics to please her demanding mother. 
                    Now she's spending the summer before college in the tiny beach town of Colby with her father and his new wife and baby. A job in a trendy boutique introduces her to the world of girls, their friendships, conversations, romances. And then there's Eli, an intriguing loner. A former star on the bike circuit and a fellow insomniac, Eli introduces Auden to the nocturnal world of Colby. Together they embark on a quest: for Auden, to experiance the carefree teenage life she's been denied; for Eli to put a tragic episode behind him. Combine two lonely people with a charming beach town and an endless supply of long summer nights, and just about anything can happen.
              
Summary: Auden, after a lot of thinking, decides to go spend the summer at her fathers house in Colby. There she meets a whole bunch of summer loving teenagers ready to have fun in the sun. She also meets Eli who suffers from insomnia like her and is ready to show her the fun in the moonlight. Each night they knock off something from Auden's quest list. By the end of the summer they hope for Auden to have the teenage years she was denied of. But as things between the two heat up, Auden pulls away and has to decide if she really is along for the ride.

Reviews: This was the first Sarah Dessen book I ever read and I couldn't put it down. Ms. Dessen provided me with something that wasn't the sterotypical vampire love story (although I am an addicted supernatural reader). I loved all the different characters, but mostly the message that the book portrayed. I definatly reccomend this book !! I give it a twelve out of ten for it's excellence !!
                                                              

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Cover: Annabel Greene is the girl who has everything. At least, that's what she portrays in her modeling shoots. But Annabel's life is far from perfect. Her friendship with Sophie ended bitterly, and her older sister's eating disorder is weighing down the entire family. Isolated and ostracized at school and at home, Annabel retreats into silent acceptance. Then she meets Owen-intense, music obsessed, and determined to tell the truth. And with his guidance, Annabel learns to just listen to herself and gains the courage to speak honestly. But will she be able to tell everyone what really happened the night she and Sophie stopped being friends?

Summary: Annabel has been to hell and back. Her sister Whitney has an eating disorder while her ex-bestfriend is now shunning her from her life from someone and something Annabel cannot control. That's when Annabel meets Owen who is completely music obsessed. A relationship forms between them almost instantly causing Annabel's past to haunt her again. She begins to pull away from Owen until she removes him along with everyone else from her life. After listen to a broken tape that Owen made her she realizes that silence may not be the key. That infact she needs someone to just listen. 

Review: My feelings towards Just Listen are only positive. I loved Annabel and Owen's characters not to mention the constant question in the air "what happened that night?" I had read a Sarah Dessen novel prior to this one and Just Listen made me want to read her novels even more. I give this book a nine out of ten :) !!

Buffy The Vampire slayer Volume#1 by Arthur Bryon Cover, John Vornholt, and Alice Henderson.

Cover: In every generation, there is a Chosen One. A slayer destined to protect the human race. She alone must fight the demons of hell. She alone must risk her life to stop the spread of evil.

Buffy is the Chosen One.


Summary: Three stories are contained in this one volume. In each story, Buffy must conquer an abnormality that has plagued her town of Sunnydale. Buffy is the Vampire Slayer. Her watcher Giles, and best friends Willow and Xander help her through the many challenges the group self titled the Scoobies must face.
      In Coyote Moon, Buffy battles dangerous coyote shapeshifters.
  In Night of the Living Rerun, Buffy has strange visions following the stories of puritan- era Salem.
 In Portal Through Time, Buffy travels back in time to save the targetted slayers of various eras before they can be killed and disrupt the slayer line.


Review: Just like the epic, award winning t.v series, this book delivers a satisfying perception of the famous heroine, Buffy. My review is definitely positive. It was a surprise to discover one of my favourite TV shows in the form of a novel, and to read it was a rewarding experience!! :) I rate this 10 out of 10 stars.

Marked by P.C and Kristen Cast

Cover: Enter the dark, magical world of the House of Night, a world very much like our own, except here vampyres have always existed. Sixteen-year-old Zoey Redbird has just been Marked as a fledgling vampyre and joins the House of Night, a school where she will train to become an adult vampyre. That is, if she makes it through the Change – and not all those who are Marked do. 
It sucks to begin a new life, especially away from her friends, and on top of that, Zoey is no average fledgling. She has been chosen as special by the vampyre Goddess Nyx. Zoey discovers she has amazing powers, but along with her powers come bloodlust and an unfortunate ability to Imprint her human ex-boyfriend.To add to her stress, she is not the only fledgling at the House of Night with special powers: When she discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school’s most elite group, is misusing her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look deep within herself for the courage to embrace her destiny – with a little help from her new vampyre friends.
Summary: Zoey is thrown into hell when she is marked to be a vampyre at the House of Night. With her step-loser rejecting what's happening to her and her mother following his footsteps as always Zoey is left running to her Grandma Redbirds. When she hits her head and has an out of body experiance Zoey becomes the most gifted student at the House of Night. Her probems continue when her ex Heath shows up and Aphrodite the bossy mean girl makes her life an even worse nightmare. When Samhain comes Zoey ends up making the most grown up decision of her life, one that can alter everything that had happened to her in the past month. 

Review: I enjoyed reading this book very much and it still remains one of my favourites. I enjoyed the new out look on vampyres and the way they live. I would rate this book a eight out of ten because it does use some vulgar language.  

Flowers in the Attic by V.C Andrews

Cover :Way upstairs there are four secrets hidden.
Blond, beautiful, innocent little secrets, struggling to stay alive


Summary: First of all, this is one of those 'yesterday' books, but it's very classic, and extremly good. Chris, Cathy, Cory and Carry live a normal, loving life with their parents. One day, it all comes crashing down when their beloved father dies in a car crash. They must rely on their mother to guide them to the next step in life.
   The kids find themselves visiting their grandparent's mansion. They stay in one small room, with a staircase leading to a hot, stuffy attic. Every day the Grandmother visits, bringing them  a picnic basket of food and cruelly dictating the rules, and enforcing God's wrath. To keep their sanity, Cathy and Chris must believe that their Momma loves them, that she will take them out of the dreaded room once she gains back her inheritance. As the years pass by, so does the hope.  Read this shocking tale of the cruety of family and a story of survival.Can the children survive? Will they make it out of the Foxworth Hall alive?


Review:  Don't judge my dramatic summary, this book is amazing!! :pAgain, my review for this book is positive. Flowers in the Attic was a mature, detailed, creative novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. I could not put this book down, it was very interesting. Overall, it was amazing but with a few overly sad and shocking parts. I give this an 8 out of 10.