Customer Reviews

American Vampire

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Graf is a young Vampire, who is on his way to visit his sire in DC for a 4th of July celebration when he gets lost in Ohio. Hungry and desperate for shelter, because of the rising sun...he pulls into a old shut down gas station. Its then that things take a twist. I thought that this story was a nice change, and I hadn't read anything like it so far, so for the idea itself its worth reading.

Jessa and the small town of Penance have been stuck in limbo for 5 years, why, they don't know. All they know is they can't get out and no one can get in. There is another problem, there is a Demon running around town wreaking havoc whenever it wishes. It's a unsettling situation, because when people start to think they are doomed they do odd things, like blame the problem on a 17 year old "witch" and burn her at a stake sort of things.

When Jessa meets Graf at the gas station she is in shock...one, because she has not seen a stranger in 5 years and two the demon is after her that night. Graf saves her life and thus a odd pairing is created as Graf and Jessa try to figure out what's going on and how to get out of town. Graf needs to escape for obvious reasons, Jessa has worn out her welcome in the spooky town as she is labeled the town tramp for her involvement with Derek her now married x-boyfriend.

The spoiler is: Jessa was Home Coming Queen, her x-boyfriend Derek was Captain of the Football team. When they graduated Jessa went off to college, but she is forced to come home when her parents and younger brother die in a car wreck, that same week she and the rest of the town become trapped. Derek, who was never able to go to college and couldn't see a life past High school football and popularity. He makes a deal with the devil or in this case a demon in order to keep the town as it was, untouched, and keep things the same. So clearly making a deal with a demon causes problems and more over things aren't exactly as Derek would hope. Things go to hell in a hand basket and Graf and Jessa fall in the love during it all. It also turns out that when the demon is hurt you can leave or get into town, this is discovered later of course.

This is not a romance novel, more of mystery or horror. The town is insane and its unsettling as you watch the turn of events; throwing a vampire into the mix makes it fun and entertaining. There are a few good twist. 4 stars for the originality.

I loved this story at first, then I hit the first set of cliched characters and scenarios. And it went down from there. This book didn't seem to know if it wanted to be a mystery, a cultural commentary, or a romance. The main characters are hard to relate to because they aren't consistent in their personas or their behavior. Graf waffles between wanting to love or kill (not metaphorically) Jessa. He wavers between being a hero and being a selfish a-hole. Jessa can't decide who she wants to be: social pariah or exalted victim. The main characters constantly act in a contrary manner to what is set up for their characters, which makes them appear untrustworthy to the reader. The rest of the town, with its stock characters, are at least less wishy-washy about who they are. The villain is clearly drawn, and, because of that, the mystery of the monster "It" is clearly evident about halfway through. Not only that, but naming the monster "It," like that of the novel by Stephen King, makes it seem less scary and almost comical, especially when one realizes that everyone in the town COULD have left, since they do, periodically, when the monster has been injured. Why anyone remains when there's a clear OUT is too big a hole to keep this a plausible story. I really wanted to like the main characters, but after a while, they just became annoying.

My thoughts:
Great read! I love Jennifer Armintrout's books and this one did not disappoint! Certainly a worthy read!!!
The characters are fantastic!
Graf - - the bad guy/good guy that every story needs. He is just a bit selfish too, which gives him a hard edge.
Jessa - - tough girl with an I don't need you/you don't scare me attitude that makes you love her.
The townspeople - all sorts of crazy.
I was torn between wanting Graf to stay in Penance forever and wanting him and Jessa to escape together. Won't tell you what happens!
The monster trapping the town was terrifying and the idea behind how it came to be, more so.
The story was thrilling, the plot was twisty and intriguing. It was a whole new idea to the vampire story as a whole. I enjoyed the growth of Graf and Jessa as they learned more about each other and themselves. I would recommend it to others and will be looking for more from Jennifer Armintrout!

Sexy urban vampire Graf gets trapped in Penance, Ohio, a town no one has been able to enter or leave in the past five years. As if being trapped in this white-trash haven isn't bad enough, the residents are being tormented by a monster. Graf's only hope of survival comes from reluctant ally Jessa, the beautiful but misunderstood town slut. In their quest to stop the monster & escape the town, between scenes of supernatural and hillbilly violence, Graf and Jessa realize they may be falling in love.

There's nothing ground-breaking here, and it's a testament to the author's skill that she's carved out an entertaining book from some overdone cliches. Graf and Jessa are likable and have chemistry, though the supporting characters are fairly one-dimensional. The story about the town had a creepy Salem witch trials / Lord of the Flies vibe. The monster story wasn't as well done. The "who" and "why" behind the monster became pretty clear about halfway through the book, and it was annoying that Jessa and Graf didn't figure it out sooner.

Overall, a quick and fun read.

Dark & gritty, not the typical vampire novel out today. A frightening look at how dangerous a closed minded society can be. Graf MacDonald is a metro vampire, he dresses well and likes the city life. He is also rude, arrogant, uncaring, judgmental and easily irritated. He is traveling when he is caught in some kind of nightmare, being trapped in a town of simple country folk. A great beast keeps them afraid and separate from the rest of the world. He must hide what he is and deal with the drama around him while trying to escape. He asks "Does it rain white trash in this town ?" He stays with a young women, with enough drama in her life for a soap opera, She is untrusting and her past haunts her, Graf is not welcome. He has to fight with everything he has to stay alive with little hope of escape. Things get really ugly with the town folk.

3.75 Stars

Turned in 1967, Graf McDonald is your easy going laze-the-night-about vamp...but with attitude. Yeah, he's blonde-blue-eyed hot, tall, and ripped and he knows it. He's got a fabulous sexy sire, Sophia who he lusts after, a 1974 De Tomaso Pantera L, and crazy-wild Fourth of July party to go to.

That is, until his detour to Penance.

And Penance he's going to end up paying because this one-dog town he's stuck in is a white trash nightmare filled with pitchfork hillbillies...fighting a supernatural creature that has kept them trapped and isolated there for the better part of five years. And sexy, urban, sophisticated, Graf is stuck in it with only jean-shorts-wearing Jessa to help him out. Will he gulp her down, or get off his pedestal to be a bit more civilized, just enough to survive?

Armintrout's American Vampire is about as far right you can get in the lore. She managed to make her readers ride the fence about Cyrus in her Blood Ties series, and Graf is no different. Do we love him or hate him? It's as if Armintrout is intentionally annihilating all the vampire stereotypes and in a strange devil's advocates way...I love it. It gives us something to work for....hard. Readers are definitely not going to immediately swoon over Graf (I know I'm not...when all I really want to do is kick him in the `nads) until Armintrout is good and ready.

But as Jessa and Graf try to face down the demon that has had a stranglehold on the town, and personal nastiness starts to bubble over with residents turning against one another...something flowers between them, reluctantly. Graf admits to finally striking Jessa off his Plan B menu...but that's just about all he's willing to admit. Together they have to figure things out, kill the demon, get out of town, and oh yeah...try to get along...

Painfully and belly-achingly funny in a dark comedy sort of way, and romantic in Armintrout's trademark matter-of-fact writing style...with priceless....and I mean priceless dialogue...shows that Armintrout has razor sharp wit and an even greater sense of humor. I really adored American Vampire...especially watching an unfolding non-sparkling, anti-vampire hero like Graf get his comeuppance from sassy Jessa...by the end and the last page is turned, Graf will be admitting to a lot more...and doing a lot more than crossing off Jessa of his meal plan...Slurp!

A Fiendishly Bookish Review (and one grumpy cat)

Rated 3.5/5

Summary: Graf McDonald may be a deadly vampire, but he still has the annoying human flaw of being terrible with directions. As a result, he finds himself lost while on a roadtrip from Detroit to Washington DC for a party at his sire's home. When he pulls over to acquire a map in the small town of Penance, Ohio, he quickly discovers that there are more terrifying creatures in the world than vampires. Moments after entering a deserted gas station, Graf finds himself in the company of a local woman named Jessa Gallagher, and they are running for their lives from a hideous demon-like creature.

Graf eventually discovers that Penance has been in a magical prison of some sort; no one has entered or left the country town in 5 years. Graf is the first new visitor in all that time, and now that he is within the town limits, he is stuck in limbo also. Although he originally plans to kill Jessa as food, he finds that he needs her to help him navigate through this twilight-zone experience. The townspeople don't trust him, and supplies have run dangerously low for everyone, so simply finding a place to stay safely out of sunlight is impossible without Jessa's help. To make matters worse, the creature who attacked them on his first night in town is still hunting them.

Jessa is a bit of an outcast in Penance. She had been quite popular in her younger years, but after her family was killed, her life spiraled downhill fast. She pushed away her high school boyfriend, Derek, and he eventually found comfort in the arms of Jessa's best friend Becky. Although Derek and Becky are now married and have a family, Derek continues to aggressively pursue Jessa, resulting in a messy affair and Jessa's bad reputation in the town. The last thing Jessa needs is another man complicating her life further, but Graf refuses to be turned away.

Eventually, Graf's appearance in town sets events in motion toward a conclusion to the curse. But, it isn't long before the townspeople - in desperate need to have someone to blame for their misfortune - go on a witch hunt. Graf and Jessa have to fight for their lives as they become the target of both an angry mob and the demon creature. In the midst of all the chaos, they find trust and loyalty only with each other.

Review: I always wonder what the thought process is behind giving a book a title that means absolutely nothing to the storyline. Anybody know? I have no idea where this title came from, but it gives no indication of what is inside the book. I can't decide if it was totally random or just generic...??

I thought this story was unique, and I always enjoy being surprised by something new in the vampire romance genre. I also really liked that the two primary characters were so imperfect. Jessa is an adept liar (which she admits to), and at the beginning of the book, she also "the other woman" in a completely toxic relationship. Graf is incredibly shallow, totally selfish, and he has zero regard for human life. Neither character is someone you might call "likeable", yet I found myself solidly on their side throughout the book. It helped that they seemed to bring out each other's better qualities as the story progressed. The fact that the other people in the town were severely disturbed horror-movie material also made it easier to favor Jessa and Graf. But to be honest, I mostly liked them because they were so different from the seemingly perfect characters in other vampire books/series.

A small thorn in my side was that I wasn't crazy about the evil demon being named "It". The word "it" became a little overused thanks to being both a common noun and a proper name in the book. It was also a rather generic element to an otherwise creative storyline.

At the beginning of this book, I completely bought into the back story that this community had been magically locked away from the rest of the world for five years. However, as the mysteries of the It demon began to unfold, I bought into the original premiss less and less. When we finally discover the secret to stopping "It", I could not comprehend why it took five years to end the imprisonment - or why people hadn't already figured out how to escape. I can't really explain this without giving away any spoilers, but you will definitely understand this point if you read the book. Someone could have easily put an end to this fiasco years earlier.

Overall, I did like this book and would recommend it to paranormal fans. However, it is a little difficult to say exactly which audience it will appeal to. The small-town redneck setting and characters may repel some UF fans, and the fact that the romance is mostly shelved until the very end of the book might be a disappointment to some PR fans. I also know from past experience that some of my readers will be turned off by Jessa's "other-woman" status at the start of the book. But, if you happen to be in the mood to read a vampire story that you haven't read dozens of times before, then this might be the book for you.

American Vampire is the story of Graf, a vampire, and the town he unfortunately finds his way to, Penance. The town is caught up in a nightmarish world where no one can escape and all the residents are terrorized by something they call It. Graf meets Jessa, a misfit among the townies and befriends her in the hope that she'll at the very least provide a good meal for him and at the very most help him to find a way out of the town.

The other residents of Penance are stereotypical local yokals. Jessa is seen as the town slut because she is having an affair with one of the local guys, a man named Derek. While this offers a little in the way of characterization for her, its main use seems to be to show how chivalrous the vampire Graf is compared to Derek, who leaves a lot to be desired.

The It monster is hokey from the beginning and hurts the story more than anything else. Something terrorizing a town for five years could be incredibly interesting, but this It isn't it. Unfortunately, It is about as interesting as everyone else in the town.

Much of the book wants to be a vampire story but never quite makes it there. When Graf finally does act like a vampire, it's not sexy or scary, which are really the only two viable options for a vamp character. When it finally does get to where it seems to want to go, it's quite late in the book and the reader has spent at least 80% of the book wishing for something other than the misadventures in Mayberry on meth.

Overall, American Vampire doesn't deliver for this vampire fan. Graf had promise but never quite fulfilled it, and the rest of the characters simply didn't do it for me.

This is the first Jennifer Arnentrout book I've read. I enjoyed it, although the characters are more abrasive; she put a different take on vampires.

I know I shouldn't bring this up because bad editing is rampant in today's publishing business. Last week I read a sentence that read...."she was peaking in the kitchen." Really?

Another book kept calling the victim "the erotic author." Quite different from "erotica author."

This book was better than most when it comes to editing. However, there is one mistake which made me laugh out loud. The sentance reads..."Grabbing him by the yolk of his overalls,.." Apparently no one who read the manuscript knows that a yolk is part of the egg while a "yoke" is part of clothing.

I shouldn't nitpick but......

I read Armintrout's Blood Ties series last year and loved it. When I seen this book authored by Armintrout in the store, I bought it without even reading the description on the back. I've had it in my TBR pile for a while, and I finally decided to pull it out and see what it was all about.

Just by the description alone, the story is a bit different from what we normally see in a vampire romance book. The vampire in this story is Graf. He is self-centered, egotistical, and materialistic. He's on his way to D.C. to party up the Fourth of July with his Sire, Sophia, when he gets stuck in the very strange town of Penance. No one has been able to enter or leave Penance in five years, as if that isn't strange enough, Penance also has a 15-foot monster running around.

Graf meets Jessa, who happens to be hiding from the monster (townspeople call the monster "It") in an abandoned gas station. Graf soon realizes Jessa is a bit of an outcast amongst the townspeople and has a very questionable reputation. Poor Jessa, she's already stuck in a town that hates her, got a monster chasing her, and now a vampire who possibly wants to eat her.

I have to say, I really didn't care for the cover of the book, or the title of it. I'm not sure how Armintrout came up with American Vampire for the title of this book. However, don't let the cover art or the title throw you off. I found this book to be a pretty good read and would recommend it. I found it humorous, interesting and overall enjoyed it.

Book Hollow
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