Customer Reviews

Companions of the Night (H Supernatural)

5 star:		(127)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I've just recently gotten into vampires, and I found Companions of the Night while browsing through amazon.com. Intrigued, I read some of the reviews, and knew that I had to read this book!

It all begins when Kerry's little brother Ian asks her to go to the laundromat to get Footy, his stuffed koala bear, which he'd left there earlier that day. Kerry is reluctant to go, since it's 11:00 at night, she has a test the next day on a book she hasn't finished, and she doesn't have her driver's license yet. But she can't resist her little brother's pleas, so she goes anyway. The action starts when a group of men burst into the laundromat while Kerry is there, dragging a tied-up and bloodied young man who they believe is a vampire. Kerry, knowing there is no such thing as vampires, helps the young man escape.

But the next day when Kerry's dad doesn't pick her up from work, she's worried that it has something to do with the events of last night. But then the young man, Ethan, shows up to give her a ride home... where she discovers that her dad and brother have been kidnapped by a crazed vampire hunter. Having run out of options, Kerry asks Ethan for help in finding her family--and learns that vampires do exist, and Ethan is one of them. Can she trust him to help her rescue her family, or is he using her to get at the vampire hunter? She doesn't know who to trust, or even whether she'll live through the night.

Companions of the Night is filled to the brim with action, suspense, romance, and even a little humor. It instantly became a favorite, and I am looking forward to buying it and reading it again and again. If you like vampires, romance, and a superb hard-to-put-down story, this book is just the thing for you.

While reading through the reviews of for this book, I've come across quite a few really negative ones. The main reasons seem to be because of the simplistic writing and the lack of concrete vampire details. I strongly disagree with those reviews and will have to add my vote to the much greater number saying what a wonderful book this is. I first read this book six years ago when I was 14, and loved it. Just recently I came across it again, and my love has become, if possible, greater. After reading quite a few Anne Rice books since this one, I think I prefer the simple writing displayed here to that of Anne Rice. Don't get me wrong, I love Anne Rice's books passionately, but I don't much like being interrupted at the climax of the story for details of a rain forest for five pages. The writing in CotN is easy to read, but the author did not sacrifice wonderful writing for the simplicity presented. The imagery is still strong, and her characters are brilliantly portrayed. That is in fact probably what I love most about the book: the characters. The plot is interesting, and the dialog is realistic and witty. As for the lack of vampire details; that is part of what gives the book its edge. As the reader you're learning about this world of vampires along with the main character and are forced to keep guessing just like her. The ending does leave a little to be desired, but its realistic and rewarding in its own right.

Basically, whether you're 14 or 20, if you like vampires and are interested in a quick and interesting read, I highly recommend this book.

Several months ago I began reading Cirque Du Freak and got hooked on the vampire genre.

Companions of the night is not your ordinary vampire tale. The mystery of whether Ethan is or is not a vampire at the beginning of the book makes it intriguing. What really makes the novel interesting is that it is hard to tell who Ethan really is, how old Ethan really is, and whether or not he is on Kerry's side, or if she might become a vampire, or half-vampire by the end of the book.

Vivian Vande Velde does a good job keeping the book interesting from start to finish. There are always questions of "what if" all the way through the novel. I always like the different ways authors of these books decide to state what is "real" and fake for vampires and their kind. Vande Velde does this too and it makes you think for the briefest moment that maybe these vampires are for real.

The suspense is good up until the end. Kerry's dreamlike state and curiosity and passsion toward the vampire race makes the end worthwhile. I enjoyed this novel and look to read the other works of Vivian Vande Velde. Good book!

When I read The Silver Kiss (Annette Curtis Klause), I was positive that it couldn't get any better than that. I was wrong. This book definitely takes the cake in it's genre. When Kerry, an average 16-year-old, with a learner's permit and a Mom who abandoned her family, grudgingly drives to a laundromat late at night to retrieve her little brother's stuffed koala bear, she unknowingly gets involved with a world of mystery and vampires when she meets Ethan, gagged and bloddied, and suspected of being a vampire by a group of vamp hunters. Which, of course isn't a good thing for Ethan. Her beliving there are no such thing of vampires, she helps him escape, and she assumes she'll never see him again. She's wrong. When her family goes missing, Ethan is the only one who can help her find them, and Kerry is the only one who can help Ethan get the revenge he wants on the vamp hunters. Things get more complicated when Kerry realizes she's fallen in love with Ethan, and... oh yeah, he really IS a vampire. The characters are well developed, and the plot has tons of twists. The many facades and uncertainties that surround Ethan will keep you guessing throughout the whole book. if you like vampires and romance, buy. This. Book. Now. I cried at the end, probably due a combination of the way the book touched me so deeply, and the fact that there is no sequel yet. Because, not to give away the ending, but it is wide open for a sequel. Unfortunately, it was written in 95', and we're still waiting ....but I haven't lost hope! Good luck trying not to read it in one sitting ;-).

I loved this book. It is a fast paced, humorous and incredibly sexy story about an average girl caught in the wrong place at the wrong time and one incredibly awesome vampire.

Kerry Nowicki is a sixteen year old girl who, for her little brother's sake, drives out to the laundromat at midnight to get his teddy bear. From there she walks in on a group of vampire slayers and Ethan, their "bruised and bloodied vampire." Kerry does not believe in vampires, so she helps Ethan escape. He drives her home and she believes that they will never meet again.

Unfortunately, by helping Ethan Kerry has gotten her name on the hit list of the resident vampire slayers. Running into Ethan on accident, she is once again sucked into the world of a vampire on the run. Ethan is an incredibly sexy character, with notable talents (lock-picking and car theft) and many different facades he can put on for different occasions.

I won't spoil the ending, because it would be sinful to give away the end of this incredibly awesome book. It has climax, believability, and a tension that makes your hands sweat on the pages. The only thing this book needs is a sequel.

Please e-mail me with comments, flames, etc.

This is the only book I have ever read more than once! If you've read The Silver Kiss, Shattered Mirror, or any other Vivian Vande Velde books, or vampire books for that matter, you're guaranteed to love this! There are no one, or two star ratings, and that's gotta tell you something. Many of the other reviews of this book end in people saying they want a continuation, and trust me, in the end, you'll well agree. This was the book that got me interested in vampire books, and it's so well written. The only thing I didn't like about this book was that I never could picture what Ethan really looked like, even though she descirbed it very well, and I tried countless times.
It's about a sixteen year old girl named Kerry Nowicki, who, at eleven at night, can't resist her brother's pleas for her to retrieve Footy, his stuffed koala bear, from the 24-hour laundromat he left it at earlier in the day. Kerry's father is sleeping, and her mother left their family for another man. She only has her learners permit, so she has to do this quick.
When she gets there, she finds Footy, and is just about to head out the door, when, all of a sudden, three men come in dragging a fourth, Ethan Bryne (who by the way is really, really hot, his charater is mysterious, incredibly seductive to Kerry, and he's a bad boy, so this is a good book for bad boy fans), who's gagged and bloodied. They spot her, and she has no time to escape. She learns the men believe that Ethan is a vampire, and they think she may well be one also. They allow her to help Ethan with his wounds, so as not to make a nuisance of herself, she doesn't believe anything they say, Ethan seems so helpless, and she has no reason to doubt that he's innocent of everything they're accusing him of, so, she decides to....read it to see what happens.
If you've never read this book before, ENJOY it the first time, I couldn't bring myself to give any of it away, that would ruin it, and you don't want this book ruined the first time you read it. I wish I could read it again, forgetting everything that happened, because the first time is a once in a lifetime thing.
If you don't even like vampire books, this'll change your mind. It's a combination of suspense, and romance, with murder, kidnapping, stealing, vampires, and thrill after thrill, what more can you ask for in one book? I don't think you'd be reading this if you couldn't read, but if you can GET. THIS. BOOK. AND AS I SAID BEFORE, ENJOY IT THE FIRST TIME.
You may never feel the same about any other book, I looked for some more vampire books, but none look this good!!

I LOVED THIS BOOK! When I first read the summary, I thought, okay vampires - the usual story line....NOT SO! The story started out with a 16-year-old girl named Kerry. After a late-night trip to the laundrymat to retrieve a lost teddy bear for her brother, Kerry becomes involved in helping Ethan, the handsome stranger caught in a kidnapping and as an accused vampire. I immediately take a liking to Kerry and I can see how she became attracted to Ethan so quickly. The story was great with the "vampire rules" thrown in, twists between truth and lies, love and hate, trust and betrayal. Wonderful story, one of the best I've ever read! A must read! Kudos to the author!!

It could happen, or that's what the book makes it feel like. Kerry is an average sixteen-year-old girl, just minding her own business, when she get's caught up in the world of vampirism. Ethan is the main vampire of the story, a complex character who is neither villian or a hero. At first, he appears to be just a normal college boy, but is anything but.

The romance element is subtle, and rightly so. Kerry can't trust Ethan, who admits that killing is pleasurable, and might turn on her the minute he doesn't need her. Yet despite his dark nature, Ethan seems to have a soft spot for Kerry, and one guesses that he's attracted to her. Despite herself, a part of her is drawn to him, and the more seductive parts of what he is.

Many were put off by the end, but I understood it perfectly. In real life, there is no tidy conclusion, and neither was there one in this book. Life will go on. What Kerry and Ethan will do about it is up to them. Fill in the blanks with your own conclusion. I did.

Wow! This book was so incredible. I admit that the description on the jacket threw me off a little, but the deeper I read, the more hooked I became. I must say that Ethan's mysteriousness was INCREDIBLY sexy. Anyway, a girl named Kerry goes to a laundromat to retrieve her little brother's stuffed bear, and finds herself in the middle of a murder. She saves the victim, Ethan, said by the assassins to be a vamire. The next day, her family is kidnapped by an insane vampire slayer, who believes he's on a mission from God. Kerry enlists the help of Ethan, and soon discovers that, indeed, he is a vampire. They spend the rest of the book tracking down the vampire slayer, and it all ends in a spectacular encounter. If suspense, drama, and romance is what you are looking for, you'll inevitably find it in this marvelous book by Vivian Vande Velde.

16-year-old Kerry is a nice, responsible, normal teenager. She takes care of her brother, gets along with her dad, and though she isn't insanely popular, she's got good friends. Perhaps a little melancholy, she's a cheerful, likeable person.

One night, her baby brother starts crying; he's left his beloved stuffed animal at the laundromat. Attached as she is to him, Kerry can't refuse him. Figuring she'll be back in a couple of minutes, she takes off, enters the laundromat...

And walks in on a ritual murder.

The victim is named Ethan Bryne. The killers believe he is a vampire; that is why they want to destroy him. Terrified and furious, Kerry manages to save his life, and hers; they take off to safety.

Strangely, given what has happened, Ethan won't let her call the police.

Stunned, Kerry has no choice but to let him go.

She's a little glum over the next few days, but she slowly returns to normal. A couple of days later, something odd does happen: unable to drive, Kerry relies on her father, neighbors, and friends to get to and from work. When her father doesn't show up to pick her up, she thinks she's screwed--until, lo and behold, she runs into Ethan, who obligingly drives her home.

But nobody is home.

Her brother and father are gone; a threatening message is painted on the wall. Knowing exactly what this means, Ethan spirits her away. This time, they're both on the run.

It turns out Ethan IS a vampire. Kerry is initially scared and disgusted, but as Ethan bares facets of his weird personality, she slowly warms up to him, and he to her. As they run from their pursuers, seeking Kerry's family all the while, a strange relationship develops between them. It isn't love--that's part of what I love about this story, they don't fall instantly in love, and they don't become each other's sole reason for living, as in most other vampire books-- but it is a bond. Also, Kerry is a surprisingly strong heroine; she doesn't let him beguile her. She remains who she is, is confident that she can definitely live without him, and even though she's sad--even though he's sad--they do what's best for both of them in the end.

"Companions of the Night" is a brisk, gripping story. Even you're not into vampires or paranormal stories, it's good. It's not great; the writing, while lean and skillful, is a bit juvenile at times, and we never get to hear all of Ethan's motives for doing what he does, which is disappointing. However, both characters are likeable--even if Ethan is cause for wariness-- the plot is tight, there are no gaping holes, and it moves steadily toward an an exciting, but believable, climax. "Companions of the Night" is definitely recommended.