Customer Reviews

Demon in My View (Den of Shadows)

5 star:		(149)
4 star:		(47)
3 star:		(30)
2 star:		(19)
1 star:		(32)

 

 

I really enjoyed this book, even more than the author's first, which was itself excellant. Jessica, the main character, seems a pretty average, unpopular teen at first glance. But she's actually published a vampire novel under a pen name. When a new boy enrolls at her school, he reminds her a great deal of Aubrey, the vampire villian from her novel. It turns out that he really is Aubrey, come to kill her. However, things become complicated when the two fall in love. Both of these characters appeared in In the Forests of the Night, and I was glad Miss Atwater-Rhodes chose to write more about them. Jessica was only briefly mentioned in the first book, but I thought right away that she would be a neat character. And I never liked Aubrey much in the first book (although he was definitley a cool villian!), but meeting Jessica certainly improved his personality. I highly reccomend this wonderful novel to fans of horror and vampire novels. The author is extremely talented, and I think it is wonderful that she has become a published author while she is still a teenager. I hope she continues to write more wonderful books like this one.

Written By: Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Cover Art By: N/A
Published: 2000
Published By: Dell Laurel-Leaf
Pages: 176
Extras: Expert from "Shattered Mirror."

Summary:
N/A

Cover Art Review:
I can tell it's Aubrey on the cover because of the tattoos. He's holding a black rose. It's alright cool but not as cool as the cover for In the Forests of the Night.
Overall: 3 (1-10) It has a _very_ loose tie to the story, but it is some what insterting to look at.

Book Review:
I think it's all agreed that Atwater-Rhodes has good spring-board ideas. However, her chacters, plot line, and how she ties up the plot all fail. Aubrey, a good chacter when he was in the author's first book, has apparently gone through the "plot device" machine. Instead of using his extremely supernatural powers to kill Jessica and cover it up, he spies on her as a high school student. Why? This is not explained.

Jessica is best described as a Mary Sue. For anyone who doesn't know, a Mary Sue is the author inserting herself into her story and making herself perfect. Even a Mary Sue's "flaws" are calculated. Jessica has a body "to die for." (The author wastes a paragraph where Jessica stands in front of a mirror basically worshipping herself.) She's a good writer (so good that only after a week of being out, people are reading her book and she believes that "Alex" is an crazy fan) and a good artist to boot. Yet everyone at her school "flees" from Jessica and some are even violent towards her. (Yet all we (the reader) see are a few looks and a group of girls leaving after Jessica snaps at them.) When the new girl Caryn approaches her, Jessica doesn't even try to make a friend. She claims to not want friends, but Jessica harps to much on the fact that everyone "runs" from her for that to be true.

It should be noted that a high school friend of the author was the one who suggested the plot of the book.

The plot, while predictable, was defiantly inserting. Unless you're five, it will come to no surprise that Jessica becomes a vampire and Ann dies. It is after the latter event that the book goes from a mindless read to a bad book. Jessica hates Dominique on sight because she's killed vampires she has "known." Dominique only kills vampires who kill people. She rightly states that vampires don't need to kill to survive. Jessica her that at least vampires don't "preach the morality of their killing." Uh, hello? A vampire just killed your mother, the woman who adopted you. The only person who "truly cared about you." The vampire didn't need to eat, he just killed her in cold blood. The author makes no attempt to show both sides. In her mind, vampires are good, witches are bad.

As I said in the review for In the Forest of the Night, Atwater-Rhodes' vampires are too powerful. The reader needs to be given some hope that, if they came across one of her vampires, they can escape. There is now tension in who is going to win, human or vampire. In fact, the weakest vampire is Fala, who happens to be the villain as well. As it was pointed out before, this is not a good idea. There is no tension because the villain is too afraid to go against the hero.

I will end this long review on one note. I would like Amelia Atwater-Rhodes to write a witch version of In the Forest of the Night. Yes, I know about Shattered Mirror, but that, in the end, turned out to be a vampire good, witches evil story.

Overall: 2 (1-10) 1 for the plot about Jazzlyn, the second for Caryn. I would like the author to write a witches good, vampires bad story. Read the beginning if you like mindless dribble, but by no means think is a good book.

After hearing all the great reviews upon this novel I decided to give it a try. I admit I was disappointed from the moment I picked the novel up, it seemed to be kind of thin, meaning: TOO SHORT. But looking over that I decided the book must be really that good looking past the length.

Well, it took me less then two hours to read and by the end I was wondering if I picked the wrong book up. This couldn't be the book written by the praised teen. Overall, it was below average, mainly: D.

It had no depth at all. Who is Jessica and Aubrey, you know very little about them, even after reading In the Forest of the Night this morning I still had no idea who Aubrey was. Though I admired the creative and poetic style the book seemed like she rushed and didn't edit that often. There were tons of plot holes and there wasn't a conclusion except for Jessica's transformation into a night creature.

Why don't they just kill Fala? If I were Aubrey I would had snapped her neck at instant.

Amelia has a lot of work to do, being three stars is average I ive her two. One for effort and two for style, other then that it lacked everythin a novel is made of.

Would I recommend it? If you're an inspirational writer, yes, so you can analyze the mistakes a teen writer would make with much inexperience. It helps not to make the same mistake twice.

It's like addictive pop music, anyone who likes quick action with sarcasm that matches an annoying teen drama will devour this novel. I hate pop music and I hate sarcasm to the point it irritates you, so I wouldn't read this novel again. But the writer truly has potential.

The skill of writing can be learned, therefore she needs to practice more before she tries any other stuff. I am sad that she allows herself to be publicized like that, as the next Anne Rice. If I were her I wouldn't had given out my age, instead wait and see if I could succeed under alias.

Anyway 2 stars, maybe more if her writing does improve.

The reason i picked up this book is because I saw my friend reading it and she said that it was one of the best vampire books she has ever read. Being as how i am, liking to read horror/romance stories and all, i gave the book a try. However, to my great disappointment, the book wasn't what i thought it was.

The cover and title seems intriguing enough, but the content was dull, and very dry. But I didn't expect much from a 15 year old at this time.

Amelia, in my view, is probably one of the most overrated vampire author i have heard about. Everyone loves her in my school, but i find her repeating patterns and trends to be annoying.

First of all, she always put a /beautiful/ and /strong/ main character in every book, for this one it's Jessica A. a goth who met this supposedly powerful vampire Aubrey and fell in love with him. This theme is so obvious, that it's not even fun to read anymore, a goth (person who adores black and wears obsessive amount of dark makeup) falling for a vampire(a dark creature of the night) this pairing was suspected from the beginning, so that gives the reader the whole plot.

In addition, Amelia's wording vexes me, she uses the word /sadist/ a lot of times, in this book and other books by her, like its her favorite word. And the way she potrays the fighting scenes, its increduously unrealistic. She does put a valiant effort into trying to make the story seems /dark/ and romantic to her reader. This fails miserably in my opinion, the theme makes it seems like one of those old vampire wannabe books.

The depth of the characters in this story wasn't provided clearly enough either (the only character that has much depth was probably the witch Caryn) if you're looking for a deep vampire book with its characters realistic, and not just beautiful and flawless, then pick up an Anne Rice novel. Amelia is only for if you're looking to read short stories.

The ending was the most dissapointing, it was, as i stated before, expected, so the thrill of finishing a book and finding out the /big/ twist dies the moment you read the last chapter in this book. However, i must say, this book strangely draws you into it and makes you keep wanting to read it. Although it isn't good, it wasn't one of the worst i've read.

I read and enjoyed Amelia Atwater-Rhodes first book, but i did think her writing needed a bit more development. This book definitly shows an advancement in her writing. I had been awaiting the release of her second book for a while, so you can imagine what an *ss I felt like when I realized that the book came out a month before I found it. Though I had to restrain myself from reading the entire book within the very evening that I got it, it was a lot of fun to read and -alright, I'll admit it- exciting at times. It has action- let's just say it wouldn't have as many stars if didn't have a couple fights- and the romance was vague- just the way i like it if there has to be any at all.

But she still hasn't reached the pinnacle of her writing ability, though she has the potential, which is why i didn't give her only 4 stars. I think she has still has the tendency to be a bit superficial- not going too in depth- and her originality is well done but not spectacular. I even found in a few cases that actual text in the book was nearly identical to another book i've read (my favorite)- I know this for a fact since i've read that favorable book 9 times. (No, its not one of The Last Vampire books.) But, either way, its a very good book, and better and worse than the last book in different ways. Rock on, Amelia.

Amelia Atwater-Rhodes' second book is a great one. Somewhat different from the first, the book includes alot of ideas linking her first book to her second. In the book Demon in my View, it tells about a girl, Jessica, griefly mentioned in her first book, is a teenage outcast. Nobody likes her in her her school untill two new students enroll into Ramsa High. One is an annoying girl who thinks Jessica's inner child needs a friend. The second student is a dark, handsome, mysterious boy, who looks an awful like Aubrey. He is a vampire in Jessica's book Dark Flame. From his pendents from his tatoos, he is exactly like Aubrey. He is sent on a killing mission of the author, untill he falls deeply in love. What will happen? Read Demon In My View by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes and find out for your self.

I had been wanting to read this book for a long time. Word reached my ears that it was amazing.

Well, I was sourly disapointed.

In the book a "flawless" girl named Jessica has a talent for writing vampire storys and thinks thats all that they are- storys.

Then the relization kicks in on how her storys are actually real and vampires want to kill her, one falls in love with her, typico!

I found myself hating this Jessica. Too perfect was she, the author should have created some flaws to make her less dry and boring.

The book was so pridictable that at one point I put it down and didn't come back to it for a week, already knowing what was going to happen.

To me, it was dry and tastless. yet, for a fifteen year old I think if she stives towards making her charatures more interesting, she could come out with a good one.

It honestly didn't do it for me, and if your still debating on wether or not to read it I say go for it. Just, be prepared for disapointment.

This book was awesome. I was completely into this book because I really like vampire and I have read my fair share of vampire books, especially Amelia's books. I recommend this book very much, especially to people, maybe around teenage girls, that like vampires a lot.

Demon in my View is a thrilling book on fear, love, and fighting. In this book I love that Jessica, a young novelist, is sent in an utter confusion when on of her character from her book comes to real life and he shows up at her school as a new student.

Aubrey, my favorite character, an enchanting vampire, and the main character of her chapter book, falls in love with Jessica after he realizes her love for the black at night. But no sooner that he falls in love with her, Jessica has made a few enemies along with her writing. Fala, a vampire, strong, yet not a strong Aubrey, is seen to seem weak in the book Jessica has written.

Amelia Atwater-Rhodes does not write great fiction--at least, not yet. She does, however, have something definitely in her favor: story-telling skills. She can weave a pleasant little story, like a minstrel that hasn't yet become a bard, but will someday.
Jessica Allodola is a high school senior who hates her foster mother and her peers. She also hates Ramsa, her town, and most of the people in it. But the one thing she doesn't hate is the vampires she writes about. Jessica is a published author; her first book, "Tiger, Tiger" came out a week ago in the story under her pen name, Ash Night. So things are going fine for Jessica, until two characters from her book pop out of nowhere and start watching her.
Aubrey is a vampire, one of the most feared of his kind. He has come to do away with the author Ash Night, because her book describes in humiliating detail the only fight he ever lost. In order to get at her, he enrolls in high school. He's angry enough to kill her on sight, but her attitude and complete ignorance of the truth of her stories draws him in almost against his will.
Caryn Smoke is a witch, a healer, to be exact. The Smoke line hasn't killed a vampire in ages, but when Domonique Vida sends Caryn and her mother to keep an eye on Jessica, they go. Caryn enrolls in school and tries to watch Jessica. Unfortunately for Caryn, Jessica's dark nature is the complete opposite of Caryn's sunny one, so they don't get along.
Jessica is at first ignorant of the truth behind her tales. She recognizes Aubrey on sight, but refuses to believe that "Alex"--Aubrey's high school name--could really be who she thinks he is. Until he identifies her as Ash Night, and Caryn reveals her true identity.
Jessica falls for Aubrey, and he for her, but trouble ensues. Aubrey no longer wants to kill Jessica, but Fala, an evil vampire with a grudge against Jessica, does. And Fala loves pain, and loves to cause it, and may stop at nothing to bring Jessica down...
This was a pretty decent story. Yes, I noticed that the aouthor seemed to be doing some self-insertion. Atwater-Rhodes seems to write very casually and quickly, and I imagine Demon in My View was just a little game for her, nothing serious. The difference between her and most authors is that they don't publish what they write when they feel like writing stupid stuff.
Another problem was Aubrey. He seemed a lot less convincing than he did in the first book; many things weren't explained, such as why he wanted to enroll in high school. But then, I suppose you have to allow her some creative license; without him enrolling, the story wouldn't really exist.
I got a bit tired of Jessica's snapping, but the reason for the is revealed in the end (her mother--hint, hint). As for all the complaints about Jessica worshipping herself, yeah, I guess she did; but she was trying to figure out what was wrong with her. The writing was a bit rushed and choppy, and the ending came too quickly, but again, Atwater-Rhodes was still a kid when she wrote this.
The fight scene was fine, although it could use some improvement. Atwater-Rhodes didn't seem to know what she was talking about with her hitting and kicking. Again, I think one can attribute that to her youth.
One last thing--the chapter divisions seemed a bit unnecessary. Her division skills needed work. I've read Hawksong, though, and they are fine there, so I'm not going to harp.
All in all, a decent story, if not a Great Book. Good job, Ms. Atwater-Rhodes!

I read Demon in My View expecting it to be annoying and trite, but was surprised to find that Amelia Atwater-Rhodes is a superb writer.

The story is about Jessica, a girl who writes vampire novels under the pen name Ash Night. When two new students transfer to her school, her life changes dramatically. Alex (one of the new students) is there to kill her, and Caryn (the other new student) wants to protect her. But the thing is, Jessica feels a familiarity with Alex, and soon realizes that he is not Alex, but Aubrey: one of the powerful vampires she has written about in her novels. Suddenly everything she had thought was fiction is true, and the vampires are angry that their lives are being read about by the public.

I enjoyed Demon in My View very much, but there were a few things that brought my rating down from 5 stars. First of all, Jessica, the 'protagonist,' is really not all that likeable. She's rather mean to her peers, and seems unnaturally withdrawn and dark. In her room the only thing that isn't black is a purple pillow. And despite the fact that nobody likes her, Jessica can still look in the mirror and know that she has 'a body and face to die for.' Her character did not appeal to me at all.

Nevertheless, Demon in My View is a worthwhile read, especially if you like vampires and romance. Amelia Atwater-Rhodes is a wonderful writer, and she will only get better with time. I commend her on a job well done, and I look forward to more books by her in the future.