In the Forests of the Night [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Amelia Atwater-Rhodes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2, 2002

A 2002 Garden State Teen Book Award nominee

Risika is a vampire of great strength and power who still remembers her former life and the morals she held as a human. As a vampire she struggles to come to an understanding of her new life and tries to find a balance between the two.

An Accelerated Reader® title

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Three-hundred-year-old Risika looks darn good for her age. Thanks to her "blood mother," a vampire named Ather who turned Risika (nee Rachel) into one of the undead back in 1684, she will always look as fresh as a 17-year-old. Now Risika is a world weary night stalker who sleeps in Concord, Massachusetts, by day and prowls New York City by night, in search of fresh blood to slake her inhuman thirst. One of the benefits of living such a long life has been discovering that most of the popular myths about vampires are not true: "Holy water and crosses do not bother me... and silver does not burn me. If someone hammered a stake through my heart, I suppose I would die, but I do not play with humans, stakes or mallets." In fact, there is little in the mortal world that surprises Risika anymore, until she returns from a hunt one night to find a black rose on her pillow--the same flower she was given on the eve of her mortal death. Knowing that the rose is a taunt from Aubrey, a vampire she believes murdered her human brother, Risika decides to confront her nemesis. In a bloody battle with Aubrey, Risika finally unearths her brother's true fate.

While the plot of this vampire tale may not stand out from the fanged masses of the genre, what does stand out is the fact that the author is 14 years old. Teen horror fans of Anne Rice and L.J. Smith will surely want to experience for themselves how In the Forests of the Night stacks up to their favorite adult titles--and will be especially interested in seeing how one of their young peers plies the writing trade. (Ages 12 to 15) --Jennifer Hubert --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

First-novelist Atwater-Rhodes writes astonishingly wellAconsidering that she completed the manuscript for this vampire novel when she was only 13 years old (she's now 15). Even compared with many adult authors, she's skillful at building atmosphere, insightful in creating characters and imaginative in varying and expanding on vampire lore. The sophisticated structure flashes between a 300-year-old vampire named Risika and her previous, human existence as one Rachel Weatere. The weaknesses in this venture, however, point to the author's youth. Risika's world-weary profundities have the ring of easy, adolescent cynicism (e.g., while visiting a favorite animal at a zoo, Risika says, "[Humans] even cage themselves, though their bars are made of society, not steel"). Characters wander in and out of the story; a climactic showdown between Risika and her archenemy depends more on telling than on showing; and an 11th-hour surprise, though neatly planted, strains the narrative logic. But with the popularity of books such as Annette Curtis Klause's The Silver Kiss and TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Charmed, this precocious debut will likely find fans. Ages 12-up. (June)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Hardcover: 120 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press; 1 edition (November 2, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786247614
• ISBN-13: 978-0786247615
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (259 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,108,501 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Amelia Atwater-Rhodes wrote her first novel, In the Forests of the Night, when she was 13 years old. Other books in the Den of Shadows series are Demon in My View, Shattered Mirror, Midnight Predator, all ALA Quick Picks for Young Adults. She has also published the five-volume series The Kiesha'ra: Hawksong, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year and VOYA Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror List Selection; Snakecharm; Falcondance; Wolfcry; and Wyvernhail. Visit her online at www.ameliaatwaterrhodes.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An average vampire tale., January 28, 2003

By 

BarkLessWagMore (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: In the Forests of the Night (Den of Shadows) (Mass Market Paperback)

Finally, a book I could finish in one sitting! In the Forest of the Night contains only 147 pages and those pages are filled with big fonts and lots of white space. Hmmm, $$.$$ for less than an hours worth of reading seems a bit steep, but maybe it's just me?

Risika is a 300 year old vampire who was turned and torn from everything she loved when she was only seventeen. The story flips back and forth between present day and the time when Risika was a mortal on the eve of her change.

I thought the past story was more engaging than the present. In the present Risika discovers that her archenemy, a darkly handsome Eeevil vampire named Aubrey (who is evil, I'm guessing, simply because he can be), is near and begins causing her great distress. She fears him, he's more powerful than she, but yet stubbornly defies him, baits him and, by her actions, basically dares him to come after her. It didn't make any sense to me. Because of her actions a tragedy occurs and I groaned aloud out of frustration. For a 300 year old vampire she doesn't appear all that bright and is completely ineffective for the majority of the book when it comes to dealing with Aubrey. The glimpses into Risika's past as she learns to live her life in darkness are much more interesting than the present bits with Aubrey.

The writer was only 13 when she wrote the story (according to the blurb) and, to my jaded eyes, it shows. Her character lacks maturity and common sense and character motivation wasn't explored as nearly as fully as it should have been. There was also an odd sense of emotional detachment throughout the book and I never felt like I knew any of these characters very well. But it was the ending that truly did me in. Everything is wrapped up with a twist that isn't explained and didn't make a lick of sense and, again, the lead character acts oddly and without emotion. Though the atmosphere was done exceptionally well (all dark and broody-like) I was left in the dark too often when it came to character motivation and the plot was too thin to rate this book as anything more than average.

~ Laurie Shallah

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars She has potential., January 12, 2003

By 

bonsai chicken (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In the Forests of the Night (Den of Shadows) (Mass Market Paperback)

FORESTS is the story of a young female vampire from the seventeenth century. Three hundred years jaded, she finds her only solace and kinship in a caged tiger at the zoo. The chapters alternate between recounting her vampiric origins and her current life (such as it is) as she prepares for the inevitable final conflict between herself and the longtime foe who murdered her brother.

At just under 150 pages, the plot is slight. While the heroine does have a destination in mind, I didn't feel like there was much progress until the end. Then, there is a twist in the tale that doesn't make sense.

Whether it's fair or unfair to take the author's age into account, it really can't be ignored. Rhodes was thirteen when she wrote this book, and for that, it is impressive. It's even not bad for an older, more experienced writer. Its intended audience, who will no doubt go on to reading Anne Rice novels, should enjoy it.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read, July 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: In the Forests of the Night (Den of Shadows) (Mass Market Paperback)

To think that a thirteen-year-old could write a novel to be published is astounding. But add to it the facts that it had wonderful dialogue, a dark atmosphere perfect for the genre, and great vocabulary unexpected of a teen, and you have a book far beyond astounding.

IN THE FORESTS OF THE NIGHT is the short but well written story of Risika, a 300-year-old vampire who is still struggling against the battle between her human "morals" and her vampiric apathy. Then there is Aubrey, an even older and stronger vampire who threatens both Risika and her beloved tiger, Tora. IN THE FORESTS OF THE NIGHT alternates between the year 1701, when Risika was changed, and the present.

The story is full of unwavering suspense, though some may say that the author's style is following the ways of veteran horror novelists like Anne Rice and Stephen King. But overall, an amazing debut from Amelia Atwater-Rhodes!