Customer Reviews

In the Forests of the Night

5 star:		(122)
4 star:		(63)
3 star:		(27)
2 star:		(30)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

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

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.

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!

To begin with, I can't understand critics' fixation with Atwater-Rhodes' age. Had her writing been particularly precocious or insightful, then, yes, I would have, but in this case, In the Forests of the Night reads as well as anything else written by your average thirteen-year-old - that is, not very.

Though Atwater-Rhodes displays some basic skill in her first novel, a tale of an unwilling vampire still struggling to reconcile her humanity after three hundred years, for the most part it read like a hash of various vampire novels (and I haven't even read that many) sprinkled with cookie-cutter characters who sport numberless irritatingly godlike powers. Though the protagonist, Risika, is admirably independent, her arrogance and near-invincibility greatly take away from the believability of her character. The same flaws plague the rest of the vampires, rendering them all but indistinguishable from one another: each is just as beautiful, just as heartless, and just as indestructible as the next. The villains have no apparent motivation for being evil except that, well, they just are. The narrative would also have been far better had it not been littered with random characters who serve little to no purpose apart from being toys for the vampires and/or convenient and awkward plot exposition.

And just a pet peeve, but when an author tries to utilize a historical setting, I prefer that she at least is marginally accurate with it. The flashback scenes describing Risika's colonial origins read more like a gimmick than a believable eighteenth-century setting.

Check it out from your library if you want a quick, fluffy read or are in the mood for cheap vampires, but don't expect anything ground-breaking or revolutionary.

I have to review this book on two levels: the first, reviewing only this one book; and the second, reviewing this book in terms of how it stands up against her other books.
In the Forests of the Night details a brief encounter between a 300-year-old vampire and her two-thousand-year-old rival. Risika, the protagonist, is presented to us on several different levels: as a human (called Rachel), as a young vampire, and as a mature vampire. Rachel the human is said to be timid, but then she does things like sneaks out of the house and snaps at Aubrey, the vamp who will later become her rival. Risika the young vampire is weak, confused, and still very much prey. She returns to home and Aubrey bullies her, giving her a cut across her chest and forcing her to see that her old life is gone forever. Risika the mature vampire is strong, bold, and yet at the same time timid and still afraid of Aubrey. She is also more than a little immature--a byproduct, I believe, of the author's own immaturity.
The book was rushed. Risika's first two personas were revealed through brief flashbacks; her present through brief narratives. Because the whole thing was so short, I felt like I had no idea who Risika was or even why she was so darned scared of Aubrey.
Risika was a bit wishy-washy. She couldn't seem to make up her mind about how she felt--which would be understandable, except that she'd lived for three hundered years. Instead of sympathizing with her, I couldn't help but wonder why the heck she couldn't just get over it, or at least have an interesting inner conflict.
Aubrey was a decent villain, but their cataclysmic battle in the end had me thinking, "That's it?" As a reader of fantasy (and NO, I don't read Tolkein, who wants to have every single blade of grass Frodo steps on described in careful detail) I felt that the climax was severely lacking.
Aubrey was also a bit too stereotypical, a bit too afternoon special, for my taste. He wasn't original; he was, once again, flawed as a byproduct of the author's immaturity.
Now, standing up against her other books...with the exception of the superb Hawksong, this one is by far the best, which is partly why it had three stars. The others are silly little stories that have the feel of a remarkably extended writer's block--and trust me, I should know. So if you really, really want to buy it, go ahead, but be warned--you won't be getting your money's worth. This is a book to read when you have a spare hour in the car, going to your aunt's house in Ohio. If you want a good Atwater-Rhodes book, buy Hawksong. That was one of the better books I've read in awhile.

In the Forest of the Night

I read "In the Forest of the Night" several months ago. Honestly, I liked it-to a certain extent. It is very well written for a thirteen-year-old. Not to sound callous, but it's the best story telling out of all of her books.

The story telling was original to certain points. The fact that Risika wants to avenge her brother's death is "sweet." At first it is, but when you look at it, it takes several centuries later in present time. It makes no sense that she is still saddened by his death. Such questions arise:

Why now of all times to avenge him?

Why is she still so caught up in it?

It seems she is more [upset] that Aubrey had beaten her in a duel back in the day. It has nothing to do with her brother, it has to do with a poor woman's ego. Yes, woman, technically speaking. She is centuries and has matured into a grown woman trapped in the persona and body of a youth.

That moves onto my next point: unrealism in personality. As we grow older, anyone with common sense knows well we mature. None of Amelia's characters seem to gain a sense of maturity. They act as if they are frustrated teens suffering from which outfit they should choose for their local school dance.

The rogue is fine, but Amelia makes him into an overrated weakling. SPOILER: the fight scene was weak. It was quick and disappointed me.

The characterization...there wasn't any. By the end of the novella I had no idea who Risika was as an individual. I knew she was vengeful, stubborn, and whiny, but you didn't have any hard evidence that she existed as a character.

I forgive Amelia for all of this in this novella, for the fact she was only a pre-teen at the time she wrote this.

Lets move along to the vampirism, as for that I didn't feel like I was reading a vampire fantasy. The "Anne Rice" poetics got on my nerves. It seemed the writer was trying to sound poetic, but failing horribly at it. When characters such as Ather spoke it sounded beyond the stupidity of a mentally challenged. Meaning, some of her characters sounded just like plain vampire wannabes.

Overall Rating 1-10

Style: 4 -- it lacked any sense of capturing the reader and lacked originality. Amelia seemed to fail at creating a style of her own.

Characterization: 6 - the characters were there, but didn't do the novella justice by the end of the story.

Plot: 7 - the sweet story of vengeance, but not quite original. The plot was thin and held several plot holes.

Story Telling: 8 - simple and quick paced, the usual pace of a young adult book. Lets just be glad it wasn't an adult book, or else it would be very low.

Final Rating: 6.2

The novella is average. I would suggest this book for those who hate reading and probably middle school. You could finish the novel in probably a couple of hours, depending on your reading speed. I finished it in two hours, which brings another point, if you want a book that you will be glued to for hours...this is not a suggestion. Find something else.

If you want a challenge, pass this book.

As for those who consider Amelia their favorite writer, do me a favor:

READ MORE! It will do you well. It's obvious you guys have never read other books in your life. Amelia's reputation as "BEST WRITER IN THE WORLD" is laughable. She is an average writer, nowhere near other great authors. I'd suggest Anne Rice or Laurell K. Hamilton if you're a avid dark fantasy fan.

NOTE: By the way, it's "Tyger, Tyger" if I were the poet I'd be offended the lyrics were changed, which is why I only gave her two stars.

The young and intelligent Amelia Atwater-Rhodes has caught my eye in a way that a writer had not in many years. I have always been a vampire fan,(and i feel the need to reccomend all of the vampire books by Anne Rice and The Last Vampire series by Christopher Pike!) anyway, back to ms. atwater-rhodes. she writes in a convincing, descriptive, and captivating. She spins the story of Risika, a girl who had been forced into the dark world of the vampires by people that at the same time took away from her everything she had ever loved. She harbors a hate for Aubrey, the assistant of her maker, Ather. She then becomes one the most powerful vampires, and goes on a journey through the past, everything that Aubrey did to her until the present, until he makes one last transgression, and she challenges him.

this book held my attention until the end, and is a great start for young Atwater-Rhodes. I look forward to her future books with much eagerness.

I am not sure about this one. It reads very fast - not so muchbecause it is enthralling, more because it is spare and lacks realsubstance. In addition, it was quite short, and the author certainly contradicted herself a few times.

That said, I enjoy and support almost all fantasy, horror, and supernatural tales. And I believe that Amelia will improve with age and experience. So, read this book. And her next one! That way, you can form our own opinions. *smile* END

Frankly, if I had not known anything about this girl, I still would have known that this was written by a kid. Just by reading it you can tell because traces of her immaturity tend to show up in her writing. For example, too many of her similes are unnecessary and certain aspects were not believable. She leaves certain points in her book unresolved, which makes the ending a little confusing. I was a little dissapointed by the fact that her main character's angry vengeance was in vain and only a simple misunderstanding. These are mistakes no true professional would have made. I was appalled by the fact that many of her reviewers were giving her book five stars. For goodness sakes, don't lie to the poor girl! If everyone tells her that she is a great writer then there will be no room for improvement, something that is much needed. Although she has alot of potential,she still has a long way to go.

I read In The Forests Of The Night with an eye to plausibility, and most of the time was not disappointed. Though there were spots in which I thought the plot was vague, overall it's an excellent first novel that sticks together well. It reminded me in parts of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles particularly. Amelia Atwater-Rhodes has a good turn of phrase and a good sense of the dramatic as well. If I had one major criticism, it would be that the main character, Risika, is not very maturely developed-- you'd think after three hundred years she would know more about herself and the people around her. This is probably just a by-product of the author's young age, though, and it doesn't damage the story too severely. As a teen writer myself, I think it's important to see a young writer's work published, especially in such a growing field, and in a field of such interest to many teenagers. I'll be very interested in reading anything else Amelia Atwater-Rhodes publishes in the future; I think this book probably only marks the beginning of her writing career.