Customer Reviews

Lord of Misrule (Morganville Vampires, Book 5)

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The back of the book proclaims that Morganville, Texas is just south of normal. As the book begins, things have really gone south. Amelie's father Bishop wants control of Morganville and she's not willing to give it up without a fight. The vampires are being called to battle whether they like it or not and the humans are splitting into factions.

Rachel Caine presents an interesting sociological problem in the series: just how would vampires live alongside humans? Now she adds in what would happen if the vampires were distracted and lost their control over the more rebellious elements. Some of the factions show more sense than others, but all show enough sense to not like Monica. (Yes, it is wonderful to see Monica face a little retribution.) Some help, some hinder, some coexist. Without bogging the story down Caine presents a wide variety of reactions to the situation.

Caine gives a lot of bang for the buck. The Morganville Vampires books are pocket-sized, but they're full of action. LORD OF MISRULE manages to make some of the previous entries in the series slow-paced. It makes me a little sad that the novels are limited omniscient through Claire's POV. The main gang (Michael, Eve, Shane, Claire) split up for most of the novel and some of the others have adventures that would be even cooler if they weren't briefly recounted after the fact.

Of course, most of the main ensemble being off-screen works. It makes the atmosphere even more tense, because even as Claire struggles to survive she doesn't know whether she'll be returning to find her friends didn't.

Can I also say I love Myrnin? Caine does a great job as using him as both the loveable and wise mentor and the reminder of just how inhuman the vampires can be (in case Sam and Michael make you forget). In this series the vampires prove they're more than just angsty humans with fangs. Claire and friends are fighting for the side least likely to kill them, no because they think Amelie is sunshine-and-rainbows.

The series does have a softer side, with the relationships between Shane and Claire and Michael and Eve. However, LORD OF MISRULE focuses more on moving the overarching plot along than the relationships, not that there aren't some nice moments with the couples.

"Lord of Misrule" continues the fabulous "Morganville Vampire" series in this fifth installment. "Feast of Fools" left off with war breaking out between powerful vampire of the city Amelie and her even scarier dad Mr. Bishop. Bishop wants to take over Morganville from under Amelie's rule and the vampires of the city are picking side. As the fourth book ends, the city is burning and bottled and bagged blood is scarse. Previous enemies have to work together in their common goals and danger is around every character. "Lord of Misrule" picks up right after the events in "Feast of Fools". Bishop is trying to get the "cure" for the vampire disease from Claire and Mernin. He is also plotting to overthow Amelie in a confrontation at the City Hall. To complicate matters, there is a huge tornado heading their way, and the public has been told to go to City Hall for shelter. Some of the town's humans have decided to take this moment of choas and rebel against the vampires as well. There are more subplots than I can even mention here, but all are connected and well crafted. Rachel Caine is a master storyteller and I think she shows that here even more than she does in her "Weather Wardens" series for adults. "Lord of Misrule" is literally 256 pages of non-stop intense action. Claire and her friends jump from one dangerous moment to another. All this action is surely leading to a final confrontation, and I for one, am truly excited about being along for the ride. This series is a model of intelligent, fun, paranormal adventure for adults and young adults alike. I can't encourage readers to pick up this series strongly enough.

Gold Star Award Winner!

The town of Morganville has seen better days since the return of Bishop, a master vampire who wants control of the town. His daughter, Amelie, isn't going to relinquish her power easily.

Now everyone's choosing sides and waiting for the battle to begin. Those who have chosen now have their battle assignments. Claire must find Myrnin, Shane must guard the blood bank, Michael protects the college students, and Eve needs to head back to the coffee shop and to Oliver.

In a fight this big, there's bound to be infighting and backstabbing. Soon the humans in town aren't sitting on the sidelines anymore. Those who were once protected can no longer count on the vampire alliance to protect them.

Claire and her friends are doing everything they can to save the town, but they seem to be the key to the fight. Are they about to be double-crossed themselves?

LORD OF MISRULE is the 5th book in the very popular THE MORGANVILLE VAMPIRES series. While vampire books are flooding the market, this series stands out because of its differences. The vampires in the series are not friendly, they are out for your blood and only something benefiting them will stop them from drinking.

Suspense and horror alongside of friendship and romance make this series perfect and unforgettable.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel

Lord of Misrule, Book 5 in the Morganville Vampires series, picks up with the town of Morganville literally burning around the heads of our quartet of friends: Claire, Shane, Michael, and Eve. Amelie, the vampire in charge of Morganville, must fight against her father, Bishop, in order to maintain control of the town, and she must rely on not just Claire and her friends but also the loyalty of the other vamps in town, including the ever unpredictable Myrnin. But as time passes, it becomes clear that Bishop's got his own hold on some of the vamps, and many of the humans are in revolt as well. Claire and her friends must make life or death decisions in order to protect not only themselves but the ones they love from certain destruction in the vampire battle.

Lord of Misrule is fast paced and action packed; filled with its own drama, it's also a bridge to the ultimate fate of the vampires in Morganville. Claire's called upon to help Amelie but finds herself in grave danger, facing down Bishop and his minions even while enduring a major storm. The chaos keeps coming and naturally the book ends on a cliffhanger, making it very good for me to have #6 close at hand. I love the depth of the relationship between Claire and Shane, and I love how Claire's learned to stand up for herself and those she loves. Her parents are fairly extraneous to the story but everyone else is present and accounted for; I can hardly wait to find out what side Myrnin is really on. Definitely fun and entertaining and I'm ready for more!

[...]

Vampires and humans can get along, right? Only when there's understanding and cooperation--or a giant tornado heading into town to destroy everything. Now that I have your attention, you need to read Lord of Misrule.

This is the fifth book in the Morganville Vampires series, but I have to say, it's a great read on its own. Yes, it does help to have the subplots of the prior stories explained, but really, you don't need it.

I liked that the vampires and humans co-existed for the most part. I even liked that despite the crazy nature of a college town, things are pretty low key in Morganville. As I'd expect with a teen novel, there is plenty of angst. Claire and Shane have a gutsy little romance going and for a heroine, Claire kicks some serious behind. She is a great role model for teen girls because she sticks up for herself and those she cares about. That's not to say she's perfect, but she's relatable.

The writing is tight and fast-paced. I went through this book in one sitting and raved for more! Bishop is everything I wanted to hate in a bad guy and the dichotomy of the town once they decide to choose sides gripped me and made me laugh out loud at times.

If you want a story that will pull you in and make you hunger for more, then you've found what you need in Lord of Misrule. I give this book 4 suns.

I really love this series. It's very different from most vampire stories in which you're mean Team Human than anything else. Normally I'm whizzing through these books, but this one was a bit hard for me to stick to. It focused a little bit more on the town where as I like reading about the Glass House gang. Maybe that's why this one wasn't one of my favorites. I love it when Claire, Shane (and I do love me some Shane still), Eve, and Michael are all together. But I do also understand that sometimes thing do have to be shook up a bit.

Basically all hell has broken loose in Morganville. This is kind of a normal thing but we're given much more look into what is happening now that Bishop has decided to take over. Bishop is a great villian. He's a ruthless vampire that has no mercy for anyone. With the mix of different characters through out the town, you really start questioning who's on who's side. There are so many different characters too. You never know who is going to pop up. Basically this one was more chalked full of information and plot setting. Trust me, Rachel Caine knows how to plot out a book. So while it's not one of my favorites, you can tell she's leading it up to something big to happen in the next one.

Book 1, Glass Houses (Morganville Vampires, Book 1) introduced you to 16 years old Claire and her abnormal, roommates (Shane, Michael, & Eve). Book 2, The Dead Girls' Dance (Morganville Vampires, Book 2) brought Shane's father along with his vampire slaying motorcycle gang to Morganville, Texas. Book 3, Midnight Alley (Morganville Vampires, Book 3) gave us Myrnin, a sick, delusional, shady old vampire who is very intelligent. In Book 4, Feast of Fools (Morganville Vampires, Book 4) Mr. Bishop invited everyone to a feast. But now that the feast is over, the battle for control of Morganville, Texas has begun. But not only is the town threatened by Mr. Bishop's and Ameila's power struggle, a storm is headed straight for them. This is another quick and entertaining read. I have to wait until June 2nd to see to the outcome of this battle since the book comes to an end with ANOTHER CLIFF HANGER>>>>.

The next book in the series is, Carpe Corpus (Morganville Vampires, Book 6).

In the town of Morganville, vampires and humans coexist together whether they wanted to or not. Now the master vampire Bishop threatens to abolish all order. But he isn't the only threat. There is some violent wheather heading their way.

I love this book too. What can I say - there is nothing bad about the series. Of course, now I have to wait for Carpe Corpus sitting on pins and needles.

Mistress of the City Amelie and her father, Bishop, are about to square up to see which vampire gets control over Morganville. Meanwhile, the humans who've long been under the control over the vamps are running amok. Worse, Shane Collins's father who's sworn vengeance on the vamps is back in town and he's still swearing to do all the vampires in.

If that wasn't bad enough, tornadoes are coming and the civilian population of Morganville is all being directed to the city building where the penultimate vampire battle is scheduled to occur.

Our heroine, sixteen year old Claire Danvers, is growing up fast. Ms. Caine does an amazing job showing how this initially shy and frightened young woman comes with a world that's far beyond her experience. Exceptionally well done character development that keeps Claire's values and moral compass pointing in the original direction.

"Lord of Misrule" makes the rest of the very action-packed Morganville series seem tame. This story is very fast-paced and I'm warning you. It's not over yet! "Carpe Corpus" will be hitting the shelves on June 2--and yes, I will be at the register as soon as I can get there.

Rebecca Kyle, May 2009

MorganVille Vampires is a series that is truly fascinating. Horror, Romance, Action, it's all in the book.

The first book of the series:

It starts out as Claire Danvers is accepted to Texas Praire University. There, she accidently gets onto the bad side of a snobby brat named Monica, who threatens her horribly.

Claire tries to find a place off campus for her own safety. She comes across a house called Glass House, and there she realizes that humans aren't the only inhabitants of MorganVille. Vampires are everywhere!

This book:

Read the first book, and if you like it, then you will love this. Each book gets better and better.

This definitely is an amazing young adult series.