I had high hopes for this series, it came so highly recommended, plus it was based in Chicago, so that always catches my eye. Unfortunately, this book just doesn't add up to the hype as far as I'm concerned. First off, getting really bored of the unexplained super chicks. The first page of the book annoyed me because Merit describes herself as one of the most powerful vampires around, and she's not even thirty years old.
Here's my problem with this book in particular.
After trudging through 120 pages, the story progressed no where, really. Merit gets attacked by some random vampire, she's kind of out of it. Another vampire saves her by turning her into a vampire. She wakes up in his club house, so to speak and she's given a quick update and taken home to where her equally ditzy BFF Mallory seems all too excited and happy that her girl friend is now a vampire. First off, that struck me as odd. So very odd that her friend would be so enthused about her being turned and not the least bit concerned by the circumstances that lead her to be turned. The interaction between Merit and Mallory seemed so awkward to me as I continued to read. They both seem so immature and flighty. And their dialogue seemed forced and unnatural. Very unrealistic and childish for people who were supposed to be adults. I also found it silly that she was more concerned about being kicked out of school than being attacked, left for dead and turned into a vampire.
Merit is told to read the "Canon" which is like the vampire bible, and she casually does, not really taking it all that seriously. She is told that within the next 7 days, she will be inducted as a full fledge member of the house so she really needs to bone up on her vampire knowledge. The next night, some unknown "bad guy" throws a rock through Merit's window with a note attached. (ooooooh, scary *rolls eyes*) The note is a "threat" which she and Mallory decided they need to inform Ethan (the head vampire of the house) about right away. Note: Just to show you how stupid these characters are. Merit brings her "human" friend Mallory as her back up in case things go wrong against a house full of powerful bloodsucking vampires. O-kay. The moment she confronts Ethan about the letter, she goes all off on a tangent about being turned into a vampire, as if she had a better option. It was either life or death. Which one is more desirable to you? Actually, you have to read about her moaning and groaning about being a vampire for a good portion of this book, which was really boring to me because it was illogical. Life gave you lemons, make some lemonade, what good it is complaining about something you can't change? I hate books that have characters that do that.
Anyway. She challenges the master vampire to a duel, which he wins... but with considerable effort which made me roll my eyes. What's the point of living hundreds of years, gaining strength and whatnot, if a two day old vampire is almost as powerful as you are? And as the novel continues, Merit turns out to be as powerful or more powerful than all the other vampires. Why?
He tries to bring some commonsense to Merit's rationale when he tells her he didn't have a better option but to turn her and for her to think about what the next 7 days mean. Oh, I almost forgot to mention at this point, not to be outdone, we discover Mallory is a very powerful witch, like level four which is the most powerful. It was so convenient and clichéd. I should also mention that Mallory didn't know about any of this before hand, but the vampires could sense her power. You'd think with how excited she was about Merit being a vampire, she'd be equally excited for her own sudden fortune, but no, she pouts and doesn't even bother to ask any questions like "How?" or "why" or anything at all. She just stays silent till she gets home and goes into her room to pout some more. Now I ask you... WTF?
These characters engage in activities that seem like so much more time has passed, but you have to remember it's only been a few days. Merit begins her training with teacher Catcher Bell, and I'm sorry, I couldn't take this character seriously as much as I tried, because I hated his ridiculous name. Catcher is also the person whom Mallory is instantly drawn to and he also tells her what level witch she is and how her witchery has been used in the past without her knowledge. This was done to pacify the reader like me who may ask "how come she didn't know she was a witch with all this so-called "unstable" power coursing through her. I still ask that, because Catcher begins to train Mallory too, in between their sex romps and he goes on to stress just how unstable and dangerous her power is if uncontrolled. You'd think she would have noticed something at SOME point in her twenty something years on earth, such as things around her going berserk. But apparently, her power ONLY became unstable and chaotic once it was revealed she had any power at all.
Another vampire is also interested in Merit, the same one who OWNED the very nightclub Merit and friends were kicked out of the night before. Merit goes on to describe this character as "boy" several times which kept throwing me off, cause I didn't know if he was a boy or man or some kind of manboy. Later you find out the "boy" is three times Merits age. How insulting it must be for him to be considered a "boy" do you think? That's just one example of the under developed characterization and childlike-minded dialogue the characters communicated with.
Another reviewer mentioned that this book felt like the author was a young adult writer and decided to take a stab at writing for adult, but kept forgetting to up the age mentally for her characters. I'd have to agree. Ultimately the characters were boring, their conversations were boring, the threat of the plot which at some point seems to disappear in the story only to reemerge here and there in the novel was boring. And the entire world seemed very blasé about vampires being exposed seeing that it was only two months since they came out the coffin. Also not realistic.
I don't get the praise this series received, I don't get the praise twilight received. But I'm starting to think the people who enjoyed this book, also enjoyed Twilight and other YA novels.
This wasn't for me.
