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fyrekatz's review against another edition
4.0
This book was pretty good, I'll have to read the next to see how I feel about the series and if I continue.
pewterwolf's review against another edition
3.0
Review Taken From The Pewter Wolf
In the small town of Morganville in Texas, Claire Danvers just started college. And it looks like it could be murder. Not only has she found herself on the wrong side of the meanest girl in town, Claire finds herself inside a secret. A secret so big, it engulfs the town and everyone in it. Expect for Claire...
Now, this isn’t your typical vampire story (did I reveal the secret? Oops!). Well, it wasn’t a typical vampire read for me, and maybe it’s because of this, it didn’t sit well with me. I’m not 100% certain if its the writing style that bother, how she tackled bullying (which is a huge issue I have with the story, FYI) or how Rachel wrote the story, but there was something about this that I couldn’t warm to.
With most of the vampire novels I have read in the past few years (Twilight, Blue Bloods & Sookie Stackhouse to name a few), they twist the vampire myth to make the mythology their own. However, with Glass Houses, this seemed to be very close to the mythology. Vampires don’t really like going out in the daytime, they have fangs and they have a hierarchy. But there are some times that weren’t answers (if they hate sunlight, why are they in the middle of Texas? [I believe that was answered in a later book]) and I think that (and the character development) is the key to why this series is so popular.
Now, I want to talk quickly about the bullying that was featured in here. As you know, I am quite edgy when it comes to certain subjects. Bullying isn’t one of them. When I read [b:Hollow Pike|10836484|Hollow Pike|Juno Dawson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1311348328l/10836484._SY75_.jpg|15750630] by James Dawson, I felt that he tackled the issue of bullying with a great amount of sensitive, yet was unflinching over what this does. This book wasn’t anything like that. Within the first chapter, Claire is pushed down the stairs and, halfway through the book, someone tried to throw battery acid on Claire’s back. This wasn’t bullying. This was worse. The character lived in fear that Monica was going to kill her and, to me, it felt like this wasn’t tackled and, when it was, it was brushed aside with a “Oh, Monica’s a vampire/human-in-league-with-the-vamps so she can do what she likes so you have to put up with it or shut up”, and that upset me. People get bullied and to have that reaction was horrifying!
But, saying that though, I found the last 20% of the book gripping. And for that cliffhanger ending – if you fell for the story, you will be itching to get your hands on book two, Dead Girls' Dance, as you won’t see it coming....
As for me... it’s not my cup of tea. But I won’t say no to reading book two in the series (I did want to jump to book 11, Last Breath, but I have been told by two book blogger pals told me that you have to read the series through due to the game-changing nature of the series and the character development). I’m in no rush to read [b:The Dead Girls' Dance|261122|The Dead Girls' Dance (The Morganville Vampires, #2)|Rachel Caine|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388182865l/261122._SY75_.jpg|253091] so when I do get round to it, I expect something awesome and shocking to happen or I might leave the series alone...
In the small town of Morganville in Texas, Claire Danvers just started college. And it looks like it could be murder. Not only has she found herself on the wrong side of the meanest girl in town, Claire finds herself inside a secret. A secret so big, it engulfs the town and everyone in it. Expect for Claire...
Now, this isn’t your typical vampire story (did I reveal the secret? Oops!). Well, it wasn’t a typical vampire read for me, and maybe it’s because of this, it didn’t sit well with me. I’m not 100% certain if its the writing style that bother, how she tackled bullying (which is a huge issue I have with the story, FYI) or how Rachel wrote the story, but there was something about this that I couldn’t warm to.
With most of the vampire novels I have read in the past few years (Twilight, Blue Bloods & Sookie Stackhouse to name a few), they twist the vampire myth to make the mythology their own. However, with Glass Houses, this seemed to be very close to the mythology. Vampires don’t really like going out in the daytime, they have fangs and they have a hierarchy. But there are some times that weren’t answers (if they hate sunlight, why are they in the middle of Texas? [I believe that was answered in a later book]) and I think that (and the character development) is the key to why this series is so popular.
Now, I want to talk quickly about the bullying that was featured in here. As you know, I am quite edgy when it comes to certain subjects. Bullying isn’t one of them. When I read [b:Hollow Pike|10836484|Hollow Pike|Juno Dawson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1311348328l/10836484._SY75_.jpg|15750630] by James Dawson, I felt that he tackled the issue of bullying with a great amount of sensitive, yet was unflinching over what this does. This book wasn’t anything like that. Within the first chapter, Claire is pushed down the stairs and, halfway through the book, someone tried to throw battery acid on Claire’s back. This wasn’t bullying. This was worse. The character lived in fear that Monica was going to kill her and, to me, it felt like this wasn’t tackled and, when it was, it was brushed aside with a “Oh, Monica’s a vampire/human-in-league-with-the-vamps so she can do what she likes so you have to put up with it or shut up”, and that upset me. People get bullied and to have that reaction was horrifying!
But, saying that though, I found the last 20% of the book gripping. And for that cliffhanger ending – if you fell for the story, you will be itching to get your hands on book two, Dead Girls' Dance, as you won’t see it coming....
As for me... it’s not my cup of tea. But I won’t say no to reading book two in the series (I did want to jump to book 11, Last Breath, but I have been told by two book blogger pals told me that you have to read the series through due to the game-changing nature of the series and the character development). I’m in no rush to read [b:The Dead Girls' Dance|261122|The Dead Girls' Dance (The Morganville Vampires, #2)|Rachel Caine|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388182865l/261122._SY75_.jpg|253091] so when I do get round to it, I expect something awesome and shocking to happen or I might leave the series alone...
ck714's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
samilou33's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
lattelibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
Nowhere near as cliche as I thought it would be for a vampire novel. The author definitely threw in some very interesting plot lines that seemed believable and not altogether outlandish. It was a quick and fun read, and though it may sound as though it was written like the author is a teenager, we have to remember that this is in the point of view from a sixteen year old. She did a magnificent job of keeping everyone in character--especially when the nerdy, main character Claire is having difficulties.
queenofodas's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
ameserole's review against another edition
4.0
Spoiler
Glass Houses has left me freaking impressed since this is the first book I've read by Rachel Caine. It is about Claire, who is a 16 year old freshman attending a pretty poor college in Morganville. She is constantly being bullied by the wrong kind of people and eventually moves out of her dorm building.She then moves in the glass house, which is owned by Michael. Eve and Shane are her other roommates but none of them go to her school. They help her with the ins and outs of the town and set a rule that she can't go out of the house when it's dark. WHY? Oh because it isn't safe. WHY? Oh, cause vampires
Then you find out that Michael is actually a ghost and can only be seen at night (
Speaking of things I didn't see coming... that ending. I definitely did not see that coming. Where has Shane's dad been all this god damn time? Why is he torturing Michael? He isn't a god damn vampire.
Oh and Shane and Claire kissed and that made my day. I'm hard core shipping them together so don't ruin it for me people. I need at least one of my damn ships to be together and lately every couple I have rooted for has not happened. AT ALL.
Other than all of the craziness, I really enjoyed this book. It was a pretty quick read and highly entertaining. Especially since I never saw anything coming. But I guess that's what I get when I read a book for free online.
I can't wait for the next book.
sleepysamreads's review against another edition
4.0
I originally read The Morganville Vampires series when I was just a wee little middle schooler. (Which was almost 15 years ago.. I guess I can honestly say I’m getting old.) Back then I followed the books as they were released, but never finished the series due to moving on from what I’ve dubbed my ‘vampire phase.’
With Rachel Caine’s recent passing I found myself feeling very nostalgic for the little I could remember of the series.
I’m so glad I decided to revisit them! This was so much fun! I might actually enjoy it more now then I did then? (My original rating was 3 stars, which I’ve bumped up to 4.) It’s not groundbreaking writing or plotting, but I did genuinely enjoy it and I’m looking forward to reading the other books in the series.
With Rachel Caine’s recent passing I found myself feeling very nostalgic for the little I could remember of the series.
I’m so glad I decided to revisit them! This was so much fun! I might actually enjoy it more now then I did then? (My original rating was 3 stars, which I’ve bumped up to 4.) It’s not groundbreaking writing or plotting, but I did genuinely enjoy it and I’m looking forward to reading the other books in the series.