Scan barcode
booksong's review
4.0
A very worthy and satisfying climax novel for the current chain of events happening in Morganville.
As climax novels are supposed to do, "Carpe Corpus" brought a lot of things to a head, weaving all kinds of suspenseful and long-awaited moments into the plot. I don't want to spoil, but there are big things happening in terms of death (I was very saddened by the death at the end), relationships (finally *wink*), and struggles for the freedom of Morganville. Vampires and humans band together to oust Bishop's evil reign, but not without immense cost and a lot of moments where you're holding your breath.
I love how the author keeps us guessing; right down to the wire there are plot twists, questions about who's on which side, and outcomes different than what you'd expect. The characters remain one of the most enjoyable factors of the series; Caine portrays the Glass House-mates' banter and relationships extremely well. Her minor characters also shine, as I've mentioned in reviews past; Myrnin, Amelie, Hannah, and many others. And Claire is a good, strong heroine who falls into very few of the "teenage female hero" character traps; she thinks and acts for herself, stands up to both good and bad guys in awesome ways, retains a powerful sense of right and wrong as well as a core of empathy, and yet still shows realistic weaknesses, fears, and hesitancy.
This particular conflict may have ended here, but I can't wait to see what else Caine has in store for Morganville in her next novels.
As climax novels are supposed to do, "Carpe Corpus" brought a lot of things to a head, weaving all kinds of suspenseful and long-awaited moments into the plot. I don't want to spoil, but there are big things happening in terms of death (I was very saddened by the death at the end), relationships (finally *wink*), and struggles for the freedom of Morganville. Vampires and humans band together to oust Bishop's evil reign, but not without immense cost and a lot of moments where you're holding your breath.
I love how the author keeps us guessing; right down to the wire there are plot twists, questions about who's on which side, and outcomes different than what you'd expect. The characters remain one of the most enjoyable factors of the series; Caine portrays the Glass House-mates' banter and relationships extremely well. Her minor characters also shine, as I've mentioned in reviews past; Myrnin, Amelie, Hannah, and many others. And Claire is a good, strong heroine who falls into very few of the "teenage female hero" character traps; she thinks and acts for herself, stands up to both good and bad guys in awesome ways, retains a powerful sense of right and wrong as well as a core of empathy, and yet still shows realistic weaknesses, fears, and hesitancy.
This particular conflict may have ended here, but I can't wait to see what else Caine has in store for Morganville in her next novels.
amibunk's review
2.0
A miracle has occurred: Rachel Caine ended a Morganville Vampire book without a massive cliff hanger. Alert the media!
This book was not my favorite. There were stranger than usual plots twists (seriously a vampiric computer?), a sex scene I felt came too early for the character (not to mention it was entirely unrealistic), and more gaping holes in the story than normal.
This book was not my favorite. There were stranger than usual plots twists (seriously a vampiric computer?), a sex scene I felt came too early for the character (not to mention it was entirely unrealistic), and more gaping holes in the story than normal.
vikingwolf's review against another edition
4.0
For those who are loyal to Amelie, losing the war to Bishop is a bitter pill to swallow and the rules in Morganville are going to change. The human population are facing an uncertain future and Amelie loyalists are working for the enemy. An underground resistance movement is building with a dangerous plan to take back Morganville from the evil forces who seek to destroy it but can they really win this time?
Claire is being compelled to do whatever Bishop tells her to do and is being used a messenger which includes delivering death sentences around town. She is being seen as the human face of the Bishop regime with people fearing her and fawning over her in equal measures. She is angry at being forced to work for Myrnin who she believes has betrayed them all and is worried sick about Shane who remains under threat of execution along with Frank. Eve feels as if she has lost everything with both Michael and Claire working for the enemy. In a town where she was never popular, being alone in the Glass House leaves her vulnerable.
There is a slight glimmer of hope when Myrnin admits to Claire that he, Oliver and Michael are no longer under Bishop's power and that they are part of a secret resistance group run by Amelie. They are gathering their forces and plan to take back Morganville. Amelie is not pleased that Myrnin has shared the secret and is even madder when Claire threatens to destroy the cure if help is not given to save Shane. Claire is also somewhat disturbed to discover that the brain of a previous assistant Ada has been used by Myrnin to power the computer that controls the town.
"There are vampires a-roaming in the dark. Very frightening. I'm quaking in my beach sandals."-Myrnin
Theo decides to try and break Shane out so he can be reunited with his friends and escape from the town but it does not go well and Claire fears that Shane is doomed. Bishop decides that it is time for a life lesson and what he does horrifies everyone who witnesses it and destroys two lives. Monica is also concerned about Richard going missing and Claire agrees to try and find out what happened to him. The resistance get ready to put their plan into action.
This was another great read as the residents of Morganville get ready for another battle with Bishop's people. It is their last chance to win as if they lose, Bishop is likely to kill them all. The plan is of course dangerous and things do not go according to plan, causing severe trauma to several people. Sacrifices need to be made to win but will it be worth it if they gain victory? I was sad at something that happened in the battle and I think it could cause trouble in later books for a few characters. The implications after the Frank incident are also going to be fascinating as the series progresses.
Another solid book in a series that continues to entertain.
Claire is being compelled to do whatever Bishop tells her to do and is being used a messenger which includes delivering death sentences around town. She is being seen as the human face of the Bishop regime with people fearing her and fawning over her in equal measures. She is angry at being forced to work for Myrnin who she believes has betrayed them all and is worried sick about Shane who remains under threat of execution along with Frank. Eve feels as if she has lost everything with both Michael and Claire working for the enemy. In a town where she was never popular, being alone in the Glass House leaves her vulnerable.
There is a slight glimmer of hope when Myrnin admits to Claire that he, Oliver and Michael are no longer under Bishop's power and that they are part of a secret resistance group run by Amelie. They are gathering their forces and plan to take back Morganville. Amelie is not pleased that Myrnin has shared the secret and is even madder when Claire threatens to destroy the cure if help is not given to save Shane. Claire is also somewhat disturbed to discover that the brain of a previous assistant Ada has been used by Myrnin to power the computer that controls the town.
"There are vampires a-roaming in the dark. Very frightening. I'm quaking in my beach sandals."-Myrnin
Theo decides to try and break Shane out so he can be reunited with his friends and escape from the town but it does not go well and Claire fears that Shane is doomed. Bishop decides that it is time for a life lesson and what he does horrifies everyone who witnesses it and destroys two lives. Monica is also concerned about Richard going missing and Claire agrees to try and find out what happened to him. The resistance get ready to put their plan into action.
This was another great read as the residents of Morganville get ready for another battle with Bishop's people. It is their last chance to win as if they lose, Bishop is likely to kill them all. The plan is of course dangerous and things do not go according to plan, causing severe trauma to several people. Sacrifices need to be made to win but will it be worth it if they gain victory? I was sad at something that happened in the battle and I think it could cause trouble in later books for a few characters. The implications after the Frank incident are also going to be fascinating as the series progresses.
Another solid book in a series that continues to entertain.
zoe_e_w's review against another edition
5.0
I've plowed through the first six books of this series in what feels like record time for me, but that's because I did NOTHING ELSE besides read. But at long last comes a book that doesn't end on a cliffhanger, answers a lot of questions about the current plots, and leaves just enough closure where I can pause from the series and take a breath before diving into the next book.
Carpe Coprus did not start off exactly where the last book left off, so some of what was missed out on in the following months is briefly recapped before moving ahead with the story. Bishop still has Claire, Shane, Eve, and Michael separated, and now has full control of Morganville. Or so it seems, and soon Amelie makes an appearance to explain where she's been, and how she plans to fight back in the face of what seems like certain defeat. Bishop, who is certain of the degree of control he has over his victims, decides to allow Shane to be released from custody, in exchange for a very heavy price. Shane, Michael, and Eve then suggest as usual that Claire should just sit at home and ride out the storm. But obviously, this isn't and hasn't been Claire's style right from the start.
Claire at the start of the book is being slightly silly in insisting over and over "there's no such thing as magic." She's working with and fighting against vampires and aided by a steampunk-style difference engine powered by the soul of one of Myrnin's former victims, and she's intimately familiar with teleporting around town using magic doorways. Denial at this point is stubbornness of a satirical level, in my opinion. But aside from this streak of denial, she's also become a much harder and more focused person. No shock, as life in a war zone will either make you faster and sharper, or it makes you dead.
Shane and Claire finally get their moment alone with no interruptions, although having it happen a day after Claire's birthday in the circumstances as they were, it felt...kinda like a penny porn setup. "Oh, she's legal now, time to get buck wild." I suppose I knew it had to happen this way, because YA is all about the "wait until you're legal" lecture. But considering what had just happened not hours before said deed, I can't find it all that likely that Shane would just turn on like a lamp. But again, I expected things to turn out like this, cause some rules in YA, you don't break unless you don't really want to be marketed as YA.
From this point on, the book returns to the endgame between Amelie and Bishop, and because Claire is a creature of habit, it's not too hard to guess when her random trips out will lead her in a roundabout way to the location of the final battle, even though everyone and her mother told her not to be there. This is always the case. Claire says, "I'll just go to classes and pretend to be normal," and normal gets ripped out from under her rolled and rolled off like a used carpet.
Also given that I've been reading all the books so close together, it wasn't hard to see the foreshadowing about certain characters showing up late in the game, nor was it hard to predict how the last few chapters would go. I got to a point of almost too perfect closure at 85% into the book, and I thought, "No, there's still time for one more disaster." Yep, there was, and yep, I knew how that would go down, too.
But then the last chapter closes on a "happy for now" kind of ending. It's like the season finale to a TV series, with enough closure to cap the events from the past books, while still leaving enough wiggle room to move on to new stories in the next season. Amelie regains control of the town, and new changes go into place granting the humans more security from the vampires, even including them being allowed to carry stakes and other weapons for self-defense. There's still plenty of work to be done to rebuild in the wake of this war, but the humans and the vampires have reached a state of compromise that could make future stories very interesting if both sides honor the truce. Part of me expects trouble from both sides, and soon.
I'm glad to take a small break and breathe before moving into that new territory, but I'm also impressed at how quickly this series addicted me. I really haven't read anything quite this engrossing in a long time, and even series I really liked, I didn't feel this much need to keep pushing forward and ignore everything else. (And I do mean everything. I may need a bath now. I know, TMI.)
I give Carpe Corpus five stars, and I highly recommend this series to anyone looking for a new vampire addiction.
Carpe Coprus did not start off exactly where the last book left off, so some of what was missed out on in the following months is briefly recapped before moving ahead with the story. Bishop still has Claire, Shane, Eve, and Michael separated, and now has full control of Morganville. Or so it seems, and soon Amelie makes an appearance to explain where she's been, and how she plans to fight back in the face of what seems like certain defeat. Bishop, who is certain of the degree of control he has over his victims, decides to allow Shane to be released from custody, in exchange for a very heavy price. Shane, Michael, and Eve then suggest as usual that Claire should just sit at home and ride out the storm. But obviously, this isn't and hasn't been Claire's style right from the start.
Claire at the start of the book is being slightly silly in insisting over and over "there's no such thing as magic." She's working with and fighting against vampires and aided by a steampunk-style difference engine powered by the soul of one of Myrnin's former victims, and she's intimately familiar with teleporting around town using magic doorways. Denial at this point is stubbornness of a satirical level, in my opinion. But aside from this streak of denial, she's also become a much harder and more focused person. No shock, as life in a war zone will either make you faster and sharper, or it makes you dead.
Shane and Claire finally get their moment alone with no interruptions, although having it happen a day after Claire's birthday in the circumstances as they were, it felt...kinda like a penny porn setup. "Oh, she's legal now, time to get buck wild." I suppose I knew it had to happen this way, because YA is all about the "wait until you're legal" lecture. But considering what had just happened not hours before said deed, I can't find it all that likely that Shane would just turn on like a lamp. But again, I expected things to turn out like this, cause some rules in YA, you don't break unless you don't really want to be marketed as YA.
From this point on, the book returns to the endgame between Amelie and Bishop, and because Claire is a creature of habit, it's not too hard to guess when her random trips out will lead her in a roundabout way to the location of the final battle, even though everyone and her mother told her not to be there. This is always the case. Claire says, "I'll just go to classes and pretend to be normal," and normal gets ripped out from under her rolled and rolled off like a used carpet.
Also given that I've been reading all the books so close together, it wasn't hard to see the foreshadowing about certain characters showing up late in the game, nor was it hard to predict how the last few chapters would go. I got to a point of almost too perfect closure at 85% into the book, and I thought, "No, there's still time for one more disaster." Yep, there was, and yep, I knew how that would go down, too.
But then the last chapter closes on a "happy for now" kind of ending. It's like the season finale to a TV series, with enough closure to cap the events from the past books, while still leaving enough wiggle room to move on to new stories in the next season. Amelie regains control of the town, and new changes go into place granting the humans more security from the vampires, even including them being allowed to carry stakes and other weapons for self-defense. There's still plenty of work to be done to rebuild in the wake of this war, but the humans and the vampires have reached a state of compromise that could make future stories very interesting if both sides honor the truce. Part of me expects trouble from both sides, and soon.
I'm glad to take a small break and breathe before moving into that new territory, but I'm also impressed at how quickly this series addicted me. I really haven't read anything quite this engrossing in a long time, and even series I really liked, I didn't feel this much need to keep pushing forward and ignore everything else. (And I do mean everything. I may need a bath now. I know, TMI.)
I give Carpe Corpus five stars, and I highly recommend this series to anyone looking for a new vampire addiction.
georgiarlibrary's review against another edition
5.0
I love this book - the way it flows goes really well through our the series - the way it is plotted is really good - the characters capture my attention and so does the writing !
ravencourt23's review
4.0
simply amazing
i'm SO glad claire and shane FINALLY have sex!
it was such a cute book, and i love the end when you think there's not going to be anymore action, and then claire almost dies. i freaked out, but it was great.
i'm SO glad claire and shane FINALLY have sex!
it was such a cute book, and i love the end when you think there's not going to be anymore action, and then claire almost dies. i freaked out, but it was great.
kristid's review
3.0
Three words; thrilling, fast-paces & addicting.
The Morganville Vampire books are unlike any other vampire books out there. With a lot of vampire type romance books to choose from, The Morganville Vampire series is a whole lot more. Sure you have a little bit of the romance aspect going on, which for me is something I really enjoy, but it's also an action packed, thriller full of suspense and mystery. I mean you never know what is going down in Morganville, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
The characters are awesome, I want to live in the Glass house! Rachel knows how to weave an awesome plot line, she's always able to pull a fast one on me, even when I think I have the story all figured out. If you're looking for a different kind of vampire story, the Morganville Vampire series, might be just what you are looking for.
For now, I'm going to go dig into Fade Out, the next novel in the series!
The Morganville Vampire books are unlike any other vampire books out there. With a lot of vampire type romance books to choose from, The Morganville Vampire series is a whole lot more. Sure you have a little bit of the romance aspect going on, which for me is something I really enjoy, but it's also an action packed, thriller full of suspense and mystery. I mean you never know what is going down in Morganville, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
The characters are awesome, I want to live in the Glass house! Rachel knows how to weave an awesome plot line, she's always able to pull a fast one on me, even when I think I have the story all figured out. If you're looking for a different kind of vampire story, the Morganville Vampire series, might be just what you are looking for.
For now, I'm going to go dig into Fade Out, the next novel in the series!