Immortal by Gillian Shields

Sixteen year old Evie grew up in southern England with her grandmother, Frankie.  Her mother drowned in the ocean when Evie was a babe and her father is in the military, stationed abroad with his men.  When Frankie takes a bad turn and ends up in a nursing home Evie is sent unhappily to Wyldcliffe Abby School For Young Ladies in the north.  Thus is the concise beginning of Immortal by Gillian Shields.  Before Evie can arrive she collides with a mysterious young man with an intense gaze and shadows under his eyes.  At Wyldcliffe Evie arrives as a scholarship student and is confronted with unfeeling and unfriendly faces in the form of teachers and students.  As she makes friends, and enemies, Evie is cast into a world of unknown, and she tries to make sense of the visions shes sees, the mysterious people in her new life, and her past.

I read Immortal in about 6 hours.  It's light, easy reading, and from the perspective of a 16 year old, so there isn't much of an intellectual challenge here.  I like Evie, she is always sensible, but yet ready to take risks and try new things.  She suffers quietly and follows the rules, both traits I identify with.  The cast of characters aren't too well developed as this is mostly a romantic mystery, but the story doesn't suffer from it.  I found the plot a bit predictable, but I am about 5 years older than the demographic here.  I'd recommend this to girls interested in witchcraft, the Victorian era, fantasy tales of old dreary boarding houses, and teens or pre-teens.

3 out of 5 stars

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Jacob Jankowski is a 90 year old man. Or 93. He doesn't quite remember.  He lives in a nursing home, has a hard time remembering the name of his favorite nurse, and is routinely told what to eat and what to do.  But with all of these unfortunate difficulties, he can remember some things quite vividly, such as the time he spent in the circus during the 1930s.  After a horrific accident in which Jacob's whole life changes he is swept away, never to be the same again.

I read Water for Elephants in preparation for the movie release this past weekend.  I was predetermined to love it because of the decade, the setting, and the movie's actors.  What I didn't expect was to fall in love with the main character from the very first page.  Jacob is funny, uppity, and reminds me of my grandparents.  His viewpoint is unique and wonderful, and so deeply developed that you truly feel like you're listening to a friend's stories, not a fictional character's.  Marlena (Jacob's love interest) is a bit dull around the edges for my taste--I have a deep affection for strong female characters--but because this story is about Jacob and his experiences from start to finish that is something I can overlook.   This is, ultimately, a love story, exploring how people grow and change for love.  I recommend this novel for animal lovers, romantics, people who will see or have seen the movie, or anyone who just wants to read a good story.

And one more quick fact I love--this Ms. Gruen wrote Water for Elephants during NaNoWriMo. LOVE IT.

4 out of 5 stars.

The Last Vampire by Christopher Pike

The Last Vampire is a short novel about Alisa Perne (whose real name is Sita), the last vampire. Or so she thinks.  Quickly Alisa finds out that someone is investigating her, and after some a minor plot point she decides to do some investigating herself.  Along her journey Alisa finds a new love and new friend.  She also realizes that maybe she isn't the last vampire after all.

This book is short, uncomplicated, and an easy read.  It is actually one I read in middle or high school, so that shows you the complexity level.  The end of the book is a to be continued and leads into a series (complete set of 6).  I will not be reading the rest.  Mostly its a bit dull due to the lack of depth of characters.  The writing is also just simple--there is no complexity to this at all.  You'll like this book if you're in middle/high school and enjoy science fiction.

1 out of 5 stars.

Sookie Stackhouse (Southern Vampire) Series by Charlaine Harris

The  Sookie Stackhouse (Southern Vampire) Series by Charlaine Harris is the basis for the popular HBO series True Blood.  The books focus around a telepathic waitress named Sookie Stackhouse who works as a barmaid in the northern Louisiana town of Bon Temps.  Each novel  follows Sookie as she solves mysteries involving vampires, werewolves, faries, and other supes (supernatural creatures).  The television series is only a rough adaption of the books, and characters who are very prominent (or still alive for that matter) may not be in the reading.  The HBO series also grabs different parts of different books and mashes them together, so while reading book 7 you may see something they refer to in the tv series around book 3.  There are a total of 10 novels in the series and an 11th is due to be released in May.  They are:

1. Dead Until Dark
2. Living Dead in Dallas
3. Club Dead
4. Dead to the World
5. Dead as a Doornail
6. Definitely Dead
7. All Together Dead
8. From Dead to Worse
9. Dead and Gone
10. Dead in the Family
11. Dead Reckoning (May 2011)

There is also A Touch of Dead, a compilation of Sookie Stackhouse short stories, and The Sookie Stackhouse Companion, which is billed as "the definitive guide to the world of Sookie Stackhouse", neither of which I read.

 I enjoyed this series.  It's not something I will probably read again, but the books were a good distraction from anything going on around me and often the books would pull me in so that I'd be up until early in the morning reading.  Luckily I borrowed the entire series from a friend and so as soon as one book was finished I could start the next in the series.  Some parts of True Blood are better than the books, and vice versa.  I'm not sure if it is because I watch the tv series but often the conclusion of some of the mysteries seemed a bit obvious.  I love being able to see everything from Sookie's perspective as the narrator, it lends to a greater understanding and appreciation of her depth.  Throughout the novels the concept of family is dominant, about cherishing and suffering for your family and those you love, family roots and ties, as well as base emotions such as desire and jealousy.  I recommend this series to Trubies, those who like supernatural fiction, and those girls with "blonde hair and big boobs".

3 out of 5 stars.