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Evernight
I don’t remember how I came across Claudia Gray’s Evernight, but I knew it was about vampires, so it was enough for me to give it a try. I liked it, and I want to write a review about it, but I am at a serious impasse. I am not against throwing spoiler alerts left and right, but in this case I feel somehow…hesitant. Anyway, here it goes: SPOILER ALERT around the corner.
Bianca Olivier has been enrolled at Evernight, a boarding school for the rich and the spoiled. She doesn’t have much of a choice in terms of liking it or not, since her parents teach at the school and are adamant about her studying there. Things get better when Bianca meets Lucas Ross who has decided to protect her from the evilness lurking in the shadows of the school.
The love story follows the usual patterns of teen angst with a light side of supernatural elements, when at page 139 Bianca shows her true colors. She is the vampire. Not only that, she is a born vampire. Everybody who is a serious vampire fan knows that vampires are made, not born. Which in turns should elicit the old time question about who made the first vampire…something like the egg and the chicken conundrum. But I digress.
I liked how Claudia Gray played with words from the beginning of the story letting the readers know that Bianca is special, and that her parents consider her as their little miracle come through. I thought that it was rather clever to describe Bianca’s world from her point of view, without letting out her nature. The author treated her character being a vampire the same way as ethnicity, or skin color. It stands to reason to think that if the protagonist is from India, for example, he or she will refer to food as simply food, not Indian food. Therefore Bianca doesn’t say exactly what she eats, food is food for her, even when her meal is a warm cup of blood.
Bianca bites Lucas, not once but twice. The second time with his permission. The second bite leaves Lucas with heightened senses, and Bianca seeks adults’ advice on what is happening to him. And that is when it turns out that Lucas is not who he seems, as well. He is part of Black Cross, a league of vampire hunters. Once discovered, Lucas runs away and Bianca follows him, only to be separated again when her parents and several vampires come to rescue her from the Black Cross’ crutches.
In a nutshell, Bianca and Lucas’ love story is the young adult vampire version of Romeo and Juliet, minus the ending, otherwise there wouldn’t be other three books after the first one. And let’s face it, nobody really likes it when young characters die in the name of love.
Vampire Academy
Another gift from the Vampire Book Club : Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. As I wrote before, I am an urban fantasy’s fan, and I have a penchant for vampires. After having read few novels that were forgotten as soon as I put them down, I gave Vampire Academy a try simply because the author lives in Seattle. And I am glad I did it. Spoiler Alert after the break.
Vampire Academy is the first in the homonymous series. Rose and Lissa are the best of friends, they are inseparable. They live one for the other. Literally. Lissa is Vasilisa Dragomir, a Moroi, vampire royalty who can use magic. Rose is Rosemarie Hathaway, a dhampir, a hybrid, half human half vampire, whose purpose in life is to be eventually Lissa’ s guardian. This is the way of life for Moroi and dhampirs, but the two girls have a special bond. Rose can enter in Lissa’ s mind and feel and see anything she feels and sees. After having successfully lived for two years in the human world, hiding from a mysterious entity who threats Lissa’s life, they are tracked down and brought back to ST. Vladimir’s Academy by Dimitri Belikow, a Russian dhampir guard sent by the school. Once back at the Academy, the two girls have to deal with teenager’s drama, and life and death problems. While Lissa is sent back to her classes, Rose has to put up with special training under Dimitri’s supervision. Soon Rose discovers that the reason why Lissa is becoming moody and unstable is because she uses the healing power which is almost unheard of among vampires. With the help of Dimitri, Rose manages to save Lissa from her ill uncle, who wants to use his niece to heal and reign as the new vampire king.
Vampire Academy is a fast read, it is well written, and most importantly its world is regulated by specific rules that limits the characters in their interaction. The Moroi are vampires who need dhampirs to defend themselves against the Strigoi. While the Moroi are vampires who feed from humans, but don’t kill them, the Strigoi are vampires who have killed humans. The Moroi are alive and use magical powers; the Strigoi are dead and have lost their connection with earth’s magic. Dhampirs are stronger than Moroi, but can’t procreate without their help. The two races need to stay united against the dead vampires. Rose and Lissa live in a heavily structured society and they break rules at every turn. Rose allows Lissa to feed from her, and falls in love with Dimitri, seven years older than her and dhampir. Lissa uses compulsion on other Moroi to do her bidding, and help cleaning Rose’s reputation.
As I wrote in another occasion, it is a pleasure when a literary universe is so well crafted that is believable. When Rose lets Lissa feed from her, the reader’s sentiments are a mix of disgust and fascination. When she gradually falls in love with Dimitri, it is evident that their union is doomed by society. Dhampirs as a species need Moroi to survive, and a damphir love story is taboo. Equally fascinating are the byproducts of such society. Rose is called a blood-whore, a dhampir woman who allows vampires to feed from her during sex. Young Moroi males find dhampir girls exotic and desirable compared to the thin and ethereal vampire girls, but never marry them. It’s interesting that the aspect of feeding is treated as something necessary, but somehow demeaning. Therefore humans exist at the fringe of the vampires’ world. Although treated gently, humans are no more than blood containers.
Vampire Academy is a good example that it is possible to infuse new energy in a genre that is not original anymore. Even in the overcrowded young adults paranormal romance category.
Being Human Getting Personal
As I wrote before, I wondered if the American Being Human (ABH) was going to follow the British version (BBH) or not. It is and it isn’t from what I have seen so far. I have just started watching BBH’s second season, and ABH’s six episodes, and I have by now a clear idea of the route both series have taken. Spoiler Alert after the break.
ABH is following the basic structure of the British series, but it is also evolving in something interesting and quite different. The first noticeable difference is in the addition of several minor characters that help furthering the plot and the character growing. In the sixth episode Josh’s sister, Emily, is left by her girlfriend and is back in his life. Sally meets a new friend while going out with Aidan. And Aidan earlier on fights demons come back from his past. Meanwhile Sally’s best friend, Bridget, falls in love with her fiancé. Among all the changes the ABH has introduced, I like this the most. Changing an anonymous bitchy and tacky character for someone Sally knew and loved gives the story a different pace. Sally’s murderous fiancée, Danny, is also more credible than the British counterpart. The way Sally, as a ghost, interacts with the rest of the characters is also more credible because regulated by precise rules and limitations.
I was surprised to see that in the ABH sixth episode the vampire-porn dvd makes its apparition. And again, I thought that it was well done. Instead of having a naked dude humping the air and being killed by an invisible vampire, the scene in the ABH is shot showing the vampire, Rebecca, and making her the protagonist of the shooting. Elegant solution for a problematic scene.
On the other hand, BBH is funnier. When George tries his worst to score a date with Nina, she answers back showing her attitude. I immediately liked her sassiness. When Josh does exactly the same thing with Nora, even the pattern of the dialogue was similar, she reacts threatening him to call HR for harassment. Not cool.
Looking forward to the next ABH to see what the writers have done with the dvd’s plot.
Being Human or Being Human? That Is the Question
I have just finished watching the British Being Human, and I can now compare it with the American version. I have to start saying that, for different reasons, I like both of them, which is by itself a first. Lately I have found remakes rather disappointing, especially if they come right after the original. At the moment I have in mind the American Skins, which it falls short of being as funny as the British Skins. I blame it on the simple fact that the Brit slang makes everything, and I really mean everything, sound almost whimsical. I watched the first episode of the American Being Human (ABH), and then, overtaken by curiosity, I went to netflix the British Being Human’s (BBH) first season. I was more than pleasantly surprised to notice that, although the basic storyline is the same, three unlikely roommates striving to fit in the human world, there are several differences. Due to the fact that British television series are shorter than the American equivalents, it stands to reason when adapting a script to explore subplots and additional characters. Since I haven’t seen BBH’s second season, I don’t know if the secondary characters showing in ABH’s first three episodes are a brand new invention, or if they are just being introduced earlier on in the American series.
Reasons why I like BBH (pretty obvious, although mild, SPOILER ALERT):
- British Humor. Enough said already on the topic. Nonetheless I would like to spend a moment to remember when George complains that the word “peedo” (as in pedophiles) written on the door of their townhome is misspelled. Tragically hilarious.
- British Accent. And here there is nothing to add, since it is simply awesome.
- George, Mitchell, Annie. The three actors have such distinctive traits that make the characters believable in their struggle.
Reasons why I like ABH (and again, mild SPOILER ALERT):
- To accommodate longer airing season and cultural preferences ABH has taken a different route in the story telling. Secondary characters like Josh’s sister, and the son of one of Aidan’s victims, appears early on to explain where the protagonists come from.
- Like any respectable urban fantasy world, ABH has its canonized rules. When Sally asks Aidan how can he walk in plain daylight, he answers that like any other species , vampires have evolved too. Although it is shown later on that they still have to ask for permission to enter in someone else’s home. Josh’ s olfactory sense is always working. Sally needs a ghost guide to learn how to transport herself in and out of rooms, and outside. Every character has specific abilities, and disabilities.
- Josh, Aidan, and Sally are equally great.
In conclusion, I am looking forward to see how an American series aired on public television is going to tackle several topics that are considered not suitable for a mainstream audience. One of them, just to make an example, is the pedophile accusations’ plot, which is an important part of BBH. Mitchell accidentally lends a kid a vampire porno dvd. As a result the outraged mother makes a public scene accusing Mitchell to prey on her son, and the neighbors react strongly to the accusations. While the controversial theme was well played in BBH, I am not sure that ABH will be able to use it as it is. Looking forward to the next ABH’s episode to see what the writers have wisely concocted for us. I have plenty of faith in them.
Being Human
I have just watched Being Human, the American version of a Brit show, now airing on Syfy , and although the channel is in-famous for stellar titles like Mega Python vs. Gatoroid (I kid you not!), I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the acting and the plot. I haven’t seen the original show, so I can’t draw any comparison between the two, but the first episode of the American one delivers big time. Think about a television series about a nervous young doctor, a handsome male nurse, and a good looking girl who is making plans to get married, living in a big city, looking for a comfortable place to settle in, having to solve daily problems, dealing with relationships and family’s issues. What it comes to mind could be Friends 2011, right? Think again. Josh, the nervous young doctor is a werewolf; Aidan, the handsome male nurse is a vampire; Sally, the bride to be, never got to the altar, she is a ghost. They all strive to be normal, as normal as they can be.
Spoiler Alert, I am going to summarize the first episode, There Goes The Neighborhood: Part 1. Josh is an unhappy werewolf who doesn’t have a place to call home. Aidan is trying hard not to kill humans, but has a bad night and relapses causing a coworker whom he is dating to die. He has to call for help cleaning his mess. They both work at the same hospital and Aidan suggest that they could join forces and live together. Josh agrees and after a month they find the perfect place. The only tiny problem with the apartment is that it comes with a ghost, Sally. She is new to the ghost life and she is still dealing with her status of being dead. Meanwhile Aidan is being helped by the Bishop to maintain his digression under control, but remorse about killing the innocent woman is taking its toll on him. And the Bishop seems to want Aidan to go back to his former life. Josh’s sister accidentally finds him at the hospital. They haven’t talked in two years and she would like to have his best friend back. Josh tries his best to push her away, saying that she could never understand why he has left his family. While Sally is moping in the house and Aidan is having a good time at a vampire club with Bishop, Josh is left to face the worst fear for a reluctant werewolf: His sister follows him to the cellar Aidan has found for him to safely change when it comes that time of the month. And the door doesn’t open from the inside. Looking forward to watch the second episode.
Monica La Porta 