Monday, August 10, 2015

Review: Daylighters by Rachel Caine


Daylighters (The Morganville Vampires #15) by Rachel Caine
While Morganville, Texas, is often a troubled town, Claire Danvers and her friends are looking forward to coming home. But the Morganville they return to isn’t the one they know; it’s become a different place—a deadly one…
Something drastic has happened in Morganville while Claire and her friends were away. The town looks cleaner and happier than they’ve ever seen it before, but when their incoming group is arrested and separated—vampires from humans—they realize that the changes definitely aren’t for the better.
It seems that an organization called the Daylight Foundation has offered the population of Morganville something they’ve never had: hope of a vampire-free future. And while it sounds like salvation—even for the vampires themselves—the truth is far more sinister and deadly.
Now, Claire, Shane and Eve need to find a way to break their friends out of Daylighter custody, before the vampires of Morganville meet their untimely end…

”add

Publishes in US: November 5th 2013 by NAL
Genre: ya paranormal vampires
Source: library
Series? The Morganville Vampires #15
my series reviews
#1 Glass Houses 
#2 Review: The Dead Girls' Dance
#3 Midnight Alley
#4 Feast of Fools by Rachel Caine 
#5 Lord of Misrule by Rachel Caine
# 6  Carpe Corpus
#7 Fade Out 
#8 Kiss of Death
#9 Ghost Town 
#10 Bite Club
#11 Last Breath
#12 Black Dawn
#13 Bitter Blood
# 14  Fall of Night

Buy it: Amazon || B&N || BAM || Bookish || GoodReads || GoogleBooks ||iBookstore || IndieBound || LibraryThing || Penguin Books ||Powell’s || Shelfari

Author stalk away: ~ site  series


   I wanted to read Daylighters because I have been addicted to this series and I have been racing towards the end. It is rather surreal that I am reading it because this is book 15. I have grown to love these characters so much and I am sad that I will be saying goodbye. Prepare yourself, there was some amazing writing in this one, and although I don't normally use quotes a whole lot in my reviews, this review will def be leaning that way. She wrote things that essentially summed up the characters or the whole of why I loved this experience. 

     Daylighters picks up with the Daylight Foundation having taking over the reins in Morganville. The vampires are seperated from the town, and humans are in control. They have some of the key humans such as Moses and they are working for them. 

   The humans are not afraid anymore, able to be out shopping, going to the park and out at night without worry. But the vampires such as Myrnin, Amelie, Oliver and new friend Jesse are all being tortured and Claire is afraid that the end game is for them to be killed. Eve is heart broken and angry as hell that Michael is being held, and Claire feels for Amelie who has tried to make things work in her experimental town, and I think that she would have come around and humans be equal without all of the other evil vampires that should have been more swiftly and publicly dealt with along the way in order to make her town feel secure, and for things to work. 

    There manages to be some sexy time with Claire and Shane and I savored every steamy moment even when I knew that it wouldn't last long until things are settled and peace is restored back to Morganville. 

     Oh my. I can't believe it's over. I binge read this series, fell completely in love and upon finishing I just feel so happy because it was an absolute perfect ending in my opinion. (Although she of course nearly have me heart failure at some of the twists and people I thought weren't going to make it.) I also feel so sad because there are no more Claire, Shane, eve, Michael, Myrnin, Bob the spider, Olivier or Amelie adventures to read about. There are certainly many places my imagination will go especially some of the good places shanes dreams went when he was draghed.

      Also to only further and completely solidify my love for Rachel Caine, she wrote that Claire's theme song was stand my ground by one of my favorite bands within temptation. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr65YjV5cUY)

     This book was everything I love about the series. The fairness and way that Claire looks at and judges both humans and vampires. By their actions, their intending and seeing and wanting the best for them. She is as much an advocate and fighter for the peace that she knew could be possible for morganvIlle. This states it perfectly:
“No matter what any of you have done, you haven't all done it. Because it's not right to judge a class of people by the actions of one, or a few. That's not justice. It's prejudice, and I don't like it. Justice means judging each person individually."
Jesse's lips slowly curled into a smile, and her eyes warmed as well. "High-minded," she said. "I'm not sure you'll find a lot of people living up to your standard."
Claire shrugged. "Doesn't matter if they do or not. It's my opinion, I'm not trying to make anybody else agree. But I don't want them forcing their opinions on me."
"And thus beging the war," said Lady Grey, who'd once been queen.”
    The humor in this one is just like the first, making me snort out loud at dance while I am in the waiting room getting curious looks from the other moms. The one liners and epic things that they say really helps to lighten the mood at times. And of course the banter between Shane and Eve is ever present and awesome as ever. Claire has grown up so much and into her own person, but one still deeply in love with Shane. She thinks offensively and defensively, and her eternal optimism laced with her ideas of justice and achieving balance between the vamps and humans is so refreshing. 

   The sweet but awesome dynamic between Shane and Claire: " You bought me grenades, you are the best girlfriend ever." "I'm the most worried girlfriend ever. Because this is getting a little crazy. The cops? Really? And you decided to clean the shotgun to, what, intimidate them?" "C'mon, this is rural Texas. Shotguns are as normal as garden gnomes. Besides, that gun oil really stinks up the house." "So do your shoes, but I don't see you leaving them outside." 

    And Myrnin. Our bipolar vampire brilliant scientist with his bunny slippers with fangs. He never ceases to surprise me the way that he is fond of Claire, how smart he is, how eccentric (read: bunny slippers as day to day wear), and how unpredictable he is. C: Do the guards know you're out?" "That's very doubtful. I did kill the guard who spotted me, after all." S: "Would that be the dead guy in our basement?" M " Well, of course, how many dead guards could there be? Why, did you kill one too? Wasteful." 

    I adore how they have grown his character but in some ways he is still the same. He has a fondness for Claire--he is fascinated with her ingenuity and genius in the sciences--and sure some of it may have went into kinda weird territory, but they finally gave him someone that was so strong, and able to handle him. I love how he reveres  Jessie. From the view of Claire seeing Myrnin and Jessie "“Her heart was breaking a little bit, because she felt something changing in Myrnin, and she knew that she would no longer be the center of his gravity. He'd always be there for her, and he'd always be her friend, but there was something in the way he held Jesse, stroked her hair, whispered to her in a way that Claire couldn't ever see him doing with her.” 

    And Oliver... he really proved how far he has come, and how much Claire has helped to change his views of humans and how it should look for them to have a balance and equality in Morganville. I was so proud of him in this one, and where he still maintained his personality and his view points. His summary quote "“I'm not saying a hunt isn't something we crave, but to a man, we hate to be manipulated. And this is our town, as much as any human's. Our home, and our neighbours and perhaps even our friends. You fall into the trap of thinking as Fallon does, that there are only heroes and villains, monsters and victims, and nothing between. We all stand in that space, crossing the line to one side, then the other. Even you.” "

   I love the transformation we see being fully shown in this one with Claire's character. She went from cowering from Monica and company and being pushed down stairs in her first days of her residence in Morganville, to a strong and competent woman who can defend herself. “She'd started handcuffed, armed with a paper clip. Now she had a ten-inch strip of metal with sharp edges, handcuffs, and a paper clip. Her odds were improving all the time.” She was able to think, use what she has and rescue herself and her friends. 

   Squee,I love when authors takes time to engage with readers!! Adds an even more special touch to a beloved series! https://twitter.com/rachelcaine/status/556515792100265984

   It was an amazing ending, and she figured out how to give me what I wanted and needed for closure. My imagination will def stay busy with the future of all of my beloved characters and what could be next for them. 

Bottom Line: Perfect ending to a series I adored and binge read.

My question to you, my lovely readers:
Do you think you could live in a town with paranormals that were secret to the outside world?

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