If you were hoping the vampire craze was beginning to die down, be prepared for disappointment.

In fact, The Vampire Diaries, based on the young adult series written by L.J. Smith, saw around five million viewers during its premier on the CW last week.  Starring Nina Dobrev and Paul Wesley, The Vampire Diaries is the story of Elena Gilbert, a melancholy girl who has recently lost her parents, and Stefan Salvatore, a vampire trying to live a normal life without taking blood from humans.

Though the television series differs from the series of books a bit, the heart of the story is still true. Can Stefan and Elena’s love for each other survive the twisted plots of Damon Salvatore, Stefan’s jealous and malicious brother. Already, in only two episodes, Damon has managed to make Stefan’s life a living hell–first, by biting Vicky Donovan and nearly draining her of blood, and second, by inviting Elena into the Salvatore’s house and filling her in on the details of Stefan’s previous relationship.

The actors and actresses selected for the roles in The Vampire Diaries were well-chosen, especially Ian Somerhalder in the role of Damon Salvatore. His voice, his tone, and even his very presence on camera is a flawless representation of the manipulative jealous brother who loves to play mind games. I must also compliment the writers on the dialogue exchanged between Damon and Stefan. Damon’s sarcastic, condescending words contrast perfectly with Stefan’s honest, heart-filled pleading so that viewers are unable to ignore the deep tension that has been building between the two for hundreds of years.

With action, mystery, and impossible romance, The Vampire Diaries has quashed any fears or hopes of the vampire craze losing steam. Indeed, the CW has landed yet another hit in the wake of shows like The OC, One Tree Hill, and Paranormal, as they bring to life L.J. Smith’s popular series of books.

If easy-to-read, action-packed, paranormal romance is your cup of tea, then Dark of the Moon, the final installment in Rachel Hawthorne’s Dark Guardian’s trilogy, will be a tasty treat.

Picking up where Full Moon left off, Dark of the Moon is told from the point-of-view of Brittany, a tough gal who has been training to be a Dark Guardian her entire life. Unfortunately for Brittany, no one has claimed her as his own, and she will have to go through the excruciating transformation from girl to wolf alone. Even more tragically, when Brittany sets off on her own to face the moon, nothing happens. She is not a wolf, and she will never be a Dark Guardian. Of course, as her luck would have it, Connor (the love of her life and object of her obsession for years) is finally starting to notice her. But how can he love a girl who can’t shift?

When both Brittany and Connor are captured by Bio-Chrome at the hand of the power-hungry genius, Mason, there will be no more secrets between Brittany and Connor and also between the shifter and Bio-Chrome. …» more

If you’re looking for something new that goes bump in the night, look no further than The Devouring by Simon Holt. In this spine-tingling, heart-pounding horror, Reggie Halloway must save her brother from the Vours, demons that devour the fear inside of us and take possession of us, body and soul. Complete with a chilling rhyme reminiscent of Nightmare on Elm Street or Dead Silence, The Devouring will leave you looking over your shoulder, examining your friends and family, and praying for pleasant dreams.

When horror fiction fanatic Reggie finds an old diary with a strange verse, she, along with her friend Aaron, decide to put their fears to the test. After all,  ”When dark creeps in and eats the light,/Bury your fears on Sorry Night./For in the winter’s blackest hours/Comes the feasting of the Vours./No one can see it, the life they stole,/Your body’s here but not your soul…” However, Reggie and Aaron could never imagine the true horror of Sorry Night or the Vours the night calls forth, even after reading the darkest of tales written by Poe or Lovecraft. And when Reggie’s brother, Henry, begins to act differently, performing unspeakable acts, Reggie realizes the Vours have taken him. So she embarks upon a dangerous mission to save her brother’s soul, even though the price may be her own. …» more

I stumbled upon Strange Angels while doing a google search, and after I watched the intense trailer, I fell victim to great marketing and purchased the Lili St. Crow novel upon my next visit to Books-A-Million. Unfortunately, for me, the book was somewhat disappointing–like taking a bath in luke-warm water when you expected the temperature to be steamy hot.  Don’t get me wrong. Strange Angels is a good read, but it doesn’t rank among my top picks, and I’m not on the edge of my seat in wait for the sequel.

Why did this novel fall flat for me?  Simple. I wasn’t hooked from the very beginning. In fact, while I found Dru Anderson’s tough girl attitude endearing, and her zombie slaying, night hunting lifestyle intriguing, I didn’t actually get hooked into the story until chapter six. And that’s after she killed her reanimated zombie father.  I don’t know why I still didn’t care all that much when her father returns home after a hunt, tapping sinisterly on the window pane before breaking in and trying to kill his only daughter.  It was disgusting, disturbing, and vivid–all the qualities I value in action sequences. It just doesn’t make sense that I would have to push myself to read beyond that, but I did, so I think it has to do with Dru’s character. …» more

SPOILER WARNING!  If you’re like me, and your favorite Harry Potter book is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, then the latest movie will leave much to be desired. I’m not saying it was a bad movie or anything. In fact, my husband, who has never read any of the books, went to see it with me yesterday and enjoyed it.  Unfortunately, after the last five movies staying so close to the books, The Half-Blood Prince fell a little flat, especially at the end.

My favorite parts of the book, of course, include Harry’s adventures and lessons with Dumbledore, Voldemort’s beginnings, the tension between Hermoine and Ron, and of course, the battle at the end of the book. However, in the movie, several scenes were added or changed, most notably, the burning of the Weasley’s home and the ridiculous flirtations between Harry and Ginny. The rest of the movie remained mostly true to the book, despite the many details taken out (which is understandable for a 600 page book).   …» more

Pull out your tissues, girls, because Queen of the Masquerade will draw tears. Co-written with Amanda Jenkins, this fifth installment in Tiffany Trent’s Hallowmere series once again left me mourning the fact that only one book remains.  In Queen of the Masquerade, Christina finds herself in an unknown rath with no memory of who she is or why she is there.  Taken in by a fey family, Christina is known by the name of Brigitte, and struggles to discover who she is and help to ease the burdens of the fey by helping them find a stone.

However, when Christina catches a glimpse of the handsome Rory, from whom she was separated in the portal, her memories and identity come rushing back to her, revealing the reasons for her presence in the rath and reminding her that she can trust no one, especially none of the fey. As Christina reunites with Rory, her one true love, she discovers that finding her way home and escaping with her life will be more complicated that she had imagined.

Filled with countless questions, frail loyalties, and loads of magic, Queen of the Masquerade left me turning page after page with the hope that at least one of the ladies in the Hallowmere series would escape with her one true love.  But of course, I will give away nothing! What I will say is that once again, Trent, with the help of Jenkins, left me spellbound and entranced in this story of impossible love, fragile trust, and the mysterious realm of the fey. …» more

I had an awesome time at Books-A-Million because two of the new books I ventured out for were in stock, one of which was Full Moon, the second installment in Rachel Hawthorne’s Dark Guardians trilogy.  I must admit that I was somewhat wary to read Full Moon after having read Moonlight and loved it. I thought perhaps Full Moon would suffer by comparison. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Hawthorne certainly took Lindsey’s character and created a new adventure for the Dark Guardians that certainly rivals Moonlight in action and romance.

With mere weeks remaining until the full moon will mark her transformation, the rebellious beauty, Lindsey, finds herself torn between two Dark Guardians–her safe lifelong friend, Connor, and the sexy, dangerous Rafe.  Both men have claimed her as their own, and Lindsey shares a deep connection with them both–but will she choose the mate her parents have selected or the one her heart desires? …» more