Book #51 - The Dead Girls' Dance (Morganville Vampires #2)

The Dead Girls' Dance (Morganville Vampires #2), Rachel Caine
380 pages
paranormal romance, urban fantasy
Started 4/29/12
Finished 4/30/12
3.5 STARS

You know I love me some vampire stories. For all intents and purposes, this was a pretty good one. I actually enjoyed it better than Glass Houses. Which is good, because I was a little worried when I saw the cover (I think it's dreadful).

So, although Claire has protection now from one of the most powerful vampires in Morganville, the baddies still seem to be after her and her friends. Now, added to the mix is her boyfriend's psycho dad who is bound to get them all killed.

I thought this book was a bit darker and grittier than the first book, which is a good thing. Being that the main character is a 16-year-old girl, the potential for extreme bubble gum is there. However, although Claire is supposed to be 16, she seems much older than that. Until she's with Shane, and then some of the things that come out of her mouth make her seem actually younger than her supposed 16 years. It was one of those little annoyances that nag at you throughout, you know what I mean?

The other thing that bugged me about this book was the title. I thought before I read it that the Dead Girls' Dance would be a focal point in the book. In actuality, it took up only a dozen or so pages and wasn't a major turning point in the book at all. Not sure how this minor event got top billing on the cover.

However, despite all that, the progress in the various characters' story lines was satisfying. It was nice to see the couples grow closer, to see the conflicts get messier, the bad guys get badder. If it hadn't been for that progression, I think I'd abandon the series right here.