Welcome to my first Spooktober rec post! I've got quite a few of these planned, I'm going to do a whole series of them and I figured rather than doing what I'd originally planned, you know, YA, Adult etc, I'd do something else instead!
First up for my recs are.....vampires! They're kind of a Halloween staple you know? So I figured I'd start with them.
Hopefully I've got all your vampire needs covered and I've got a mix of categories, although mostly YA as usual!
When Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania to advise Count Dracula on a London home, he makes a horrifying discovery. Soon afterwards, a number of disturbing incidents unfold in England: an unmanned ship is wrecked at Whitby; strange puncture marks appear on a young woman's neck; and the inmate of a lunatic asylum raves about the arrival of his 'Master', while a determined group of adversaries prepares to face the terrifying Count.
Of course we have to kick of this vampire rec session with the most famous vampire there is....good old Dracula! I read this a loooongg time ago and I completely loved it! It's essential Halloween reading!
St. Vladimir's Academy isn't just any boarding school it's a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They've been on the run, but now they're being dragged back to St. Vladimir's the very place where they're most in danger. . . .Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy's ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi the world's fiercest and most dangerous vampires make Lissa one of them forever.
Hitting the lighter spectrum of the vampires, we have VA. I read this back when the vampire thing was a huge trend and I loved how original it was, and how different it was from the normal. It's a fun read and it's the first in a series so you can enjoy it for a while! There's humour and romance and plenty of intrigue and mystery!
Vampires-the Cursed Ones-have declared war on humanity. Most people are too afraid or unwilling to take a stand, but eighteen-year-old Jenn Leitner trains to become a vampire hunter, risking everything in the process. When Jenn falls for Antonio, a vampire fighting on the side of humanity, she discovers a love that transcends attraction and physical consummation. But the closer Jenn and Antonio become, the greater the danger. Together, they must fight for their love--and to bring light into the darkness the vampires have drawn over the face of the planet.
Another from the list of books I read a long time ago, again it's a nice unique look at vampires and it's such a brilliant read, there's tonnes of action and romance and it's got a nice dystopian kinda feel to it!
Sure, the life of a graduate student wasn’t exactly glamorous, but I was doing fine until Chicago’s vampires announced their existence to the world. When a rogue vampire attacked me, I was lucky he only got a sip. Another bloodsucker scared him off and decided the best way to save my life was to make me the walking undead.
Now I’ve traded sweating over my thesis for learning to fit in at a Hyde Park mansion full of vamps loyal to Ethan “Lord o’ the Manor” Sullivan. Of course, as a tall, green-eyed,
four-hundred-year-old vampire, he has centuries’ worth of charm, but unfortunately he expects my gratitude—and servitude. Right…
But someone’s out to get me. Is it the rogue vampire who bit me? A vamp from a rival House? An angry mob bearing torches?
My initiation into Chicago’s nightlife may be the first skirmish in a war—and there will be blood.
I read another series by Neill and completely loved it, it was all supernatural and brilliant and so I've been eyeing up this series for a while. It's kind of a long one, but I've read the first chapter of this and it's on my eBook list for Spooktober! Knowing Neill it's going to be a lot of fun, and have humour as well as everything else!
When Savannah Colbert returns to school after a mystery illness, the fact that she has changed is clear to everyone. None more so than every school girls golden boy Tristan Coleman. Ever since their first kiss in fourth grade, Savannah and Tristan have been cruelly and inexplicably banned from associating with each other. Now, as the pair navigate the tricky social life of high school, the truth is about to be revealed.
As Savannah learns of their paranormal ancestry and Tristan deals with the repercussions of her new powers, the relationship they have been denied for so long becomes utterly irresistible and all consuming. Like Romeo and Juliet centuries before them, Savannah and Tristan’s love is destined to fail; and Tristan’s powerful magical family, the Clann, are watching.
Okay. So, I know it sounds kind of cheesy and cliche, and I did read this a while ago back when it first came out so I was a lot younger BUT it was a good read, and there was an originality to it that made it a fun read! Also it's totally vampire-y even though it doesn't sound it!
College freshman Claire Danvers has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation. When Claire heads off-campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new roommates don't show many signs of life, but they'll have Claire's back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood. Will she be able to face the town's terror or will she drown like everyone else?
Okay so I think a town that's run by vampires and is full of you know...vampires, qualifies as a good Halloween vampire read! I love the twists Caine has given these books as the series has gone on, and the books are a lot of fun with plenty of lively characters, my particular favourite is the ever Gothic Eve!
It is 1888 and Queen Victoria has remarried, taking as her new consort Vlad Tepes, the Wallachian Prince infamously known as Count Dracula. Peppered with familiar characters from Victorian history and fiction, the novel follows vampire Geneviève Dieudonné and Charles Beauregard of the Diogenes Club as they strive to solve the mystery of the Ripper murders.
Anno Dracula is a rich and panoramic tale, combining horror, politics, mystery and romance to create a unique and compelling alternate history. Acclaimed novelist Kim Newman explores the darkest depths of a reinvented Victorian London.
This is a series everyone raves about, and after reading Newman's Drearcliff novel, I'm excited to get stuck in to this, this Halloween! I feel like this is possibly a modern classic, and it's certainly a vampire classic! After reading Drearcliff, I feel pretty confident rec-ing this to you guys even though I haven't read it yet!
The Drakes are rather different to your usual neighbors. They are vampires and some of the members of the family date back to the twelfth century. One of the children, Solange, is the only born female vampire known and, as such, she poses a direct threat to the vampire queen. Her best friend Lucy is human, and when Solange is kidnapped, Lucy and Solange's brother, Nicholas, set out to save her. Lucy soon discovers that she would like to be more than just friends with Nicholas. But how does one go about dating a vampire? Meanwhile, Solange finds an unlikely ally in Kieran, a vampire slayer on the hunt for his father's killer.
So, I had quite the vampire phase back around the Twilight era, and this book is one of the first I read in the genre after Twilight. This is another one at the lighter end of the spectrum, it's fun, it's got it's original twists to it, and it's an entertaining read! I love Alyxandra's books because she always makes them fun and original!
Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a walled-in city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them—the vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself dies and becomes one of the monsters.
Forced to flee her city, Allie must pass for human as she joins a ragged group of pilgrims seeking a legend—a place that might have a cure for the disease that killed off most of civilization and created the rabids, the bloodthirsty creatures who threaten human and vampire alike. And soon Allie will have to decide what and who is worth dying for…again.
Julie Kagawa is another favourite author of mine, and I'm definitely due a re-read of this trilogy at some point! Kagawa always delivers, romance, humour, originality and writing that makes the book hard to put down!
In a darkened room a young man sits telling the macabre and eerie story of his life - the story of a vampire, gifted with eternal life, cursed with an exquisite craving for human blood.
Yep, not much for the synopsis but spoilers so you're gonna have to deal! Although some of you may or may not have watched the movie, the book is still worth a read! It is, after all, the original! It's also a vampire classic, and therefore kind of a Halloween classic!
There's a tonne of other vampire books out there but I've had to narrow it down to ten otherwise we'd be here all month! Keep an eye on my blog, as I've got plenty more rec posts coming your way, plus other fun Spooktober things!
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