Book Review: Some Girls Bite

Some Girls Bite (Chicagoland Vampires #1)

By: Chloe Neill

Published By: NAL Trade

Release Date: 2009

Buy it at Amazon

Source: Library

Audience: Adult

Format: Audiobook

I was a little leery of picking up this series. It seems that vampires have been done to death lately. But as a fan of the fanged ones I decided to give this series a try in spite of their horrendous covers and terrible titles. I was a bit nervous when the book began with Merit's transformation from human graduate student to vampire. Those vampires organized into the house system (think feudal structure - complete with lord or lady of the manor) have outed themselves to the general public and are facing discrimination from humans at every turn. There are also a slew of other supernatural beings running around Chicago and the leader of Merit's vampire house just happens to be a hunky blond. Sound familiar? I immediately started thinking that Chloe Neill was channeling Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire series and True Blood. I almost stopped at that point, but there was something about Merit that compelled me to stick with it.

I was pleasantly surprised that once I got over the similarities to Sookie and her crew that this story really started to grown on me. Merit is an intriguing character whose transition and vampire abilities are somewhat of an anomaly. I loved watching her interact with the other supernaturals as she struggles to make the transition from her old life into her new one. She is such a strong, kick butt kinda girl. I want to be her when I grow up! Who doesn't want a toned body, super strength, and a sword? Plus, all the hottest male vamps follow her around like puppies. I love Merit's snarky nature and her refusal to allow the men to push her around. Her relationships with Ethan and Morgan were some of my favorite aspects of the book. I also was a fan of the friendship between Merit and Mallory. I can't wait to see what happens with Mallory's sorcery in future books.

Chloe Neill holds true to most of the traditional vampire myths which was somewhat nice. It felt cozy and familiar. I was able to lose myself in the characters and not worry so much about learning tons of new rules about how vampires exist. The only thing that she did that was somewhat unique based on my previous reading experience is that her vampires aren't truly dead. Their human blood is drained and replaced with immortal blood, but at no point does their heart stop beating. It was interesting to see vampires as something other than undead beings.

This is a fast paced read with a bit of mystery woven into the plot. I highly recommend it to fans of the paranormal who are looking for some girl power and a bit of humor. There are also plenty of hotties to keep the romance fans satisfied - Ethan, Morgan, Catcher - sigh. I already have the rest of the series on hold at the library.

As far as the audiobook is concerned this one is worth the listen. I enjoyed the narrator!

One Last Gripe: I did find the read to get tedious at times when it focused too much on the world building and not on the relationships and action

My Favorite Thing About This Book: The strong female characters

First Sentence: At first, I wondered if it was karmic punishment.

Favorite Characters: Merit, Mallory, Catcher, Morgan, Lindsay

Least Favorite Character: Joshua Merit

Summary:

First in a brand new series about a Chicago graduate student's introduction into a society of vampires.

Sure, the life of a graduate student wasn't exactly glamorous, but it was Merit's. She was doing fine until a rogue vampire attacked her. But he only got a sip before he was scared away by another bloodsucker and this one decided the best way to save her life was to make her the walking undead.

Turns out her savior was the master vampire of Cadogan House. Now she's traded sweating over her 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 her gratitude and servitude. But an inconvenient sunlight allergy and Ethan's attitude are the least of her concerns. Someone's still out to get her. Her initiation into Chicago's nightlife may be the first skirmish in a war and there will be blood.