Midnight Predator (Den of Shadows, #4) by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Midnight Predator by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes


Midnight, the ancient evil sanctuary of vampires and their human slaves that was burned to the ground centuries ago, has risen from the ashes to open its dark doors once more. And it's up to Turquoise Draka, famed human vampire hunter of the Bruja guild, to stop Midnight's founder and vampire most malevolent, Jeshikah. But once inside Midnight's walls, Turquoise discovers that instead of Jeshikah, the surprisingly benign vampire Jaguar is at the helm. Acting as a human slave, Turquoise tries to discern Jaguar's mysteriously kind motives as she works at planning Jeshikah's assassination. Meanwhile, her acting servitude is playing havoc with her memories, as she begins to recall the bleak days when she used to be a human slave herself, the time before her training as an elite Bruja warrior. With bitter memories of beatings and humiliations battling with her present suicidal assignment, Turquoise must do everything in her power to keep from blowing her cover and losing her sanity.



While this is listed as #4 in the Den of Shadows series, it is really a stand alone. There were no characters that I recognized from the earlier books and the only similarity is that the vampires are in both books. This is an entirely different group of vamps who live in a very different lifestyle than the previous books. This book evolves around the slave trade and a group called Midnight where vamps have human slaves.

The book itself was quite enjoyable, the characters well developed and overall a much more mature writing style than the previous books by this author.

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Shattered Mirror (Den of Shadows, #3) by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Shattered Mirror by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes


Publishers Weekly
In this third installment in the series that began with In the Forests of the Night, Atwater-Rhodes focuses on teen witch (and vampire killer) Sarah Vida, who "never asked for anything more complex than the simple good and evil definitions she had been raised on" but gets more than she bargained for when she befriends vampire siblings Nissa and Christopher. This is trouble: it's harder to kill when you know your prey, and her mother the most infamous witch of all will disown her if she finds out about the friendship. Her conflict intensifies when she discovers that Christopher's twin is Nikolas, the same vampire who long ago murdered a Vida witch. Atwater-Rhodes chooses an interesting theme (no one is purely good or evil), and she builds some creative elements around it. SingleEarth, an organization of all creatures, for instance, includes vampires and witches who work together for peace. Her description of Nikolas, whose home and clothing are completely black and white, plays into this well, and provides for some striking visual images. Some of her writing, though, as in Sarah's final faceoff with Nikolas and Christopher, is over the top ("I want it as much as humans want to breathe, but I have control," Christopher says of Sarah's blood). Still, fans of the teen goth writer will likely find plenty to feast on here. Ages 12-up. (Sept.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.



My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a very good, quick read. Each of Atwater-Rhodes Den of Shadows books is like a little peek into this world that she has created. While this book has a couple of characters who were featured in the previous book it could very well be read as a stand alone.

Looking forward to more glimpses into this entertaining world of vampires and witches that this author has created.

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Demon in My View (Den of Shadows, #2) by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Demon in My View (Den of Shadows, #2) by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes


Jessica isn't your average teenager. Though nobody at her high school knows it, she's a published author. Her vampire novel Tiger, Tiger has just come out under the pen name Ash Night. Jessica often wishes she felt as comfortable with her classmates as she does among the vampires and witches of her fiction. She has always been treated as an outsider at Ramsa High.

But two new students have just arrived in Ramsa, and both want Jessica's attention. She has no patience with overly friendly Caryn, but she's instantly drawn to handsome Alex, a cocky, mysterious boy who seems surprisingly familiar. If she didn't know better, she'd think Aubrey, the alluring villain from Tiger, Tiger had just sprung to life. That's impossible, of course; Aubrey is a figment of her imagination. Or is he?

Nail-bitingly suspenseful, here is the deliciously eerie follow-up to In the Forests of the Night, by the remarkable fifteen-year-old novelist Amelia Atwater-Rhodes.


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a quick interesting read. I like the world of vampires and witches that the author has developed. It has been quite some time since I read her first book 'In the Forests of the Night' and I really felt like I was missing a lot of back story. I probably would have enjoyed this book much more if I had read it nearer to finishing the first book,since I have no recollection of the characters.

But keeping in mind the age of the author when she wrote these books, a good read.

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#74 -- In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

From the Publisher
In the Forests of the Night is a lush, moody tale of vampires, witches, and shape-shifters. It’s the story of how one female vampire comes to terms with her inner nature and reclaims her rightful powers. From the first few pages, readers will feel themselves transported into this haunting world that rests just on the edge of our own.
Readers will also be interested to learn that this exciting debut novel was written by a teenager herself. Amelia Atwater-Rhodes found out that In the Forests of the Night was accepted by Delacorte Press on her 14th birthday! We caught up with this busy young author to find out the story behind the story.

My Opinion
Excellent book by a great young author. In this book we meet Rachel/Risika who has been a vampire for 300 years. The story jumps back and forth from the present, back 300 years when Rachel was changed. But the transition is smooth and works well to let us get to know Risika (as she is now known). We get a glimpse into a world where vampires can change shape, instantly transport and kill with just their minds. This is a dark story but a very powerful one. Well written and completely enjoyable. I really am looking forward to reading more by this author.