Vampire Books

[Ali M]

Has anyone read a good vampire book? Twilight was the first vampire book I read. And I'm not going to lie, I loved it at first, mostly because everyone else did. But as I slowly became a Grammar Nazi, I realized it has a lot of faults. Still, I didn't discriminate against vampire books because of it. I started reading the Blue Bloods series and the House of Night series, and I kind of fell out of them. I just didn't think they were written well and they were both annoying as hell when it came to all the damn drama. So, that was when I started discriminating against vampire books.

So, to restate my question, has anyone ever read a good (more or less recent) vampire book, or do they all just pretty much suck? I've heard a lot of people say they like the Vladamir Todd series, but I just can't bring myself to pick one up...

[Terry]

Twilight is, in my opinion, more of a romance novel than a vampire book, at least in so much as I think conventional vampire is more sort of horror.  Not Stephen King sort but not really "Romeo and Juliet of the undead".  I also probably should admit I haven't read a lot of vampire books and am just starting Dracula as I figure that's overdue.

 

So, my suggestion isn't really vampires per se, but Sherilyn Kenyon writes the "Dark Hunter" series.  They are unquestionably romance novels.  There are probably about 15 in the series so far.  Her style has matured dramatically since the beginning, which is good.  And the universe she has created is very broad and rich.  You can more or less pick up any one and figure out the story line, but her web site does give the reading order.

 

Anyhow, if you like them great, if you don't, it wasn't me that told you to waste $7.

[Ali M]

You have a good point about Twilight being more of a romance novel. Still, I would categorize it as a romance and supernatural novel. It has vampires in it, no matter how sparkly they are. If I owned a book store, though, I would probably put it under romance if I had to choose (and if YA somehow didn't exist...).

[Joe Miller]

Let The Right One in by John Ajvide Lindqvist (spelling?) is amazing. It's not an easy read, but really worth it.

[Lucy]

I just finished that a few weeks ago. It was awesome and terrifying. I very much enjoyed the total lack of teenage drama.

[Larissa Avila]

i suggest the house of night series, it's like a school of vampires and nothing like the original vampires, (u know evil vampires) this books are about a teenager who is marked and has to become a vampire (or die) and there's a lot of weird stuff that happens to her but the book is cool =]

[bloodstone_beauty]

If you liked the house of night series that much, i suggest you read the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead it is very similar to the House of Night series. There is 6 books total in the series (in order) Vampire Academy, Frostbite, Shadow Kiss, Blood Promise, Spirit Bound, and Last Sacrifice. They are sort of long books, but i think they are very well written and they have a great story line. This is if you havn't read them already...

[Emily]

I agree about Let The Right One In, it is one of my all time favorite books ever, and by far one of the best vampire books I have ever read. It shows the dark side and uses the vampirism as a metaphor for the loneliness of tween life. Its about a 12 year old, lonely, very bullied kid names Oskar who befriends a new neighbor, Eli, who is also 12, but has been 12 for a very long time. Be warned, this is an adult book. There is a lot of horror, and there is pedophilia. I would also recommend both movies, the swedish version and the american one.

 

Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice is good, though truthfully I liked the movie more. 

[Terry]

I just finished Let The Right One In.  Very good indeed.  I tend to have problems putting books down, this one was harder than most.  It had almost no lulls which was fantastic.  Fairly adult themes yes, but I found the "horror" understated when compared to like a slasher movie.  I guess I'm saying it wasn't gratuitous.

 

I read some other reviews and was a little hesitant to buy it because of them.  So for others' benefit I'll rebut here.  Some people couldn't deal at all with the pedophilia. One girl said it made her sick and she couldn't read the book. Really there's only a few pages out of nearly 400.  Best stick to Twilight if that invalidates the entire book for you.  Another said there were a lot of loose ends, which I dearly loath in a book.  However, I found the story complete and does not at all leave you hanging.

 

So I would strongly recommend this book.  In my previous post I mentioned starting Dracula.  I put that down to read this book.  I've tried to pick it back up.  Thus far Dracula isn't doing too well in comparison.  Not sure if I'll be able to stick with it or not.  It is certainly Easy to put down.

[Lucy]

Sunshine by Robin McKinley.

It's the first and only vampire novel she's ever written, but it's really fantastic. There aren't just vampires either. There are also weres (mentioned), demons, and sorcery. Despite the fantasy aspects, it's refreshingly modern and clever. Plus, the main character is in her mid-20s so there isn't any teenage drama to worry about! Oh, and she keeps her vampires creepy.

I've also heard that the "Dead After Dark" series is good, though I haven't read it. It's the series they based True Blood off of, but I've also been told that the novels are completely different from the show.

You should also try The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis-Klause and Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde.

[Tracia Windsor]

I absolutely love the Sookie Stackhouse series (aka southern vampire series).  It starts with Dead until Dark, and she has around 9 books now. I love the books so much better than the show True Blood.  Its the typical fantasy universe, but nevertheless captivating. Very adult themes.  It was this series that got me on the hook for vampire novels.  From there i started The Vampire Diaries and ended up leaving after the first book (not entirely captivating, and very teen-based, which it sounds like you had that problem with the other books). 

 

in regards to Twilight being more romance than anything, I totally agree, and dont particularly care for the writing or the subject.  However, that being said, i really do appreciate the way Stephany Meyer created a vampire world completely out of the norm of what we think of when we think of vampires.  Sparkly is a bit weird, but you dont find any coffins. 

 

But yes, the Sookie Stackhouse series is great. If youre 18+

[Rockccoli]

Pick up the Vladimir Tod series! Seriously, they're some of the best vampire books I've ever read!

And then ther'es Cirque Du Freak. I like them, they're pretty sweet, but they can get a little childish sometimes. Who cares! It's funny! XD

And there's also Vampire Knight, which is awesome. I'm not sure how much people like manga(I love it) but it's still pretty awesome. Although I wish something drastic would happen already!(four books in and only one big thing has happened)

And then there's Vampire Kisses,if your in the mood for Twilight romance done well. Instead of having the Bella character be annoying, you get the kick-ass gothic awesomeness of Raven +w+

And, of course, Vampire Academy. Ahh, such a tragic love story. Made me cry when ____ died(like I'm going to tell you. Ha!)

[Sara The Crazy Ballerina]

OOOOOOH!!! Yes!  Alex Sahle, Yes!  I've been wanting to read Cirque Du Freak, and I'm trying to read the rest of Vampire Academy, and I'm dying because I can't get my hand on the last Vlad Tod book, but I've read all the rest, and I'm in complete agreement!