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Book List: It’s Teen Read Week! Revisiting Amelia Atwater-Rhodes’ Original Den of Shadows Quartet

The Den of Shadows Quartet: In the Forests of the Night (#1), Demon in My View (#2), Shattered Mirror (#3), Midnight Predator (#4) by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Ember, 2009

ISBN-13: 978-0385738941

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

 

In the days before Twilight and Harry Potter, and the explosion of paranormal creatures and vampires in YA fiction, fictional vampires were still mostly terrifying, although once Buffy came along, there was also a little romance. Thirteen-year-old Amelia Atwater-Rhodes entered this remarkably different publishing market with something new: even Amazon’s review suggests that teen readers of adult authors like Anne Rice might want to check this out. While L.J. Smith and Annette Curtis Klause had also written YA vampire novels, there’s nothing quite like being a teen reading a good book written by someone your own age, and the Den of Shadows books are very different from either The Vampire Diaries or The Silver Kiss. 

Atwater-Rhodes’ first book, In the Forests of the Night, was followed by three others: Demon in my View, Shattered Mirror, and Midnight Predator,  published in 2002. Monster Librarian reviewed these four books, which were extremely popular at the time, and were all written while she was still in her teens. After these four books, she changed to writing about shapeshifters (the Kiesha’ra series), and, honestly, I lost track of her books. She returned to writing books in the Den of Shadows world in 2008, completing four more: Persistence of Memory, Token of Darkness, All Just Glass, Poison Tree, and Promises to Keep, published in 2013.  She is still writing, has since moved on to write an additional fantasy trilogy (the Maeve’ra series), and has a contract to write for the adult market.

While I haven’t kept up on Atwater-Rhodes’ writing since her first Den of Shadows quartet, it’s pretty cool that she’s kept writing and her books have kept selling! So, for teenage writers everywhere, take heart. It is possible to achieve that dream.

 

Editor’s note: Reviews date from 2005.

 


In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Laurel Leaf, 2000

ISBN: 0440228166

Available: New and Used

 

In the Forests of the Night is the first in a series of books by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. She introduces us to Risika, a 300 year old vampire who finds herself in the territory of a rival vampire, Aubrey, who is responsible for killing her family. The book is divided up between the past, when Risika was first turned into a vampire 300 years ago; and the present day, where she must fight Aubrey. When I first started to review young adult horror, author Amelia Atwater-Rhodes’s name came up as a must-read author for teens. Much has been made of the fact that she was 14 when In the Forests of the Night was published. I can see why her books appeal to teen readers, especially reluctant readers. The action moves quickly and the writing style is easy to follow. Adult readers may also enjoy Amelia Atwater-Rhodes’ books. They are quick and addictive little reads, leaving you ready for more. In The Forests of the Night is a core title for young adult collections. Sequels include Demon in My View, Shattered Mirror, and Midnight Predator.

Contains: vampire violence, bloodletting.

 

Demon In My View by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Delacorte Press, 2000

ISBN: 038532720X

Available: New and Used.

 

Demon in My View is set in a world developed by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes where vampires exist, prey upon humans, and are hunted by witches. In this installment we are introduced to Jessica, a teen who is a social outcast, who has written a popular book about vampires and witches under a pen name. After the book is published two new students appear at her school: Caryn, who seems to go out of her way to befriend Jessica, and Alex, a teen who resembles the villainous vampire in her book. Demon In My View is a well-written book that will appeal to those who like the Buffy the Vampire Slayer books. It could have just as easily ended up in the paranormal romance category, but the vampires in this series are more predatory creature. I would recommend this book for those looking for additional vampire fiction. A core book in young adult vampire horror.

Contains: Violent fight sequence, blood sucking.

 

Shattered Mirror by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Laurel Leaf, 2003

ISBN: 0440229405

Available: New and Used.

 

Shattered Mirror  is the third book in Atwater-Rhodes’ world of vampires and witches. This time around the story is about teen vampire hunter Sarah Vida, who starts off believing all vampires should be destroyed. However, when two vampires, Nissa and Christopher, arrive at her school, she finds herself befriending them. She discovers that vampires are more than the simple killing machines her in which her mother has raised her to believe. An underlying story involves Sarah’s hunt for one of the most notorious vampires around, Nikolas. Another solid entry for the readers of vampire fiction. Atwater-Rhodes is a gifted story teller and doesn’t disappoint with this book. Another core book for the vampire collection.

Contains: Violence and blood sucking and letting,

Midnight Predator by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Delacorte Books, May, 2002

ISBN: 0385327943.

Available: New and Used

 

The fourth installment in Atwater-Rhodes’ series introduces two vampire hunters from a group called Crimson. Turquoise Drakaour and her rival, Raven, are hired to assassinate Jeshikah, a vampiress who has created a place called Midnight, where human beings are enslaved and broken for the use of vampires. Once a young girl captured by the vampires, Turquoise must deal with her tormented past and face her old vampire master in order to complete her mission.

Although this book follows the general formula that Atwater-Rhodes has used in her other books, its descriptions of abusive behavior toward the main character give it a darker tone. This difference makes it hard to reconcile the story with the universe she has created, so it is more difficult to escape into the world of the book. Fans of Atwater-Rhodes will probably enjoy this title, but it is not recommended as an introduction to her books. Other books in the series include  In the Forests of the Night, Demon in My View and Shattered Mirror.

Contains: descriptions of physical and psychological abus

 

Reviewed by Dylan Kowalewski

 

Posted on October 8, 2018 by , Reply

Musings: Writing From The Heart: Strange Star by Emma Carroll and Out of the Wild Blue by Blue Balliett

Strange Star by Emma Carroll

Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2018

ISBN-13: 978-0399556050

Available: Hardcover, Kindle edition

 

In a recent interview, R.L. Stine expressed his frustration with the writing advice “write from your heart.” To paraphrase, he said “I don’t write from the heart. I write to entertain.”

You may argue that Stine writes formula fiction, which can be predictable, and that it’s shallow to write only to entertain. Only you can make that decision, but know that just because you are writing out of love, that doesn’t mean your writing will be loved, or even understood, by the audience you are trying to reach. I’m writing about children’s books here because that’s what I love and where I’ve recently seen examples of this, but if you’re writing for any audience, this still applies. In general, people who read to escape are looking for a good story, one that flows. They don’t want to have to work for their chills and thrills. I think that’s particularly true for children and teens.

I’ve come across two books this month that illustrate this perfectly. The first one, which I recently reviewed here, Out of the Wild Blue, by the outstanding children’s author Blue Balliett, was a tribute to Nantucket and its ghosts. It is clever and literary, and the worst book she’s ever written. I read it because I was asked to by another school media specialist who couldn’t get through the first 20 pages. Both of us are baffled at the amazing reviews this book has gotten from other librarians and reviewers. Heavy on atmosphere, this book shorted us on character development and plot. It was WORK for me to get through it, and what kid wants to have to work for the creepiness and chills you expect in a ghost story? I mean, the story is practically a love letter, but it’s not successful as an accessible ghost story for children. Or, for that matter, for at least two other adults with expertise in children’s literature.

The second, Strange Star, by Emma Carroll, has a lot of originality, although it’s not necessarily successful at getting the reader to fully suspend disbelief, and some of the pieces don’t connect as smoothly as they could. Strange Star centers on the events of the “haunted summer” during which Mary Shelley first conceived of Frankenstein. The first point of view character, is Felix, a free black servant boy working for Lord Byron at the Villa Diodati, whose goal is to convince Byron to take him back to England as a footman. His story is told in third person. We get Felix’s impressions of Byron, the Shelleys, and their friends, and some pretty detailed information on them is communicated through him. Felix isn’t only used as a way to communicate information, though. He is a character with agency and his own motivations. The second point of view character, Lizzie, an English village girl who was struck by lightning, blinded, and kidnapped by a scientist obsessed with using electricity to resurrect the dead, speaks in her own voice. Her experience of the same group of people that Felix admires is a terrifying one.

The author named many of the fictional characters in the book after characters in Frankenstein as well, even naming the scientist Francesca Stine. She managed to include historical figures like William Godwin, Mary’s father (a relatively minor part of her life after she ran away with Shelley) as a character, whose motivations and actions help move the story toward its conclusion. The messages of and ideas behind the creation of Frankenstein come through clearly in the book—clearly Carroll did her research and used it creatively.

As someone who’s read Frankenstein and also read a lot about Mary Shelley, I found this to be really well done and clever. It is vivid, not just in its descriptions and setting (the title is Strange Star for a reason), but in its portrayal of terrible emotions, particularly grief. Carroll also did a nice job of seamlessly integrating diversity into her characters. But I am not the audience. This is a book written for middle-schoolers, most of whom will not yet have read Frankenstein or heard of Mary Shelley. They won’t even yet have encountered the work of Percy Shelley or Lord Byron. They will miss most of the references and won’t be able to connect the dots when things are implied rather than stated outright (okay, maybe you don’t want them to figure out that Claire Clairmont has a thing going on with Byron). You would have to love Frankenstein and be fascinated with the life of Mary Shelley to write this book, but so much of it will be above the heads of the readers it is targeted for!

I’m sure there are more readers for this than for Balliett’s book, because Carroll handles plot and character development much more effectively—parts of the book are disturbing and even terrifying—but while Strange Star is definitely one to remember, and certainly one I’d recommend to fans of Mary Shelley, it’s more the book that Carroll wanted to write than the one her target audience will appreciate.

As an adult choosing or reviewing a children’s book for a child or teen, it can be easy to forget that we can’t read these books as if they’re written for us when making recommendations. And as an adult choosing to write a book for a child or teen, or really anyone looking to read for pleasure, it’s important to recognize that, if you want to reach readers, writing from your heart is not enough.

 

Posted on September 21, 2018 by , Reply

Musings: The Stranger Inside by Jennifer Jaynes

The Stranger Inside by Jennifer Jaynes
Thomas & Mercer, 2017
ISBN-13: 978-1477817919
Available: Paperback, Kindle edition, Audible, Audio CD

Well, it’s happened. The Monster Kid, soon to be 12 years old, picked up, secretly read, and was completely engrossed in his first adult horror novel (why he thought he needed to hide this from me is beyond my understanding, but maybe keeping it underground is part of the allure). Technically, it’s the second one he’s read, but he was unimpressed by I Am Legend (I think he didn’t actually understand what was happening, which I am grateful for). And I suppose purists would say it’s more of a mystery thriller than a horror novel, but it was sent to me for review, and it has some pretty terrifying moments. The Monster Kid is a re-reader; once he finds a book he’s really fascinated by, he reads it over and over. I note that he has been sneaking it to school in his backpack, so obviously this is one of those books.

A Stranger Inside introduces us to the Christie family: widowed mystery writer Diane; her adopted 15 year old son, Josh; and her college-aged daughter, Alexa, who struggles with anger at her mother, grief, depression, and addiction. Diane and Josh have just moved to the college town where Alexa attends school, and Diane is struggling to adapt to small-town life and changing family dynamics. She’s also finally trying to move beyond her grief and anger at her husband’s suicide, and starting up a new relationship. Add to this mix the sudden murders of girls at Alexa’s school, and you have a recipe for disaster.  What else would you expect in a town named Fog Harbor?

Jaynes’ slow-building characterization of the men in this story is what makes it creepy to me (obviously, this is not what appeals to my kid). Every single one of them gives off that “wrong” feeling, which only escalates as the events of the story, and the murders, continue. It is amazing to me is that Diane, a mystery writer, takes forever to pick any of this up. There’s Lance, a volunteer at the suicide hotline where Diane volunteers; Wayne, the grocery store manager who invades personal boundaries; Rick, her “perfect guy”, a former sniper who suffers from PTSD and has a houseful of guns. Even Alexa, who spends a good chunk of time in a drug-and-alcohol induced stupor, has more of a clue than her mom does.

While he picked up on the total lack of likability of any of the men in the book, I’m pretty sure the Monster Kid missed out on most of this, for obvious reasons. This is a kid who fast forwards through movies to get to the action scenes and giant explosions. This book is a really fast read, and if he did something similar, in skipping the character-building parts, that could explain why he sped through it in an evening.  For him, it was the suspense, ratcheted up in part from not being able to tell which person in the book was the killer, the pacing, and the interspersed scenes of the killings, from the killer’s point of view. These aren’t graphically gory, but there’s definitely a focus on the stalker’s thrill at the chase that could leave your heart pounding.  The killer was a character that completely surprised the Monster Kid, although based on his short, non-spoilery summary, I guessed it pretty quickly. The final scenes of the book are not ones I would have ever guessed, though.

This is an adult book, and there are a few sexual situations, although most of that is off-screen (can I say off-screen when writing about a book?). His primary pickup from this was the phrase “The room smelled like sex and french fries”, with the focus on the french fries. There’s also a date rape, which we see from Alexa’s point of view, which is pretty muddled since she’s drugged.

It’s kind of astonishing to me that, with all the horror novels in this house that he has hidden from view because of the covers or that even are just floating around, the Monster Kid picked this one, and is enthralled with it. It’s a sign that he’s growing older, I guess, and if he had to choose a book to start with, this wasn’t a bad one. In fact, the most disturbing part to me is the teenage boy and his role in the story, and maybe that’s because it hits so close to home. If he stays with books that have this level of violence and sex, it’ll be a relief. But I’ve been hearing a lot of mutterings about Stephen King…

 

 

Posted on May 19, 2017 by , Reply
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