Review: Fall of Night by Rachel Caine

Title: Fall of Night

Author: Rachel Caine

Publisher: New American Library

Publishing Date: May 7, 2013

Pages/Format: 352, Hardcover

Thanks to its unique combination of human and vampire residents, Morganville, Texas, is a small college town with big-time problems. When student Claire Danvers gets the chance to experience life on the outside, she takes it. But Morganville isn’t the only town with vampire trouble...

Claire never thought she’d leave Morganville, but when she gets accepted into the graduate program at MIT, she can’t pass up the opportunity. Saying good-bye to her friends is bittersweet, especially since things are still raw and unsettled between Claire and her boyfriend, Shane. 

Her new life at MIT is scary and exciting, but Morganville is never really far from Claire’s mind. Enrolled in a special advanced study program with Professor Irene Anderson, a former Morganville native, Claire is able to work on her machine, which is designed to cancel the mental abilities of vampires. 

But when she begins testing her machine on live subjects, things quickly spiral out of control, and Claire starts to wonder whether leaving Morganville was the last mistake she’ll ever make...

Initial Reaction of Book in One Word: WhaaatTF

Oh, Morganville. What am I going to do with you? What is happening to you? With one book left in the series (SOB SOB SOB), shit's about to go down. And with the ending of Book 14 Fall of Night, that was made quite evident.

In Fall of Night, for the second time in the series we get a change of scenery: we leave Morganville. Claire gets to go off to MIT, leaving Morganville and all its residents--and by all, I mean fanged friends and human friends--behind. In case you didn't know, Morganville, Texas is an interracial town occupied by humans and vampires attempting to live in coexistence. The series follows Claire Danvers (the main POV), her boyfriend Shane Collins, and their friends Michael Glass and Eve Rosser, all of which live under the same roof, as they go through dozens of near-death experiences in Morganville. But back to Fall of Night, which is from Claire's POV, with the occasional chapter from Shane's POV. Claire thinks going to MIT will be a good time, a chance to figure out who she is and what she wants to do independently, with no boyfriend at her side or vampires breathing at her neck. Of course, when you're from Morganville, it's never that simple. (Understatement of the century.)

Even though we're not in Morganville, we still get to see some of our favorite characters. And that's one of the things I love so much about this series--the characters. They're just so real. I can literally picture them standing on the street, hanging out. When they say or do things, I can nod along and think, Oh, yeah, that is totally something they would do. Because I know these characters. And I love them so much. Plus, they've been through SO MUCH, and I've been there for years as they've done that. It's a great journey to follow, especially since it's about so many characters.

Anyways, back to the characters. There is, of course, Claire. She's one of my favorite POVs to read from in any book or series, and she's developed so much since Book 1. She's smarter and stronger, and she's learned how to survive the hard way. And Shane Collins...sa-WOON. He's one of my top book boyfriends, and I just love him SO MUCH. The thing about Shane is that, while he's super attractive, he's also extremely faulty and nowhere near perfect. (He also came off as kind of stalkerish in this book, but I'm ignoring that and trying to forget it.) Shane and Claire just really, really care about each other, and some of things they said made me "Oh!" and I got all the feels. (Seriously. Those two. If they're ever not together I'll lose it.) We also get to see Michael and Eve (married, if you're keeping up with the series), which I loved, because I love those two, too. Plus, Michael's the badass vampire in the group. And Eve just cracks up, but really, all the characters do. Oliver shows up, too, yipee. (To be honest, I really do like Oliver. Even though he's kind of evil.) And we get to see Myrnin! Aside from Michael Glass, he's probably my favorite vampire in the series. He's just so eccentric and weird and out there and Myrnin. I love him.

Besides some Morganville residents, there are also some new characters. I don't want to say too much so you can meet them for yourself, but there's Irene Anderson, who Claire's working with. She's okay. For the most part. Liz (Claire's best friend post-Morganville and new roommate) was annoying. Pete and Jesse were fine...but then I had a riff with Jesse. (Spoiler Alert) I think Myrnin and Jesse--vampire--have a thing going on. NO. I want Myrnin with Claire. But I actually want Claire with Shane, so it's a big huge mess. But I do not like this flirtatious thing going on between the two.

The writing is basicish, but I like it. There was an overusage of the word "suddenly," but that's partly because I've been noticing that in every book lately, and I cringe every time I read it. The storyline was great; I should have known leaving Morganville wouldn't be all flowers and puppies and nice and fun. (And thank gosh it wasn't, because I actually like being in Morganville.) Along with a new handful of characters, we also find out about a new enemy for the vampires of Morganville--(SPOILERS AHEAD) The Daylight Foundation (and probably why the next book is titled Daylighters). And while they may not be immortal, they do not play nice. They've also managed to infiltrate Morganville, which is definitely not good. But it'll make for a great story in the next book.

With Daylighters being the supposedly final book in the Morganville Vampires series (fifteen books with its publication), I'm wondering what the hell will happen next (especially after that ending. Say what?), as well as what the fates of my favorite characters will be. Will Shane and Claire stay together? (Please say yes. PLEASE.) What's going to happen with Michael and Eve? Because he's a never-aging vampire and she's an aging human. I'm scared, folks. As a huge, huge fan and lover of this series, I'm scared. Morganville is my baby; everything must be good!

Fall of Night wasn't my favorite Morganville Vampires book, but it was a great addition to the series, and a lovely chance to see the outside world. (Are those humans who think vampires aren't real and sparkle in the sun? What?) This is seriously one of my absolute favorite series, and one that I can reread over and over again. I'm also dreading the final book (I will be depressed that day and very upset; it can't be over!), and I think this series could go on forever and I'd never tire of it. I just love everything, from the adventures to the characters. And it has everything: death, thrills, action, horror, adventure, mystery, humor, romance, etc. I know I have to say goodbye, but I really, really don't want to. In the meantime, I'll just go through the fourteen books already out. Again. And with Fall of Night's ending, I have a LOT to wonder about until November. (Sobs again.)

Did I like it? Yes.

Did I love it? Of course! I always love Morganville.

Would I reread it? Yep!

Would I purchase it? Already have it!

Would I recommend it? The whole series!