Weekly Round-up: Blood Sinister and Raiders’ Ransom
Posted by panaura on January 23rd, 2010
Just because vampire books are popular doesn’t mean they’re good. That’s what I learned from Blood Sinister by Celia Rees. This book was more like a modern-day Dracula than the girl-can’t-resist-the-mysterious-and-handsome-vampire type of books like Twilight and Vampire Diaries. It follows a teenager named Ellen who is fatally ill. Too pass the time, she reads her great-grandmother’s and learns that vampires exist. Soon, in her dreams, Ellen becomes her great-grandmother, living her life, fearing her fears. And the vampires quickly become all too real.
The second book I read this week was Raiders’ Ransom by Emily Diamond. I was shocked to discover that this was Emily Diamond’s first book; Raiders’ Ransom read like it was written by a seasoned author. It really is a fabulous adventure story, not too mention the striking cover art. The story follows two characters: Lilly and Zeph. About 150 years in the future there has been a “Collapse” or some sort of apocolyptic disaster. And many lands have returned to the olden-days way of life — no technology, no cars, travel by boat. Even the old societal pressures, like marrying for money or status instead of love, have returned. When the only two important people in Lilly’s life are gone, she decides to take action. The Prime Minister’s daughter has been kidnapped by raiders, the same raiders that killed her granny. Disguised as a boy, Lilly sails to London in hopes of trading a treasure for the girls release. In London, she meets Zeph — son of the raider’s boss. As a war brews, the two sides become intertwined and true emotions and values are revealed.