This is Rachel Caine's (author of the Weather Warden books) young adult series. It's in the third person but follows the story of Claire, a young college student going to school at what turns out to be a town run by vampires. Claire lives with 3 other teens (Shane, Michael and Eve) in a unusual house. The three others are all older than Claire and grew up in Morganville, and they all know more about the town and it's history than Claire does, but everyone seems to have some secrets and history with the vamps. It's a very interesting premise and the story is never dull, one surprise follows another and there is a lot of action going on. I did notice that the author likes to end her books with cliffhangers, so the series is addictive, but if you hate cliffhangers, make sure you have book 2 around if you start reading book 1. Meanwhile the heroine is smart and thoughtful while sounding like a teenager. I'm glad this is not another "teen girl with bubblegum brains falling for a vampire" story. The book has surprising depth, and even bad guys seem to have another side.

Reviewed by Karin Perry for TeensReadToo.com

Hold on to your fish-net stockings because the action in THE DEAD GIRLS' DANCE starts on the first page and never lets up. The story begins exactly where the first book in the Morganville Vampire series, GLASS HOUSES, left off. Claire, Eve, and Shane are in shock over what Shane's father and his buddies have done to Michael.

Shane's father has returned to Morganville with one thing in mind: He wants to kill as many vampires as he can, even if he gets killed in the process. After the trauma Shane's family went through with the loss of his sister, and, subsequently, his mother, Shane and his father have cooked up a plan for revenge. Shane's phone call to his father sets the plan in motion and once his father arrives, Shane realizes what a mistake he's made.

The protection Claire, Eve, Shane, and Michael have under the Founder is in jeopardy now that Shane's dad is causing problems. If they are thought to be involved in any kind of plan to kill the vampires, their protection will be removed and it will be open season on the occupants of the Glass House -- and believe me, there are plenty of vampires and people in Morganville who want to see them dead. When one of the most powerful vampires in town turns up dead, Shane is accused of the crime and sentenced to death, and it is up to Claire and Eve to find a way to save him.

Readers will enjoy it when Claire's nemesis, Monica, gets a little of what's coming to her when the tables are turned and she is put in the victim role. Also be looking for relationships to blossom over the course of THE DEAD GIRLS' DANCE, both in love and friendship. We also meet a new, likeable character named Sam. He offers aid to Claire and Eve when they are in desperate need of help.

The only drawback with this book is that it isn't a stand-alone story. In order to understand the reasoning behind much of the action it would be better to read the first book in the series, GLASS HOUSES. However, in my opinion, this isn't a major drawback at all since it leads you to another great book by Rachel Caine. THE DEAD GIRLS' DANCE is one of the best books I've read, and the shocking ending will leave you panting and begging for the next installment.

I started reading young adult books, prescreening them for my 13 y/o daughter who has newly found the joy of reading. However, she only likes the teen vampire romance novels. And some of the "young adult" are not so innocent. But, this is a cute book. She however did not like the first one and will not read any others. But, I will.

Read All Book Reviews of "The Dead Girls Dance Morganville Vampires Bk 2"

We get to know the characters better and see the return of Shane's father. There's big trouble in Morganville.

This is the second book in the Morganville Vampires series. For some reason I just cannot get into this series. The story is okay, but the characters aren't all that engaging. I didn't finish this book thinking "Oh, I just can't wait for what happens next!".

This book starts out exactly where the last book left off, which is good considering the last book left off with a knife plunging toward Michael's heart. In this book Shane's father, a crazy vampire hunter, shows up and starts creating trouble for the residents of Glass House. It's up to Claire to try and figure out how to fix everything, especially when Shane gets imprisoned for a murder he didn't commit.

I will start out with the good stuff in this book. The Founder of Morganville, Amelie, is a great character; in fact I think she is the only interesting character in this book. She is intriguing and must have a very interesting past indeed. I also liked the addition of Sam the newest vampire in Morganville; although he wasn't in the story much. Okay, well that was the good stuff. I think the other characters are very stereotypical. The story is okay, but not all that engaging. The writing style is fine but nothing special.

I thought the title and synopsis of the book were both a bit misleading. The Dead Girl's Dance doesn't happen until almost the end of the book and the main characters have nothing to do with the preparation of it. The Dance just happens to be a place where some bad stuff happens. I also thought it was a bit strange that Claire rarely goes to class; I mean I understand that she is in danger, but Claire's actual classwork is really pushed into the background and dealt with as an afterthought...it's kind of weird since the whole reason she stayed in Morganville initially was to go to school. I also thought that Claire's parents were dealt with in a clumsy way; it was like Caine didn't really know what to do with them so she made them magically forget and left it at that.

Overall, this book was okay. I just didn't really get into it all that much. Everything about it remains average. The nice thing was that this book wrapped up the plot somewhat instead of leaving it wide open like the last book. I won't be reading anymore of this series. I just am not enjoying it; there is not enough creativity and the characters are not engaging enough.

Good continuation of the story of Claire, a young college student living in a vampire-run town. (Epsilon Epsilon Kappa, EEK, is the fraternity...)

Read All Book Reviews of "The Dead Girls Dance Morganville Vampires Bk 2"