Judith's Choice Reads: Review: Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine
My rating: 5 of 5 genies
Genre: YA, Urban Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Romance, Ghosts
Published: October 3, 2006
Pages: 224
Publisher: NAL Jam
Source: Library Loan
Format: Paperback
Purchase At: TheBookDepository.com or Amazon.com

Goodreads Summary

From the author of the popular Weather Warden series comes the debut of an exciting new series set in Morganville, Texas, where you would be well advised to avoid being out after dark.

College freshman Claire Danvers has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation. When Claire heads off-campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new roommates don't show many signs of life, but they'll have Claire's back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood.

My Thoughts

Ok, well that was... INCREDIBLE.

I don't think I expected much from this book going in, (I still don't know why, maybe because the whole idea of the Vampire thing done by anyone not Jeaniene Frost seemed pretty impossible), and honestly I just read it because of the high rating it has going on Goodreads. Well, it's safe to say "Glass Houses" kinda deserves the 5 genies!! And higher. Also I was dead wrong, Rachel Caine can write! It wasn't predictable, but some events were easy to foresight and even though you could see some decisions from the characters totally play out a little before they did - it was still spanking amazing!

Believe me I'm still trying to organize my thoughts because they literally feel scrambled. So where to begin? The Setting: was golden, like crazy original and totally terrifying. I was scared, scared that a place like that existed - even in fiction - it was a nightmare! Crazy (there is really no other word for them) bitches, psycho Vamps, and literally no order. I fainted more than once. No one looks out for each other really and they all care about protecting themselves from the Vampires that rule Morganville; the Vampires think the humans are basically game (like actual cattle) and never hesitate to puncture a jugular, like never.

Oh. You. Have. To. Be. Kidding. Me. That was my recurring thought throughout "Glass Houses". What happened to human rights?!? Not in Morganville, no one cares. Except for the people in the Glass House who've grown up there, and Claire - a total cutie/brainiac - who happens to attend the College. She cares because the head psycho bitch wants to kill her.

Like really kill her. All because she thinks Claire made her look stupid (and that in itself is not a hard thing to do.) This girl was on something, I'm sure, she was so twisted that her imbalanced state of mind shook me. Character-wise ~~in craziness~~ she reminded me a lot of Azula from Avatar the Last Airbender.

Mind you, I never thought that I'd be saying this about anyone, but Monica was all kinds of psycho which Azula never could be. I thought she would give up on Claire, but she never did. It was a crazy obsession and I know she needs a jacket and padded room. Rich people should be able to afford that, right? Why are they letting someone as messed as Monica run loose then, it makes no sense. I don't care who her father is. Second in line for the crazy award is her feral dog, ~~Scruffy~~ Gina. Hm...has a nice ring to it! The girl just needed to be told and she went looking for blood, like a hellhound from Pittsburgh, she was so irrational. I can see why she and Monica are friends, really.

Other notable Characters: are of course Claire, Michael, Eve, Shane (swoon), and Oliver. I didn't think much of Amelie since she wasn't really there for most of the book and showed up 3/4 of the way through. She thought she was a big deal, I didn't. These characters were so awesome, and way normal than crazy Monica & Crew, I could practically see them. They were solid and hilarious, my throat went dry from laughing so hard at some parts. It was awesome.

Claire: Was smart, like really smart and completely lovable. I picture her in my mind and it is instant cuteness; still can't make out whether she had blonde or dark hair (wasn't really specified) but she was as cute as a button. Really Eve, I don't know why we say that, but in this case it applies in every sense of the word.

The friendship between all three of them was made even more believable because of their willingness to do everything to save her. I would save her too, she's just that kind of person; feisty and stubborn, the best kind.

Michael: Had this whole guardian angel thing going that I completely digged, very hot. I bawled when I found out what happened to him! Man it sucked, so much so that thinking of it pulls my spirits down a little still. I want him to be human again in the books to come! But I can only hope.

Eve: So sweet, her personality was catching - easy-going and confident - not to mention the way she handled Claire was extremely caring. Her actions brought to mind the image of an older sister which Claire didn't have, but totally deserved to find in Eve. Kudos to her for being that!

Shane: This name automatically makes me think, surfer, and then I imagine a guy (no offense to surfer-dudes out there) that isn't too bright. Can't help it, it just happens. Like when people hear the name Spongebob they think instantly: possibly-gay-yellow sponge-creeper. No? Well I do, but I love Spongebob, I watch him as much as I can and the same goes with Shane, only I'm wishing I could watch him every day! Oh man, he was very chill, very brave, and very fine. Excuse me while I swoon again.

I liked how far he was willing to go in order to protect Claire, he had this Romantic's heart pounding.

I won't get into Oliver because I don't know where to start with him, also I'm afraid of ruining it for anyone else. He was a surprise and not in a good way.

The Plot: moved easily and nothing felt rushed at all. It was like a very enjoyable stroll and the events that occurred were timed to perfection -- Way to go, Caine! I truly enjoyed myself with this book so you'll get why I recommend it to everyone reading this review, go find yourself a copy!

The writing is very consistent with the whole, I'm in college-I'm still a teenager-but I live in a town full of crazies, theme. It all works together perfectly and it's a ball to read. H.M. (honorable mention): goes to Shane (like you couldn't guess), also Claire, because I like a heroine with smarts, and Richard (Monica's older brother) because anyone who calls out a crazy like that is okay with me. Five genies, Baby: