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A review by tani
Night Owls by Lauren M. Roy
4.0
I picked this one up and put it back down a couple times before finally trying it. I liked the idea of the book and I enjoy the occasional urban fantasy foray, but the mention of Creeps, the main villainous creature of this book, enjoying the blood of virgins most of all in the first few pages really made me nervous. Unjustly, it turns out. Although that is a thing, it's not handled the way that I had feared it might be. Also, starting the book with Elly, a completely different character than Val, who's mentioned as the main character in all the descriptions, threw me. Oh, great, I thought. Another sassy teenager with more sexuality than sense. Yup, wrong again. Having read the book, I think Elly might be my favorite character now. Just goes to show you that jumping to conclusions is bad.
Actually, there was a lot to like in this book. There's an ensemble cast, which I always enjoy. There are vampires, but there are also the Creeps that I mentioned above, and a pair of succubi, so it's not all-vamps-all-the-time. The vampires fall into some of the normal stereotypes - the commanding presence, the lack of human ethics, the sucking of blood - but the main vampire that we see, Val, is actually a really decent person. There was action, but there was also working together, figuring things out, having emotional moments.
The characters each have a past, and some of that is explored. You get a decent introduction to the world, but you also get the sense that there's a lot more to learn. There is no romance in this book, but there are unrequited feelings that you know are going to have to be addressed at some point. And there's a nice little teaser for the next book in the series that is just enough to make you want to keep going.
In short, this has all the makings of a really solid urban fantasy series. I'm looking forward to reading more!
Actually, there was a lot to like in this book. There's an ensemble cast, which I always enjoy. There are vampires, but there are also the Creeps that I mentioned above, and a pair of succubi, so it's not all-vamps-all-the-time. The vampires fall into some of the normal stereotypes - the commanding presence, the lack of human ethics, the sucking of blood - but the main vampire that we see, Val, is actually a really decent person. There was action, but there was also working together, figuring things out, having emotional moments.
The characters each have a past, and some of that is explored. You get a decent introduction to the world, but you also get the sense that there's a lot more to learn. There is no romance in this book, but there are unrequited feelings that you know are going to have to be addressed at some point. And there's a nice little teaser for the next book in the series that is just enough to make you want to keep going.
In short, this has all the makings of a really solid urban fantasy series. I'm looking forward to reading more!