I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of reincarnation. Ever since I learned of the concept in a world religions class in high school, I’ve enjoyed learning more about this ancient idea. If reincarnation is true, then there is no need to fear death; we just keep coming back until we get it right. I think the eternalness of it all appealed to me.

Oh, who am I kidding? I have always gravitated towards the paranormal and downright weird.

Lately, I’ve noticed a stream of novels based on reincarnation, two of which I’ve already reviewed (The Reincarnationist & My Name is Memory). Just like vampires dominated the fiction landscape a few years ago (thanks, Twilight), I think bookstores are soon to be chock-full of reincarnation. “The Eternal Ones” by Kirsten Miller is the latest in this flood and I was eager to get my hands on it.

The protagonist of the novel is Haven Moore, a teenage girl who longs for New York City. Growing up in Snope City, Tennessee, she’s always been an outcast, especially after the other children found out about her visions. Haven’s been having visions of New York and a boy named Ethan since she was young. These visions aren’t received well by the local, Christian folk, including Haven’s strict grandmother, and she is sent to see the local preacher, Dr. Tidmore, to get them under control. After years of peace, when she is just about to graduate from high school and finally escape Tennessee, she begins having visions again. However, this time Haven’s mother decides to help her daughter and tells her that her father believed that she was reincarnated. Haven also learns of something called the Ouroboros Society, which is also in New York, and aims to bring together those who remember their past lives. Once Haven learns this, there is no stopping her and the adventure begins as she sets out to find Ethan. Read More »

Is it enough already with the fangs?

Eclipse is out, True Blood is back and there’s a veritable smorgasbord of undead hotties floating around right now in all their pale, gorgeous glory. Vampires, much like leggings and giant purses, have pretty clearly been the trend of the past couple of years with rip-off series’ and cash-ins than you can shake a stake at, but now I’m starting to wonder, is it time to say enough is enough?

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m an unashamed vamp fangirl from way back in the Buffy era (Spike, *sigh*) and have read more than my fair share of vampire novels from Dracula to Anne Rice to Twilight. Likewise, I’m not going to debate the artistic merits of the recent incarnations of the vamp craze. What I’m asking is, is it time to say our blood-sucking appetite is sated and maybe give something else a crack at the limelight, or are we still desperate for all things “children of the night”?

On one side, vampires are a part of our cultural heritage. Practically every culture on the planet has some version of the creature in it’s lore, and people have always been almost inexplicably drawn toward the idea. Since the birth of vamp fiction, readers have been pulled to the idea of the taboo, the danger, and yeah, the hot hot (or, you know, cold, undead) sex. Vampires have everything it takes to make for a theme that will always be in our psyche’s so to say that we’ve had enough of them is like saying we’ve had enough of handsome, heroic male leads – sure, it’s been done to death (ha!) but that doesn’t mean we’ve stopped loving it. Read More »

Considering today is Halloween (finally on a weekend!), I was in the mood for something supernatural this week. Of course, you first think of the blockbusters: Twilight, The Historian, maybe even a classic like Frankenstein. But, I decided to go with something a little less mainstream. Something darker and more of a true horror novel. So I rummaged through my bookshelf and found “The Night Watch” by Sergei Lukyanenko.

I bought “The Night Watch” a while ago, but had yet to pick it up. I remember very clearly seeing it at the bookstore and being intrigued by the critical acclaim on the front. “Harry Potter in Gorky Park” is what it said, which totally hooked me (Gorky Park is a famous amusement park in Moscow, Russia and I REALLY feel compelled by Russia for some odd reason….). Anyways, back to the book.

The story revolves around Anton. In Anton’s Moscow, there is a fight going on between Good and Evil that the humans don’t even see. Only the Others see, special beings who choose to fight for either the Light or the Dark. Anton, our protagonist, is of course of the Light and also a member of the Night Watch. He patrols the streets and subways of Moscow, protecting humans from the agents of the Night (vampires, supernatural beings, etc). I don’t know about you, but that totally reminds me of the opening fight scene in the subway platform from “Underworld,” which is SO badass. Okay, seriously, back to the book. Read More »