The Vampire's Promise is a YA compilation of three of Caroline B. Cooney's previous paranormal/horror books.
There is a house with a shuttered, circular tower that gives off an essence of creepiness. But inevitably, families do eventually move in, as it once was a beautiful place after all. Althea, Devnee, and Lacey all, at different times, find themselves in the tower room - and in that tower room there lives a vampire. A vampire that offers to grant the deepest of wishes and use his power to promise their dreams come true - at a price.
But how much are these girls willing to give him, to make sure they don't lose what they've been given?
I have read a ton of Caroline B. Cooney books, in fact I own a bunch of them. I primarily read them when I was younger, but I was curious to see what I would think of this trilogy-in-one. It takes Deadly Offer, Evil Returns, and Fatal Bargain and puts them all together for our reading pleasure.
First up was Deadly Offer, which was, in my opinion, almost instantly spooky with the way Caroline B. Cooney wrote it, a truly creepy feeling burrows in and stays. The way she makes it more about the darkness in deep desires, rather than just the vampire, is compelling. And I was entranced by the way she presented regret, fear, and loneliness. It reminded me of how great of an author she really is.
The Vampire's Promise does not offer up a hot, swoon-worthy vampire in any sense. He is gross, manipulative, and super duper nightmarish. This makes the novel feel unique in today's realm of romantic vampires. It's magnetic and has a dreamlike tone to the entire book. Very, very good!
The second novel in the compilation, Evil Returns, was just as suspenseful and ominous - though a tad more predictable. And then when the third and final story came around, Fatal Bargain, I found it to be a psychological twister. It jumped around more than the others and was definitely interesting, but lacked the slow build and atmospheric, dark quality of the first two.
The Vampire's Promise is a great book that brings you a sort of ghost-story feeling - but as each book progressed they got a bit more predictable. So I recommend it, but primarily for the experience of the first book in the trio, and most of the second. However, you might find each book to be just as twisty as the next, so I recommend it all the more!
*Quick Note: If you like to join in on live chats with authors, I want to let you know about another one Inkpop.com is hosting! On Wednesday, March 30, 2011, Ellen Schreiber will be paying a visit to inkpop for a Live Chat. Check out all the details and how to join in on the conversation here! See ya Monday, crazy book lovers!
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