Kiss of Death by Rachel Caine

Title: Kiss of Death

Author: Rachel Caine
Publisher: Allison & Busby
ISBN: 978-0-7490-0784-3
Pages: 348
Series: The Morganville Vampires #8
Type: Young Adult Paranormal
Source: Purchased
Goodreads

Life in Morganville may be full of vampires, death threats and danger, but for Claire and her friends it isn't enough. They crave the excitement of the real world so when Michael is given the opportunity to record a demo at a music studio in Dallas, the group seize the opportunity to get out of town. But when town leader Amelie insists Oliver accompany them their fun road trip starts to lose its shine and a run in with some small town locals puts all of their lives in danger...

This is the eight book in the Morganville Vampires series (after Glass Houses, The Dead Girls' Dance, Midnight Alley, Feast of Fools, Lord of Misrule, Carpe Corpus and Fade Out) and is a great return to form after the disappointment of the previous installment.

This time the story is set outside of Morganville and it's great to see how much of a reality shock it is for Morganville natives Michael and Eve. Claire and Shane have lived in the outside world so they don't have to adapt whereas for Michael and Eve all of the rules are different which leads to them getting themselves into more than a little trouble. The pacing is brilliant with the group leaving on their adventure in fair time and running into a stream of trouble almost straight away. There are also some clever twists and turns leading to a tightly plottted read.

In terms of characters Claire and Shane learn to play more to their strengths, with Claire taking some steps forward in terms of confidence and creativity when it comes to making Morganville's rules work for her. Michael and Eve also begin to deal with the realities of a human/vampire relationship, and it is interesting to see how getting out into the real world affects all the characters.

All in all this was an awesome read and I can't wait to get stuck into Ghost Town.

Plot: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Cover: 9/10

Overall: 49/50