Feast of Fools: The Morganville Vampires, Book 4

by Rachel Caine

Book Overview

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• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451224639
• ISBN13: 9780451224637
• Release Date: June 2008
• Publisher: Berkley Books
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 4.1" x 6.6"
• Age Range: 14 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 9 and higher

Customer Reviews

Not exactly happy reunions

Claire Danvers and Amelie, the mistress of Morganville have a lot in common in this novel. Both of them have been reunited with their family and are not precisely happy about it. Claire's parents have moved to Morganville, Texas to watch over their 16-year-old daughter. Their plan is for her to move in with them while she completes her college education. Amelie's father, Mr. Bishop has returned to Morganville with plans to take over the place. Meanwhile, the virus that weakens the Morganville vamp stock is getting worse. Dr. Mills, a new scientist Amelie has hired, is close to a cure but working with Myrnin, the oldest vamp in Morganville, is not an easy task. Just to make matters even more interesting, Mr. Bishop and his companions are hosting a ball. Each vampire will bring a human guest. Like the prior Morganville series, this story was darn near impossible to put down. It's also not a stand-alone--so beware, you're going to want to have "Lord of Misrule" close at hand, because I promise you will not want to wait too long to find out what happens next. Rebecca Kyle, May 2009

cliff hanger extraordinaire

Claire, as usual, is dealing with a multitude of problems--her parents have decided to move to Morganville, Monica is attempting to sabotage her college, she has to find the cure to save all the sick vampires, oh...and Amalie's father (the biggest, scariest vampire of all) has come to visit and take over the town. All in a normal day for a 16 (a few weeks to 17) year old genius. This book doesn't devil further in the psyche of the bad guys and friends like previous books. But, hey, get real, the books ARE ONLY about 250 pages long. This one does dig a little into roomie Eve's childhood, and Shane seems to be maturing a great deal (Finally!) Honestly, I easily finished the book in one afternoon and evening--with a few disruptions. I absolutely adore this series by Rachel Caine, even more than her weather warden series. What truly gets my attention about her writing style is that she so easily picks up the mentality of a 16 year old. Granted, I've more than double that age, but reading this book brings me back to my own teen years. That awkward stage where you say the wrong things simply because he don't have the experience to know better. The times where you don't say anything at all and hope to fade into the woodwork because you feel your out of your element. Caine brings that through with her character of Claire without being obvious about it and without coming right out and saying it. A fabulous writing job with her characterization. Now for the bad part---those horrible cliffhangers! Come-on! I'm dying here! he, he. Yea, yea, she's got to have us salivating for the next one, and it certainly working on me!

Feast of Fools (Morganville Book 4) by Rachel Caine

Feast of Fools starts off where Midnight Alley left off. The Glass house has been taken over by a vampire, Mr. Bishop, who claims to be Amelie's father. He has big plans for the humans and vampires of Morganville, and he, along with his evil cronies, will do whatever it takes to put them into motion. It all comes down to the masked ball where the vampires bring human dates. Who will pledge loyalty to Mr. Bishop, and who will stick with Amelie? I really enjoy anything that Rachel Caine writes. All of her characters have an interesting past, and the development of them has been great over the course of four books. I think Claire is finally learning when she needs to back off, and let other people take care of things; especially with the addition of her parents in Morganville, because one wrong move could put them on the chopping block. Claire and Shane's relationship is growing, and they both want to take things to the next level. But Shane continues to be the good guy and stick to his guns (unfortunately for the reader). This only makes Shane more likeable in my opinion. He knows what he wants, but he knows that he can't have it...yet. My favorite character is still Myrnin. The addition of him in Midnight Alley added a whole new level of intrigue to the story. With the new serum Claire has been working on to help him, and the other vampires, he's able to stay out of his cage for longer. This had me on edge because I was just waiting for him to attack Claire at any minute. Monica is still as evil as ever! She is the biggest bully for a college gal. I wish she would get what was coming to her, because it seems that several near death experiences aren't cutting it! How many times does Claire have to save her before she leaves her alone? There is one scene that had me fuming. I felt so bad for Claire. This series always ends on a cliff hanger, which I've gotten used to now that this is the fourth book. It's kind of nice because the story keeps continuing instead of jumping to a new problem/plot. It's like one long book if you piece them together. Feast of Fools was quick and enjoyable, and I look forward to reading the fifth in the series, Lord of Misrule.

Rachel Caine puts her characters through hell...and I like it

"What will you sacrifice, Claire?" she asked. "To win?" "It's not a game," Claire said. Amelie inclined her head. "True. It is war. And now we have to fight for all of our lives." -Claire and Amelie, "Feast of Fools" Rachel Caine's "Morganville Vampires" is probably the only teen series I've been excited about in years. Her approach to teen literature is different from any author I've ever encountered, and clearly caters to the importance of character growth and plot rather than cliche and overdone teen melodrama. Feast of Fools is no exception, and after 3 equally amazing books before it(Glass Houses, The Dead Girls' Dance, Midnight Alley), it's clear that the "Morganville Vampires" series hit its stride and just kept going, and I'll be along for the ride until it's done. As one of the most powerful vampires Claire has ever encountered, Mr. Bishop is a threat not only to the Glass House, but to the entire town of Morganville. When it becomes clear that even Amelie, the founder of Morganville, and the power hungry Oliver are afraid of Mr. Bishop, Claire knows she's in trouble. It doesn't help any that her parents have bought a house in Morganville, completely unaware that the town is owned and operated by vampires who view the human inhabitants as nothing more than food. A war has begun, and the road to the end is bound to be filled with heartache and sacrifice. And sixteen-year-old Claire will be forced to put aside her fears of vampires and fight alongside them to help save the town and her friends from Mr. Bishop and his followers. Ah, god, what can I say about Rachel Caine's wonderful writing that doesn't include five exclamation points after every sentence and incoherent fan girl moments? I'll try. Caine writes the hell out of her books, and I failed miserably at finding anything I didn't like about them. The "Morganville Vampires" books, despite their short page count ("Feast of Fools" came in at under 300 pages) manage a balance between development, plot, action, and dialogue that is rarely accomplished well even in books twice the page count. I remember a time when I feared that Claire's point of view might become tedious, that her bookishness and logical internalization might interfere with the direction of the books. Boy was I wrong, and "Feast of Fools" shows just how far young Claire has come: from a shy, reserved teenager to a genuine heroine who is smart, loyal, stands by her convictions, and yet a part of her dreads the role she's been given and wishes she could be a normal teenager. Even Eve, Michael, and Shane have grown to understand that their experiences in the town of Morganville have to be pushed aside to defeat Mr. Bishop. The best thing about "Feast of Fools" is that the interactions between Claire, Eve, Michael and Shane have evolved into such a tangible, intricate understanding and their relationship and care for one another shows. Michael, still dealing with his vampirism, is fighting to stay true t

Spoiler Free Review

In the town of Morganville, vampires and humans live in relative peace. Student Claire Danvers has never been convinced, though--especially with the arrival of Mr. Bishop, an ancient, old-school vampire who cares nothing about harmony. What he wants from the town's living and its dead is unthinkably sinister. It's only at a formal ball, attended by vampires and their human dates, that Claire realizes the elaborately evil trap he's set for Morganville. For any of you who were frustrated or disappointed with Midnight Alley, Book Three, you're in for a treat with Feast of Fools. Feast of Fools takes all that we learned or thought we learned from Midnight Alley and puts it all together in a very entertaining package. I could not put Feast of Fools down, and there aren't a lot of books that I've read lately that I can say that about. There is a level of tension in the Morganville books that keeps you on the edge of your seat, even in the background scenes you're waiting for the other shoe to drop. And it always does. Rachel Caine abuses her characters like a pro, and she doesn't shirk because these are YA books. Claire and her friends go through hell just trying to survive in Morganville. Her characters are young, Claire is about to turn seventeen, but she is no Mary Sue. She's smarter than the average bear, but it's not rubbed into the readers face. Claire's roommates make up the rest of the main characters in the series, and they are pretty normal, or as normal as they can be after growing up in a town run by vampires. But above it all, each book stresses how important friendship is to these characters. You know without a doubt that they are willing to die for each other. My only complaint is the cliffhanger endings in the series. I need to remind myself that Morganville reads like a TV series not like a movie. There really is no self contained storyline in each book, just a long arc that is being told throughout them all. In other words you cannot pick up Feast of Fools without reading the three books that preceded it.