Last Breath (Morganville Vampires, #11)

by Rachel Caine

When college student Claire Danvers learns that three of the vampires in Morganville have disappeared without a trace, only to discover that the last person seen with one of the missing vampires is a mysterious new resident named Magnus, she begins to suspect that Magnus is not a fellow-human.

• ISBN10: 0451234871
• ISBN13: 9780451234872
• Publish Date: 1 November 2011 (first published 1 October 2011)
• Publish Status: Remaindered
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: New American Library
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 338
• Language: English

Reviews

[Angie]

Well, Last Breath was certainly an improvement over the previous book! And it’s set over a super short time frame which is one of my favorite plot devices! As Eve and Michael are preparing for their engagement party, there’s some unrest within town. They don’t have the Founder’s permission to get married, humans are starting to band together against the vampires, and someone strange has just shown up at the town border. Once again, Claire is at the center of it, but she can’t save everyone this time.

Last Breath was so good! It really kept me on the edge of my seat as Claire and Friends go from one sticky situation to the next. I also thought the alternating POV actually worked this time given that most of the book is of the race against the clock nature. Everyone is running around doing something before it’s too late, and something is going on with our dear Claire. We also get into Amelie’s head to learn about this new threat in town: a second breed of vampire! I actually really loved this twist on vampirism. It’s unique and it makes an odd kind of sense.

I don’t want to give anything away about Last Breath, because it’s basically nonstop twists, turns, and surprises! That middle portion was especially intense, because I wasn’t sure which direction the author was going to take it! Really anything would have been possible! So, what’s next for our friend’s in Morganville after all of these changes?

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[nitzan_schwarz]

Originally posted on my blog.

Review contains book 10 spoilers

Okay, so let's get a few things straight, as this is the first time I've talked about TMV on The Book Babe's Reads. I love this series. Like, I really really do. It's super fun, and surprising, and I love the romance, and the action, and the plot.

So, imagine my surprise when, thanks to an edit I did on Leafmarks, I came to the stunning, horrifying realization that I've read the last installment in the series nine months ago. 

Nine months! Where did the time go!? What exactly happened in those nine months? Regardless, the moment I realized this atrocity, I picked up my copy of Last Breath and pretty much the next day I was reading it.

I had forgotten how much I love the characters of this book. Their interactions made me smile and laugh so much, even though dire things happen. Like, there's never a moment of pure happiness. And if there is, it means someones going to die soon.

And still, the overall feel of the book is the opposite of the downer it should be.

Though, I've got to admit - how much I love everyone is not the only thing I forgot. Thanks to the huge gap in reading, I forgot details from the last books. Like Eve and Micheal getting engaged. That kind of blindsided me (and thank god Caine didn't drag out their issues, because they need some happy time!)

We also had a new couple brewing in this novel aside for our faves Claire and Shane (total OTP for this series!) and Michael and Eve. Personally, I think they are long overdo. I felt the sexual tension between them back in book one! Can't wait to see what happens there.

But romance is not really the main issue in this novel. Oh no, not at all. What Caine does here is pretty unique and unheard of - though I admit to have felt less of the impact of it thanks to... spoilers. I've been waiting for it to happen since I accidentally read of it. And yes, it was still exciting, but I knew how it would be solved, so there wasn't any anxiety involved, which is unfortunate.

But if you, dear reader, go into this book unawares, I guarantee the shock of your life and a twist to make you completely unable to even! And then there's that cliffy... *sigh*

On a few technical notes, this book introduces several new POVs, including Eve's, Micheal's and Amelie's. And they are in first person, which was a bit jarring at first because I've gotten used to Claire's third person pov style.

Surprisingly enough, I kind of hated Amelie's pov, even though I really do like her as a character. I especially loved Micheal's voice, and Shane's voice completely redeemed itself after the last book - in which his POV kind of made me... hate him? I hate hating characters I love (and yes, that is a logical sentence), so I'm happy to be back on track with him!

On a side-note; that is the worst synopsis ever.

[Jo]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Rachel Caine is a genius! With every book she writes, she brings us something new, unique, unpredictable and completely engrossing! And Last Breath is no different!

As weird as this may sound to fellow Morganville Vampires fans, considering all the weird stuff that happens in previous books, I think this might just be the creepiest of all the whole series so far! Seriously! These new creatures that prey on vampires... well, if you thought the vamps in these books could be bad, you've read nothing that. I was Freaked Out. Yes, with capital letters. These new beasties gave me the heebie-jeebies. Not necessarily for what they do or how they do them, but for what they are. You know how mean and evil Caine's vamps can be, seriously creeptastic! Yet this new creature scares them! They're nasty and they're.. ohh, they're just not right. For a lot of the novel it seems like there isn't any mythical creature that we know of that they're actually like, until they started doing one thing, and I actually said outloud, "Oh, they're like them!", except "them" was actually the creature I was thinking of, but I'm not going to spoil it for you. Them, but 100 times worse!

If these weird creatures weren't bad enough, we get some serious jaw-dropping moments in this book where you're just like "what the hell?!" Readers, once you get to this point, you'll know what I'm talking about. Because you know what that means! And you know it's going to change absolutely everything for Claire, Shane, Eve and Michael in massive ways! Yet, do you know? Caine is just so good at this writing thing that she's throwing you curve balls left, right and centre so you don't know which way is up let alone trying to come up with any kind of theory on where this book is going to go. She takes everything we think we know, and then BAM! turns it on it's head, in a completely believable way for the world she's writing - there's no "that can't happen, because she said XYZ before!" It all makes sense, you just never would have believed it before. No, believed it is wrong, you wouldn't even have thought of it. Caine's brain must be the size of a planet, because she thinks of absolutely everything - and this isn't her only series!

I loved how Caine carried on with adding other characters' points of view that she started in Fight Club. It's all mostly Claire still, but as well as her and Shane, we also get Michael, Eve and Amelie too. Yes, Amelie! And oooh, I want more of being in her head! She thinks like someone from centuries past, very proper and formal, with a lot of "one" instead of "I" going on. And she's just fascinating! This scary ice queen that rules with an iron fist isn't as strong as we all think. It's just wonderful to see all these different points of view! And things happen in this book where it's absolutely necessary to see through other people's eyes. No, I won't say more than that!

And the ending! Oh my god, the ending! I actually didn't know it was the end until I turned the page expecting the next chapter, and found Caine's playlist for the book. This is not a stand alone story! I don't know how many books it will cover, but this story is not completely wrapped up in this book, and there's so much more to find out, and EEEE, I am so excited that we've got another story that carries on, and I absolutely cannot wait for the next book, Black Dawn, which is out in May 2012! MV fans, you have to buy this book immediately! This is not one to miss! Incredible!

From Once Upon a Bookcase - YA book blog.

[Linda]

What a rollercoaster!! In the middle, I was completely heartbroken, and very scared as well... I am not very fond of the new monster in town - very icky and scary, and seems very apt to the task of trying to take Morganville off the map!

Good thing some people came to their senses before it was too late! I also really felt very sorry for Myrnin in this book, poor guy, he really did the best he could with the hand he was dealt.

I do have an idea about how they might be able to get rid of the new monster in town in the next book... tasers!! that might actually work, as those druags are kind of slippery and gelly-ish and VERY icky

I loved how Claire and Shane interacted in this book, Shane has grown up a little, and is more sure of himself, and what he wants to do with the rest of his life, and that felt really good to read. I also really liked that the Glass-house occupants really had each others' backs - every time it was needed.

Excellent book, now, I guess all I can do is waiting again...