Review: Feast of Fools by Rachel Caine

Book Details:
Feast of Fools
by Rachel Caine
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Published 2008, Penguin Books
Paperback, 242 pages
ISBN: 9780451224637

Synopsis:

"The wait is over. Dig into the feast...
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."

This book picks up right where the previous one left off, right in the middle of the action. I love when books do that. I flew through this book as quickly as the previous three, barely taking time to eat or sleep. I would compare the infamous Mr. Bishop to Dracula - minus the romantic leanings. Nothing about him is remotely appealing, and he has no interest in making himself appealing, unlike the other two power players in town, Oliver and Amelie. Lots of subplots are developed, but this one felt like more time could have been devoted to these other elements and lengthened the novel a bit without sacrificing the quality of the text, such as exploring how Claire could wield the power of Glass House, the effect that Michael had on others when he performed, Claire's problem with her professor, or even Claire's parents reaction to the truth about Morganville. It feels as if there are too many characters in the script and not enough pages to give them all adequate time in the spotlight. I find the character of Myrnin even more fascinating in this book - he seems sort of like the dark town jester. I was also disappointed in Claire's lack of interest in her classes, given that she was so happy about her schedule change in the last book. The funeral of Eve's father seemed forced, like it was inserted in the plot as an afterthought, especially since we did not see her mother at the ball at the end of the book, even though it seems logical that Mrs. Rosser would try to use the occasion to make a specticle of herself, not unlike Monica Morrell. Wow, so I had alot of nit-picky things to say about this book, but I still really enjoyed it and I really like this series, especially the character of Claire, who has more courage and daring than anyone in the book. I look forward to the next one, Lord of Misrule.

Cover: The words on the cover read: "It's the biggest party in town. And for some, it may be the last." The man on the cover matches the description of Michael, though it's not exactly how I pictured Michael, and I don't really understand why he was put on the cover, since the plot of this book does not center around him as much as some of the other characters, namely Bishop. The background behind him is obviously the ballroom, which I do like, as it gives me a hint of what the plot is leading up to.

First Line: "It was hard to imagine how Claire's day - even by Morganville standards - could get any worse... and then the vampires holding her hostage wanted breakfast."
This is a great first line! The mixture of plunging into a very scary situation with the mundaneness of breakfast is both humorous and ironic and would make just about any reader want more.

Favorite Quote: "Maybe I should, I don't know leave? Because this is starting to sound like one of those reality shows I don't want to be in. Maybe you guys want to take turns in the confessional booth."



Read For: Pages Read Challenge, Support Your Local Library Challenge, Fantasy Challenge, 101 Fantasy Challenge