Glass Houses
Rachel Caine
NAL, Oct 2006, $5.99
ISBN: 0451219945

Sixteen year old teen prodigy Claire Danvers is a freshman at college. Monica of the in-crowd constantly picks on Claire to the point that her bullying almost kills the teenager. Claire decides to find an off campus apartment and answers an ad referring an old gothic style home in Morganville. The three roommates reluctantly accept Claire though they are concerned with her age. Most of the college town is under the control and protection of vampires, but not the house where Claire or her roomies are.

Their house contains powerful protection wards, but none of them can hide inside this abode all day. When Claire returns to classes, Monica attacks her and sends her vampire friends after the teen and her roommates. Shane hates Monica and with Michael unavailable during daylight to keep Claire safe, he vows to do so. Eve also wants to protect Claire. Sick of hers fears and acting the wimp, Claire searches for the tome that the vampires seek in hopes that this book will keep her and her roomies safe.

Rachel Caine, author of the Weather Warden series, has provided a rousing horror thriller that adds a new dimension to the vampire mythos. The protagonist is a young determined heroine who the audience will admire and root for as she swallows her trepidations to insure her friend and roomies are safe. The key to this fine tale is her plausible reactions to living in a town run by vampires that make going to college in the Caine universe quite an experience. GLASS HOUSES is an electrifying enthralling coming of age supernatural tale.

Harriet Klausner