Vampires, faeries, and zombies

I realized that I had read so many books that I haven't posted reviews on. In an effort to catch up, allow me to post short reviews of young adult novels that I've read recently. Incidentally, these 3 YA novels all had mythical characters in them -- vampires, faeries, and zombies.

First is Melissa De La Cruz's Masquerade, which is book 2 of her series Blue Bloods. Think Gossip Girl meets Meyer's Twilight (or The Vampire Diaries or The Thirst or any other teen novel with vampires in it). Yes, it's that forgettable. De La Cruz's vampires are incarnations of fallen angels who now move among the elite. It's an interesting premise, but I feel that the glamorous theme that De La Cruz lends to her vampiric characters falls flat.

Second is Maggie Stiefvater's Ballad, a YA novel that touches on the Celtic myth of faeries. I haven't read many novels that have faeries (except for Peter Pan). Steifvater's novel is dark, lush and atmospheric. I loved it! In Ballad, we get to read about faeries who use humans as tools for their own intentions. There's none of the cute, magical, and winged faeries in Ballad. Some of Stiefvater's faeries, in fact, kill humans. In Ballad, you get to read about faeries who feed off the musical talents of mortals. Thus, the high school for the arts in the novel naturally becomes a convergence point for these faeries.


And the last is Carrie Ryan's wonderful debut novel about the zombie apocalypse, The Forest of Hands and Teeth. Most people have turned into the living dead, which humans call the unconsecrated. And a few surviving humans have established small colonies fortified with gates that keep the unconsecrated out. The novel is very suspenseful. It's a welcome addition to the cluttered zombie genre out there in bookstores. Ryan's writing is so detailed. You feel the claustrophobia all throughout the novel.

There you go, dear reader. I hope you do take some time to pick up some of these novels, especially the ones by Steifvater and Ryan. Even though they're categorized as YA, they can be enjoyed by adults who can't get enough of these mythical creatures.