nglofile's review
3.0
Strangely, I didn't have quite as much fun with this book as I did the second in the series, but it was still a fast-paced, enjoyable read.
laurenjodi's review
3.0
Some Girls Bite
3 Stars
Listened to this following Magic Bites and it is difficult not to find it lacking in comparison to the first Kate Daniels book.
The narration is only so-so. Cynthia Holloway sounds wooden with no emotional inflection, and there is no real variation in the different voices - men and women, old and young, all sound alike.
The pacing is slow and there is very little plot development. Nothing much happens beyond Merit being changed into a vampire and being introduced to a host of new characters and concepts. Most of the world building involves numerous long winded explanations interspersed with a few scenes that progress the plot - it is all telling with no showing.
Much of the story is based on a series of unrealistic coincidences -, and there is no tension or suspense surrounding the vampire serial killer subplot. The ultimate explanation also lacks the necessary foundation and is anti-climactic.
The characterization is another weak point. Merit and Mallory behave like immature teenagers preoccupied with clothes and "boys". The men in their lives are adults (Ethan is 400 years old for heaven's sake), so why do they constantly call them "boys"?
Merit is neither as snarky nor as angsty as many of the other Urban Fantasy heroines I've encountered recently. Nevertheless, it is impossible not to admire her demands for equality and appreciate her uniqueness. Ethan is arrogant, overbearing and domineering, but he and Merit have an intense and sizzling chemistry that neither of them wants nor needs, basically Pride & Prejudice with vampires.
The secondary romance between Mallory and Catcher is completely incomprehensible. Their attraction is immediate and their relationship progresses at the speed of light from acquaintances to full couple complete with angst - where is the growth and development?
Overall, Some Girls Bite suffers from the trials and tribulations of being a first book, but the world building is intriguing and the story and characters have potential, so I will continue with the series for now.
3 Stars
Listened to this following Magic Bites and it is difficult not to find it lacking in comparison to the first Kate Daniels book.
The narration is only so-so. Cynthia Holloway sounds wooden with no emotional inflection, and there is no real variation in the different voices - men and women, old and young, all sound alike.
The pacing is slow and there is very little plot development. Nothing much happens beyond Merit being changed into a vampire and being introduced to a host of new characters and concepts. Most of the world building involves numerous long winded explanations interspersed with a few scenes that progress the plot - it is all telling with no showing.
Much of the story is based on a series of unrealistic coincidences -
Spoiler
Merit's grandfather just happens to be the liaison between humans and supernaturals and her roommate is conveniently a witchThe characterization is another weak point. Merit and Mallory behave like immature teenagers preoccupied with clothes and "boys". The men in their lives are adults (Ethan is 400 years old for heaven's sake), so why do they constantly call them "boys"?
Merit is neither as snarky nor as angsty as many of the other Urban Fantasy heroines I've encountered recently. Nevertheless, it is impossible not to admire her demands for equality and appreciate her uniqueness. Ethan is arrogant, overbearing and domineering, but he and Merit have an intense and sizzling chemistry that neither of them wants nor needs, basically Pride & Prejudice with vampires.
The secondary romance between Mallory and Catcher is completely incomprehensible. Their attraction is immediate and their relationship progresses at the speed of light from acquaintances to full couple complete with angst - where is the growth and development?
Overall, Some Girls Bite suffers from the trials and tribulations of being a first book, but the world building is intriguing and the story and characters have potential, so I will continue with the series for now.
lynseyisreading's review against another edition
4.0
Overall, I enjoyed SOME GIRLS BITE. It had a slightly YA feel to it for some reason (although it isn't; our protagonist is 27), it was more in the writing style, I think. And perhaps some of the dialogue. At the time of writing this, I have already read the first three books back-to-back, so I can tell you this is something that becomes less of an issue with each book.
It's based around vamps and their feudalistic House system. Basically, whichever Master Vamp turns you (and only masters can), you then belong to his or her House. There are three Houses in Chicago, and our leading lady, Merit, is born into the only one that still drinks from the vein, and not from a blood-bank baggie like all the others. She is also (a little predictably) not your average vamp; she displays extra speed and strength after only a few days as a vamp. Something that makes her of interest to several parties.
I felt like the possible love interest was thrown in your face much too early on to be believable in this book. This might have contributed to the YA feel as well. It was just all a bit predictable and, dare I say, a bit cheesy. However, by the end of the book, we had met several interesting characters and had been supplied with what will be the overarching story arc of the series and I am definitely interested enough by all of that to overlook these minor quibbles.
It's based around vamps and their feudalistic House system. Basically, whichever Master Vamp turns you (and only masters can), you then belong to his or her House. There are three Houses in Chicago, and our leading lady, Merit, is born into the only one that still drinks from the vein, and not from a blood-bank baggie like all the others. She is also (a little predictably) not your average vamp; she displays extra speed and strength after only a few days as a vamp. Something that makes her of interest to several parties.
I felt like the possible love interest was thrown in your face much too early on to be believable in this book. This might have contributed to the YA feel as well. It was just all a bit predictable and, dare I say, a bit cheesy. However, by the end of the book, we had met several interesting characters and had been supplied with what will be the overarching story arc of the series and I am definitely interested enough by all of that to overlook these minor quibbles.
lorithereadingfairy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sometimesleelynnreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
saoki's review
1.0
This is a boring, derivative book, with a boring, mary sue-esque protagonist. She's perfect, rich and her only real flaws are being snobby-child rebellious (meaning: she talks back to authority, as long as authority means her parents or hot vampires)and... NOT KNOWING HOW TO DRESS SOCIALLY.
This is seriously approached as a character flaw and I couldn't help but laugh at the poor rich girl that can't pick her own clothes. And this is our perspective character, the one that should be so interesting you can't help but write in her voice. Hell, I guess I don't wanna hear the inner monologue of any of those Hot Vampire Types.
And the setting, ohgods! This is a book in which vampires use katanas because "its the honorable thing" (now picture a giant handwave). They "came out", but only in Chicago, and no one finds that strange (more handwaving). And there's about 1.500 of them in the city, all immortal, with an increment of 144 a year. Even if most of them drink blood from blood banks, you'd still need a hell of a lot of donors. Do people know they're feeding vampires when they donate? (and did the author's hands tire of all this handwaving?)
To make things worse, there's no real conflict. The author does nothing to make me believe something is actually endangered by the actions of the villain. Oh, they talk about the possible problems, but nothing ever happens. No human ever says "oh, maybe this thing about vampires being nice is actually wrong", let alone any kind of consequence ever happening for anything.
So, yeah, if I could I'd give it zero stars, but I wanted to put this review out there and warn other unknowing souls. Stay away. It's the best you can do.
This is seriously approached as a character flaw and I couldn't help but laugh at the poor rich girl that can't pick her own clothes. And this is our perspective character, the one that should be so interesting you can't help but write in her voice. Hell, I guess I don't wanna hear the inner monologue of any of those Hot Vampire Types.
And the setting, ohgods! This is a book in which vampires use katanas because "its the honorable thing" (now picture a giant handwave). They "came out", but only in Chicago, and no one finds that strange (more handwaving). And there's about 1.500 of them in the city, all immortal, with an increment of 144 a year. Even if most of them drink blood from blood banks, you'd still need a hell of a lot of donors. Do people know they're feeding vampires when they donate? (and did the author's hands tire of all this handwaving?)
To make things worse, there's no real conflict. The author does nothing to make me believe something is actually endangered by the actions of the villain. Oh, they talk about the possible problems, but nothing ever happens. No human ever says "oh, maybe this thing about vampires being nice is actually wrong", let alone any kind of consequence ever happening for anything.
So, yeah, if I could I'd give it zero stars, but I wanted to put this review out there and warn other unknowing souls. Stay away. It's the best you can do.
diaryofthebookdragon's review
4.0
I don't know why I thought that Chicagoland Vampires series is young adult. Because it definitely is not. Maybe I would have tried it out sooner. Although I don't know if that would have changed my rating or impression.
This book is example of good writing. It is not boring. Characterization of main heroine Merit is wonderfully done. I will definitely read more books written by Chloe Neill.
My only complain is that whole premise for the book is not very original. The main heroine Merit is turned into a vampire. This first book is all about her coming to terms with that big change in her life. And that's about it. This whole book is one big introduction to the world and characters.
This book is example of good writing. It is not boring. Characterization of main heroine Merit is wonderfully done. I will definitely read more books written by Chloe Neill.
My only complain is that whole premise for the book is not very original. The main heroine Merit is turned into a vampire. This first book is all about her coming to terms with that big change in her life. And that's about it. This whole book is one big introduction to the world and characters.
bookloverjulie's review
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
My favorite thing about this book was when the MC took a moment to “clip on her beeper.” 🙃 I decided to read a vampire series because it’s spooky season and for nostalgia, but I didn’t mean to throw it back that far. Beepers were definitely a thing of the past in 2009 when this was published. Odd that they kept that detail in. Also, who okayed this cover? This chick is clearly wearing a wig. They couldn’t find a brunette model? 😂 Honestly, this book was pretty lame but I’ll probably read book two. Will I read all 13 books and the spin off series? Probably. 😆 JK… TBD depending on how the series progresses. So far I’m not hooked. The world building feels similar to the Mercy Thompson series and frankly, I think I’d rather reread those.
ellenpenleysmith's review
4.0
After trying many time to get into her young adult Firespell series, and epically failing, I decided to give her adult series a shot. Man, oh man, oh man.
Some Girls Bite is the story of Merit who is turned a vampire against her will when attacked at night on her university campus.
Firstly, I loved the characters introduced. You have Mallory, Merit's witchy roommate who is just a ball of fun. Then there's Catcher--he's also a witch (but don't call him that). He's sexy, funny, and totally in love with Mallory. You have the shifter Jeff, who acts as your residential nerd and hacking geek but everything about him is so dang cute. Then there's Ethan. I'm not sure what to say about him other than the fact that when Merit and Ethan are on the page together: whoa. Look out, I think my book just went up in smokes.
Neill knows how to write sexual tension, I'll just tell you that.
One of the things that stood out most to me about our protagonist is her thinking. I seriously applause this girl for not just jumping right into Ethan's lap (even if I was silently encouraging her). She saw the good and bad in it and thought about how being his mistress would make sure. She stood up for what she wanted (a committed relationship) and I respect her for that.
Some Girls Bite does have a murder mystery, which seems to be the M.O for the first book in any adult PNR or UF series out there. The villain in the end was slightly expected (I'm getting much better at picking up author patterns), but did make plausible sense. I don't like it when the villain seems to be a random name pulled out of a hat.
The last thing I really enjoyed about this book was its flow. It flowed so easily, her voice was developed fully, which made this a nice morning read.
I really do recommend this book, even if you are a tad bit over vampires. It's fresh, it's light, and it's immensely enjoyable!
Some Girls Bite is the story of Merit who is turned a vampire against her will when attacked at night on her university campus.
Firstly, I loved the characters introduced. You have Mallory, Merit's witchy roommate who is just a ball of fun. Then there's Catcher--he's also a witch (but don't call him that). He's sexy, funny, and totally in love with Mallory. You have the shifter Jeff, who acts as your residential nerd and hacking geek but everything about him is so dang cute. Then there's Ethan. I'm not sure what to say about him other than the fact that when Merit and Ethan are on the page together: whoa. Look out, I think my book just went up in smokes.
Neill knows how to write sexual tension, I'll just tell you that.
One of the things that stood out most to me about our protagonist is her thinking. I seriously applause this girl for not just jumping right into Ethan's lap (even if I was silently encouraging her). She saw the good and bad in it and thought about how being his mistress would make sure. She stood up for what she wanted (a committed relationship) and I respect her for that.
Some Girls Bite does have a murder mystery, which seems to be the M.O for the first book in any adult PNR or UF series out there. The villain in the end was slightly expected (I'm getting much better at picking up author patterns), but did make plausible sense. I don't like it when the villain seems to be a random name pulled out of a hat.
The last thing I really enjoyed about this book was its flow. It flowed so easily, her voice was developed fully, which made this a nice morning read.
I really do recommend this book, even if you are a tad bit over vampires. It's fresh, it's light, and it's immensely enjoyable!
kleedc73's review
5.0
This book is similar to the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris in that the first book begins shortly after vampires have "outed" themselves to humans and are attempting to live in conjunction with them. But this book (the first in the Chicagoland Vampires series) is richer, more intellectually and politically grounded, and populated with more complex, interesting characters. Merit, the central character, kicks the supernatural crap out of Sookie Stackhouse every day of the week and twice on Sundays.
In this book, Merit is unwittingly changed from human to vampire when an allegedly rogue vampire attempts to kill her and a legitimate vampire (Ethan, the Master of Cadogan House) turns her to save her life. Merit is then introduced to a whole world of supernatural beings -- including vampires, shape-shifters, nymphs, sorcerers and witches -- and is forced to grapple with whether she will accept the somewhat rigid, almost feudal system under which the vampires live. Accepting the system means swearing an oath of loyalty and obedience to Ethan and to Cadogan House. Given the almost instant attraction -- and simultaneous repulsion -- Merit feels for Ethan, this is a difficult decision.
This book is like Harry Potter for adults. It is well researched and vividly imagined but also fun and sarcastic and action-packed. I look forward to reading further books in this series.
In this book, Merit is unwittingly changed from human to vampire when an allegedly rogue vampire attempts to kill her and a legitimate vampire (Ethan, the Master of Cadogan House) turns her to save her life. Merit is then introduced to a whole world of supernatural beings -- including vampires, shape-shifters, nymphs, sorcerers and witches -- and is forced to grapple with whether she will accept the somewhat rigid, almost feudal system under which the vampires live. Accepting the system means swearing an oath of loyalty and obedience to Ethan and to Cadogan House. Given the almost instant attraction -- and simultaneous repulsion -- Merit feels for Ethan, this is a difficult decision.
This book is like Harry Potter for adults. It is well researched and vividly imagined but also fun and sarcastic and action-packed. I look forward to reading further books in this series.