A Paranormal Book Review: Rachel Caine’s Midnight Alley, Morganville Vampires

Book 3 in Rachel Caine’s Morganville Vampire series is Midnight Alley. Warning…there are SPOILERS in this review. It’s kind of hard not to mention them because Caine loves to suspend her readers at the end of all her novels. So with that being said…

In Book 2, The Dead Girls’ Dance, Michael Glass has gone ahead and done the unthinkable and become a vampire. It’s not like he had a choice. Michael’s this ubber cool guy who in the beginning was mystically confined to his house, Glass House. Like a spirit, he’s stuck during the day, invisible to humans but at night, he materializes into flesh. His character is so damn cool; I actually wish I knew a guy like that. Anyway, he has this protective side and because of his “condition” he wasn’t much use outside the walls of his family estate. And so he gets Amelia – the Morganville Founder - to turn him so he could help save Shane. Now he’s the first vampire and the first to be created within the last 50 years. I swear Michael Glass could not be any cooler if he tried.

And to boot…Claire has pledge allegiance to Amelia. Poor thing. I’m sort of waiting for her to mature a bit more but oh wait…that may never happen since it is YA. (That’s not entirely fair since she does play the Morganville game well.)  Amelia wants more from her than just a pint of blood and to protect her. She wants Claire to train or become an apprentice to Myrnin, an ancient eccentric, delusional and mostly insane vampire. Myrnin is an old friend of Amelia’s. I can’t say enough about Myrnin. I wish to God he wasn’t so crazy in this novel but, oh well. Caine has a knack for introducing loveable characters in and out of her Morganville series. Now as to what Claire’s be groomed for…that’s another story. Could it be she’s meant to help the vampires?

A few sub plots have taken hold. Monica is seeking a cozy alliance with Claire of all people. Claire will have to watch her back as so will Eve. Not because of Monica though, but because Eve's brother is back and stalking her. He’s not as loveable as Myrne but with his creepy, dark nature he fits perfectly among the demented Morganville residents. Where the hell did any of this come from? Who knows but it’s delicious as hell. Read on, my friends. This book is fast paced and oh so good. Claire and Shane get heated at times but their romance continues to smolder, never truly igniting due to Claire’s age. Hell...she’s 16. Let’s not make her into a slut just yet. Bravo, Caine. Way to keep the novels so damn delectable that you don’t need the smut!

On the Mina Burrows Killometer, Rachel Caine’s Midnight Alley is a 4.

Until next time…read about the Morganville Vampires and especially...Michael Glass.

Mina B.