Glass Houses (Morganville Vampires, Book 1)

4.5/5 Stars (RabidReads.com) Of course I had heard of the Morganville Vampire series, couldn’t very well not if you read as much paranormal as I do. I was put off by the sheer number of books in the series so never indulged, although I know they sure sounded good. Thanks to Naomi at Naomi’s Book Palace for telling all us readers what we were missing if we weren’t reading these, I bought the first one. I literally could not put it down! I am sure a lot of you have already read these, but if you haven’t than you are missing out.Claire is a teenage nerd, brilliant, and although too young to be in college, has started her freshman year away from home. She lives in a dorm, but as with her high school years, she has become the object of bullying by the mean girls in her dorm. These girl take the definition of mean to new levels-like stratosphere levels. After a group tries their hardest to kill her(and almost succeeds)she goes looking for a place off campus to live. This is how she ends up living at Glass House, an old home inhabited by Eve, a goth girl, Michael a musician that sleeps all day, and Shane, an out of work, but super fun guy. They take her in knowing she has problems back on campus, also knowing that she’s going to be a real problem for them.Morganville isn’t your typical small college town by a long shot. Here, the vampires rule the town, and people are prey-unless they are protected. Nobody in Glass House is protected so things heat up fast. Claire manages to get involved in so many bad aspects of the town and seems to almost be the catalyst for things to ramp up between the residents of Glass House and the vampires of Morganville. I wondered at times how they managed to survive prior to Claire’s arrival. And actually one of them does have a major secret concerning that.I enjoyed this one so much that I immediately bought the next in the series and have already read it, and started the third-in a three day period. Yes, there are something like fifteen books in this series, and it’s pretty daunting, but right now I am happy with reading how ever many I can. Series like this makes me wish there were more hours in the day to read. I saw on Amazon that the age group for this book starts at twelve and I have to say REALLY? to that, because of sexual thoughts and things like one of the girls dressing sexy(garters, thong) to hit on the guy she likes-call me old fashioned, but I think the age group should be more like 15+-just my opinion of course. And that’s not even touching on the amount of violence.Great characters, unique premise, non-stop action and/or humor, this read had all that and more. There’s romance, and scary life and death moments, and I thought it was perfect for any Urban Fantasy fan or PNR readers for that matter, although it’s lighter on the romance. Just a word of caution, it does have the dreaded cliffhanger and I am usually not a fan. However, I forgave it, because the next book was there ready for me to buy. If you love paranormal reads and haven’t tried this, I highly recommend it. As in, You really need to read these!

I fell in love with Rachel Caine when I found the Stillhouse Lake Series, so I was excited to find the Morganville Vampires, Book 1. II was not disappointed. Rachel Caine is a great writer, who grabs your attention on page 1 and keeps you engaged through to the end.If you like books that are about real life with vampires and mystery thrown in, you won't be disappointed.Claire is a 16 year old college freshman, who though she is book smart, she has a few lessons to learn about street smarts. When she is beaten and thrown down the steps at her dorm house, she knows she has to find a way out of the dorm. Determined to find a new home, she stubbles upon Glass house and finds three new best friends. Moving into the house doesn't save her from the abuse of the college gang who are determined to hurt and maybe kill her, but it does make her happier, until she finds she has some new enemies in town. Her horror doubles when she finds the town of Morganvile is ran by vampires, and they don't like her or her new friends.Book one is the introduction to a fight, which nearly ends their days in earth, but a fight that only vampires, ghosts and a few twists and turns can end with one fight down and a new one starting.Can't wait to get started on book two.

College Freshman Claire Danvers is just at college to study and get her degree. Claire is not a social person but when she ends up gaining the wrath of the college bully who wants to see her dead. When Claire realizes she needs to move out of the dorm she finds herself at the Glass House with three other roommates. Initially Claire isn't sure how long she will get to stay but when it is clear that the town has put her on their radar, Claire is in more danger. Morganville is coexisting with vampires, they rule everything and Claire is the intended next victim. Can she come up with a plan to save herself and her roommates before it is too late.I enjoyed this a lot. Claire is a brainiac who has never really fit in but the roommates she befriends make her feel like she belongs. I cant wait to read more in this series, had a couple of surprises with the plot I did not expect.

first read Glass Houses about three years ago, when I was coming down from the dreaded Twilight phase and wanting more vampires. Or maybe I wanted real vampires, not the sparkly fairy kind. I had been meaning to re-read the first three books in this series for a while, since I have another six of the books on my TBR shelf, but I never found the time. If you're a book blogger, you know how it is. Then the Booktube-a-thon came around, and one of the challenges was to re-read a book, and this one seemed like the best choice!Okay, so how do my thoughts now compare to how I felt about this book back then? I've changed a lot in the past few years, and I have to say that my feelings towards Glass Houses shocked me. I still feel exactly the same now as I did the first time I read it!Sure, if you think about it too much then you'll find a lot of flaws. A lot. But it's a fun, light book and exactly what I needed to keep me out of a reading funk after I finished reading 1984.Claire, the main character, is not a favourite of mine. Caine tries to go for the "innocent little girlie" hing that used to be oh-so-popular back in the day. We still see that a bit now, but I think the scales have tipped towards sassy and badass now. That being said, Claire does her best to help her friends, and she really cares for them, and that's an admirable trait to have.I wasn't pleased with how quickly Claire accepts the existence of vampires. It was far too easy. There was no real struggle at all, and I think the book could have benefited from a bit more of that. Especially since there's a lot of talk about how intelligent Claire is, and how she's a woman of science. I expected more disbelief, and upon re-reading I still can't quite believe how fast she is to accept that Morganville is run by vampires.As for the romance, yes, I am still shipping the OT3 that is Shane, Claire, and Michael. Claire has bundles of chemistry with both guys, and, for once, I actually like good guy Michael. Surprising, I know.Overall I'm really glad I got the chance to re-read this, and I'm looking forward to getting back into this series and seeing where these characters go. I remember a couple of things in the next books about Shane's storyline, so that should be lots of fun! And I'll probably cry. I hope I don't take such a long break between books this time around, though!

Glass Houses is the first in the Morganville series of Urban Fantasy books by Rachel Caine. It's a series I hadn't got around to reading for quite a while, but I recently watched the web series that is based upon this book - and as a result Glass Houses was pushed up from the bottom of my TBR to near the top. I was not disappointed.I loved this book. The characters are great. The world-building is well done with a lot of hints at how much is left unsaid at the fringes. The story was well paced and seemingly quick to read.Yup. This is the sort of book/series that I can easily binge read. So I am. As I write this, I am already into chapter 2 of the next book.

To make it clear from the start, Glass Houses is squarely aimed at teenage girls, and this should be borne in mind by older people considering reading it. I'm a 53 year old man with a love of fantasy books, so I still enjoyed it, but the target readership was evident, and it did somewhat take the edge off it. You also have to suspend a LOT of disbelief to accept the basic premise for this book (and the others in the series): the idea that you can have a sizeable town in the US which no one outside is aware is controlled by vampires. This is never entirely made credible, despite various plot devices. If you can get past that though, you'll be okay.What makes it more enjoyable than many others in the genre, especially those aimed at older readers, is the likeability of the central characters. Despite the remarks above, yes, an adult man can enjoy it too: it avoids the sometimes excessive gore, sex, and pretension of the more heavyweight books. Being a vampire book it's obviously gory, and has some slightly lustful moments, but there are also some rather charming romantic scenes, and all is balanced out by good humour and nicely clear-cut characters. You like the good guys and detest the bad guys: all is as it should be.The only thing that irked me rather was that while it is fairly self-contained, the ending does pretty well require you to get the next book in the series if you want to find what's going on, which is a technique I find somewhat annoying. Obviously not a problem if you like the books, but irritating otherwise.To sum up, don't expect Ann Rice, but do expect a comfortable, undemanding read.

I can't believe it's taken me so long to discover this series! I picked up 'Glass Houses', the first book, this morning for a day-off read, and devoured it pretty much in one go. It's about a brilliant sixteen year-old girl, Claire Danvers, who takes an early placement at the college in Morganville, Texas, a stepping stone to greater things, only to find that she stands out even more here than she did back at school. And not in a good way. Her dorm is dominated by a tyrannical group of beautiful, sadistic girls, and when she unthinkingly humiliates Monica, their leader, their vengeance is fast and deadly. And so she moves out, stumbling into a house share with three older teens, Michael, Shane and Eve, in the strange old Glass mansion. They reveal Morganville's not-so-secret secret - that the town is run by vampires who see college kids as free food, and warn Claire that she needs to be really careful if she wants to survive in one piece. Who is in league with who? Who is a vampire, and who is simply in a vampire's pocket? And on top of that, is she falling for Shane? And what on earth is going on with Michael?I must say, when I started the book I expected teen paranormal fluff, and I was very pleasantly surprised. The world of the Morganville Vampires drew me right into the story from the very beginning, and Caine has placed her own twist on vampire legend and the vampire novel. The tenants of the Glass House are both engaging and sympathetic, the villains are deliciously dastardly, and Claire's voice - though the novel is written in the third person - is appealing in its naivety, honesty and humour. Unusually, I never once got to a certain point and thought, 'Right, I need a break from this," or "Okay, okay, let's get back to the good stuff already!" It was fast paced and gripping, and the story flowed well, never getting bogged down in trivia or unnecessary plot sidelines. I finished it by dinner time and needless to say, I'm very pleased to have the rest of the series waiting for me! Highly recommended for fans of YA paranormal fiction.

It's alright for a first book, in this saturated genre market, & I like the fact there is a differnet spin on the vampire story. Claire is a bright girl & studying in uni, a pretty bad uni to be honest, the town is weird too theres no litter, not many people go out after dark, & if you do than you are fair game. litrally.Her life is in danger after annoying the wrong person with her cleverness (well she can't help it if Monica's thick can she?), she gets desparate & manages to secure a room for a couple of nights from some older kids, from there things just slowy spin out of control, & Claire will do anything to keep her friends safe, but it might not be quite enough.Personally the ending was superb & left on a very clever cliff hanger - the suspense & action ratchet up to an almost intolerable level - fantastc writing - you really have to buy the next one. But I did find some areas lacked substance & depth of character before getting to the end, that's why it's not a four or five star for me. I'm sure the series will continue to improve, looking forward to it.Three & half stars, have ordered the next one  The Dead Girls' Dance (Morganville Vampires)The Dead Girls' Dance (Morganville Vampires)

I can't decide whether I love or hate this book but I guess I liked it since I just purchased the second installment. First of all I do not understand why author repeatly mentions that the main protagonist Claire is "smart". Intelligent in education wise then yes. But Claire can be so dumb and stupid at times she gets herself in horrible situations. It really leaves the reader feeling "ughh" frustration!The plot is somewhat ok, some parts are well thought out and some are not. For example how all residents of Morganville knows vampires exist yet the reason they stay is because of job, life etc which is pretty lame. Would make more sense really just to kill anyone that tries to leave hence no choice but to remain in town. Realistically what parent would bring up a child in a town full of vampires (as noted when claire sees a mother pushing a pram with a baby with no protection).I will read the next installment to see what it is like. This is no way as good as Twilight or Vampire Diaries (1~4). But it is likeable and enjoyable read. Lets just hope this doesnt turn out like Vampire Diaries when 5~6 completely lost the plot and dragged on more than it should.

It's neutral.Good things first;- it contains supernatural beings.- the end is much better than the rest of it.Bad things;- The writing isn't the best.- I had to force myself to get to the end, just because I don't like leaving a book unfinished.- The Characters - they are completely and utterly stupid, for example, the main protagonist is told NOT to leave the house because there's a dangerous man coming for her, and then in the next line, where is she? she's left the house because she's gone off in a hump. Then she wonders why she bumps into the dangerous man. WELL.Other than that, if you like supernatural beings but don't care for some errors then go ahead! Enjoy! :)

Glass Houses is the first book in the Morganville Vampire Series and it does not disappoint.Claire Danvers is your average student attending Texas Prairie University. She is having trouble adjusting to college life because she has become on the receiving end of Monica and her gangs hateful ways. It's not long before Claire has had enough and is on the doorstep of The Glass House, begging for the occupants to let her rent their available room. Unfortunately now Claire is off campus and living in the town of Morganville she isn't protected from what hides in the town, it's up to her new friends to teach her how to survive.I bought this book and it had been sat on my bookshelf months before I finally picked it up. I was furious with myself that I had not read it sooner! Glass Houses is a great start off to the series. Rachel Caine has created a creepy but amusing town and characters. I couldn't put it down until I had finished it. A flawless service from Amazon as usual.

Not bad, but too much of it doesn't make sense (Monica, for starters. What teen girl goes around physically assaulting people without anyone doing anything about it?).

I'm not really sure what I expected with this book, but it definitely wasn't what I got. it was so much more! After only a few pages, I knew I was hooked.The story mainly follows Claire Danvers as she embarks on a new life away from home at TPU. After a run-in with some not nice people, Claire seeks new accommodations and finds an ad in the university paper for a house-share. Enter awesome roomies. The gorgeous and mysterious Michael, laid-backed and tell-it-like-it-is Shane and the loveable Eve.This book is extremely well-written with a cast of seriously likeable characters. The story moves along smoothly, with plenty of bumps in the road to keep the readers interest locked. Definitely recommended for anyone who is a fan of YA with a slice of the paranormal.

I've read them all....picked it randomly looking at the 5* books.....I could write an essay but I'll spare you this.....all I can say is that I'm 36 and I've loved them all. Great read, a lot is happening, very likable characters, hard to put down, I was very sad when I read the very last one for the reason that this was THE last one :( highly recommended!

From the quotes I'd seen on Goodreads, I expected quite a pacey, Buffy-esque book with plenty of banter and action. Overall, the premise was interesting (city run by vamps with humans either there as unsuspecting food or protected by the vamp society), and the characters / style of writing was engaging, but I just wanted more to happen...it felt like a lot of hanging around for not much of a climax at the end. I've not run out to read the next book, and probably won't.Not my type of vamps I suppose

Fast paced, funny, sassy, sexy, easy to read and very enjoyable. I Will definitely pick up the next instalment. I read Glass Houses very quickly, I only do this when I'm really enjoying a book. I'm 28, work in a book shop and studied English literature, everything points to the fact that I probably shouldn't like this book but Damn it I do and I ain't ashamed! If you're looking for a bit of light relief but with bite (excuse the pun) read this!

I must say the books start was a little slow but after those first few chapters I was well and truly hooked! Love the charachters and the plot is good. I've found it hard to find good series' after reading MI and ID and then Kiera Hudson but I've definitely found my next fave series in the morganville vampires books! Can't wait for the following books!A great read all round.... But be aware... Give your self plenty free time when you start as you'll not be able to put them down!

I've not read the whole book yet, but so far I like it. It's the first book I've read in years. My friends recommended it because it isn't really long and drawn out and comfusing at the beginning. It's easy to get in to and I am determined to finish this one. Might take a while cos I don't read often but I will finish it.