Jul 1, 2010

The Season of Risks - A Vampire Book Review

The Season of Risks (Book 3 An Ethical Vampire Novel)
by Susan Hubbard
Simon & Schuster; Original edition (July 6, 2010)

The vampires in Ariella Montero's family do not drink human blood, instead they use a synthetic blood called Picardo. Ari is a rarity, even a curiosity, in the vampire world. She is a hybrid, a child born of a vampire father and human mother. Not until puberty was it clear which path her life would follow. As it turns out her vampire genes were the strongest. In book 3 of the Ethical Vampire series Ari continues her romance with presidential candidate Neil Cameron. It is essential that their feeling for one another be kept secret.Humans are ignorant of the existence of vampires, but Cameron hopes to bring the vampire and human worlds together. This cannot be accomplished unless or until he is elected to office.

Ari's life has not always been an easy one. Only recently has she found her mother and been able to establish a close relationship. She has suffered the horror of losing two friends to murder. From time to time Ari sees the ghost of one, Kathleen, beckoning to her.  More than one ghost appears to Ari. Sometimes their visits are less benevolent than at others. Too add to her problems Ari becomes the target of a vicious identity theft scheme. The complex mystery is only partly resolved.

Vivid characters and deft plotting makes this an excellent addition to the Ethical Vampire series. I read and reviewed Book 1 which I loved. To best understand the characters and their motivations the books it's best to read in order of publication.

[A version of this review appeared in Library Journal]




The Society of S Book 1
Simon & Schuster (April 8, 2008)
Read a review

The Year of Disappearances  Book 2
Simon & Schuster (June 16, 2009)

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