This was a coming-of-age story. And it was about vampires. I found it on a bargain rack somewhere so I picked it up. It is a YA novel.

It was pretty good. Nothing too great. I do believe it is a series, but I probably will not read any more. Not that they are not worth reading. I just have a lot of books to read. Any pre-teen/teen involved in the current vampire craze would like the book. Definately better writing than the Twilight series. It is not as sappy. Deals with loneliness. ( )

In a surprising deviation from conventional vampire lore, Susan Hubbard has created a coming of age novel that is elegantly written and lingers long after the last page has turned. But if readers are expecting the typical tale of lusty vampires mired in melancholia, then the unraveling journey of young Ariella Montero might prove a bit tame.

The Society of S evolves meticulously to chronicle the quest of 13-year-old Ariella who endeavors to solve the mystery surrounding the disappearance of her mother. But every clue brings her closer to discovering her own true nature-an identity that her father has strangely suppressed.

Issues begin to plague her beyond normal teenage angst-why is her mirror image always skewed? Why can't her father be photographed? Why is she always anemic? Who is watching her in the shadows? What is going on in the basement with her father's research with Seradrone? Something is churning in the depths of her that she doesn't recognize-something not entirely human. And it wants out.

As these permutations unveil in their gloomy Saratoga Springs manse, her research scientist father observes the ultimate experiment in his daughter, with a curious detached fascination-determined that nature take its course without interference. Has he begat a predator, a distinctive "other", or an ordinary mortal?

Hubbard cautiously skirts around the issue, as if not ready to let go of the secret of Ariella and her father. There is no exclamatory "a ha!" once the secret is revealed. Strangely devoid of the passion that makes vampire mythology so enticing, Hubbard engages in subtlety. There are no vampires morphing into bats, or lashing out in dramatic fights with antique Valenciennes lace at their necks.

While it may not be a "Hollywood" or "Bram Stoker" vision, or even resemble anything closely to Anne Rice, the Society of S begs to challenge the reader by analyzing what it means to be immortal through the eyes of literature. Clearly the pursuit of knowledge is the theme throughout the book and a worthy occupation for the undead.

Readers will be strangely riveted by Hubbard's take on the modern vampire, despite the apparent mundane suburban feel within the fabric of the plot. But the novel captures an indefinable something that makes it appealing as well. Worth the read to discover that the journey is just as important as the destination.Copyright(c)Nicola Mattos ( )

Ariella lives with her father, she's homeschooled, and her life is quite regimented. When she's exposed to her housekeeper's family she discovers love and friendship and starts to question her life and lifestyle. Those questions bring up some issues that she is unsure if the answers aren't a bit out of whack.

It's not a bad read but it really didn't capture my imagination. I would have believed it better if the character was older when she began her road trip to find her mother. Not a bad read but not really for me. ( )

The Society of S follows the story of young Ariella Montero, who lives with her single father in New York. Ariella’s mother disappeared the day she was born, and many questions remain as to why. Ariella is unusually intelligent for her age, probably a result of having been homeschooled by her father.

Ariella’s is prompted to take a journey to find her mother after a series of mysterious events. On her trip, she goes through many trials associated with coming of age, though the author took a creative liberty and added a supernatural spin on things. Ariella finds out that she is a vampire, and that she can choose to be mortal like her mother, or a vampire like her father. This decision, among many others, drives the action in the novel.

Personally, I really enjoyed The Society of S. Even though the narrator is a young teenager, I feel like this book was written with more mature audiences in mind (not that younger readers wouldn’t enjoy it) because the writing wasn’t the typical super-romantic, angsty writing that usually accompanies teen characters (not that I don’t love that kind of writing!). I felt that the author’s tone voice was unique and had just the right amount of description and imagery. Overall, the book was well-written, and had enough suspense and mystery to keep me turning pages.

As a sidenote, Hubbards has recently released a sequel to this book, called The Year of Disappearances. It’s on my reading list, and I’ll have a review of it once I’ve acquired the book and read it! ( )

I enjoyed this book.Was a very different vampire story than Twilight.Even though the heroine is a young girl it doesn't have the teen angst which I found refreshing.Am definatly looking forward to the next book! ( )