Last Breath

I always crack open the next Morganville book knowing that I will love it before I read a single word. Rachel Caine is a writer I can depend on. In this book, she takes the concept that she used in the previous book of sharing the P.O.V. with another character and multiplies it. In other words, while Claire still gets the most narration, the reader also gets to read a bit of narration by Amelie, Shane, Michael, and Eve. Shane's thought process is familiar from the previous book, and Eve's reminds me of her diary entries from the early books in the series. Michael's are interesting because I got to see some of the darkness that he struggles with on a daily basis, while trying to hide it from the other members of the Glass House. I enjoy show more Amelie's P.O.V. the most because she obviously has the most secrets and history to reveal. Caine could easily make Amelie the main character of a prequel series about the founding of Morganville (how I wish!).
Claire is in top form as usual, as she has the unique -- and unexplained -- ability to see Magnus before anyone else, or before Magnus even wants to be seen. Magnus is quite the horror-movie creature, the draug, whom even the local vamps fear. Reading the detailed descriptions of what he can do with water gives me goosebumps. As for how Magnus retaliates against Claire, I simply refused to believe that Claire's state was permanent -- she is simply too essential to the series. Now I am wondering, though, how the series would fare if Claire went vamp -- but that's all up to Rachel Caine.
The one thing I really disliked, of course, was how the book ended -- the first cliff-hanger of the series. There was just way too big of a loose end hanging to leave me feeling satisfied. The rest of the book was still fabulous, though, and I can't wait for Black Dawn to hit the shelves. show less

I have been a longtime fan of the Morganville Vampires series. The last book was a bit of a disappointment to me, so I went into this one with a lot of apprehension. This is a super long series and I was starting to wonder if Rachel Caine still had it. Boy, did she show me in Last Breath. This was one action packed installment that held my rapt attention! In this book many questions that I had and aspects I wanted Ms. Caine to bring up FINALLY happened!

Let's start with the characters. Claire and Myrnin were once again the stars of the show for me. Claire as always is a mix of fearless heroine and dependent teenage girl. I have nothing against her dependency (especially in Shane) that I would normally hate in other characters. In show more Claire's instance she has no one but her friends in a town that she can't escape. Caine shows this dependency through Claire's compassion and insecurities in a completely believable way. Onto Myrnin! Myrnin is my favorite character, even more so than Claire. (I thought I would be honest) Everything he says or does holds my attention. In a weird way, his eccentricities are actually quite sane and insightful. I particularly enjoyed him in Last Breath because insight into the way he views Claire is given. The one character throughout the whole series that I just can't seem to like is... Shane. Last Breath didn't help his case in my opinion. Shane just seems like a self indulgent, self centered violent ass. ( I might be a little biased as I'm Team Myrnin or Team Anyone But Shane) As for Eve and Michael they are completely wrapped up in each other as usual with their impending nuptials. The "Big Bad" in this book was particularly interesting and Rachel Caine's interpretation of this mythical creature was completely original and entertaining.

The whole book just renewed my faith in this series. There were various different point of views in this book including Shane, Eve, Michael, and Amalie that I thought were necessary and very interesting. Of all of the Morganville books this one is my favorite. I laughed, said nuh-uh a thousand times, and cried. show less

This is my favorite Morganville book to date, no doubt about it. I can't even begin to explain how refreshing it is for me to read a book in a series that is so far along and still be impressed and shocked by it. Rachel Caine has truly stepped up her game here. She has come up with a plot twist so unique that it has the town of Morganville completely turned around and twisted from inside out. She made some shocking plot twists that I never would have seen coming. It always impresses me when an author is willing to do something controversial and daring with one of her most important characters. Caine does that here. And I am left with a lot of questions. Will there be effects from the author's big decision here? What exactly is the show more extent of the big surprise? Is it over and done with or will there still be shocks and changes to come? All of that just deals with one character. And "Last Breath" is about so very much more. Characters we thought we knew (um, Amelie) are making harsh decisions that will effect the residents (living and undead) in a dire way.

I fear giving away too much about this book. I knew nothing except that it was the newest Morganville book. That fact alone made the book an automatically pre-order. However, I loved every page of "Last Breath". It starts innocently enough with Michael and Eve planning their big wedding. We get quite a few revelations in that department that had me an emotional roller coaster. As much as I love Claire and Shane, I adore Eve and Michael. The the big things start unfolding with the new threat to the town and I knew that this book was something special.

I want to add a couple things. Firstly, the previous book "Bite Club" was my least favorite Morganville book. It wasn't bad by any means but I was left wondering if maybe the series was heading down a different path. All my fears were put at rest with the new book. "Bite Club" was like the calm before the storm. I am truly thrilled that Rachel Caine has recently announced the contract for several more Morganville books...I believe it will bring the series up to fifteen novels in total. I also want to state that I adore Mernin and there is a lot of him in "Last Breath". In fact everyone we know and love shows up in this book. The viewpoints switch from Claire to a few other characters. I don't know that I am a huge fan of this technique but that was the only way to show everything we needed to see in "Last Breath".

I can't recommend "Last Breath" or this series as a whole any more than I do. This is a must read series. If you are a fan, don't wait to read this one. If you haven't started the series yet, don't wait a second longer. Buy "Glass Houses" right away and dig in. show less

I admit I was worried that this series had started to run out of steam after reading the tenth installment, Bite Club, but I’m happy to say that the latest Morganville book put my mind at ease. Last Breath offers lots of surprises, reveals, action and emotion that make it one of the most satisfying of the series so far. Literally no one is safe this time from Morganville’s latest threat where the twists just keep coming. I couldn’t have predicted any of the events that occurred this time around, and I love that Rachel Caine is taking so many exciting risks with her characters and providing such a juicy storyline this late in the series.

This time around in Morganville there’s a new threat that even has the vampires scared. show more Vampires are disappearing left and right and Amelie fears that the dreaded enemy that has hunted them for years has finally found them. It’s interesting to learn about this new threat and what makes it so powerful and lethal to everyone in Morganville. Claire, Shane, Eve and Michael are facing a huge challenge, and I was holding my breath to see how they would come out of it. Through multiple narrations of Claire, Michael, Eve, Shane and Amelie, we get more character reveals that give a new insight into our favorite Morganvillian’s. There is also plenty of Myrnin as well and he plays a key role in this book.

The characters go on quite a journey this time around. And the relationships they have built with each other and the other members of Morganville really make the events that occur that much more touching and meaningful. There is just the right amount of time spent with each character to move the story along and keep things interesting. The beginning of the book really threw me off track with how I expected the story to go, and the action just kept ramping up. There are plenty of emotional and romantic scenes though that balance out the drama and suspense. In fact, some of the biggest insights and vulnerabilities of the characters are revealed this time around.

This is the third installment I’ve read via audiobook, and I think this is now my favorite way to experience this series. The narrator, Cynthia Holloway, does an expert job with the characters. From Myrnin to Amelie, Claire to Shane, all of the character voices are distinct and believable. They match up very well to the character voices in my head, and the narration conveys the appropriate amount of emotion and intensity. I don’t think I can go back to the printed version of the series.

I eagerly await the next installment, Black Dawn. There will be fifteen books in the series in total, and after this game-changing book I can’t wait to see where Caine takes the story next. Black Dawn is due out in May 2012. show less

Last Breath, Book #11 of the Morganville Vampire series
Author: Rachel Caine

Synopsis: With her boss preoccupied researching the Founder Houses in Morganville, student Claire Danvers is left to her own devices when she learns that three vampires have vanished without a trace. She soon discovers that the last person seen with one of the missing vampires is someone new to town—a mysterious individual named Magnus. After an uneasy encounter with Morganville’s latest resident, Claire is certain Magnus isn’t merely human. But is he a vampire—or something else entirely?
Our Review [by Michelle L. Olson – LITERAL ADDICTION’s Pack Alpha]:
I love the Morganville Vampires series and have been an avid follower since book #1. Nothing could show more have prepared me for the fabulousness that was book #11, Last Breath, however.

Rachel hit a home run with this book in every way possible!

Like all Morganville books, there was tons of action, danger lurking around every corner, sweet romance, problems to be solved, friendships solidified, alliances forged, and mysteries galore.

Unlike other Morganville books, Last Breath gave the reader a closer insight into some of our main characters when Rachel switched up point of view from Claire, to Michael, to Amelie and back – all seamlessly.

While I read that people were worried that there wasn’t going to be as much Myrnin in this book (yes, I love him too!), no worries, there was plenty. Actually, if possible, we get an even better glimpse into the enigma that is Myrnin, making my love for him grow even more.

This book was an intense, heart pounding, sigh & gasp inducing, anger igniting, emotional thrill ride and it was my favorite of the series thus far. Bottom line…Last Breath took my breath away.

LITERAL ADDICTION gives Last Breath an easy 5 Skulls, and would recommend it to EVERYONE! Morganville may be classified as YA, but adult Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance readers will love this series just as much. You really do need to read the first 10 installments of The Morganville Vampires series before settling in for this gem, however. There is just too much history that you would be without, thus making Last Breath only a sliver of the prize it truly is. I am beyond thrilled that there will be a 12th book in the series, my only complaint is that I don’t have it in my hot little hands right this second. show less

Rachel Caine is an evil, wicked author for what’s she has done to her characters—and by extension her readers—in LAST BREATH, the eleventh book in her crazy fun Morganville Vampire series. Not since GLASS HOUSES—which ended with with the decapitation of a main character—have I been as shocked by a book in this series…and yes, that means someone else very important dies.

I am continually amazed at how after so many books, the stories about Claire, Shane, Eve, Michael, and Morganville still feel fresh and exciting. What’s more impressive is that the stakes—pardon the pun—escalate with each book too. How Rachel Caine manages to top herself with each book, I’ll never know, but the reader in me is just thrilled that she show more does.

Vampire politics have become an increasingly pivotal plot point in the series overall, but like in previous books, there is a very personal storyline in LAST BREATH too, involving Michael and Eve’s impending nuptials. Not to mention the ever volatile relationship between Claire and Shane, who actually didn’t make me hate him even once this time. That’s a new record. There were also some very difficult realizations that Claire had to make about a different relationship. I am extremely excited about what this could mean for the future of the series.

As in the previous Morganville book, LAST BREATH isn’t told exclusively from Claire’s perspective. We get chapters from Shane, Eve, Michael, and even Amelie, the last of which was a little odd. I think I prefer her as the mysterious and aloof Founder rather than knowing her thoughts. But these new perspectives did provide TONS of answers about Morganville and it’s citizens, so I’m not complaining. I can only hope that we get a chapter from Myrnin next time. And there will be a next time. Rachel is under contract for at least three more books in The Morganville Vampires series. Up next is BLACK DAWN, which will be published in May 2012, and after the end of LAST BREATH…the series may never be the same.

Sexual Content:
Kissing. References to sex. show less

This book was perhaps one of my favorite books in this series. This is book eleven in The Morganville Vampire series, and it seemed to me that there was a much bigger creep-factor to the story than I ever remember there being in any of the other books--which is great, because I love being creeped out! This book also made me more emotional than any of the previous ones. I laughed, fretted, gasped, and even cried a little (which is something I pretty much NEVER do). Yes people, it was THAT awesome! If you haven't started this series yet, I highly recommend it! You would think that because this series is already eleven books in, that Rachel Caine would be running out of things to make happen in the town of Morganville. But no, the plot show more twists and story lines are as original as ever, and the characters are just as fantastic.

This book is mostly from the point of view of Claire, one of my favorite protagonists of all time. But we also get the perspectives of Amelie, Shane, Michael and Eve. At first I wasn't sure if it was completely necessary to have so many P.O.V.'s, but now I feel like it was important to be able to witness things through the eyes of these other characters so you can be more in tune with the story.

There are so many characters in this book that I love, and ones that I also love to hate! Claire was great, and she's just as smart and tough as ever. Her and Shane still have me rooting for them, after all this time. Speaking of Shane, we get to see a side of him that we've never seen before, and he just about broke my heart! Eve and Michael are fantastic as well. They are definitely the kinds of friends that I would want in my corner. Myrnin.......oh Myrnin, how I love thee. I don't want to give anything away, but in this book he shows us just how much he cares for Claire. Under all that crazy, he's a big softy, and I love it. Amelie and Oliver of course are the characters that I love to hate. They will continue to make you feel conflicted as to how you feel about them. One minute they're acting like emotionless and lethal creatures, and the next minute they do something that reveals their humanity.

I really can't say too much about the things that creeped and skeeved me out in this book without revealing everything, but I will say that Magnus (as described in the synopsis) is eighteen different kinds of freaky. With him comes an introduction to a whole new species of monster. The situations that Claire and her friends find themselves in while this character was involved are unforgettable and we have definitely not seen the last of this guy. The end of the book leans a little on the cliffhanger side and I'm certain that the next book will definitely be one heck of a ride--I can't wait!

My reviews can also be found at: http://escapingwithfiction.blogspot.com/ show less