I don't love vampire books, for the most part. The ones that I've read tend to be a little mindless, full of hot, leather-clad vampires and the humans who happily get sucked into their glamorous world of the night.And that's why Companions of the Night is my favorite vampire book. It takes the typical elements of YA vampire fiction and examines them, then turns them on their heads. The usual components are there: teenage girl gets caught up in vampire world and develops an attraction to one of them. But then the book questions these characters. Those reviewers who found the plot and romance slow or uncompelling missed the point of it, I think; it's not so much a vampire novel as it is a character study wherein one of the characters is a vampire. If you've ever seen the movie Red Eye, it's a little like that: a thriller in which the whole middle act involves the heroine and the bad guy stuck together in a quiet, cramped space.Vande Velde, as some other reviewers have said, grounds her vampires in reality, examining realistically how they would have to live and hide and feed, something that many vampire books ignore. In many vampire books the focus is on the seductive aspect of the vampires, often with little comment on the idea that they are, in fact, the blood-sucking undead. But Vande Velde puts a new spin on this, portraying a world of vampires that is much more realistic: they spend much of their time hiding and have to move often, and the book gently hints that it's a life that could sometimes be hard and lonely. And the author doesn't shy away from pointing out that as vampires, they must frequently suck blood and occasionally kill people (no deer-hunting vegetarian vampires here). It's a take on vampires that I found rather refreshing.And our heroine, strong and resourceful but still flawed and very human Kerry, is torn; she can see the good and the bad in the vampires, as well as the good and the bad in the vampire hunters. She's attracted to Ethan, the vampire who is helping her find her family, but she knows she can't trust him, remembering all too well that earlier in the book he tried to kill her. And that's what leads to that fascinating middle act, with Ethan and Kerry in a car driving through rural New York in the dark, talking about life and death and vampirism and wondering how much they can trust each other.And most of all, it's a story about choices, looking at the choices Kerry made that led to her enlisting Ethan's aid, the choices that Ethan made that led to him being a vampire, the choices that the vampire hunter (and the vampire hunter's son) made that led him to kidnapping a child and feeling perfectly justified in the act. And then it all comes down to what choices Kerry will make in the end.If you're looking for a story with brooding, sympathetic vampires, read Twilight. If you're looking for a story with glamorous, exciting vampires, read one of the scores of YA vampire books that fill the shelves. But if you want to read a different sort of vampire novel, one that makes you think, read Companions of the Night.
All of Vivian Vande Velde’s books NEED A SEQUEL. (PLEEEASE! :D)So far I’ve read Dragon’s Bait and this one, and I need to know what happens to ALL OF THEM! DO THEY STAY TOGETHER? ARE THEY IN LOVE (well, in the case of Alys and Selendrile, there was a teensy weensy hint that they liked each other)?? I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS AFTER!!But I digress.There will be another time to rant about the lack of sequels… another time…So.Everything (the world, the vampires, etc) is all explained in bits (no info dumping, and maybe a little skimping, but not so much that I didn’t know what was going on). There is an equal amount of telling and showing, which I appreciated a lot! It’s like I was Kerry, discovering this whole other world that had been under her feet all along. The vampires in this book are nothing new (as in the stereotypical blood thirsty, manipulative, shrivel up under sun kind of deal), but I guess they are new to YA. (Insert rant about YA vampires here.) I just wish we found out more about Ethan’s past; except for the fact that he’s French, we really don’t know much about him. (THAT’S WHY WE NEED A SEQUEL. Please :D) Even though the important bits about the vampires are covered in this story, I want more details! I want to get to know other vampires! But alas, it’s not so…The plot, the writing- everything is so well done! This book is really fun- not as in light and fluffy fun, but intense, keep-you-on-your-toes, great plot fun. I esp. love the dynamic between Ethan and Kerry. You could almost feel those subtle shifts in their relationship throughout the novel. Not necessarily romantic shifts (that was at the end; more on that later), but shifts in trust on both parties. They're both dancing a delicate waltz on the line between trust and mistrust. There never is a time when there's 100% trust on both sides- and the really cool part is is that you could feel it. There's always this wary anticipation underlying everything, and this anticipation just sucks (no pun intended) you into the novel.Kerry and Ethan's relationship really shows the idea of trust being earned, not given (view spoiler)[(esp. with that scene where Kerry starts to doubt Ethan) (hide spoiler)]
What do You think about Companions Of The Night (2002)?
I almost couldn't believe myself when I rated this. I had planned on giving it 1 star and didn't change my mind until the last 20% of the book finally messed up with my head. It made me scream with sheer frustration, at that point, I silently wished that Kerry would be drained and left as an unknown corpse, but I just couldn't further impose such malicious thoughts on her because I finally grasped the reason her character is made, an ideal victim of literally everyone, and that enabled me to come to term with her 20 questions then it was like some one splashed dirty water on me. I almost cried and then it ended perfectly with a bittersweet farewell. That's so friggin charming oh gosh. Read it and see for yourself!
—NC
Vivian Vande Velde, produced an excellent Vampire story without the usual clichés found in many YA books. Kerry is a likeable character who is willing to go through great lengths to save her family, with the help of Ethan. Ethan isn't the nice friendly vampire (found in certain YA Vampire series), he's cunning, ruthless and untrustworthy, but shades of humanity peek out when you least expect it. Perhaps what I like most about Companions of the Night is the fact that Ethan doesn't reveal all, which means that all questions aren't answered, though at times annoying, that's also the way that life works. Not all questions are answered. Therefore, he remains a mystery throughout the book. It would have been great if Velde would have made Companion of the Night into a series, so that readers could further explore the world of Brockport, New York, however that’s not the case. I recommend this book to all fans of the Vampire genre. Companions of the Night is a journey worth taking, if only for one night.
—Kellie
I used to love this as a kid. Now it took me three days to read 212 pages. It's usually a bad sign!We're in Brockport, NY, and one night Kerry drives to the Laundromat to retrieve her little brother's stuffed koala. There she meets Ethan, an apparently innocent who's being held by a group of men waiting to kill him.Ethan is a vampire. An old-fashion vampire. He drinks blood and he has to kill people in order to survive. He keeps lying to Kerry to protect his fellow vampire and poor girl doesn't now if she can really trust him or not. Kerry is OK for you average 1990's heroine. At the Laundromat she quickly decides that she's gonna help Ethan no matter what. During the night they spend together as companions, she's able not to trust him entirely and not to fall for his stories. She makes her own decisions even if those decisions are not the smartest one. But she choose for herself.(view spoiler)[And she doesn't want to be a vampire in the end. Which is a major bonus in modern vampire literature!! (hide spoiler)]
—Soobie's heartbroken
