JulieYMandKAC

Posted at Yummy Men & Kick Ass Chicks

Generation V is the first book in ML Brennan’s American Vampire series and it’s a book that any and all urban fantasy fans have to read. It is stellar.

I know you are seeing the word ‘vampire’ in the title of the series and are probably rolling your eyes a bit. Afterall, hasn’t everything vampire related been done before? Let me tell you that I have never read any vampires like the ones in this book before. And where vampire babies come from? Think about the oddest thing imaginable and you’d still be wrong. ML’s imagination is amazing and how she is able to translate it onto the page is brilliant.

The American Vampire series follows Fort (short of Fortitude) who is a vampire in waiting. In ML’s world, humans born to vampires transition when they are adults. Fort is completely happy being human and has no interest in becoming a full vampire. Looking at his family, vampires are unfeeling and mean and Fort does not want to become like them. There is also a whole story behind why he doesn’t want to become a vampire but I won’t get into it here. I will leave it for when you read this book – and you will read it.

I adored Fort. Absolutely adored him. He is awkward and insecure and totally lovable. I am actually very curious to see how he becomes once he fully transitions because something tells me he’s not going to become like his mother Madeleine or like his siblings Prudence or Chivalry. That’s what he fears. Vampires in this book aren’t immortal but they are long living. They are stronger and faster than humans and their empathy towards humans is pretty much non-existent. He is attempting to slow down his transition for as long as possible and how he tries is kind of cute. He is totally a hero you want to root for. And you also want to hug him and tell him everything is going to be okay.

Madeleine is mostly creepy, for a mom. She is heartless yet not. You want to hate her but can’t. She is wonderfully written. And Prudence… *shudder* She is either a huge mystery or really that cold. I guess we’ll find out in future books. Chivalry I really liked. You think he’s going to be cold like his mother and sister but there is so much more to him than initially meets the eye. And his wife Bhumika seems weak on the surface but she is one of the strongest characters in this book. Such a sad and well told story there. Each and every character in this book has such a rich story. Each and every character is remarkable but there are two that are just a bit more so and that’s Fort and Suzume.

Suzume is freaking brilliant. She’s a kitsune so she shifts into a fox. She is smart and a bit selfish and clever and hilarious. And being a kitsune, she is essentially a trickster. Her and Fort’s dynamic is amazing. I can’t call it sexual chemistry as there is no full on romance in this book but their time together on the page is incredible. Their scenes are some of the most memorable of the book. I can’t wait for you guys to meet her.

The main bad guy in Generation V is Luca. Luca is a vampire trying to father vampire babies and he is one sick f*ck. I’m sorry, but there really is no other way of wording it. He is just sick and you hate him pretty much immediately. Then you loath him. Then you wish he was dead. Finally you think if he were dead that you would want him to come back to life just so you can kill him again. And you feel all of this yet he’s not even in the book much. It’s what he’s doing and how careless he is over the consequences that makes him such a formidable villain. Then there is Phillip. You think you’ve read disgusting characters before? This guy is just gross. He is Luca’s child so I suppose it’s not surprising that he’s just to nasty but really, ew.

Generation V is about Fort and his life but it’s also about young girls going missing and Fort trying to save them…with very little odds of success. The story is gruesome and it really isn’t pretty, so don’t expect fluff. It is true urban fantasy at its finest.

The book ends on a slight cliffhanger. Fort’s father was a cop and Matt was his partner. Matt is involved in the “oh, what will happen next?” that occurs near the very end of the book. The very end of the book is perfect. I re-read it three times. And just thinking about it as I write this, I want to go and read it again. ML ended the book just as it should end. No other way would have worked better.

As you can tell, I adored Generation V. The story is amazing, the pacing is perfect and the characters are superb. I picked this book up on a whim and boy am I glad I did. It is easily one of my favorite reads of the year and will definitely be making my Favorite Reads of 2013 list. If you enjoy urban fantasy, I urge you to read this book. You will not regret it.

5plus stars