Quenched

Rating:
Summary: Kind of like smoking
Review: Although there is not a bit of literary merit, it is still an addictive read(paralled to smoking). The characters are paper thin, and so detached that I really had to muster even the tiniest concern over their otherwise wasted existences. I patiently waited for Will to shine, to have a moment, but alas his crippled Pa stole all the scenes. Tha Marquis was far too cliched and the erotica was weak. Advice- if you write S&m prepare to go hardcore. I hate to admit this though, I am eagerly awaiting the third instalment due to the anti-climactic end. My opinion: a good rainy day book.

Rating:
Summary: Ugh - don't waste your time.
Review: An excellent second book in the Marquis de Sade vampire horror series. But the author wastes no time filling the reader in on much of the history from the first book. So its a bit like coming into a nighttime soap in the second year of the series. I would strongly suggest that readers buy and read Sips of Blood first before cracking the cover on this one. Ms Mitchell lets her characters drive the story. For that reason I liked the first book better. Some of the most fascinating charaters were left behind. This story centered on the least enjoyable pair a father and son in a life long struggle of love and hate seasoned with guilt. Sade was entertaining as ever. His attempt to Henry Higgins the new inexperienced vampire was very interesting. The book ends with nothing but loose ends nothing resolved and so many possiblities that I can't wait for book three.

Rating:
Summary: Read at your own risk
Review: An excellent second book in the Marquis de Sade vampire horror series. But the author wastes no time filling the reader in on much of the history from the first book. So its a bit like coming into a nighttime soap in the second year of the series. I would strongly suggest that readers buy and read Sips of Blood first before cracking the cover on this one. Ms Mitchell lets her characters drive the story. For that reason I liked the first book better. Some of the most fascinating charaters were left behind. This story centered on the least enjoyable pair a father and son in a life long struggle of love and hate seasoned with guilt. Sade was entertaining as ever. His attempt to Henry Higgins the new inexperienced vampire was very interesting. The book ends with nothing but loose ends nothing resolved and so many possiblities that I can't wait for book three.

Rating:
Summary: a story as aimless as its characters
Review: Mary Ann Mitchell's Quenched reminded me a lot of the work of John Rechy in that it deals with aimless decadent characters, but this is where the comparison ends. Had Mitchell the talent of Rechy, she could have prevented this story of modern-day vampires from coming across as so dull and--well-- lifeless (sorry). This one doesn't even have the occasional S&M scene to defibrillate the meandering plotline like Sips of Blood.

Rating:
Summary: a story as aimless as its characters
Review: Mary Ann Mitchell's Quenched reminded me a lot of the work of John Rechy in that it deals with aimless decadent characters, but this is where the comparison ends. Had Mitchell the talent of Rechy, she could have prevented this story of modern-day vampires from coming across as so dull and--well-- lifeless (sorry). This one doesn't even have the occasional S&M scene to defibrillate the meandering plotline like Sips of Blood.

Rating:
Summary: Ugh - don't waste your time.
Review: Mitchell's writing begins to approach appeciable at the oddest times, and then falls flat when the need really calls (such as during the climax).

The characters never develop, in fact the interactions often seem as if they were written, then jumbled up and put back together. Situations don't flow, conversations are contrived, and nothing seems congruous. I kept thinking, "Just a few more pages and you'll fall into it..." but that never happened.

In fact, I turned the last page expecting there to be more, and when there wasn't, I honestly thought some pages were missing. I understand this is a series, but there was no meaningful path of the book.

Awful. I hesitate to speak negatively of someone's writing because putting yourself out there must be difficult, and often tastes are just personal opinions. But... I felt strongly enough to do so!

Rating:
Summary: Not Your Mama's Horror!
Review: Ms. Mitchell has rescued the vampire from the clutches of romance. Wil and Keith are not the angst-ridden fanged heroes of popular television or the modern romance novel. You truly do not want to meet these two in a dark alley or anywhere else, for that matter.

This is not a plot driven novel; rather, the author explores characters that clearly intrigue us, giving us the many shadows and shadings of those who've grown up with dark hearts in the heart of darkness. Wil's and Keith's relationship begins to evolve when they are forced to flee from the police; you could even say that the dark heart of this book is the relationship between father and son and how it's resolved.

Ms. Mitchell uses language dramatically, sets her creepy scenes eerily, and explores characters who are the bottom feeders of modern society. If you are looking for Hemingway, you are in the wrong place; however, if you cut your eye teeth on Lovecraft, pull up a coffin and settle in for the ...night...

Rating:
Summary: Take a walk on the dark side.
Review: Quenched is the sequel to Ms. Mitchell's previous book Sips of Blood and I do recommend that people read Sips of Blood prior to starting Quenched since the author does not waste a lot of time with "for those of you who just tuned in" backfill. It is a highly atmospheric novel, written in Ms. Mitchell's characteristically lush style, that lifts the veil on the darker side of both society human nature.

Both novels are based on the premise that the Marquis De Sade (the man who put the S in S&M) became a vampire and is still out and about in the world, but Ms. Mitchell forgoes the more sensationalistic possibilities of this idea in favor of an historically accurate view of the Marquis as a self-indulgent egomaniac constantly butting heads with his equally formidable, equally undead mother-in-law. The Marquis trials and tribulations with his extended family of vampires range from funny to frightful and are, to this reviewer, the best part of both novels.

Be warned, while not excessively gory or pornographic, the novel does deal frankly with adult subject matter and is not suitable for young children.