Needs more cowbell vampire bunny slippers. 
 I wanted more of my favorite mad scientist Myrnin and his awesome slippers. Alas, my heart was fractured just a tiny little bit. 
 This installment of Morganville has us headed out of town for a crazy and dangerous road trip. The book was full of peril and bizarre happenings as usual, but I have to admit that I prefer our little disfunctional family when they're actually raising hell in their own town. 
 I was happy that it was easy enough for me to come back to this series after a year plus break (I read the first 7 so close together that I overdosed for a while) and be able to pick right up where I left off. Rarely, can I do this with series without having some memory lapse issues. This was not the case and I'm glad for it. 
 Part of me got to thinking as I was reading this book that Claire has really grown up. I almost feel guilty for giving book 1 such a low rating because I hated Claire back when I first read about her. It's easy to see now that the author intended for our lead to transform herself with time and experience, to which she has - in spades. The girl who started out as a mousy pushover is now smart, cunning, sweet, loyal and strong. Claire's growth as a character has been slow, steady and impressive. I should probably reward that by going back and raising my rating on book 1. Maybe I will at some point, but not today. 
 Why do I like the series? Because no one is pining away for the cool kid vampires. Oh no...people are SCARED of the controlling vampires. Oppression kind of sucks for our crew of friends. And in Morganville, you don't get to run far because you'll get caught. In a way, I get why the road trip was a nice little break from being inside of town, but honestly, I never felt stifled by having to stay in Morganville. Half the fun of the series is watching these young adults try to outwit the vampires who watch their every move. Plus, Ms. Caine only adds to the dynamic by adding in some awesome dark humor. I have yet to make it through a book without finding several moments which make me crack a grin. 
 She thought of all the times she'd seen Myrnin go off the rails - the times he'd begged her to put him out of his misery. The time he'd actually given her samples of his own brain - in a Tupperware container. 
 Nothing else to say other than this...I'm hard pressed to believe that you can kill a vamp with a pencil. That must be one sturdy pencil. 
 Random comment to the MV fans : I know everyone is a huge Shane fan, but for whatever reason, there is something about Michael's protective nature which makes me like him best right now. Please don't send hate mail, I should be free to love as I choose!