The Season of Risks by Susan Hubbard

Title: The Season of Risks

Author: Susan Hubbard
Pages: 286
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Reading Level: Young Adult

Publish Date: July 06, 2010.

Cover Rating:

Rating: !!!

First Sentence:

"The Season of risks started with the season of Love"

There are some things I know for certain. My name is Ariella Montero, and I know a secret.

The vampire sects are at war—and war among vampires is fought not with weapons, but with minds. Half-human and half-vampire, Ari confronts the darker sides of vampirism, and herself, as the sects deploy new technologies to battle for influence and power.

But beyond these challenges lie greater risks: Ari's relationship with Neil Cameron, the first vampire to run for the U.S. Presidency, must be kept under wraps from even those she trusts most. When scandal inevitably erupts, Ari is forced to face the consequences of her actions, learning the hard way that love demands delicate negotiations between memory and desire.

Set in Florida, Georgia, and Ireland, this mystery centers on finding, losing and reclaiming one's identity. It explores the tension between memory and forgiveness, the prescience of folk tales, the beauty and power of impermanence, and the future of a society in which vampires and mortals must coexist—or perish.

Taschima's POV:

Ari Montero's life is better than ever. She has her family; mom and dad are together at last. She has her friends; Dashay and Jacey are the best girlfriends any girl could ever have. And she has love in her life; Cameron makes her feel like she has never felt before. But, is it love? Ari will have to figure this out and fast, because she can't be with Cameron, not until she is at least 22 years of age. What is a girl to do? Growing up in a matter of months is impossible... or is it?

If you have read this far, read The Society of S and The Year of disappearances, then I don't have to warn you about any of the "downfalls" of the book that may bother some people; Not very action driven though it has a bit of action, but more intellectually driven. This for me does not pose a problem, but some people won't stand it after a few pages.

You have been warned...

With twists and turns I wouldn't have expected, The season of Risks surpasses it's previous installments in just about everything! Character development, themes, questions, answers, danger, love, success, failure, all of this and more written in a beautiful and curious POV.

There is no reason not to give this series a try. It's vampire literature! This book is not just for entertainment, though it achieves to entertain, but it also manages to make you think about things you may not have thought of before. It also makes you want to go out and discover parts of yourself that you may not have dare to pursue in other circumstances.

The book is also a lot of fun. We get introduced to new characters, and manage to revisit some old friends. The new characters were a delight, the old friend I would have rather left behind. If measured on a scale more things happened that I did not expect than things I did expect. The surprises were original and creative. And what I call the background plot is getting juicer by the second, a bomb which is about to explode.

Two thumbs up!!!

PS; Third book in the series The Ethical Vampire novels. If you haven't even heard about this series I recommend you to pick up The Society of S, and then The Year of Disappearances.