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Bloody Bookaholic's Commandment:

Thou Shall Read Till Thy Eyes Bleed

Wednesday 21 April 2010

Review: The Society of S by Susan Hubbard



Title: The Society of S
Author: Susan Hubbard
Pages: 304
Publisher: Simon Schuster Paperbacks
Reading Level: Young Adult


Reading Timeline: About a week (I need to really start counting this hehe)

Rating: .7

"Will S Be Lucky for Ariella?"

What if everything you knew about your family was a lie: What if, when the lies began to crack, beneath them lay a truth so dark and deep, yet so compelling, that it pulled you inside? The Society of S, a taut, character-driven literary mystery, is the future of vampirism, told in a voice that will haunt you---and make you think.

Taschima:

The tale of a vampire, as its suppose to be told.

Ari, short for Ariella, has always lived a secluded life. Abandoned by her mother, but raised by her over protective father, she has always have questions about her existence. About who she is; what she is. Why did her mother leave her? Why is her father the way he is? Why is he so mysterious? And who exactly killed the neighbors cat?

Ok, that last question is an inside joke, if you read the book you will understand.

This is a vampire book. There is no other way to say this really. The book is read like if it were a diary, though it doesn't go by dates. Susan Hubbard's way of writing will truly haunt you days after you've read it, and inspire you to read more. The story flows beautifully. And the main character is a piece of art. She is not what I am use to. I'm use to normal high school girls, or kick ass chicks. This character, though cold at times, has a level of intelligence that will amaze, and an insight that will leave you speechless. As I read it it reminded me a little of An Interview with a Vampire; it doesn't have the same plots or characters, but the mood and the style is similar.

Another positive thing on the book is that it makes you want to learn. Ari's education is truly an inspiration. Though she doesn't know how to cook, or anything about how to get somewhere, she is a master at poetry, philosophy and the likes. Raphael's favorite poet -Raphael is Ari's father- is Edgar Allan Poe. After I read the book I searched all over the internet for works on Edgar Allan Poe, and similar poets the author mentioned.

As for plot, well, you kind of read the story as it goes along. Kind of like The Time Traveler's Wife. You don't really see a goal, but you still keep reading. It will give you something to keep you going, a plot line here and there, but I believe that this book is more focused on showing different styles of vampires, it's a coming of age novel for vampires everywhere!

All that said there were something that irked me. For example, the main character is supposed to be 13. But she doesn't seem 13! She is way wiser than a 13 year old, she appears to be 17, or even 20. So yeah, that was a thorn in the middle of the road.

All in all, I like where this is going, and I will keep reading book 2, The Year of Disappearances. I think you should read The Society of S too.

PS; Weird; the title of the book, The Society of S, there is actually a society of S, but is only mentioned once.

15 comments:

  1. I'm intrigued I love the E. A. Poe references and I'm a huge fan of Interview With A Vampire and the way it was written. But I wasn't a fan at all of the Time Travelers Wife ): So I seem to be a little torn but I tink I'll give it a try n e ways(:

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  2. I read this book last summer, and I really enjoyed it! You're right, it is definitely unique in the world of vampire books, and it wasn't at all what I expected (but in a good way). I have the second book, but I haven't read it, and it's been awhile since I read Society of S, so I might need to reread that before the sequel....

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  3. I read about this book, (or books) a while ago and was thinking of getting it. But it's easier for me to buy books in the store than to order and I didn't see it in any of the bookstores I go to. Maybe I should just order both online.

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  4. Oooh! Seems interesting. Might be adding to TBR pile. :P

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  5. A main character that is a work of art, a vampire story like it is meant to be told - I am intrigued.

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  6. I'll read it. If only because you said to.

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  7. I just decided to order this one. I've not heard about it before, but it seems interesting enough to read. :)

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  8. Great review! I read this one two summers ago, and I really enjoyed the meandering plot. I agree with you, too, in that Ari seemed a lot older than 13.

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  9. Never heard of this one but it sounds so great. Glad to hear it gives the familiar vampire world a different twist. I'll have to look into it. :)

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  10. I actually thought it was quite dull. But I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed it. :)

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  11. @Orchid Actually, it really depends the type of reader you are, and what you are going for really. I thought it was so great because of well everything I said, but that is lil old me. So yeah, you could find it dull quite easily if you are looking for a strong plot driven book.

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  12. finally, a YA adult vampire novel with BITE!

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  13. Awesome review makes me want to pick up the book from my TBR pile and read it now!!

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  14. I have this book sitting on my shelves right now and have not read it. Great review! I will have to move the book to the top of my TBR pile! :D
    kghobbs(at)gmail(dot)com

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  15. I liked your review, and I agree with you that it was seriously haunting. I was blown away by this and the other two books. Some elements are difficult to swallow (such as how vampires have no shadow, how would that even be possible?) But anyway these are some of my favorite books!

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