The Monster’s Daughter by Deborah Bryan

DBryan-Monsters DaughterWhen I started blogging, one of the first bloggers to reach out to me was Deborah Bryan from the wonderful blog, The Monster in Your Closet. Once I started following her, I excitedly realized that she was the author of a Young Adult vampire novel that sounded amazing! Apparently it’s good to have connections because she was kind enough to offer me a copy of The Monster’s Daughter to review! I’m so grateful that she did, too! The Monster’s Daughter is not your typical Young Adult or vampire book; it’s a whole new twist on a very familiar subject.

Ginny Connors doesn’t believe in vampires. There’s totally a rational reason her dad is a lot more bloodthirsty and a lot less interested in food than he used to be. Still, she hangs a cross on her bedroom door. Just in case. When Ginny discovers people aren’t the guests but the main course at her father’s New Year party, she wishes she could save the day with garlic pancakes. Instead, she must face the limits of her daydreams, and attempt to stop the monster her father has become.

Ginny Connors’ lost her mother at a young age, leaving her with nobody but her father and sister Wendy (who is apparently a drunk). Now in high school she was happy to see that her dad was moving on with a wonderful woman named Denise. That was until one day Denise disappeared and the glass ball on the fireplace mantel showed up. From then on things started to change for Ginny and not for the better. The Monster’s Daughter takes on us this journey with Ginny. First of all let me start off by stating how much I love Ginny. She is not your typical heroine that has special abilities or can just flat out kick ass. She’s just a typical teenager in high school, that has a long term boyfriend and a group of “close” girlfriends (you’ll see what I mean by “close” if you read the book *grin* ). However, the way Ginny handles the challenges she faces, makes her a character you can’t help but root for every step of the way. Besides Ginny, one of the best things about The Monster’s Daughter is the glimpses we get to see into the past. Each chapter shares with us a memory that Ginny has of her dad, before he became a vampire. I really think this was a clever thing for Bryan to do, because it helps the reader realize why Ginny is struggling with the decisions she is forced to make. Plus, it helps to soften the readers view on her father a bit. Before he became a cold and uncaring vampire, he used to be a pretty good Dad.

I could talk further about the other characters in the book and Ginny’s relationship with them, but to me they weren’t the focus of The Monster’s Daughter. Yes, her love for them spurred her decisions, but ultimately the focus of the book was the dynamic between father and daughter. The struggle between your love for who your parent used to be and what he is now and ultimately the fight between good and evil. And let me be the first to tell you, this makes for quite a page turner. I honestly didn’t want to put The Monster’s Daughter down once I started it.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you that The Monster’s Daughter is a part of Bryan’s Glass Ball series. The 2nd book in the series is expected to be released in May of 2012. I personally can’t wait to see where the series takes us next! In the meantime, pick up a copy of The Monster’s Daughter, if you don’t already have it. I promise you will not be disappointed!

Also, if you’d like to read more about Deborah Bryan and The Monster’s Daughter, please check out her interview with LE here.

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