The Ethical Vampire Series

In the sequel to her acclaimed novel The Sanguinist's Daughter (formerly The Society of S), Susan Hubbard continues the adventures of Ariella Montero, who, in the midst of the ongoing presidential campaign, discovers that a leading contender for America's top political office just happens to be a vampire surrounded by the demons of lying, cheating, and murder. The Year of Disappearances traces Ariella Montero's fourteenth year, during which she is accused of lying, cheating, and murder (twice). Her education continues, but instead of literature, science, and math, she learns folklore, the art and craft of journalism, and most important, the nature of personal demons. The book's themes involve masks and the duality of the self, the evil of hypocrisy, and the perpetual conflict between the desires of the flesh and those of the spirit. As Ari comes to question her own authenticity, listeners may begin to question her. Could the accusations against her be justified? Is she a reliable narrator? Or is someone else at work, telling us her story? Susan Hubbard’s “smooth supernatural thriller” (Publishers Weekly) continues the most surprising vampire story you’ll ever read. New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris likens Hubbard’s “mysterious and well-written” novels to Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight saga, whose fans “pump new blood into Hubbard’s series” (Florida Today).  “Fans of Stephenie Meyer, I have a new author for you who is even better. meet Susan Hubbard,” proclaims the Poisoned Pen newsletter from the Poisoned Pen mystery bookstore. Reviews "Wonderful and suspenseful." -- Charlaine Harris, author of All Together Dead "With a delicate touch, the talented Hubbard manages to merge environmental concerns with a murder mystery, a coming of age tale with a literary vampire twist." -- Tammar Stein, St. Petersburg Times

The vampire sects are at war—and war among vampires is fought not with weapons, but with minds. My name is Ariella Montero, and I know a secret. Telling it will change everything. 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. Reviews Publishers Weekly: The third in Hubbard's "Ethical Vampire" series (after The Year of Disappearances) will bewilder new readers. A contradiction is revealed (though not explained) in the preface: half-vampire protagonist Ariella Montero was born 15 years ago but this year "turned twenty-two." Ari hopes, through an injection of Septimal, to age seven years, becoming more age-appropriate for Neil Cameron, a presidential candidate and vampire, but as she pursues her plan her life changes in unimaginable ways. The uneasy truce among three vampire factions threatens to break apart, with Ari an unwilling participant. Two renditions of a vampire folktale and her Professor of Japanese Culture's exploration of the concept of wabi-sabi (imperfect beauty) engage the reader, while most of the paranormal aspects do not. Even fans of Hubbard's cerebral and ethereal prose may find the book a slow and difficult read. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Booklist: Aglow with the promise of her budding friendship with third-party presidential candidate (and closet vampire) Neil Cameron, Ari Montero returns to school frustrated, like most teenagers, that she’s just not old enough—darn it!—to be accepted in grown-up circles. But Ari isn’t like most teenagers. Half human, half vampire, she is destined to remain at the same tender age at which she crossed over. Her desire to achieve instant adulthood leads her to the Miami clinic run by a vampire notorious for his delusions of world domination. There she is injected with a serum that instantly takes her from 15 to 22. But just as Cameron is about to clinch the presidential nomination, Ari’s true age is mysteriously leaked to the press and the ensuing scandal sends Cameron’s campaign crashing in flames—just like the jet carrying Ari to Ireland to visit her parents. Artfully handling the conundrum of age versus maturity, Hubbard continues to provide substance as well as thrills in her thought-provoking series. - Carol Haggas