Demon in My View (Den of Shadows Series) by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

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Move Over, Anne Rice

Anne Rice may be the current queen of goth, but a rising newcomer named Amelia Atwater-Rhodes could soon accede to the throne. And that accomplishment will be all the more remarkable when you consider that this young author's first book, In the Forests of the Night, was written when she was only 13 years old. Now, at the ripe old age of 15, she has penned the sequel and proven her talent. Between the vampiric theme and the age of both the author and the characters, Atwater-Rhodes's books are a shoo-in with the teenage and young-adult crowds. And for those who think their tastes tend to run a bit "older," this prodigy's work shouldn't be tossed aside. It might provide a few pleasant surprises.

Jessica Allodola, much like the author who created her, is a high school student and published novelist. But Jessica's literary bent remains unknown, since her highly popular vampire tales are published under the pseudonym Ash Night. It's just as well: Jessica's classmates tend to shun her, poke fun at her, and talk about her behind her back, even while they're buying her books in droves. There is something about Jessica that just naturally makes people want to turn away. It's not her looks -- her dark hair, green eyes, and lithe body make an attractive package. No, it's something else, something indefinable but palpable.

For the most part, Jessica has come to terms with her lot in life. Though she tends to be defensively antagonistic at times, in general she just keeps to herself. Even her adoptive mother can't break the barriers Jessica has built around herself. But then two new students show up at her high school, and interest in Jessica is suddenly running high. The first new student is Caryn Rashida, a young woman whose interest in Jessica isn't quite what it seems. The second new student is far more disturbing, at least to Jessica. His name is Alex Remington, and he's devilishly handsome and so charming that all the girls seem to be swooning. But he has his eye set on Jessica, who finds him very attractive but disturbingly similar to one of the main characters in her novel, a young vampire named Aubrey.

As Alex and Jessica cross paths with a frequency that is more than coincidental, Jessica begins to note other similarities between Alex and Aubrey; certain traits that only she is aware of because they are included in her latest manuscript, a manuscript no one has read but her. She begins to wonder if the story in her vampire novel is somehow coming true. As Jessica explores the ever-blurring lines between fiction and reality, things take a decidedly violent and dark turn. When Jessica finally learns the real truth, she will be forced to make some difficult decisions that may well end her life.

Atwater-Rhodes has crafted a fantasy world that may not be totally original, but it does have all the necessary appeal for this young author's audience. And there is enough creativity here to whet the appetites of older readers as well. Atwater-Rhodes's writing is strong and well crafted, her story and characters engaging. There is no doubt that this is a remarkable young talent who will bear watching in the future. If her writing matures as she does, this novelist will likely have a career as long-lived as some of her eternally gifted characters.

—Beth Amos

From the Publisher

Though nobody at her high school knows it, Jessica is a published author. Her vampire novel, Tiger, Tiger, has just come out under the pen name Ash Night. Now two new students have just arrived in Ramsa, and both want Jessica’s attention. She has no patience with overly friendly Caryn, but she’s instantly drawn to Alex, a self-assured, mysterious boy who seems surprisingly familiar. If Jessica didn’t know better, she’d think Aubrey, the alluring villain from her novel had just sprung to life. That’s impossible, of course; Aubrey is a figment of her imagination. Or is he?

Publishers Weekly

Teenage author Atwater-Rhodes returns to the vampires and witches of In the Forests of the Night for this fast-moving sequel. This time, she focuses on Jessica, the high school student who put in a cameo in the previous installment and, under the pen name Ash Night, has since published her first book, a vampire story called Tiger, Tiger. What Jessica doesn't know is that the characters in her book actually exist, and they aren't too happy that she's spilled their secrets and unwittingly alerted vampire-hunting witches to the location of their undead village, New Mayhem. Out for revenge, the vampire Aubrey shows up at Jessica's high school in the guise of a new student. But Jessica's dark aura unexpectedly attracts him. He pursues her, unsure if he wants to kill her, protect her or change her into one of his own kind. Jessica feels equally drawn to him, and drawn to the idea of becoming stronger than human. The writing is often pat ("It had not hurt to die . Why did it hurt so much to live again?"), but the fantastic fights will keep readers turning pages quickly. Atwater-Rhodes exercises impressive control over the complex lineages she has imagined, and she comes up with creative solutions to advance her story. Readers will drain this book in one big gulp. Ages 12-up. (May) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

VOYA

What if the vampires that people the pages of the book Jessica writes--using the pen name, Ash Night--are not figments of her imagination? What if those dangerous characters she invents, especially the one she calls Aubrey and his sinister companion, Fala, do not want their secrets published? When Jessica's vampire creations begin to stalk her and her family, Jessica discovers that she just might need the help of her classmates, such as teen witch Caryn, whose offers of friendship she dismissed. Suddenly the classrooms and streets of New Mayhem are not as humdrum or safe as they once appeared. Perhaps there is a level of unreality in even the most average-seeming day, and possibly there are choices beyond whether to try today's version of cafeteria mystery meat. Will Jessica choose to enter the dark world of her own dreams and nightmares to take a chance on a truly forbidden love? Atwater-Rhodes continues to mine her own version of vampire lore, expanding on the characters and themes of In the Forests of the Night (Delacorte, 1999/VOYA August 1999). She is a teen writer whose voice and tone are well established, but who is still developing a literary style. The appeal of her subject matter, however, and her age--now sixteen--will likely override any awkward, wordy, occasionally overblown passages. In fact, for an adolescent audience, the raw emotions ring so true that teen readers might not care about any weaknesses in the writing. VOYA CODES: 2Q 4P M J (Better editing or work by the author might have warranted a 3Q; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2000, Delacorte, Ages 12 to 15, 176p, $9.95. Reviewer: MaryArnold

School Library Journal

Gr 6-10-High school senior Jessica Ashley Allodola is a misfit and a malcontent. What no one knows is that she is also a writer and has just published a new book, Tiger, Tiger, under the nom de plume, Ash Night. Her books, written in a dreamlike trance, describe a vivid and detailed world of vampires and witches. Conversely, what Jessica doesn't know is that the books she assumes are the strange imaginings of her subconscious are, in fact, true. And the vampire inhabitants of that world are determined to stop her, while the good witches are just as determined to save her. Two of these preternatural beings appear in the guise of new students at Ramsa High: Caryn, a witch of the Smoke Clan, and Alex, the very real vampire Aubrey from Tiger, Tiger. The clash between the witches and the vampires and the truth of Jessica's birth take the plot down many twisting and suspenseful paths. Unfortunately, there are too many subplots and minor characters. The book comes alive when it focuses on the relationship between Jessica and Alex/Aubrey. The two lovers are finely drawn and believable. Their relationship is compelling and drives the story, as well as readers, past some confusing plot developments. Demon in My View is not as tightly plotted or generally as well written as Atwater-Rhodes's first novel, In the Forests of the Night (Delacorte, 1999), but it will draw horror fans.-Jane Halsall, McHenry Public Library District, IL Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

Childrens Book Watch - Children's Book Watch

Amelia Atwater-Rhodes' Demon In My View continues the vampire theme begun in her earlier story, here telling of Jessica's encounter with two very different new teens who represent different sides of the vampire question. Will Jessica choose to run with the hero, or the villain? The choices aren't straightforward and the conflict is filled with suspense and satisfying twists of plot.

Kirkus Reviews

Full of atmospherics, but weak on style, this novel pits a feisty teenaged novelist against a community of vampires in the next town over. Jessica is a high school senior who has always felt like an outsider in her town—she lives with an adoptive mother (no one is sure who her biological parents are), and even more unusually, she's had a horror novel published under the pen name "Ash Night." Jessica's life is thrown into even more than its usual turmoil when a new boy, Alex Remington, shows up at school, a boy so like Jessica's fictional vampire character Aubrey that Jessica begins to be unsure whether she is living in the real world or in the world of her novels. Throw in a good witch determined to save Jessica from the hunky teenager who may or may not be a danger to Jessica and you have a novel full of vampires, witches, vampire hunters, and (perhaps most evil of all) ordinary suburban adolescents. This should be more fun to read than it actually is. Atwater-Rhodes (In the Forests of the Night, 1999) wrote this at age 15, a fact the publishers are clearly planning to exploit. Not surprisingly, it reads like a work written by an inexperienced, novice writer—clichés abound and many passages are tedious or pretentious. Not bad for a 15-year-old, but not a well-written, fully realized novel either. (Fiction. YA)

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