Conjuring Raine

Title: Lassiter, Maya.  Conjuring Raine.  Waking Dreams Press, 2010.  Print.

Overview:  Raine has known Joshua all of her life.  He shows up for an hour, a day, and then disappears for months and sometimes years.  For most of Raine's life Joshua has managed to remain elusive and mysterious.  Then, one night, Raine gets drawn into what Joshua does for a living and draws the attention of people who want her hurt.  Now Joshua must protect her while keeping his distance to keep her safe from the demon that's been taking over his body since the day he became a vampire.  The only problem is that Raine doesn't want distance, she wants to get to know this man that she's known all her life without really knowing him.

Critical Analysis:  I read this book as soon as I finished Toby Streams The Universe.  It wasn't until I posted the last two reviews that I realized I'd never posted this one.  While the story of Conjuring Raine is completely different from Toby Streams The Universe it's just as interesting.  The book goes back and forth from Raine's point of view to Joshua's, not only dealing with the present but with their pasts as well.  Through flashbacks you learn not only about Raine and Joshua's past encounters but also who Joshua was before he was a vampire and how he became one.  Another interesting aspect to the story is Joshua's demon, a thing that manifests itself in black veins that grow to cover more and more of Joshua's body as it takes over more control.  The demon speaks to Raine while Joshua sleeps, striking up a bargain with her.  Joshua's past and Raine's present become intertwined in twists and turns that are an intricate as they are surprising.  There's also a great cast of more minor characters including Joshua's best friend and a ruling body of vampires that see over all vampire affairs.

Book Recommendations With Similar Themes:

1. Sunshine by Robin McKinley.  The Voodoo Wars are over and Rae "Sunshine" Seddon thinks she'll be safe visiting her family's abandoned lakeside cabin, a place she wants to go to clear her head.  Unfortunately, that's where a group of vampires find and abduct her to use as bait.  Chained in a room with a starved vampire named Constantine she befriends him and makes an escape but their journey is far from over.  As she fights the vampires who abducted both her and Constantine she learns about her own magical abilities, abilities her grandmother tried to teach her when she was young.