Some Girls Bite

Chicagoland Vampires, Book 1

By: Chloe Neill

Narrated by: Cynthia Holloway

Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's Summary

They killed me. They healed me. They changed me. Sure, the life of a graduate student wasn't exactly glamorous, but it was mine. I was doing fine until Chicago's vampires announced their existence to the world---and then a rogue vampire attacked me. But he only got a sip before he was scared away by another bloodsucker...and this one decided that the best way to save my life was to make me the walking undead. Turns out my savior was the master vampire of Cadogan House. Now I've traded sweating over my thesis for learning to fit in at a Hyde Park mansion full of vamps loyal to Ethan "Lord o' the Manor" Sullivan. Of course, as a tall, green-eyed, four-hundred-year-old vampire, he has centuries' worth of charm, but unfortunately he expects my gratitude---and servitude. Right. But my burgeoning powers (all of a sudden, I'm surprisingly handy with some serious weaponry), an inconvenient sunlight allergy, and Ethan's attitude are the least of my concerns. Someone's still out to get me. Is it the rogue vampire who bit me? A vamp from a rival House? An angry mob bearing torches? My initiation into Chicago's nightlife may be the first skirmish in a war---and there will be blood.

Bite into another Chicagoland Vampires novel.

©2009 Chloe Neill (P)2010 Tantor

Really Good Books!

There is actually a storyline.... a "little bit" of sex but not too graphic... a lot of people don't like the Narrator but I think she does a good job... She doesn't have a huge variety of voices but you have no trouble knowing whose speaking. The story line isn't too young with most of the characters being in their late twenties early thirties .... I liked all the series and recommend them all.

Almost Great...

I am a huge fan of this series and was delighted that I could now enjoy it as an audiobook. This is a great book that was almost a great audiobook. Although the narrator played secondary characters very well, her interpretation of Merit was, at times, way over the top. Switching 'voices' during dialogue was occasionally a problem, as well as missing inflection (if someone is condescending he should sound condescending). What's most frustrating is that this book isn't horrible, just inconsistent in it's performance. What I thought was going to be an auto-buy series has turned into a "should I or shouldn't I" situation for future purchases.

Meh

Spoilers ahead: I was looking for something new after the last fabulous Jeaniene Frost book. Found this, and since it was on sale, decided to give it a shot. Was sorely disappointed. Basically, it's catty girls and arrogant guys playing dress-up in a Chicago-based fraternity/sorority system. The dialogue was immature, unnecessarily snarky, and quite frankly it sounded like the author was trying to hard. The character development was weak, the arc of the plot was dull, and, even for an UF novel, some things were too fantastic (she's a super powerful novice vamp? her roommate is a super-powerful sorceress but doesn't even know it? she's offered the spot of "consort" and sentinel right off the bat?). I echo other reviewers who have been extremely annoyed with the narrator's rendition of the various voices. Even when she was reading non-dialogue, she does it in sort of a snarky, sarcastic tone. Weird. Anyway, would not recommend this book. Apparently the second and third in the series are better, but I'm not going to waste a credit or money on either.

Don't judge this book by it's cover.

I put this series off simply because I thought the cover was too cheesy. If you enjoy J. Frost, Jenn Estep, or R. Mead. You really need to try this one. This first one is good, #2 is better, and #3 I had to listen to it twice.

Good Book, AWFUL narrator

The narrator almost ruins an enjoyable story. I read the first chapter as a sample and downloaded the audible book looking forward to some entertainment during a long drive. Well, I was entertained, but the narrator is so bad I even groaned aloud a couple of times. I debated on buying the book to finish it because it's almost unbearable to listen. Pauses in weird places and emphasis on the wrong words. An example that sticks out "bread and butter pickles" comes out "bread ......... and butter pickles. I thought, "what are butter pickles". Reminds me of William Shatner, but I think even he would be a better narrator.

Great Story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

yes. This book has it all. It funny and has lots of action.

What other book might you compare Some Girls Bite to and why?

The Merci Thompson series by Patricia Briggs

What does Cynthia Holloway bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I think i would miss out on the emotions from each character.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me laugh and laugh. Marette is so funny. She seems to always be in trouble.

Any additional comments?

I have never read any of Chloe Neils books before but i will be reading more. I love the Merci Thompson books and this series reminds me a lot of that series. She gets turned into a vampire and then challenges the master of the house without even realizing it. Trouble seems to follow Marette around. I recommend this book .

Narrator has no depth

Would you try another book from Chloe Neill and/or Cynthia Holloway?

Cynthia Holloway has one voice for women, one voice for men, and her own voice - but they all sound the same. It was sometimes difficult to follow conversations because it was hard to tell who was speaking. She also said "sup" as in "sup dude?" And this was frequently in sentences that used "supernatural" shortly after. I think most audiences of para-romance know by now that "sup" in this context is pronounced "supe." Yes that is something to nitpick on because it was jarring every single time.

The story seemed a lot like sorority rush. If you are into that, you might like this book. Being a recovering sorority girl, it seemed a little shallow to me. A big ceremony to initiate the new members of the house? Ugh. It might be closer to young adult than anything else. There was very little romance involved.

Would you be willing to try another one of Cynthia Holloway’s performances?

No. She did nothing for the book.

Some Girls Bite

I already listened to these apparently back in 2014, and I can’t remember any of it. I mean by the end I have vague recollections lol, so this is all like new to me.

Kinda of nice really I feel like I am learning about the Chicagoland Vamps for the first time. I really am enjoying these characters. Merit is kinda awesome seriously she takes all this in stride. I like that she isn’t freaking out like a normal girl. She is learning as she goes.

The politics of it all is interesting too normally I get bored with all that but I am quiet interested.

Overall a great first book I am already into book 2.

I like the narrations too, which surprised me because I remember liking this narrator for another series but she had her flaws and I don’t see them in this which is promising for me to continue.

GREAT

I have read and listened to a lot of different vampire series and this series is definitely in my top five. The story line is wonderful, the narrator is excellent, and the characters are fun. I love this series and can’t wait for the next book to come out in August. I have already listened to this series a few times and will continue to do so. 5 stars.

An idiotic sorrority based vampire novel

This was the worst vampire novel to which I have forced myself to listen. The main character, Merit, is a self professed intellectual graduate student with the vocabulary of a mold spore and the individuality of an ant. The entire vampire culture in this series is based on the sorority and fraternity pledge system with all of the conformity and shallow seeking of people of good families that that implies. Nothing of the vampire mythology is created, just borrowed and that badly. If you want to waste your time reading about catty fashion conscious women and boyfriend planning, this is the book for you.