In the Forests of the Night (Den of Shadows)

I thought this book was amazing! I've always been fascinated my vampires and such folklore, and this book has made me want to learn as much as I can! I also found it very inspirational, because I am a 14-year-old aspiring author, and just the fact that someone my age can finally receive recognition and respect as a writer gives me the courage to go after my dream! Keep it up, Amelia! I can't wait to read your future work.

Yes, I know that most people would think that this is amazing for a thirteen-year-old, but to be honest, I've seen better from peole even younger than her. And, this book wasn't even published until she was like, fifteen. Sure this book was "okay", but I think she could have done way better. Still, this is probably the best book she has ever written, as the others really do suck (and have you noticed that all of her novels are about really pretty seventeen-year-old girls that turn into vampires at some point or another? it's pretty cliched). If your going to read any of Amelia Atwater-Rhoades at all, I'd suggest this one. I've read all of her book except Hawksong, and not even because she was good, but because I figured she'd get better, and I was curious of how she would portray the vampiric world. But really, you'd probably be better just skipping this book and picking up "Twilight" if you want to read a good vampire book.

...which is a compliment, I suppose, considering she was 13 when it was penned. It's actually quite impressive for such a young woman, but the sheer wall of angst, the repetitive use of such overdone terms as good, evil and innocence, not to mention 300 year old creatures who react like high school students when approached with conflict...well, suffice it to say that the high rating this novel has received overall leaves me baffled. The tone, conflict and resolution call out the author's adolescence. I suspect in time, as she gets more life experience, she will be quite good at the craft, but for now? Not so much.

If you are in high school yourself, this might be a good read. Otherwise, skip it. There's plenty of YA lit of high enough caliber to appeal to adult sensibilities. On the plus side, this is an extremely short book, so you won't waste too much of your life if you feel the need to actually complete it.

I bought Amelia Atwater-Rhodes' book "In the Forests of the Night" and must say I was heavily disappointed with it. It lacked any type of pull to draw the reader into the novel and didn't go full-circle, meaning she would start on one subject and then without finishing it jump straight to another... Even though I do respect her somewhat for being able to get a novle published at such a young age, I feel that she still has alot of maturing to do as an author and should wait a few more years to publish her next book. I also saw some similarities between bits of her novel with some of Anne Rice's books. Such as the fact that "vampires cannot get staked or be harmed by a cross or crusifix". These similarities greatly annoyed me and while she can look to A.Rice as an inspiration, she shouldn't copy her style and subjects. So in conclusion, while she is a talented young writer and she isn't Anne Rice, with hard work and alot of maturing as far as writing goes, she could someday get up to Rice's level.

Risika a vampire, was once known as Rachel, a young Puritan girl who was taken upon by evil. Now, in the present day, she finds the one that had captured her, Audrey, is back...
Very well written for a 13-year old. The way she did the chapters was interesting, like how one was in the present and the other was in 1706, when she was "turned". Overall it was OK.

I FIRST LEARNED MY GRANDSON JOHNATHON WAS READING THESE BOOKS BY AMELIA ATWATER RHODES...AS I HAVE BEEN A BIG FAN OF VAMPIRES STORIES...SHE RECOMMENDED I TRY THEM. I FIRST READ "DEMON IN MY VIEW" AND IT WAS SO HARD TO PUT DOWN I FINISHED THE BOOK IN A SNAP AND FOUND MYSELF WANTING MORE SO I BOUGHT ALL OF HER BOOKS THAT I KNEW OF AND NOW OWN FOREST OF THE NIGHT, DEMON IN MY VIEW, SHATTERED MIRROR AND HAVE PREORDERED MIDNIGHT PREDATOR(NOT YET PUBLISHED).I HAVE READ THREE OF HER BOOKS AND SHE IS A WONDERFUL WRITER AND HAVE ENJOYED HER BOOKS SO MUCH, THE WAY SHE EXPRESSES HERSELF IS REMARKABLE FOR A WRITER AS YOUNG AS SHE IS... AND LOVE THEM SO MUCH AS I'M SURE HER YOUNG READERS DO... I SUGGEST YOU START WITH HER FIRST BOOK FOREST OF THE NIGHT AND THEN CONTINUE IN SEQUENCE. YOU WILL NOT REGRET READING THEM. THEY ARE GREAT AND VERY WELL WRITTEN. I AM HOOKED ON HER BOOKS AND WILL READ EACH ONE SHE WRITES. ONCE YOU START HER SERIES YOU WILL WANT TO COMPLETE IT TO THE FINISH. I AM VERY THANKFUL MY DAUGHTER GOT ME STARTED. I ASURE YOU SHE IS A VERY GOOD WRITER AND PUTS YOU THERE WITH HER IN THE SAME ROOM, SAME PLACE IN TIME AND THE SAME HEART FELT SENTIMENTS RIGHT ALONG WITH HER. ENJOY !!!

just like another reviewer I first heard of her in a magazine article (except it was in teen people). I picked it up for two reasons #1 I am a huge fan of Vampire novels and #2 I'm plagging on getting a book published myself. I greatly enjoyed this book and even thought it put me in doubt on me ever getting my book published I would reccomend it to anyone.

While I have hunted down this book with high expectations, thinking to myself "OMG! a teen writer?" However, from the first page I was skeptical. The present tense is terrible. The chapters are barely one page in NORMAL book fonting! Characters pop in, get named, and leave. There's very little devlopement, Risika seems too powerful for her time (and too outspoken! dear lord!) Aubrey is annoying, just as Armand was annoying. Ather is cool, though. Ather was the only one with any developement. I think Ms. Atwater-Rhodes needs to not worry about focusing on a million characters and focus on working with a few and a distinct mythology, storyline, etc. Bouncing back and forth between two tiem periods coudl have been done in a different way.
I say we all wait before calling her the vampire queen, the next Anne Rice, and so forth! I have it in good knowledge that there's going to be someone new in the night and they'll be the next Bram Stoker!

I know that this book was written when the author was 13 years old, but from all the rave reviews and stuff, I was expecting a little more....more plot, more character building.....more substance. But it lacked so much I just wanted to get it over with. Thankfully the book is short. Too bad I spent 6 bucks on it. If you are looking for something with more of the vampire lore, some suspense, keep looking. This book did not do it for me, but if you wish to try her out, check it out at the library instead.
Perhaps this author has grown and has since published better works, but I am turned off. At least she can at least say she's a published author.

I got this book for Christmas and finished it the same day! I could not put it down! in the beginning you may think "What is she talking about?", and if you are not in love with fantasy books as I am you probably won't like it as much as I did. But despite that fact after the first two chapters you most likely will not be able to stop reading it! The ideas about Vampires are very well thought out, I hardly beleived it was written by a girl of 13! This book is about a girl who is a Vampire but often you read about her past and how she came to be a vampire. The end has a nice twist to it. But I didn't want it to end.

I know that this book was written when the author was 13 years old, but from all the rave reviews and stuff, I was expecting a little more....more plot, more character building.....more substance. But it lacked so much I just wanted to get it over with. Thankfully the book is short. Too bad I spent 6 bucks on it. If you are looking for something with more of the vampire lore, some suspense, keep looking. This book did not do it for me, but if you wish to try her out, check it out at the library instead.
Perhaps this author has grown and has since published better works, but I am turned off. At least she can at least say she's a published author.

I got this book for Christmas and finished it the same day! I could not put it down! in the beginning you may think "What is she talking about?", and if you are not in love with fantasy books as I am you probably won't like it as much as I did. But despite that fact after the first two chapters you most likely will not be able to stop reading it! The ideas about Vampires are very well thought out, I hardly beleived it was written by a girl of 13! This book is about a girl who is a Vampire but often you read about her past and how she came to be a vampire. The end has a nice twist to it. But I didn't want it to end.

What do you mean, "for her young age"? Amelia Atwater-Rhodes is a GENIUS. I'm sure it is "deep for her age". How else would these books be so successful!
But for the review...this vampiric book is AWESOME, INGENIUS and MOVING. Atwater-Rhodes has created a cast of believable characters, a deep plot, and interesting vampire traits. This book opened up a new idea of vampires for me - they can be teenagers, they might not have wanted to become what they are. One of my favorite parts was when Risika "put" tiger stripes in her hair. It's little things like that that make this or any book so good!
I am aspiring to be an author myself, and this book was a BIG inspiration. She was only thirteen! (The author.) This proves that you can work hard and meet goals, however big they are (getting published). Go young authors everywhere! THIS BOOK ROCKED!

(At first I originally picked up Demon in My View, but when I learned about there being a first, I went and read this one before hand. )

I loved this book from start to finish! I was around 14-15 at the time of reading it (3 years ago) and it just captured me! No this may not be a great book if you want something really in-depth adult-ish, but this is great for a good read that will get you thinking. Infact it got me thinking so much I started writing my own book before I was even finished reading this! I even go back today and re-read it just to get that spark going!

This book is very imaginative and very adult for a 13 year old! I applaud her greatly on this acomplishment! And i have read the rest she has done, and have not been let-down once!

~Rista

in the forests of the night was beautifully written to ensnare young people into the wonderful world of their imaginatioin. Most children stop reading for pleasure near fifth or sixth grade due to time or non-intrest. This fast easy-read novel takes you in grips you buy the mind and drags you off into the dark world of vampires. Risika is very real. You believe in her and everyone else around her. The characters each have a very complex nature, yet Amelia sends that message across loud and clear. I am a fan of vampiric novels and this is high on my list. As long as she keeps writing her growth in the art of writing will help others grow in reading. I love the way she used her minimalistic way of writing.

I was prepared to cut this book some slack, being a first novel by a young teen....but found myself falling in love with the writing and honest storytelling. There were a few weak moments, but hey, it's a first novel. The writing was truly lovely and I'm recommending it to everyone of all ages.

...I am completely disenchanted with Ms. Atwater-Rhodes.
It's wonderful that she's written a novel at her age.
Hurrah.
But there is a REASON that so many young writers are not yet published professionally.
She doesn't have the experience. The plot is rather uninspired, the tone is overly pretentious, and the writing is not only needlessly wordy, but also very vague at some points.
It took me an afternoon to read, after which I honestly couldn't pick out a standout part of the narrative. I couldn't remember enough of it to do so.
While her accomplishment is wonderful, her writing has yet to stand up to the challenge of being anything beyond mediocre.
It does give me hope for my self-publishing plans, though.

I rate it five because I thought it was awesome. It is facinating and it is basically about a girl who has powers and is a vampire. she lived three hundred years ago and it has EXCELLENT DETAIL! I mean COME ON! A THIRTEEN YEAR- OLD WRITE THIS! I thought it was graet. I started it a while ago and read it non stop in between school classes.

Ugh. This book was possibly one of the most childishly written books I have read since I was decided to read Spy X: The Code (also not a good idea to read)! It took me about an hour to read it and it sucked. Alot. You couldn't really get what was going on until the middle of the book. I mean REALLY, who would think that a book could be written so poorly. Not only was it not straight out scary, but it wasns't even vaguely creepy. DULL, just dull. I wanted to rate this well because it was written by a thirteen-year-old who hadn't ever published anything before, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

The DIVINE WORLDS. Aliania is the spellmaker. She must travel the lands with her friend Aster to find the evil Aeriand master Dith Lan Fur. If she cannot defeat the evil that lurks, earth will be forever doomed. Not even her mentor, the great Merlin, is able to stop the destruction this monster could create.

I first noticed this book before I realized it was written by a young girl. The book drew me in, offering an upbeat story beautifully written. Atwater-Rhodes effortlessly jumps from the past to present, outlining her main character's life subtly. Instead of using lengthy descriptions, she uses dialect and actions to bring out the characters' personalities. There was never a dull moment in the 147 pages of this book.

i have been writing my own book recently, and Amelia inspired me to return to it when i was having a bit of a "writer's block" i think the book is one of the best written vampire novels ever. the plot line is exciting, and the action is wonderful! so there.

In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhoads is a wonderful story of a young-adult vampire, Risika. Atwater-Rhoads describes the details in a vampire's life and contradicts many other common vampire myths. (Think garlic, holy water, crucifixes, etc.)
Risika, was born Rachel, but when her psychic brother makes a very strong vampire angry, (Ather) she decides to get back at him. Ather with the help of Aubrey (another strong vampire), turns Rachel into a blood-sucking creature of the night. Aubrey becomes Rachel's enemy, who is much stronger than her. Finally, Rachel fights Aubrey and proves her draconian ability.

The smooth flowing fast moving text kept me entranced... I couldn't put it down. What I find most interesting in this vampire teen fiction novel is that the main character is a 300 year old female vampire. In other teen fiction vampire novels I've read (The Silver Kiss; and Look for me by Moonlight) the main characters are girls who fall in love with vampires.
Risika (formerly Rachel) is a 300 year old vampire whom is trying to avenge the death of her twin brother Alexander over 300 years ago. Risika tries to keep morals she was brought up with as a girl in the late 1600s and early 1700s. This is almost impossible for her to do however now that she must kill humans to survive.

This book was a basic story of supernatural powers and vampires. The plot was weak there was little development in the story. It was very predictable; the character wanted revenge but thought she was too weak, big surprise she wasn't.
On a positive note I enjoyed reading the book because it was in 1st person. Overall I enjoy 1st person stories more than 3rd. This book was also very descriptive. It is a good quick read book for summer. I read it in a little under 3 hours. If you want to read this book I would not purchase it but borrow it or get it at your local library.

A thrilling experence that you just want to read over and over again and you feel like you're right there watching the action in your own mind. I borowed it from my teacher for a week and I read it about six times.

-Adam Slavik

This book focuses on the past of a vampire, Risika, who struggles with her own memories and morals. The tone of the book is very much like that of Christopher Pike, but offers fresh idealism into what a vampire really is. I highly reccomend this book.

It was really interesting and kept my attention the whole time, so check it out! It was great for a vampire novel, in fact the author (Amelia Atwater-Rhodes) inspired me to write, so maybe she'll inspire you! I can pretty much garantee that you won't be dissapointed.

This story is very well written, especially for a girl of her age! I have read many adult books, and yet this one stands out from all the rest. I congratulate Amelia for her strong hold on the English language, though she could have used a more extended vocabulary. Overall, an excellent book, and I plan to read all that this wonderful author comes out with in the future. For it is a very promising future she has yet to live (In my opinion). I highly recommend this book to all those looking for a good vampire book to read. An excellent book overall.

The book had amazing descriptions and ideas. I was a little confused at where the book was going. To me it didn't seem like there was a definitive plot line. The story line flowed well but I wasn't sure exactly whether this was a story about Rifika's existance and how she came to be or a story about her conflict with Aubrey. (I honestly think it was both) GREAT job, Amelia. If you as good a writer as you are now, I can't wait to see some of your later books. If you liked this book definately check out Demon In My View.

Amelia Atwater-Rhodes creates a dark and mysterious world of the night. You don't know whether to lover or hate the vampiric characters. Atwater-Rhodes desctribes the vampires as beautiful, but makes their actions seem vile. You live the life of a young vampire and meet her enemies in her struggle to stay sane in a world where life doesn't matter.

First off, I will give Amelia Atwater-Rhodes my compliments for her success in managing to publish a book as a teenager. It is a dream for many aspiring writers (such as myself). But that's just it. That's the only thing that makes this book interesting: her age. Nothing else interested me about this book, save for the topic of vampires. I'm one of those vampire freaks, and while a gothic vampire novel is always a treat for me, this one was more like a bland piece of stale bread rather than a basket of Halloween candy.
In this novel (Actually, it's more like a novella. A novel has approximately 200 pages or more. Books less than that are called novellas, with the exception of picture books and chapter books directed to young elementary students.), we follow the story of Risika, a vampire who was once a human named Rachel, but was changed into a vampire by a vampiress named Ather after her twin brother, Alexander, was murdered. Aubrey, a seductive but heartless vampire, gave her a black rose while she was still human. It was a gift she accepted that led her to losing her human life and transforming into a vampire. Aubrey mercilessly taunts and harasses her. He manages to make Risika fear him, and he leaves a scar on her with his knife. Plus, there are scars cruelly embedded in her heart from all the evilness she has witnessed and experienced. In addition, he murders Tora, a bengal tiger at a zoo who is Risika's only friend. Risika avenges the murder of Tora, Alexander, and every unjust deed that Aubrey has commited. She shows Aubrey that she isn't scared of him any more, and he better stop controlling her and treating her like a naive child.
Amelia had good effort, but she lacks a LARGE amount of maturity. It wasn't so much of a story. It went from the present in the 1990's to England in 1701. She repeats the word "damn" repeatedly. I find this quite irritating - it's as if she's trying to sound mature, but ends up sounding she's in the lack of better things to write rather than making her swear immaturely. This is NOT a gothic novel. It has none of that dark suspense and fear that TRUE gothic writings have aroused in me, such as "The Vampire Lestat" by Anne Rice, "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allen Poe, or "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelly. In this book, the nature of vampires have been overly altered, that they're practically NOT vampires, save for the fact that they suck blood. It's as if the author has butchered the nature of vampires and created her own species! She could've added more detail to the book. She could've gone into describing her relationship with Tora the tiger and how they started out being friends. Why didn't she write about the years between 1701 and the present? I would liked to know what had happened during that large gap of time. Why did Risika waste all that time before avenging Aubrey? Why didn't she do it earlier? Amelia's vampire books are incredibly cliched. It's always about a pretty girl who gets turned into a vampire at some point, and there's an ending with no conclusion. That just seems to be her signature style. No offense, it's quite silly.
Anyone who says "In the Forests of the Night" or any other of Amelia's vampire books are gothic novels, or that she's the next Anne Rice, make me laugh at how pathetic they are. I repeat, Amelia's books have no gothic feel to it whatsoever. Her style does not have that richly morbid, dark, mysterious, macabre, yet romantic essence to it that I always hunt for. N-O-N-E...O-F...I-T!!!! Even if she goes around telling people Anne Rice is her idol does not make her the next Anne Rice. She's not a gothic author, and never will be. But at least she managed to amuse me. It wasn't a waste of my time reading this, but I've read better books.
By the way, I wonder how many pages her manuscript was...

This Young writer has the possibility of a promising career. The Susspence of the book is thick and keeps the pages turning. The begging of the book leads well to the conclusion. The end is surrprising, yet slightly expected. I liked the way Rachel/ Riska, went back in time to when she was younger [figuritively speaking], it helps you understand the story better. All in all, I think that if you have a young-adult who enjoys thrillers/ vampiers, this is the ideal book to read.

This was a great start for someone so young. Though I hated the book length this story was stylish. I thought she destroyed the Vampire lore by making them be able to survive the daylight though since Vampires are "night creatures". It was great so I'll give her five stars.

this debut novel is a stunning addition to the vampire fiction genre. matters of the author's age (which is extraordinary) aside, this is a triumphant opening cry to a limiting and clichŽd genre. absolutely reccomended.

I HATE horror books, but his one was differnet it had a hidden meaning and swept me away........they next books she wrote are much better watch out these aren't fariy tales I when you read the books you truly believe in vapires and every thing inbetween!! but it truely is wonderful my I hope that you will read the others because they are page turners!!!!!

This was an OK book...not horrible, but not great. As other people have said, it is definitely not very original. It's good if you are really into that whole vampire thing, but otherwise, I'd get it from the library instead of buying it. I bought the hardcover version, read it in one night, and haven't touched it since.