Midnight Blue

by Nancy Collins
4 out of 5 stars
(This is a compilation of three novels -- Sunglasses After Dark, In The Blood and Paint It Black)


Kick-ass female vampire/vampire slayer. What's not to like? Dark, dangerous, at times violent...and nobody sparkles.

That's a pretty short review, and I know it doesn't do this collection justice (Midnight Blue contains 3 of Collins' 4 novels featuring Sonja Blue). Collins' series has been described as "a gritty urban cyberpunk trilogy," and I'd say that's pretty accurate.

Sonja was 18 years old when she was raped and fed on by a vampire. She was left on the street to die but she survived, sort of. She doesn't die and come back to life, but she takes on most vampire traits and becomes a living vampire (hybrid?). And now, armed with a switchblade and fangs of her own, her goal is revenge -- to find the vampire that changed her and kill him. Along the way she also kills other vampires (especially those who prey on humans) and supernatural beings (seraphs, ogres, ghosts, etc.), as well as the occasional human.

What I like about the character is she's not conflicted about who she is. Though she struggles to keep the human part of her alive while battling the dark "Other" inside her, she doesn't let this duality get in the way of kicking some ass, and she doesn't feel guilty about any of it.

Note: Collins pulls no punches -- these books are not for the weak of heart or disposition.