This is a discussion for Bring on the Night by Jeri Smith-Ready.
We are discussing the "BIG EVENT"
DO NOT KEEP READING IF YOU HAVEN"T ALREADY READ THE BOOK!!
SPOILERS*********SPOILERS*********SPOILERS*********SPOILERS*********SPOILERS
THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING!!
Here's what I think to start the discussion off.........
*I LOVED that Ciara turned! I can't think of anything that would be more game changing for the character of Ciara, for her relationship with Shane and for the series itself. It makes Ciara have to face a lot of thing about herself - she can't run from this - ever, she has to rely on other people - forever. It was one thing for her to choose to stay with Shane and the station - she loves him and they are like a family to her but I think Caira always felt in the back of her mind that she could leave. No more. Ciara doesn't like feeling trapped so there is no better storyline than this to challenge her.
*I also like how it brings the other vampires at the station into focus. They were bit players in the storyline before but now they all have roles to play. Regina to help her - as a fellow female vampire (I love their scenes together & how that contradicts with both of their relationships to Shane). Monroe - that bond will always be there and I enjoyed reading more about this elusive vampire and Jim - oh boy....that should be interesting.
*I think my favorite thing though is the effect on Shane & Ciara's relationship. They made it through the initial phase. I loved that Shane was with her when it happened despite how he felt. I was telling a friend that they are my favorite couple because the "love fiercely". They both have options but choose to fight to be together over & over again when honestly they could have easier relationships with other people.
*I'm almost more interested in seeing what happens to Shane as the series continues than Ciara. I think she can handle it. It won't be easy but she's tough. Shane is being forced to become someone different than he is. He is selling his soul piece by piece to keep Ciara safe (and yes, I think Shane has a soul). Joining the Control is either going to make or break him I think.
* Religion - this is a huge part of this book! I don't even know where to begin. Do you think Caira's non - belief is a form of religion itself? She is becoming the healer that her con artist parents pretended to be - to vampires anyway. We also get to see how the other vampires view their "souls". Monroe and the others are shaken because they believe Ciara went to heaven and they brought her back. How could she go to heaven if she doesn't believe? and what's so special about Shane's voice that brings her back? Am I reading too much into the whole thing? (as I tend to do in Jeri's books....lol)
So...........what did you think?
What would you like to see happen next in Let it Bleed??
It works!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely LOVE the change. I was hoping Ciara would become a vampire at some point, but I was NOT expecting it to happen this soon, or this way.
I thought the choice she had to make just to decide to make the change was a big one. Ciara's never wanted to lose her daylight, or food, and as you said...I think she always took comfort in being able to leave Shane with a simple excuse of life. As far as Shane and Ciara, I think the change gave their relationship the kick it needed to put it into reality and no longer too good to be true. I loved them before, but now, wow! I was a little disappointed Shane signed with the Control. I'm afraid that will be the death of him, if not for the mere fact that he would kill himself to save Ciara.
Jim...ah Jim. He was creepy before this book. Now the creepy factor just jumped 100%! Regina is quickly becoming one of my favorite vampires. I can see her and Ciara becoming much much closer. Monroe surprised me, I wasn't expecting him to be so upset about turning Ciara. I still wonder why she didn't pick Spencer. That's who I would have chosen.
Ok, I've said enough for now! I'll be back for more. This discussion is something I've been waiting for. I can't wait to see what everyone else thinks.
I'm not sure why but I always thought Ciara would make Shane human in the end. I had hoped she would become a vampire though. I hate that Shane can't bite her - it's like that one thing that they can't do.
ReplyDeleteYup, I'm worried about Shane too - he's always sacrificing small pieces of himself for her. She does too - like joining the control - but like I said I think she can take it. Not so sure what will become of Shane. I wouldn't mind a hot sword weilding version of him though :-) I just wonder if that's the Shane Ciara wants instead of steady, loyal Shane - what if he becomes cold because of what he has to do for her.
I would have picked Spencer too. But I loved the twist with Monroe - it was a good opportunity to get his perspective and I don't think any of the other vampires would have provided the angle that he did.
I was utterly shocked by the turn!!!! I was not expecting it, I mean I should be at some point right? but I think I took Ciara's saying she didnt want to be vamp at face value and never imagined it would happen...
ReplyDeletewhen it did it actually took me until the change was finished to realize it had happened... i kept expecting her to bounce back to human LMAO
that being said... i LOVED the change in dynamics too!
It did make her relationship with Shane more real and I LOVE that he proposed again when she was a vamp and that she said yes...
The road will be far from easy, but I believe they will make it!
Regina surprised the hell out me, she's awesome!
yeah, Shane in the control is not good... but I think that instead of turning cold, he will actually grow more of a backbone and confidence in himself... I really think that with Ciara by his side and her love fueling him, he can use the experience in his favor!!!
I LOVED this book!!!
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything you already said, so I won't repeat it. On the religion issue, though, I have some thoughts. I feel that "God" is a universally used term for a highly personal concept; "religion" is one's personal view of God and the world. When people share a view and rituals to celebrate that view, they have an organized religion. Faith is having total belief and confidence in WHATEVER, and Ciara has faith in her lack of religion. So yes, her non-belief is her religion.
Larissa - I think The Control will change Shane and it will be rough at first but good for him in the end. He is so sure of his beliefs and a little naive at times I think. It will make him & Ciara stronger once they work through it. (IMO anyway) That's the thing I love most about jeri's writing - the characters don't remain stagnant. They grow and evolve and learn from their mistakes.
ReplyDeleteCarrole- Completely agree. I'm really loving how a lot of concepts that were introduced in the first two books are coming into play now as the series progresses.
One thing I do wonder about is that Ciara always prided herself on teaching Shane new things, preventing or postponing his fading. That her humanity helped him in that way. Who is going to keep him from fading now? Or for that matter, who is going to keep Ciara from fading? We saw how surprised she was when she noticed herself rearranging letters in words and realizing just what that meant.
ReplyDeleteI do like that she turned, and everything that it means for her in agreement with what everyone else has said. I do like that she chose Monroe, and for some reason when I knew it wasn't going to be Shane that turned her, I knew it would be Monroe. There was just something about the sublty of the two of them from the first book that made believe it was him she'd choose.
I have to say, I loved Ciara's immediate obsession with words. Tracy- You make a good point about who's going to keep Shane from fading as well as Ciara. I think for a little while Ciara will still be able to help because she's only just changed, so she can remind him to move forward and learn.
ReplyDeleteLarissa- I agree that it was great Shane proposed again. I gasped when Ciara handed the ring back and I'm pretty sure I yelled at the book, too. So when Shane proposed at the end I was really happy!
I'm kind of hoping Shane and Ciara will work together a lot in the Control. I know they are in different depts, but I'm hoping they will both become enforcers eventually. I could see that happening in Let it Bleed, where Shane and Ciara are tasked with either disposing of Jim or helping him avoid the Control altogether.
Karen- I think Shane's voice plays a much larger role in everything. He didn't just bring her back when she was changing, but also when she was under control of the zombie guy (can't remember his name). When she started getting hazy hearing Shane would bring her back to everything. Ultimately, I think that's what will keep them together, the bond they have.
And I'm all for a sword wielding Shane! Bring it on!
Tracey - Good point sabout Ciara. I'm thinking (hoping) that her blood and The Control will help with the fading issue. I always feel like that is a bigger issue that hasn't really come to the surface yet. Could be way off in my assumtption on that one though! lol
ReplyDeleteI think Monroe is perfect too. I'm sure Jeri chose him for a reason. I don't think I would have wanted it to have been Shane to turn her.
Jen - I'm hoping they work together in the Control too - it would make for a new and interesting dynamic between the two!
Jeri - that's two votes for a hot sword weilding Shane!!
Wow, these are great thoughts! I'm definitely taking some notes for future books. I love to hear people's ideas about the characters and themes and messages. I'm especially thrilled that you all have such faith in Ciara and Shane as a couple. :)
ReplyDeleteHmm, where to start, from the author's perspective? Some philosophies of literature say it doesn't matter what the author's intention was, so take my input with a grain of salt. The reader is always right. ;-)
I had this planned for Ciara from about 20 minutes after I had the idea for the series, and I always knew it would be Monroe. So Tracy, when you say there was always something subtle about their bond before this, that was intentional. :)
But that didn't make it easy. When April 10, 2010, rolled around (the date of the Big Event), I went outside and watched Ciara's last sunset. I admit, I cried a little.
Carrole, I agree that Ciara's lack of belief is a form of religion. As Shane points out, Ciara doesn't believe in an organized-religion kind of God because she believes in something bigger, something that doesn't hate vampires. (She tells Lori something to this effect in the attic scene in BAD TO THE BONE.) But she starts from a very strict "I believe in nothing" place (devout skepticism, I call it) and moves to a "Well, I believe in something, it just doesn't fit in a box, and maybe it has power, too. Maybe."
Karen, that's so interesting that you thought Ciara would make Shane human. It never occurred to me! Cool idea, though.
Fun Fact about Shane? He went to Ohio University on a boxing scholarship. He mentioned it in a deleted scene from BAD TO THE BONE, a scene that was cut for length (I think he may have alluded to it in an interview with In Bed With Books last year). Ciara doesn't find out until LET IT BLEED, when he's training with Elijah. So he has some fighter in him, but for many reasons has shoved it deep down inside. But Larissa, you make a good point--this will force him to get more of a backbone and learn to fight again, since he has something to fight for.
Jen, I think Ciara and Regina will get much closer. They don't have much choice, lol! I think Ciara appreciates Regina's toughness. At the same time, as she moves forward with Shane as his full-fledged vampire lover, she has to deal with the fact that he's done all this before with Regina. Hmmm....
Thanks again for all your thoughts, and thanks to Karen for leading the discussion!
Let me know if you have any questions about this or any of the other books (including LET IT BLEED--hey, I'm still on the first draft, so anything I say about it could be completely misleading ;-).
Have a great weekend!
I think as this series progresses, all of the characters get better. I really enjoyed getting more insight into the other vampire djs just because they all have histories. The change with Ciara was not unexpected; I was thinking it would come later myself (like the last book) but this works great because now the focus of the book changes from her helping the vampires to the vampires helping her. Like someone said in the beginning, Ciara figured she could just leave.
ReplyDeleteImmortality. So...committal. Haha. Lots of world building in here. More rules reinforced for Jeri's vampires. (I just know she has a spreadsheet somewhere for these) So many original ideas. I love reading a book that makes me snort out loud to the point that people around me go "what?" and it's the book.
These are great books. Jeri was a great find for me to read.
Jeri - Thanks for stopping by and giving us insight as to what's coming up. Love the idea of Shane having some fighter deep inside!!
ReplyDeleteCarrie - I agree. I thought she might either Ciara a vampire or Shane human but I didn't think anything would happen until the last book. It's more interesting this way since we have more time to see her cope rather than "this is how it ends"
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Now that we've covered the big stuff - was there anything else you liked/didn't like about this book?
I wanted to add how much I loved Aaron and how surprised I was that he died and that I even cared....lol I didn't even really remember him much. I loved his interactions with Ciara so I was sad to see him go. I think she needs that person who tells her like it is without having an agenda.
Do you guys want to see more of her gypsy family/dad?
What do you think of Jeremy? Wanting to be a vampire and now Ciara is. I like that dynamic too.
I was sad when Aaron died too! I actually thought for a minute that was the big event. I know...crazy, but I really liked him!
ReplyDeleteI don't really like Jeremy. His poor-me-I-love death attitude is annoying. I'm actually kind of glad Ciara was turned before him. For me it was one of those haha moments. I know..not nice. I do like him in the book though. It's nice to have a character that I don't like.
I'm not sure if I want more of Ciara's family. I know we will see them in the next couple of books. That's actually something I'm looking forward to. Not so much because I want more of them, but because I want to see how Jeri develops the story with them.
Didn't like: I didn't like the way Shane was coerced into the Control. I get it, but I didn't like it. It's one of those things that I put to the side and hope it gets better later on.
Briefly chiming in to say I, too, was very sad that Aaron died. Especially after the rewrite when I gave his character more backstory and layering. I just felt awful. But sometimes people just die. :-(
ReplyDeleteIf it helps, I have a happy ending planned for Franklin in the final book, with a very unlikely person.
I love Franklin!! I'm so glad he's going to have a happy ending. There are so many possibilities with him.
ReplyDelete