Sanguinists Among Us: The Society of S by Susan Hubbard

Hello to one and all! For those following this site, welcome back! Or, if you are reading this blog for the first time, WELCOME...thank you for stopping by! In between all of the books I post reviews for on this site, I always have at least one I am currently reading and another waiting in the wings. Just finished by last 'current' read this morning and thus we have our selection of the day. Today's choice is....

The Society of S

by

Susan Hubbard

Ariella Montero has spent her life thus far secluded from everyday society. Whereas most children run through their younger years amidst chaos, Ari has a set routine that allows her to methodically plot her way through life. Sounds fun, huh? It's not that she is unimportant or overlooked, in fact her father Raphael tries to provide the best of everything for his daughter. She lives in a beautiful mansion, has a cook to specially prepare vegetarian (this is quite humorous later on in the book) meals for her health needs, and is schooled in all the finest literature, music, and science there ever was. What more could she ask for?

What Ari seeks....no, needs...are answers to the mysteries that envelope her everyday life...starting with her mother's absence. Just after her birth, Ari's mother, Sara Stephenson, disappeared. Despite her father's best efforts, he was unable to locate her, thus leaving him in the single parent status of today. Although they only met for the briefest of times, and never truly face to face, Ari stills feels a deep connection to her. This driving need, as well as other circumstances that arise, compell her to seek her out if not for the completion of a loving family, at least to discover the reason that she left. Was it something her father did? Was it something that she did?

Within these pages, author Susan Hubbard explores the complexity of families and the secrets that they keep through a young girls eyes. The characters and surroundings are richly detailed enabling the reader to create their own visual aids within their imagination (does your mind create a "movie" from books too?). I was also pleasantly surprised to see many references to areas and events from recent years as they were quite familiar to this transplanted Floridian.

I will say this...I have seen many places on the internet that this book was toted as a great "next read" for Twilight fans, and although it is a very good story, I have to slightly disagree. Yes, it has vampires. Yes, it deals with love (a little). Yes, the lead character is a young girl. However, that's where the similarities stop. Would Twilight fans enjoy this book? Perhaps, but I would rather recommend it on it's own merit to anyone wanting to take a small step into supernatural literature. "The Society of S" deals with the "dark side" but the story chooses to focus more on the lives they lead and decisions they made. Also...I just found out there is another book that continues the story of the society, so you'll more than likely see its review in the coming weeks.

Feel free to leave your comments and feedback!
Until next time...happy reading!