Daylighters by Rachel Caine

While Morganville, Texas, is often a troubled town, Claire Danvers and her friends are looking forward to coming home. But the Morganville they return to isn’t the one they know; it’s become a different place—a deadly one…

Something drastic has happened in Morganville while Claire and her friends were away. The town looks cleaner and happier than they’ve ever seen it before, but when their incoming group is arrested and separated—vampires from humans—they realize that the changes definitely aren’t for the better.

It seems that an organization called the Daylight Foundation has offered the population of Morganville something they’ve never had: hope of a vampire-free future. And while it sounds like salvation—even for the vampires themselves—the truth is far more sinister and deadly.

Now, Claire, Shane and Eve need to find a way to break their friends out of Daylighter custody, before the vampires of Morganville meet their untimely end

I entered the final book with both excitement and trepidation - I always fly through these books, I literally cannot put them down, but at the same time it's the end! I don't want it to end!

So, the Daylight Foundation have wormed their way into Morganville and the vampires are no longer in control. In fact, they've been penned in and shackled, and the gang have a horrible feeling that what Fallon, Daylight leader, has in mind for them is not what he promised. So they have to be the bad guys and save the vampires. Because Claire knows that it is just prejudice to punish them all for a few's crimes. I really liked the moral implications here, it's a problem that Morganville citizens all have when faced with vamp problems and if anyone thinks it's a black and white solution then they're as heartless as Fallon.

The Foundation was incredibly scary, like Umbridge from Potter-verse, they honestly thought what they were doing was the right thing. Like therapy for vamp-lovers, to have them drained to point of death, and forcing a so-called cure on vampires that had a 20% success rate! Speaking of the cure - even though I wouldn't understand it, I kind of wanted the science behind it. Knowing later that Fallon was a priest and a student of alchemy made a bit more sense but come on, turning vamps back into humans? Even for Morganville, where apparently humans can turn into werewolf-vampire hunters, it seemed a little far-fetched. Oh yeah, the werewolf-hunter creatures, or hellhounds as Shane so affectionately calls them; these things are quite possibly the creepiest thing I've ever heard of. I really must commend Caine, her description of them hunting for Amelie gave me shivers!

I so love how all the characters have grown, especially the Glass House gang. Claire and Eve are all grown up, fighting for themselves selflessly, the boys are as funny and endearing as ever, while still being the kickass hero's they are. As for the vamps, Amelie and Oliver were incredible in this, especially how Amelie dealt with the Foundation. She was brave and regal and showed real leadership in setting an example for all the vampires. And Myrnin. I don't really have anything to say about him, except: I LOVE YOU! He is by far the best thing in these books and his interactions with the group made me laugh out loud, especially Jesse. Although I will miss his flirting with Claire, Jesse really is sort of perfect for him.

It's the end! I honestly could not think of a better ending for this series - it was typical HEA but with a Morganville twist: of course the good guys had to win but of course it wasn't tied up with a neat little bow. Come on, it's Morganville! It still needs a lot of work but this ending gave us the readers and the town some closure. Not to mention hope. 

Published 5th November 2013 by Allison and Busby.