That Which Bites by Celia Rono

"That Which Bites" by Celia Rono

This is a very interesting story. The main character, Julia Poe, is a 22 yr. old woman. At the age of 8, she survived a strange fog that killed off most humans, followed by a vampire take-over which wiped out a lot more. The remaining humans fall into a couple of categories - cattle (think food), slave or willing servant. Poe, left to care for herself in the city when her entire family dies in one night, has managed to not be any of these things by hiding in a bunker. She is a physically scarred, emotionally & socially stunted, skilled vampire killer who helps out a small contingent of resistance fighters who attempt to free the human cattle. Thru this group, she has been befriended by an old nun and a black gay man. Things go terribly wrong in one raid/rescue, her friends die violently (because of her), and she is captured by a master vampire. She has to learn to survive all over again under completely different circumstances & trust the very creatures she has feared.

This is a story of survival against all odds, of trusting those who have done nothing to earn your trust, of acceptance and rejection. The story line is brilliant, but at times the jump from one character's POV, history & motivations to another's gets confusing (and maybe unnecessary). Still, I couldn't put it down - it was that good. The end was less that satisfactory in my opinion, but that's just my hang up. It made sense based on the story. (I just didn't want it to end that way).

Overall, I would say this is a story definitely worth reading. I went back & forth on whether to give it 3 or 4 stars & decided with 4, because despite my frustration with the character hopping, I will go out and buy a sequel if there is one. I want to know what happens to Poe (and I want to see her grow more).