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In the small college town of Morganville, vampires and humans lived in (relative) peace-until all the rules got rewritten when the evil vampire Bishop arrived, looking for the lost book of vampire secrets. He's kept a death grip on the town ever since. Now an underground resistance is brewing, and in order to contain it, Bishop must go to even greater lengths. He vows to obliterate the town and all its inhabitants-the living and the undead. Claire Danvers and her friends are the only ones who stand in his way. But even if they defeat Bishop, will the vampires ever be content to go back to the old rules, after having such a taste of power?

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 2, 2009

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Rachel Caine

215 books19.2k followers

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,103 reviews
Profile Image for Chelsea ✨Arielle’s Nebular Ally and Team Acrux✨.
740 reviews891 followers
October 31, 2016

Soooo I finished this one way before Carve the Mark, but haven't had a chance to type out the quotes yet-But, even if the quotes don't represent it very well, this book is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE BY FAR!!!! And, if I gave you every single swoony quote, there'd be no point in reading, right?! So...here you go. :P


Shane stood up when he saw her, which made her heart turn cartwheels, and he pulled out her chair. Eve and Michael shared an amused look.
“So cute,” Eve said. When Shane glared, she smiled. “No, really. It is. Dude, chill.”




“Night,” she said, and watched him walk toward the door. “Hey. How’d you get in?”
He wiggled his fingers at her in a spooky oogie-boogie pantomime. “I’m a vampire. I have secret powers,” he said with a full-on fake Transylvanian accent, which he dropped to say, “Actually, your mom let me in.”
“Seriously? My mom? Let you in my room? In the middle of the night?”
He shrugged. “Moms like me.”



It sounded like tigers fighting, and as she backed up from the snarls and howls and sounds of bodies slamming around, the boards of the fence broke again, and a white hand—not Myrnin’s, this was a woman’s—clawed the air.
Reaching for Claire.
“I’ve changed my mind,” Myrnin called. He sounded eerily normal. “Do go on and run, Claire. I’ll catch up. This may take a few moments.”



“That doesn’t explain why she bit me!” Claire said.
Myrnin blinked. “Blood is the fuel that drives the engine, my dear. As with us all. Ada requires regular infusions of blood to operate.”
“You never heard of plugging her in My God, Myrnin, you made a vampire computer?”




“As safe as anyone is in Morganville,” he said, which really wasn’t an answer. He stopped and leaned against a wall and closed his eyes. “Claire. I’m afraid. . . .”
“What?”
He shook his head. “I’m just afraid. And that’s rare. That’s so very rare.”




“I understand.” She did, but Claire still felt heartsick. “Does he ask—”
“Shane asks about you every day,” Richard said very quietly. “Every single day. I think that boy might really love you. And I never thought I’d be saying that about Shane Collins.”




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Profile Image for Arlene.
1,199 reviews625 followers
April 9, 2010
Carpe Corpus is the sixth installment of Claire’s story in the Morganville series. As with the other books, Caine does a great job in keeping the action going and twisting the events when you least expect it.

In this book, Bishop’s rule comes to an endgame and the people of Morganville, humans and vampires, make a move to take back their town. Claire faces her most challenging moments as she becomes the pawn between both Amelie and Bishop. Her loyal friends, Shane, Michael and Eve are never far out of reach and as with the other books, they ban together to keep each other safe from those trying to destroy Morganville and its inhabitant.

I loved the Claire and Shane moments and all I have to say about page 121 is FINALLY! Well, I also have to say, very well done. Shane is absolutely awesome in this book and I’m dying to know what was in the box that he gave Claire at the end. I have my suspicions, but they tend to be wrong as I’ve made my fair share of assumptions in this book that didn’t turn out.

I did have a hard time suspending my reality and wrapping my fictional imagination around Ada. It was difficult for me to picture what she really looked like and her contribution to the storyline was just a little odd, but she served an important purpose of explaining the portals and the magical workings around the town of Morganville. So it was very clever on Caine’s part to introduce her into the plot in this book.

Myrnin was probably the best character in this book. I finally let my guard down and trust his motives and intentions, and he didn’t disappoint. I was happy at how his conflict was resolved in the book. He does have some of the best snarky lines and reactions. Great character!

Overall, great addition to this series and I can’t wait to continue to read how this story shifts. I just hope Claire, Eve, Shane and Michael continue to be major characters in this series. Loved it!!
Profile Image for Amber.
390 reviews116 followers
May 23, 2011
Wooo Hooo! I will say hands down that this is the best one yet!! Way to go Ms. Caine!! This series is so different from all the other vampire books I have read. Sure they tap into the same well at one point or another, but the creative plots and the action packed, fast-paced story takes you into a whole other level. You can't but help falling in love with this series. (And Shane and Michael of course)

I have to say that I have waited for page 120 & 121 patiently and I was totally giddy! Now, don't fast forward to that, you must wait your turn....

The chemistry between the characters has evolved (wink, wink)and grown stronger. There are so many suprises in this one!!(good and bad) I just never knew which direction things were going to go. I had to stop guessing and go with the flow. That's kind of like life in Morganville right...

Profile Image for Anzû.
238 reviews1,105 followers
July 26, 2023
This will be a mini-review because I have no idea what to write in the first place. So get ready for some good rambling.

Carpe Corpus, or as my good friend Google likes to call it, “seize the body” (uwu?) is a fancy schmancy way of playing with the old “Carpe Diem” - seize the day - gig as an analogy to Bishop being a bitch and Claire and Shane having some business time. Thank you morganvilletexas.com for that one.

I liked this one better than the previous book. We’ve got more of the flip-flop-wearing Myrnin, which is always a good thing. Claire is getting more badass with each passing book, Eve is awesome as always and we have more explanations for the “magical” portals and such. A pretty interesting explanation, if I might add.

And what the hell was that ending? I’ve started to call cliffhangers “Morganvilles”, for apparent reasons. But this one .

What the hell??!

Profile Image for Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller.
787 reviews1,623 followers
April 30, 2018
I always enjoy the atmosphere and mood Morganville books create, so Carpe Corpus gets a decent rating for that alone. I went into this series (a bit late than most) under the impression that there are a few different story arcs within it. With this novel, I fully expected that supposed culmination of events to really wow me… yeah, not so much. The story seemed to resolve itself so quickly that I was left feeling like I missed something. I mean, I know the books are super short, but still. What I did like about this novel in particular was the stellar character dynamics and relationship progressions. I maintain that these characters feel a lot more rounded and realistic compared to many other YA. I’m definitely still looking forward to continuing the series because reading each one feels like coming home, but overall Carpe Corpus didn’t make much of an impression.

Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
Profile Image for Ray.
902 reviews60 followers
January 24, 2023
Another great installment of Claire, Amelie, Shane, Eve, and Michael challenging the status quo for Morganville. The villian Bishop did his best to represent the dark evil element. I found the plot to be compelling and engaging. I enjoyed how the story laid out and the results at the end of this one. There were some unexpected events which is always a plus. I have to say this series has been better than I had expected when I started it.
Profile Image for Amber J (Thereadingwitch).
1,132 reviews84 followers
May 22, 2020
I try to express only my most honest opinion in a spoiler-free way. Unfortunately, there is still always a risk of slight spoilers despite my best efforts. If you feel something in my review is a spoiler please let me know. Thank you.

Another wonderful addition to the series. This one wraps up a few issues from previous books, so where the book goes from here is anyone's guess, but I'm sure it will be great. I wish I could remember how old Myrnin is supposed to be physically. Cause I'm feeling chemistry there between him and Claire but knowing this information would really help here.

That ending though. I was not prepared for that loss. It was heartbreaking. I can't wait to see what happens next.
Profile Image for Alkyoni.
111 reviews173 followers
February 10, 2015

Something scary, something sweet, something sad, something that rhymes with sad.

That sums up the 6th of the Morganville books.

Is it me, or did it feel like a last book in the series? Not even a cliffhanger in it, which is kind of a trademark for Rachel Caine.

There's so many stuff happening, in all fronts. Some of them are typical Morganville stuff. There's a big bad villain, a feeling of disrepair, allies where you least expect them, enemies where you sure as hell expect them, a couple of nail biting moments, them parents that have no reason of being in this series whatsoever, and an epic battle where you have no idea who's on whose side.

As for the gang? The gang is the same. Eve is still awesome, Michael still carries the weight of the world, Shane still loves Claire, and Claire? Claire just turned 17. She's stuck in that dreadful place where she's not yet a woman but she's definitely not a child. One moment she's confident and takes the lead and then she's a frightened girl who needs to be taken care of and to be told that everything's gonna be ok.

And for the first time since this series kicked off, it kind of feels that things are going to be ok.

And that's what's different. It was such a great addition to the series, it summed up everything so nicely that I'm kind of scared to continue reading it. Like you know... *cough* Mortal Instruments *cough*.
Profile Image for Sarah Elizabeth.
5,002 reviews1,398 followers
June 30, 2014
This was an okay story, but it was pretty dull compared to book 5.
Claire once again came across as naïve in this book, even though she seemed to have grown a little more mature in the last book. The way she expected people to just give her what she wanted with no thought to their own circumstance was just ridiculous. Has she learned nothing?

The storyline in this book was just so dull compared to the constant action of book 5. I found it pretty boring, and even the bits that were supposed to be more exciting were hardly riveting reading.
There was some romance, and even some news on the whole ‘will-they-ever-do-it?’ front.
The ending was a bit predictable in places, and didn’t exactly make me want to read the next one quickly.
Overall; bit of a dull one,
6 out of 10.
Profile Image for Carrie.
3,547 reviews1,677 followers
December 13, 2015
The sixth book of the Morganville Vampire series, again picking up right where the story left off in the last book. Claire and her friends, vampire and human are left fighting for their town and trying to find a cure.

This entire series just seems to be one long continuous book really, so many different things intertwined into each addition. A few things will finish with each book but others are always left up in the air. I've become hooked on finding out where the entire thing is going to lead and how Morganville will end up. Never quite know what to expect and where the story will go from book to book.
Profile Image for Aly.
3,135 reviews
October 9, 2019
This book was the end of the arc we've been following since the second book, dealing with the vampire disease and Bishop. I felt bad for Claire in the beginning, she was treated poorly by most of the town for being Bishop's minion, even though she was being forced into it. I am glad we saw Claire and Shane's relationship grow and move to the next level, they're such a cute couple. Mernan continues to be such a fun, interesting character. You never know what he's really thinking or who's side he's on. And the disease progression makes him act so crazy.
Spoiler alert: this book doesn't have a cliffhanger and left us with some peace for a minute. It's nice after all the drama to have some moments of happiness to balance it out.
Profile Image for Erin.
457 reviews185 followers
March 10, 2020
Me during most of this book:



But seriously, don't mess with my Shane!

SPOILERS >>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The tone of the books has really changed. Things have become so convoluted and messed up in Morganville. And Eve was so annoying in this one! I can understand her being angry with Clare if she didn't know that Clare was being controlled magically. The fact that she knew Claire couldn't stop herself and was still rude made me so angry. Every book Eve becomes more and more annoying!

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Seriously, she acts like she is so tough, but she never really actually helps out. Claire at least thinks her way out of problems. Michael grew on me a little more on this one. Once he became a vampire, I felt like he got more personality.

As always, Shane and Myrnin are the loves of my life. Even Claire, who at the beginning was kind of annoying, has really grown on me. Sadly one of the better characters, Sam, was lost in this one. Why couldn't it have been Amelie! I did not see Sam's death happening, so it was kind of a surprise. It seemed like everyone somehow managed to survive, but I guess with so many books in the series someone eventually had to die. Sad it had to be Sam!

Hopefully in the next book things will calm down. I know there will always be some problem in Morganville. I just hope it will be a somewhat calmer problem. Also, why can't they just kill Ysandre and Bishop? They are fine with killing humans that break the rules! Just get rid of them! Okay, back to reading!
Profile Image for  Rogue .
78 reviews
June 20, 2010
3.9 stars

I've actually really liked this series so far, but for this book I need to point out some 'down sides'.


Claire does some rather stupid things/ acts kinda stupid in the last half of the book. She's suppose to be really smart but she can't see what's going / happening around her even though I'm sure that pretty much anyone reading the book can and did figure out just about everything that is happening and is about to happen long before it does.
The truth has to smack her upside the head before she finally gets it. Come on Claire! Brighten up!

If I hadn't been so tired while reading this one (I read it instead of sleeping, lol) I would have been yelling at Claire and rolling my eyes so many times they'd hurt, lol.
Profile Image for Terri ♥ (aka Mrs. Christian Grey).
1,523 reviews478 followers
June 3, 2012
Quick review:

Cover: It’s okay
Rating: PG-17
Thumbs Up: 4
Overall: On par with the rest of the series.
Characters: Well thought out.
Plot: Wrapping up some series questions and beginning anew with others.
Page Turner: Yes
Series Cont.? Yes
Recommend: Sure
Book Boyfriend: Sam/Myrnin

SUMMARY (60 words or less)

What can I say about this book, finally. And I’ll leave that at that. For those of you that have read, you know what I’m referring too. I’m glad that we are done with this plot line. I’m ready to move on to something new and fresh. Looking forward to see where the author goes with this one.

Profile Image for Jennifer.
1,277 reviews57 followers
October 14, 2019
Bishop has taken over Morganville and Claire is under some kind of spell to serve him; however, Amelie and her forces are regrouping and forming a plan to take back their town and Claire will play an important role.

Loved it! We finally got some shit done in this book and it even ended on a happy note! It's a bright new beginning! It almost makes me wonder what horrible fate the town will come to next. I'm eager to find out.
34 reviews3 followers
June 7, 2009
I swear, I'm going to have to make a 7th star. That's for books I have to force myself to put down and not immediately reread it. Charlaine Harris' Dead and Gone came close, but this one I physically had to use one hand to remove the book from the other hand and place it down. Then I used one hand to grab the other wrist to prevent me from picking it up.

OMG was this book beyond amazing. It had an ending, an actual ending that actually left me satisfied.

Everything was incredible and I won't gush too much because I don't want to spoil you.

Fortunately Rachel's books come out fast. The next Weather Warden is out in August.

If you haven't read Morganville Vamp series, go. Stop what you are doing and read. They are short books and technically YA, but go read.

Whenever I am asked for YA recommendations this is one of the series I recommend. I HIGHLY recommend it. It has real vampires in it. They do evil things, but are very complex.

Now shoo. Go read. NOW!!
Profile Image for julia ☆ [owls reads].
2,031 reviews415 followers
October 13, 2019
So many things happened in Cape Corpus I don't even know what to say???? So let's start with Claire still being naive as heck despite everything that's been going on in Morganville since she got there. Like, please connect two brain cells together so you won't get kidnapped again and hurt again. That's all I ask.

We got one big and very painful character death, which I appreciate since it ups the stakes in the series. No pun intended. There was also the introduction of a new character that promises to become super relevant in future books. The word-building also continues to develop quite a bit, but the book still mostly focuses on action and romance. There was also soooo many betrayals that turned out not to be betrayals only for them to become betrayals and then have another twist that proved they weren't betrayals after all. Like a spooky telenovela. :D
Profile Image for Nicole.
420 reviews16 followers
November 6, 2018
I hate that Claire has to team up with Bishop on this one. I hate what Shane is dealing with. Michael kinda pisses me off a little in this one when it comes to Bishop but he redeems himself because afterall he is Michael. Claire has really came a long way from stumbling upon the house in the beginning to now she takes no shit from nobody - maybe Shane is wearing off on her some more. Also I love to see Shane grow he is maturing and not as hot headed and fly off the handles as he used to be. It is really great to see. Again always good to see some Myrnin and how close Claire and him are getting but he is becoming more mad as time goes by I think - Claire needs to watch out. Bishop is such a dick - I seriously cannot stand him.
392 reviews339 followers
May 21, 2010
If I could give this book 10 stars I would. Definitely my favourite in the series and not just because of Shane and Claire (but I did read that part twice) but because of all the action, twist and turns, suspense and witty characters that you can't help but love. Adore this series and will be sad when it ends.
Profile Image for Alaina.
7,193 reviews206 followers
October 23, 2017
“What’s your name?' she asked, and surprised herself. But for some reason, she wanted to know.
Dean’s brother—he hadn’t been just some nameless Bad Guy Number Four. This vampire wasn’t, either. He had a name, a history, maybe even people who cared what happened to him.
'My name is none of your business,' he said, and continued to stare out the window, even though there was nothing but blurry brick out there.
'Can I call you None for short?”


WOW! A lot has happened in this book. So many freaking twists! But before I bring any of that up, let's talk about Claire. She was somewhat annoying in throughout the book with briefs moments of growing a pair and acting like an adult. In those short moments I actually started to like her more. Unfortunately, I didn't like her the whole entire time of reading this book. No, the only good part about her is her dating Shane. Who I hated in some books but I definitely felt bad for him in this book and then I loved him. Endless roller coaster ride of falling in and out of like with these two characters.

Now for some spoilers:



Profile Image for Victoria.
290 reviews18 followers
January 27, 2010
A very worthy and satisfying climax novel for the current chain of events happening in Morganville.

As climax novels are supposed to do, "Carpe Corpus" brought a lot of things to a head, weaving all kinds of suspenseful and long-awaited moments into the plot. I don't want to spoil, but there are big things happening in terms of death (I was very saddened by the death at the end), relationships (finally *wink*), and struggles for the freedom of Morganville. Vampires and humans band together to oust Bishop's evil reign, but not without immense cost and a lot of moments where you're holding your breath.

I love how the author keeps us guessing; right down to the wire there are plot twists, questions about who's on which side, and outcomes different than what you'd expect. The characters remain one of the most enjoyable factors of the series; Caine portrays the Glass House-mates' banter and relationships extremely well. Her minor characters also shine, as I've mentioned in reviews past; Myrnin, Amelie, Hannah, and many others. And Claire is a good, strong heroine who falls into very few of the "teenage female hero" character traps; she thinks and acts for herself, stands up to both good and bad guys in awesome ways, retains a powerful sense of right and wrong as well as a core of empathy, and yet still shows realistic weaknesses, fears, and hesitancy.

This particular conflict may have ended here, but I can't wait to see what else Caine has in store for Morganville in her next novels.
Profile Image for Heather Dalgarno.
189 reviews2 followers
July 25, 2011
Book 6 in the Morganville Vampires series, and I must admit I'm getting pretty bored.



For a supposed genius the main character Claire Danvers can be pretty stupid at times. Painfully obvious plot twists appear to flummox this 'braniac' and I found this particularly frustrating. Unlike some of the other Morganville books I found myself in a rush to finish this one, so that I could move onto something a bit more fun.



In this installment we see the showdown between the evil Mr Bishop and the native vampires of Morganville. Bishop makes for a pretty one dimensional character, whose motivations are not really fully explored or convincing. We also learn more about the murders that involved Eve's brother Jason, although this part of the plot sits awkwardly with the rest of the story, and seems a little 'flung in'.



Fans of the series will probably enjoy this well enough, but I wouldn't rush out to buy it. It's not that this is particularly bad, it's just pretty pedestrian.
Profile Image for Kirsty (Amethyst Bookwyrm).
627 reviews85 followers
September 13, 2013
This and my other reviews can be found at http://amethystbookwyrm.blogspot.co.uk/

Amelie is nowhere to be seen and Bishop is now in charge, with Shane and his dad in prison, and Eve angry at both Claire and Michael, who are Bishop’s slaves, it is up to Myrnin to save them and Morganville. This is the first book in the series to not start straight after the last; it starts a few months after. This book changes everything in this series especially Claire and Shane’s relationship. I love the ending because even though it is not really a cliff-hanger it leaves you eager to find out what something is. I would recommend this series to people who like Twilight or Vampire Academy.
Profile Image for Maria V. Snyder.
Author 74 books17.4k followers
October 6, 2009
I'm really enjoying this series. This is the first series besides Harry Potter that I've stuck with so long - 6 books is a record for me because I usually get bored with series books that go past 4 or 5 (maybe that's why I've been only writing 3 books in my series ;)

If you haven't had a chance to read this series, I suggest you do - start with Glass House and be prepared to be hooked :)
Profile Image for Catherine.
117 reviews16 followers
May 27, 2011
Another great installment of Morganville. Actually, this is probably my favorite one so far. I was surprised at each twist & turn the book took. And I may or may not have cried at one point. I can't wait to read the next one... And I'm not going to. I already started it. lol :)
Profile Image for Brittany McCann.
2,712 reviews602 followers
July 5, 2025
More of a 4 star on the re-read, the action is great, but I honestly hate Shane... I hope he dies so Claire can have someone more on her playing field... but you know how that goes.

Myrnin rocks again.

Bishop... hmm we will see.

4 Stars
46 reviews
April 14, 2012
Another great book in the series! Loved the character development and the more thorough introduction to Ada. Not as much action as the last book, which was nice. Love the Morganville vampires.
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