This installment of the long running series was okay. I understood why it needed to be done. You can't write or read 15 books that all take place within one small town. In order to keep things fresh, going outside of it seems like a logical thing to do. Since this was technically the middle book, it makes sense to make this one the traveling story. I didn't mind them not being in Morganville (although I missed Myrnin a lot). What I didn't like was the way that they happen to come across the most unfriendly town in the world and then happened to be found by Morley and then happen to come across a small town plagued by vampires. It was just too much to really believe and felt forced at times. That being said, I still like the characters. I think the one that has grown the most is Shane, which is nice to see.