Intellectually provocative and absolutely addictive, Susan Hubbard's The Society of S is an intelligent work of fiction that entertains and stimulates the senses! A modern thriller that brilliantly combines an ingenious and intricately layered plot with a haunting portrait of a young girl faced with the realization that everything she knows about her family is a well fabricated lie.

A beautiful, Victorian mansion, in the heart of Saratoga Spings, New York is home to Ariella Montero and her over-protective, eccentric father. Ariella had been content living in semi-seclusion until she was exposed to life outside the mansion by the housekeeper. As Arie's friendship with the housekeeper's daughter grows, so also do the questions about her life and her place in it. The deeper she delves into her family history she discovers everything she held as truth to be lies. Her father was a vampire, her mother, a mortal...what did this mean? Disappearing after Arie was born, her mother had taken the answers she so desperately needed with her and now Arie had to find her.

We follow the young Arie as she journeys throughout the south trying to put this new information about the Society of S into perspective within the confines of her own life. These are not typical vampires, they are seamlessly integrated into mainstream life, day walkers, that are as comfortable with vitamin tonics as the historic counterparts were with sinking fangs into flesh. While twisting the plot into great knots of emotional complexity, Hubbard has crafted a perfect mix of fascinating detail and provocative dilemma. The lyrical voice utilized throughout adds an exceptional quality to this beautifully written, coming of age story that goes inside the questions that have plagued humanity since the dawn of the world. Hubbard explores these with a refreshing eye for detail and patiently allows the character to fulfill her destiny without rushing the story, nor dragging it out with unnecessary wording. Gorgeous settings immerse the reader in a three dimensional environment, populated by believable, well rounded characters that are filled with the emotion and passion that makes mythology so enticing. The indefinable quality within Hubbard's writing that gives it that extra special zing is simply the fluidity with which the characters interact and how easily the reader becomes a part of their world. Ariella's pursuit of knowledge captures the imagination on a basic human level and takes us on a riveting journey that remains in the heart and mind of the reader long after the book has been closed.

This is a wonderful book, don't miss it! The characters and the story have been shaped with just enough mystery in the clues to allow for a sequel! I hope for at least one more installment from Hubbard revolving around these characters.

Happy Reading!-

RJ McGill

The Reading Den

www.susanhubbard.com