Review: Thirst #4, The Shadow of Death (2011)

With two rivals and no one to trust, Alisa must rely on her dark side to defeat them. But it could cost her life, or her soul..

The Shadow of Death, by Christopher Pike, is the fourth novel in the Thirst ~ The Last Vampire ~ series. The plot follows Alisa Perne, a 5000 year old, vampire, who is strong and more cunning than her adversaries. She escaped death only to find herself trapped in a newborn vampire body--her descendant, Teresa "Teri" Raine, who was shot through the heart with an advanced laser weapon. Two weeks later, Alisa attends her own funeral to inform Seymour that she is not really Teri, but Sita (her original birth name in India).

Despite the reunion, time is not on her side to control her bloodthirsty thirst. when an old race of immortals appears--the Telar. This immortal race from ancient Egypt is threatening to release a virus that would decimate humanity. Only they have the vaccine.

Only Alisa and her friends can take down this serious threat. With limited odds, they must turn to a mysterious organization for assistance--the IIC. However, the IIC has its own secrets and ulterior motive that will shock Alisa. The IIC has a powerful weapon, the Array--a group of psychic children and teens--that enables them to overpower a targeted person's mind and force them to commit acts against their will. The Array is the only group who can destroy the Source, the leaders of the Telar. Alisa will face the toughest battle in her long life to protect her friends and the planet itself.

This was an epic novel! I was rooting for Alisa/Sita the entire journey as she had to battle multiple enemies--the Telar, the Array/Cradle, and her own inner demons. First, she reclaims her original body (which is more powerful and stable with the thirst) and learns the truth about Umara's past and her son, Matt. She must also deceptively get the Array/Cradle to fight another powerful enemy while she plots to destroy the IIC from within. Various scenes reminded me of classic films like Children of the Corn and Village of the Damned. That's how creepy and powerful these children and teens are in the Cradle. They can use their minds to collectively destroy targets from afar. That is some crazy power! Alisa and her friends had to play top-level chess--and it prevailed!

Stay tuned for the last novel in the Thirst series, Thirst No. 5: The Sacred Veil.