Plot fireworks to make you ooh and aah

Happy 4th of July to my U.S. readers! (And an early happy Canada Day to our friends to the north. Those of you in outside North America, how’s your Sunday?)

In honor of America’s Independence Day and the big fireworks displays we’ll be attending tonight, Vampire Book Club rounded up a handful of our favorite vampire novel plot fireworks — the moments that made you go “Yes, finally!” “Oh, God, no!” and the ones you re-read four times just to let it really sink in.

1. In the “Yes, finally!” category we have Sookie finally hooking up with Eric in that infamous shower sequence in Dead to the World, book 4 of the Southern Vampire Mysteries/Sookie Stackhouse series. Also, we’re very excited about the possibility of this moment being included in this season of True Blood, the HBO show based on the series. Fingers crossed, readers.

2. Now for the “Oh, God, no!” moment that is still reverberating in all our minds: Dimitri and Rose’s jailhouse discussion in Spirit Bound, book 5 of the Vampire Academy series (read the review). There have been several moments between these two through the series that fall into our fireworks categories — finally admitting their feelings, just about every encounter in Blood Promise, but the words “Love fades. Mine has.” will be forever echoing in our minds. We’ve said it before, and will say it again: Richelle Mead is a master at writing heartbreaking scenes.

3. The fourth book in Kristin and P.C. Cast’s House of Night series, Burned, was full of shockers. We spent the majority of the novel feeling Zoey’s isolation. Her friends finally coming together wasn’t shocking. The result of their reunion, unintentionally awakening an ancient evil was most certainly a fireworks moment. We’ll add in the dreams Zoey has for Kalona has in Hunted (House of Night #5) part two of this fireworks — especially the latter ones that begin to truly confuse her.

4. Charlaine Harris made the Sookie Stackhouse novels full of shockers, so we’re adding a second one to this list. We’ll try to keep it cryptic as it’s totally spoilery. Finding out Bill’s real reason for moving back to Bon Temps in Dead and Gone, the ninth book in the series.

5. In a “wait, what?” moment, Chris Marie Green threw us for a loop by revealing who had really taken Dawn’s father in the second Vampire Babylon novel Midnight Reign. The reason for his capture completely surprised us.

Those five fireworks moments are far from a complete list. Tell us: what vampire novel fireworks would make your top 5 list?