By Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan
Published: July 3, 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen
Hardcover, 352 pages
Just because Mel lives in New Whitby, a city founded by vampires, doesn't mean she knows any of the blood-drinking undead personally. They stay in their part of town; she says in hers. Until the day a vampire shows up at her high school. Worse yet, her best friend, Cathy, seems to be falling in love with him. It's up to Mel to save Cathy from a mistake she might regret for all eternity.
On top of trying to help Cathy (whether she wants it or not), Mel is investigating a mysterious disappearance for another friend and discovering the attractions of a certain vampire wannabe. Combine all this with a cranky vampire cop, a number of unlikely romantic entanglements, and the occasional zombie, and soon Mel is hip-deep in an adventure that is equal parts hilarious and touching. Acclaimed authors Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan team up to create a witty and poignant story of cool vampires, warm friendships, and the changes that test the bonds of love. -- GoodReads
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| 3.5 stars Review |
An American-born-Chinese, which is really not a heroine you see so much these days, she speaks her mind and kicks-ass when neccessary. I liked her because she's waay different than most heroines in vamp books. What I mean is--she isn't moony-eyed over a sparkly vampire *cough* *cough* Bella. In fact, Mel HATES vampires. A YA heroine that hates vamps in this day and age? Why wouldn't I pick this up!?! Also, I loved Kit! He is DEFINITELY waaaay better than stick-up-the-ass-Francis.
The only two characters that I really couldn't stand were Cathy and, you guessed it, kill-joy-Francis. It's really just a personal tick of mine--I don't really mix well with people of their personalities. I suppose I'm similar to Mel? Dunno, but yeah. That's just me. In the end, I wasn't so pissed, especially once I reached the resolution.
The plot was definitely different, but it still wasn't totally original. I felt a bit of déjà vu and been-there-done-that feeling from reading this story. Don't get me wrong, it was still pretty good. It's like one of those stories that you can predict the ending, but you still like it anyway because of the main character. Honestly, there were a few times in this story where I could set it down and stop reading it and still be satisfied. That's why I give it 3.5 stars. Above average, nice caracters, pretty good plot, yet lacks the addictive juice and thrill of a 5 star.
I'd recommend this to anyone who likes, or hates vampires. (If you hate 'em, you'll love Mel.) I'd also recommend this one to people who enjoy reading realistic fantasy books. Other than the fact that there were vamps mixed into society, this reality wasn't all that different from ours. Also, one more thing. Get ready for some friends, fun, and vampy romance.
(Yeah yeah yeah, I know, the ending of that review sucked, but whatever. Have some great reads, kiddies, and see YA (ha, ha, get it?) next week!)
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Great review! I definitely found some of the characters annoying too especially Cathy. Also totally agree, Kit was way better than Vincent!
ReplyDeleteThanks! So glad Mel ended up with you-know-who. (Didn't want to give away the ending.) Also, although Mel was pretty awesome, she got on my nerves a bit, too. I liked that she cared about her friends a lot, but sometimes she went a bit too far. But out of all the characters, Mel and Kit were probably my favs.
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