Review: Jessica’s Guide to Dating on The Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side

Jessica’s Guide to Dating on The Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

  • ISBN-13: 9780594091448
  • Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  • Publication date: 12/21/2010
  • Pages: 354
  • Source: Purchased

Synopsis:

The undead can really screw up your senior year . . .

Marrying a vampire definitely doesn’t fit into Jessica Packwood’s senior year “get-a-life” plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth—and he’s her long-lost fiancé. Armed with newfound confidence and a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica makes a dramatic transition from average American teenager to glam European vampire princess. But when a devious cheerleader sets her sights on Lucius, Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire war—and save Lucius’s soul from eternal destruction.

My Thoughts:

This was a very interesting take on vampires and teenage life.  Jessica’s senior year of high school gets turned upside down before it ever gets started when a stranger shows up in town, Lucius.  He tells Jessica, or Antanasia, as Lucius, begins to call her, that she is a vampire and they must fulfill a pact and get married.  Jessica wants nothing to do with this and does not believe a word.  But then strange things begin to happen, most of them are found in the book that Lucius gave to Jessica called Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions.  Since Jessica has made it very clear that she has not interest in fulfilling the pact, Lucius moves on to another girl in the school which just sets Jessica off.  By the time Jessica comes around, Lucius wants nothing to do with her.  Causing even more problem, the vampire world is spinning quickly toward a war if the  two cannot work out their differences.  But that mean they both must get beyond themselves.

I enjoyed the writing style of this author however, there were a few chapters in the middle of this book that felt like they were just dragging the story out for no reason, there was no character or plot progression.  It was just a big frustrating but once the story started moving again it really picked up.  There is a different take on the dark side.  This was a take on coming of age that I have not seen in the past.  Instead of adult issues, it was coming into being a vampire.  I liked the take that female vampires come into age at 18 and must be bitten to have fangs.  It was a really neat idea.  This was a well thought out and well executed part of the story.  I also enjoyed the history of the families and how Lucius is faced with trying to adjust to the America way.  All of these things add up to a Wicked good story.

My Rating:

4 Penguins

Fun Story with interesting twists

A different vampire story

Review: Welcome Caller, This is Chloe by Shelley Coriell

Welcome, Caller, This Is ChloeWelcome Caller, This is Chloe by Shelley Coriell

  • ISBN-13: 9781419701917
  • Publisher: Amulet Books
  • Publication date: 5/1/2012
  • Pages: 320
  • Source: Netgally

Synopsis:

Big-hearted Chloe Camden is the queen of her universe until her best friend shreds her reputation and her school counselor axes her junior independent study project. Chloe is forced to take on a meaningful project in order to pass, and so she joins her school’s struggling radio station, where the other students don’t find her too queenly. Ostracized by her former BFs and struggling with her beloved Grams’s mental deterioration, lonely Chloe ends up hosting a call-in show that gets the station much-needed publicity and, in the end, trouble. She also befriends radio techie and loner Duncan Moore, a quiet soul with a romantic heart. On and off the air, Chloe faces her loneliness and helps others find the fun and joy in everyday life. Readers will fall in love with Chloe as she falls in love with the radio station and the misfits who call it home.

My Thoughts:

I choose to read Welcome Caller, This is Chloe because the blurb sounded so interesting unlike anything I have seen in the the recent history.  And it sure lived up to being different.  Chloe is a very interesting person who is faced with her group of friends suddenly abandon her in a mess of rumors.  Not only that she is fact with her grandmother’s declining health and her new high school counselor tell her that her independent study project is no longer good and she must find something and quickly because it is almost due.   This makes for a pretty whiny teenager.  Chloe gets assigned to help the Radio Station on Campus.  She is none to happy about the situation. But as she gets into it the Radio is not so bad and she beings to make new friends.  There is still a lot to deal with but it become more eye opening for Chloe by the day.

The biggest challenge I had with this story was the slang.  While I was able to catch on to most of it some was just beyond me.  It made for frustrating reading at some points during the story.  Other than this, the writing of the story is strong and the character and story development happen naturally and seamlessly.   I liked the premise and the growth that Chloe goes though such a transformation throughout the story.  It is not only in personal growth but realizing that the world is a lot bigger than herself.  She realized that the people around her were going through issues just as big or bigger than her own.  What those issues are I am going to leave for you to check out in the story.  I also enjoyed the bit of teen love that comes into play.

My Rating:

4 Penguins 🙂

A solid story with great lesson

Excerpt of Bound by Kira Saito

Punished Arelia LaRue Book #2 TEASER

Chapter 1

I just want you here…

“But, I thought.” Lucus was frozen as he stared at me.  Uncertainty softened his strong features as he brushed away the lock of dark hair that had fallen over his right eye. Why didn’t he just get a haircut? “I assumed you were leaving.”

“I can leave if you want me to.” I gave him a small smile as I took a step back. I didn’t want to let on that I was nervous or anything. I wanted answers and maybe some fried Oreos.

“No, please, come in,” he said quickly as he moved aside making space for me to enter the room. “I’m going to do as you requested and put on a shirt.” He gave me a knowing wink. So, he had caught on that the sight of him shirtless was more than just a little distracting.

“Thanks.” I attempted to gracefully stride into the spacious room and poured myself some overpriced cognac. A warm breeze wafted through the balcony window and the scent of fragrant jasmine filled my nostrils.

“I’m so proud of you,” whispered Erzulie as she hovered outside the balcony. Apparently, in the span of twenty minutes, she had already changed her outfit and was now dressed in a flowing, red dress and matching headscarf. Strands of thick, gold necklaces hung from her neck and her arms were adorned with delicate, wooden bracelets.

“Not now Erzulie.” I was mortified that she chose to make another grand entrance at exactly this moment. The moment I was pretending to be totally calm and in control rather than a raving, mud-flinging lunatic that spoke to voodoo spirits.

Of course, she ignored me and continued, “Jasmine is the flower of love, you know.”

“Thanks for the random info,” I hissed praying that Lucus wouldn’t hear. I wasn’t completely ready to let him listen in on  my conversations with the spirits just yet. Even though he wasn’t exactly normal, I wasn’t prepared to expose all of my own craziness to him. Lucky for me, he was too busy hunting for a t-shirt within the massive, antique closet that sat at the other end of the room.

“You should always give love a chance my dear, even if it comes in unexpected forms.” She was giving me one of her motherly speeches again.

“I’m not sure what I’m supposed to make of that ominous advice Erzulie,” I whispered as I inched towards the balcony and unsuccessfully tried to shut the heavy, lace curtains on her.

She laughed delicately before continuing, “you do know what I mean, my child.”

“No, I don’t. I don’t exactly see any epic romance developing here. I’m just sticking around because you asked me to.”

“Sure you are my dear.” Her hazel eyes shone as she gave me a small wink and disappeared.

“I thought you despised that.” Lucus eyed the glass in my hand as he put on a blue t-shirt and walked towards me.

“I do,” I replied. I didn’t want to tell him that I needed something to calm down my nerves. I couldn’t get his speech out of my head. How was I supposed to act around him now?

Lucus placed his smooth hand over mine, and took the crystal glass from me. He raised his other hand up to my cheek and grazed it softly with his fingertips. Consuming chills ran through my body, all the way from my split-ends to my non-pedicured toenails. His scent mixed with the aroma of sugary jasmine and cognac was undeniably intoxicating. His gentle breath was deliciously sweet as it made contact with my sweaty skin.

“There’s no reason to be anxious, I’m perfectly harmless,” he whispered softly. “The last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable or hurt you in any way.”

“Sure.” I grabbed the glass from him, moved my cheek away from his hand and tossed back the cognac. “Gross! How can you actually like drinking this stuff?”

A hint of a smile crossed his full lips. “You get used to a lot of things if you’re around long enough. You’d be surprised at the things you’re capable of as time passes.”

“Well, I don’t think I’m going to get used to the fact that you’re basically a very old man.”

“Is that the way you see me, as a very old man?” Lucus causally asked as he walked over to the heavy, wooden table and poured himself some absurdly expensive cognac. He studied me intently with his intense, dark eyes as he waited for me to answer.

“I mean you don’t look like Mr. Dumpty or anything, but you’re just wearing a disguise to cover up who you really are,” I reasoned clutching the crystal glass just a bit too tightly while tugging on my hair.

He let out a dry laugh and took a sip of cognac. “Aren’t we all?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I raised an eyebrow.

He shook his head and took a step closer. His sharp gaze saw right through me. “If you see me as a very old man, why didn’t you leave? What reason do you have to be here wasting your time?”

Bound
By Kira Saito

Genre: Paranormal YA

Blurb

Sixteen year old Arelia LaRue lives in New Orleans where the music is loud, voodoo queens inhabit every street corner, and the ghosts are alive and well. Despite her surroundings, all she wants is to help her Grand-mere Bea pay the rent and save up for college.

When her best friend Sabrina convinces her to take a well-paying summer job at the infamous Darkwood plantation, owned by the wealthy LaPlante family, Arelia agrees.

However, at Darkwood strange things start to happen, and gorgeous Lucus LaPlante insists that he needs her help. Soon, the powers that Arelia has been denying all her life, come out to play and she discovers mysteries about herself that she could have never imagined.

You can buy it here!

Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Bound-Arelia-Paranormal-Romance-ebook/dp/B0060EHJX6/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_t_1

Smashwords
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/101051

Author Bio


Kira is a magic junkie and loves writing YA paranormal romances. Some of her heroes include: Jack the Pumpkin King, Willy Wonka, Larry David, Princess Tiana, the vampire Lestat, Andy and her Maltese Costanza.

http://kirasaito.blogspot.com/

Twitter @KiraSaito