Drink, Slay, Love: A Book Review

I do not have time right now to read teen fiction, and although I read the Twilight books (which are totally worth it for the vampire-teeth c-section alone), I have yet to succomb to the Gothic horror paranormal romance fever that has swept teen fiction. But oh my goodness, after reading a review last week, I snagged Drink, Slay, Love from the library and finished it in one afternoon.

Here's a brief description from The Horn Book online:

Sixteen-year-old vampire Pearl discovers she can withstand sunlight after an encounter with a unicorn in Sarah Beth Durst’s Drink, Slay, Love. Her family sends her up to the local high school to procure refreshments (i.e., students) for the upcoming king’s feast. Pearl becomes attached to perky Bethany and gorgeous Evan, but her violent subterranean life ultimately forces her to choose sides. A lively antihero, Pearl is fierce, smart, and sarcastic in this sweet, unusual romance.

And here's a little excerpt from the book. Pearl has just discovered that she can walk in the sunlight, and has rushed to the library to see the colors come through its stained glass windows in the early-morning sun. [Sidenote: This scene gave me early warning that I had to suspend a lot of disbelief to enjoy the book. The library has stained glass windows? It's open -- and packed with people -- at 8am?]

In the reading room, she halted in the center of the carpet. Colored sunlight streamed through the stained glass. Slices of ruby and emerald split the room and overlapped on the wood bookshelves. All of her irritation drained out of her. She turned slowly in a circle, drinking in the blues and reds and purples. Colored light tinted her pale skin, and Pearl raised her arm and turned it over to watch the stained-glass light dance over her blue veins and bring colors into the whiteness, as if her skin were Formica.

Well, look at that, she thought. I'm a sparkly vampire.

This will not be the last Twilight mockery.

Another excerpt, to give you a taste of the admittedly too-easy snarkiness that gives the book its appeal:

"I hope I haven't hurt your feelings," he said.

"I don't have feelings, at least not the inconvenient ones."

"Okay," he said. "I hope I haven't hurt your ego."

"Yeah, that part of me is a bit miffed," Pearl said. "What exactly is not hot about me? You're a teenage boy. I have boobs. What part of the equation is missing?"

In other words, this is a vampire book for Buffy fans. What other endorsement does it need?

Comments

[electriclady]

Love it. Gotta pick this one up.

[Lilian]

hmmm... interesting! And wow... vampire teeth C-section?

[Jennifer]

I'm a sparkly vampire! Love. It.

[Ms. Yingling]

I haven't had a chance to read my library copy yet because it is always checked out. It does sound amusing. And I hear theree are unicorns.