Stake That!

Okay, so you know how I have this rabid interest in teen vampire novels?  It comes from reading the Twilight series, the Blue Blood series, and the Vampire Academy  series.

I found a series that makes me change my mind.  It's the Blood Coven series by Mari Mancusi.  I actually read the second one (oops...), called Stake That! today.  It was...a romp through the modern gothic teenagers mind.  And not in a good way.

Rayne and Sunshine are twins.  Rayne is a goth, and all she wants to do is be a vampire.  She spends the first part of the book lamenting about how her twin wound up with everything she wanted (almost becoming a vampire, a vamp blood mate, being vamp queen).  Not only that, but Rayne is somehow elected to become the next slayer (think Buffy, my friends).  And then...well, then it gets complicated.  Like how she's falling in love with a moody, arrogant vampire who's just like her.  Listening to her complain about her daddy issues.  Watching her and the moody vampire.

Oh, and did I mention the whole thing is told through her blogs and then diary?  It's...wow.  Not the best thing I've ever read.  Not the worst, but it's pretty low on the list.  Yikes.

All in all?

Under the Blood Red Moon

Okay, so Mom and I went to a bookstore in San Diego, and the title intrigued me, if only because I want to see "Under the Same Moon"

Then I read the back.  And I was intrigued by the plot.  Mina Hepson wrote this, and every time I saw her name, I kept thinking of Mina Harker, from the original Dracula.  

Anyway, it takes place in 1871 London (I know, I know.  I don't usually read historical stuff).  Princess Angelica (she's half-English, half-Russian) has spent most of her life hiding in her library because she can hear people's thoughts.  But when her brother decides that she needs to be introduced to society, she moves to London to meet suitors.

At one particular ball, she meets a man who teaches her how to block other people's thoughts out.  As time goes on, you find out that the man (Prince Alexander from Moscow) is actually a visiting vampire who has come to stop another vampire who is killing people and vampires alike.  If the humans figure out that vampires are real, the age of the vampire slayer will come again, and Alexander is in charge of keeping the war from breaking out.

It sounds crazy...okay, well it is crazy.  But in a really great way.  Aside from the whole historical thing (which drives me nuts), it was pretty fun.  She's brilliant, but kind of dumb sometimes.  He's stoic and a little annoying.  Her brother is great, her aunt a real menace, and the other vampires are interesting, to say the least.  Oh, and if you don't see the twist coming, don't blame me.  Once they started talking about her parents, it seemed pretty freaking obvious to me.  However!  I did not figure out who the real bad guy was.  Amazingly done, and I was so happy when they died.