Language: G (no swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (fire resulting in death, vampiric activity, assault)
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
Leo, a 111to vampire, is about to experience her birthnight, an important rite of passage for all vampires. On this night she will hunt and kill her own prey for the first time. To succeed will bring great honor to her family. To fail, unthinkable. Her plan is strong as she has decided to target one of the orphans at St. Frieda’s Home for Unwanted Children. Who will miss an orphan? The plan goes awry when an accidental fire causes chaos and death, but not in the way Leo intended. Now she has to contend with two angry ghosts and the possible destruction of the town all while keeping her family from discovering that she failed her birthnight.
The premise of Leo’s story is original and fun. Throughout the book Leo is someone the reader will root for even as she is attempting to murder an orphan. While a bit violent at times, the story is humorously told. However, the humor does give way to tense action packed moments to keep the reader interested. In the beginning, the author tries too hard to be amusing, which is irritating, but this inclination calms down pretty early on allowing the humor to feel more organic to the characters. The biggest detractors are the neglect Leo experiences from her family and the mistreatment by her friend Minna, which are disturbing and never appropriately resolved. All of the characters are assumed to be white.
Reviewer: AEB
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