garraddesign

I can see this book appealing to a select group of young teenage girls and preteens, but for the rest of the population, being stuck inside a teen girl's head for the duration of this book will likely prove frustrating. The plot was promising enough; a 17 year old half-vampire warrior-in-training sworn to protect her best friend - a vampire princess - through the trials of vampire high school. But they encounter more than just aggressive social climbers, with someone targeting the Princess for her strange talent - the ability to heal others. But the story is seriously hampered by the inane comments and descriptions we get from Rose, the main character. In a scene of particular significance, where a dead fox turns up on the Princess' bed, we get these helpful insights from Rose: "the inside of the throat looked pink and jellylike" and "what had happened to the fox was sick and twisted, obviously done by someone too fucked up for words". On top of that, Rose comes across as a bit dense, taking a painfully long time to draw obvious conclusions. And really, if dead things keep turning up in a bedroom that's being constantly guarded, wouldn't someone think to question the room-mate, the only other one with access? Having said this, the book does improve towards the end, with Rose seeming to mature a bit.

2023-07-08 20:37