Blessed

April 1, 2011

Gr 10 Up-Off-handed humor, clever wordplay, and a host of supernatural beings will delight fans of Smith's Tantalize (2007) and Eternal (2009, both Candlewick), the two novels that precede this one, though Blessed can certainly be enjoyed as a stand-alone novel. She's a neophyte vampire; he's an unproven werewolf. Quincie P. Morris is newly changed, and her boyfriend has to leave Austin to train with the pack. The teen has more problems than separation from her true love, however. Sanguini's, the family restaurant (which she owns), has just lost its famous chef-and good riddance to Brad, the nasty vampire that changed Quincie and tainted the vampire-themed restaurant's signature dessert (chilled baby squirrels) with his own blood in order to create an army of vampires. She hires a new vampire-friendly chef and gets a new waiter, who turns out to be her Guardian Angel; a mission to find Brad and destroy him ensues. Smith cleverly inserts Bram Stoker's Dracula as a guide for Quincie (she has to read it for her English class), and draws on the classic's characters and plot to move her own story along. Careful readers will also recognize passing references to the works of J.K. Rowling, the Brothers Grimm, Anne Rice, Tolkien, and many others. This is a good read for those who hunger for the dark side, with all the trappings of a YA vampire novel.-Angela J. Reynolds, Annapolis Valley Regional Library, Bridgetown, NS, Canada

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2010

A guardian angel joins forces with an unusually humane vampire and a host of shape-shifters in this appealing melding of characters from Smith's earlier novels, Tantalize (2007) and Eternal (2009). The friendship that develops between the newly undead Quincey, out to save a group of people cursed to become bloodsuckers, and roguish angel Zachary is sweetly convincing and filled with witty dialogue. It's so flip and contemporary—"I mean, I'm your guardian angel...Middle management didn't bother to float me a background file or anything so I'm having to sort of wing this. No pun intended"—readers may at first wonder if their relationship is developing into a romance. However, this notion will be dismissed with the return of Quincie's werewolf boyfriend, Kieran, and the pages fairly smolder in describing their attraction to one another. Adding texture to the narrative are plentiful allusions to Bram Stoker's Dracula. While the novel takes its time getting started, readers who have read the first two will again be pulled into this wild and ultimately fascinating, if at times grisly, alternate universe. (Paranormal romance. 14 & up)

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

February 1, 2011
Grades 8-11 Quincie, the teen restaurateur last seen in Tantalize (2007), meets up with guardian angel Zachary from Eternal (2009) in this continuation of the Tantalize story line. Vamp chef Bradley may have been vanquished, but with the help of some mythic artifacts, he is coming backand this time he seems to be channeling Drac Prime (the original count written about by Bram Stoker). Sure, the vampires, werewolves, and angels provide the lure, but Smiths obvious affection for her characters makes this more than the typical cynical genre exercise. Pretty lengthy, but if this is your cup of tea, youll relish it.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2011
Modern bloodsuckers meet Count Dracula himself in this third book of Smith's vampire trilogy. Tantalize's (rev. 3/07) Quincie P. Morris takes the lead in hunting down slick vampire chef Brad, who initiated her (and many others) and can therefore seep unwanted into her thoughts and dreams. The former attendants of the vampire king from Eternal (rev. 3/09) join her in the fight, and tall, heavenly, and handsome guardian angel Zachary returns to save Quincie's compromised soul. Finding Brad requires research, and Bram Stoker's novel offers Quincie clues to the terrifying link between Brad and 'Dracula Prime.' Action-seekers may find these research passages a bit slow, but fans of vampire mythology will get a kick out of the interpretive lore, and a series of violent clashes leading to the final battle keep the plot moving. As in the first two novels, the main attractions are the clever and campy blend of the supernatural and the everyday and the thoroughly entertaining characters, human and otherwise. Even in undeath, Quincie has a zest for life that shines through as she balances supernatural duties with schoolwork and running her family restaurant, the vampire-themed Sanguini's. Romance blossoms, too, as she and her beloved werewolf, Kieren, prove their devotion to each other under deadly duress. A hearty meal for the thinking vampire reader. LAUREN ADAMS

(Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)