By: Rebecca Maizel
Copy received from publisher for review
Summary (from Goodreads): Lenah Beaudonte is, in many ways, your average teen: the new girl at Wickham Boarding School, she struggles to fit in enough to survive and stand out enough to catch the eye of the golden-boy lacrosse captain. But Lenah also just happens to be a recovering five-hundred-year-old vampire queen. After centuries of terrorizing Europe, Lenah is able to realize the dream all vampires have -- to be human again. After performing a dangerous ritual to restore her humanity, Lenah entered a century-long hibernation, leaving behind the wicked coven she ruled over and the eternal love who has helped grant her deep-seated wish.
Until, that is, Lenah draws her first natural breath in centuries at Wickham and rediscovers a human life that bears little resemblance to the one she had known. As if suddenly becoming a teenager weren’t stressful enough, each passing hour brings Lenah closer to the moment when her abandoned coven will open the crypt where she should be sleeping and find her gone. As her borrowed days slip by, Lenah resolves to live her newfound life as fully as she can. But, to do so, she must answer ominous questions: Can an ex-vampire survive in an alien time and place? What can Lenah do to protect her new friends from the bloodthirsty menace about to descend upon them? And how is she ever going to pass her biology midterm?
My Review: Finally, a paranormal book that portrays vampires as deadly, bloodthirsty creatures. Oh how long I have waited for vampires to regain their terrifying presence. Lenah is ruthless, the queen of a coven, and yet finds that something in her life is missing. She misses the things that make us human. Breathing, sunlight, touch, food, etc. Yet, Maizel does a very good job of making us feel sorry for the poor deadly vampire.
One thing that does bother me about the summary is this sentence, And how is she ever going to pass her biology midterm? Lenah is supposed to be incredibly smart and has tested out of the highest courses available to her. In fact, school is hardly even a concern in the book because she mostly just breezes through everything. Not that I can blame her. If I had all the answers, I would not be studying.
About the characters. I liked all of them, except one. Tony was great, and not what I was expecting. He had piercings, crazy clothes and funky hair. I desperately wanted Lenah to end up with Tony. Had that happened, I would have loved this book. However, I knew from the beginning. Even before then. When I read the blurb on the back of the book that said, "But Justin was...daring. Exciting. More beautiful than I could dream." I knew it was over.
I guess it's not a huge shocker which character I didn't like. Justin. Blegh. Talk about a disappointment. He is a jerk, calls Lenah names, and is a spoiled rich boy. I assume at first we just weren't supposed to like Justin, and then warm up to him later because he is just so hot. Hmmm.. I don't think there is enough pages to convince me that he is right for Lenah. Ah well, as you all know by now, I'm pretty picky by what I consider good romance. So, don't listen to a word I say.
This is one of the best debut novels I've read this year. If you like paranormal romance, be sure to pick this one up.
My Rating:
Profanity: Mild/Moderate
Sexuality: Mild/Moderate
Drugs/Alcohol: Mild
Violence: Moderate
Extras:
Author blog
Book Trailer:
