Drink, Slay, Love, by Sarah Beth Durst
Pearl is a teenage vampire who enjoys hunting humans. But when a unicorn finds her in a dark alley, it stabs her through the chest. Instead of dying, Pearl begins changing in unexpected ways. She can now tolerate sunlight, she can see her reflection, and is developing a conscience. Her parents want Pearl to use her handy daylight hours to enroll in school and ensnare students as the main course for an upcoming celebration for the Vampire King. But Pearl soon befriends the prey, and must make a decision between her family and humanity.
Told from Pearl’s point of view, we see not only her physical changes but her mental changes as well. Instead of an emotionless, self-centered individual, Pearl begins to think of humans as people – and more importantly her friends. As Pearl grows a soul, her problems grow as her parents have expectations of her. And going against their wishes means turning her back on her family and everything she has been taught.
A coming-of-age story with a vampire twist, the cleverly titled Drink, Slay, Love is full of suspense, drama, and excitement. Durst’s characters are engaging with plenty of quirky humor. With a few surprises along the way, the danger and intensity culminates to a big finish. Durst is an extremely talented author, weaving a beautiful story with fascinating lead characters. If vampires aren’t your thing, I highly recommend her other fantastic young adult titles: Ice and Enchanted Ivy as well.
I have this on my want list. It sounds wonderful. Thanks for the review…I’m sold 🙂
I actually really disliked this book. It’s the first book in three years I’ve had to stop reading because I found it so bad. The main character is an extreme Mary Sue, with a God complex that rivals Hitler’s. The plot seems to be written by a kinder gardener. Frankly, I’m surprised it was published. The only thing that kept me reading as far as I did before I stopped were the random snippits of funny conversation, and even then the humerus parts didn’t fit with the context of what was going on.