Who: Sarah Beth DurstWhat: Drink, Slay, Love
When: September, 2011
Where: Simon and Schuster
Why: Premise
How: For Review
Pearl is a sixteen-year-old vampire... fond of blood, allergic to sunlight, and mostly evil... until the night a sparkly unicorn stabs her through the heart with his horn. Oops.
Her family thinks she was attacked by a vampire hunter (because, obviously, unicorns don't exist), and they're shocked she survived. They're even more shocked when Pearl discovers she can now withstand the sun. But they quickly find a way to make use of her new talent. The Vampire King of New England has chosen Pearl's family to host his feast. If Pearl enrolls in high school, she can make lots of human friends and lure them to the King's feast -- as the entrees.
The only problem? Pearl's starting to feel the twinges of a conscience. How can she serve up her new friends—especially the cute guy who makes her fangs ache—to be slaughtered? Then again, she's definitely dead if she lets down her family. What's a sunlight-loving vamp to do?
Funny, well-written, and entirely entertaining, I totally loved Drink, Slay, Love!
Drink, Slay, Love is about a girl named Pearl who is a badass, blood-sucking, no remorse vampire. She roams around town, sucking some blood out with her boyfriend, until a unicorn stabs her through the heart (or almost.) Suddenly, she can walk in the sunlight and even worse, she's actually starting to have a conscience! So when the king of vampires announces that her family must provide the party with it's main course, they put Pearl in High School to get the victims to invite them into their homes (which I love, that old traditional vampire lore!) But she's actually making friends -- and crushes -- so what the hell is she going to do?
This is totally brilliant. Pearl has a voice that is funny yet serious at the same time. She's genuinely confused about what's she gonna do with not only herself, but these "feelings" she's been acquiring, and her sarcastic quips and dialogue really keep the story from going too intense and keeping it light and upbeat! The plot is fantastic, and the entire concept of "vampire families" and how complicated a web they weave inside people was fascinating to read about! Pearl was an independent, kickass girl, before and after she got stabbed.
All the side characters in this novel are funny and engaging. Our two "teen vampire hunters" watch a little too much TV, but funnily enough, it served them well! Bethany was so adorable and funny and the relationship they form throughout the book is heartfelt and so sincere (especially for a vamp!) that it was no shock to me that by the end of the novel, Pearl had found herself a best friend.
Evan was so sweet! And while I found his plot point HILARIOUS (but at the same time, it explained SO MUCH), he was totally awesome! I loved the flow of him and Pearl's relationship and how it progressed from Pearl wanting a bite to Pearl actually wanting to know him. Jadrien sounded arrogant, cocky, and...well, hot and the conversations between him and Pearl were seriously hilarious. Case in point:
“To you,” he said, “I surrender my heart and soul.” She rolled her eyes. “Very romantic, considering you have neither.”
Overall, an awesome book for fans of books such as Hex Hall and Paranormalcy! Has that same humor and great storyline!
Happy Reading!
-harmony
