Review Detail

Reader reviewed by kim

This is a tongue-in -cheek vampire romance about an adopted Romanian orphan with loving parents who finds out she is really vampire royalty. When Lucius Valdescu shows up in her life, initially they both do not hit it off. But their respective clans are teetering on the brink of a full scale war if they do not marry. What I loved about Jessica is that she is a multifaceted character with a fierce independance. She doesn't swoon over Lucius' good looks as soon as she sets eyes on him, nor does she pine endlessly for him after her feelings change. Lucius, in turn undergoes his own transformations. In his letters home, he is initially severe in assessing American cultural and social customs as well as Jessica's own family. But the longer he stays with the family, the more fond he grows of their loving bond. When Jessic is whisked away to Romania in search of Lucius, the novel takes a darker turn with formidable forests, jutting cliffs and howling wolves.
 
The only criticsm I can make about this book was the cover and title. They do not fit this book at all. There is a vampire guide in the book but it is not a manual to dating, and giving the book this title almost discredits it as being corny fluff in potential readers minds. I know I personally put off reading it for a long time because of the name. However, once you commit to it, it will surely appeal toall  teen vampire fiction fans with it's haunting love story and lush Romanian backdrop.