Review Detail

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side
Beth Fantaskey
Release Date: February 1, 2009
Publisher: Harcourt
Pages: 351

Rating: 5 stars

The undead can really screw up your senior year . . .

Marrying a vampire definitely doesn't fit into Jessica Packwood's senior year "get-a-life" plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birthand he's her long-lost fiancé. Armed with newfound confidence and a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire's Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica makes a dramatic transition from average American teenager to glam European vampire princess.
But when a devious cheerleader sets her sights on Lucius, Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire warand save Lucius's soul from eternal destruction.

Debut author, Beth Fantaskey, delivers a spectacular book with a twist on dating a vampire. Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side is a book to keep you reading late into the night - I read straight through it!

The characters were fantastic! I loved Lucuis, right off the bat he gives a vibe that you shouldn't like him, but you cannot help yourself. Jess was your typical American girl. When she first saw Lucuis, she didn't just throw herself at Lucuis like a majority of girls would do.

Jess and Lucuis's relationship developed nicely. At first, there was resentment on both parts, but more with Jess. As time went on you saw both shed that resentment, and day by day grow closer and eventually fall in love.

Lucuis writes letter to his uncle throughout the book, and every one had me laughing. The letters also allow you to see Lucuis grow as a character, and grow away from the duty he was entrusted and turn it to love for Jess.

The ending was adorable, and left me wanting more (though it's totally satisfying as a stand-alone novel too)! I cannot wait for more from Beth Fantaskey.