Review Detail

As far back as she can remember, Raven Madison has been obsessed with vampires. In kindergarten, her teacher asked the class what they wanted to be when they grew up. When it was Ravens turn, she swooned, a vampire. Living in the town she aptly describes as Dullsville is not easy for someone like Raven- being that she is the only goth-girl with a love of horror movies and black lipstick. On top of that, her once cool ex-hippie parents dramatically changed after the birth of her little brother, a boy Raven endearingly nicknames Nerd Boy. She has no real friends, except for Becky, a timid farm girl from the wrong side of the tracks.

Everything changes when the Sterling family moves into the creepy, abandoned mansion on top of Benson Hill. The whole town begins talking about them, and their son Alexander in particular. Its said Alexander hangs out in cemetaries and never goes out in daylight. Raven dreams that Alexander is a real vampire and her ticket out of Dullsville.

Ravens feisty wit and sharp tongue really made me enjoy this book. It is definitely geared to the pre-teen set, but can still be enjoyed by adults. The writing really began to have more meaning for me when Raven began to understand her family better, and realized that being a vampire might not be as important as being accepted and loved for who she really is. I think this is a good start to a new series and will appeal to fans who want a good vampire story without the gore.