Drain You

Gr 9 Up—A contemporary vampire tale with a punk-princess protagonist and a heavy dose of pop-culture references. Quinlan Lacey is resigned to spending her summer working at the video store with Morgan, whose crush she takes advantage of when she's bored or lonely. After seeing Naomi blood-spattered and hysterical one night after closing, Quinn finds out that her classmate has a mysterious brother no one knows about. She falls hard for James and decides to stay with him even after finding out that he's a vampire. As she learns more about vampires and their culture, she realizes that her best friend's possessive boyfriend is one, too, and that Libby is in grave danger. Quinn may lose James in her quest to save Libby, but she will stop at nothing to get her away from the guy who's slowly draining her. Bloom's writing style is unique, blending traditional flowery verbiage with irreverent contemporary dialogue. The plot is also a pleasing blend of friendship, romance, and action with a paranormal twist. However, the lack of character development, unrealistic plot points, and blindingly quick romance will make for a lot of eye rolling on the part of most readers. The abrupt ending suggests a forthcoming sequel. If your library is not already overrun with lighthearted vampire novels, this one would likely be a popular additional purchase.Sunnie Sette, New Haven Public Library, CT