"Fun debut of vampire teen fiction - can't wait for more."
Reviewed by Morgan Chilson
Posted May 7, 2006
Paranormal | Young Adult
Colby Blanchard was one of the popular kids at her high
school. Confident in a way that only a teenage girl can be,
she donned her cheerleader, pretty girl, top student
attitude with spunk and a sense of fun. But then she's
walking home alone one day, despite being told not to
because another girl had been attacked recently, and she's
bitten by a vampire. Colby wakes up with pasty skin, funky-looking eyes and the
knowledge that her life has been irrevocably changed.
First, there's the bad news that she's definitely not one
of the "in" crowd in the vampire world. In fact, she's
called Undead Without a License and she must go before the
vampire Tribunal to be awarded a license or she's -- well,
really dead. The bad news (and yes, it did get worse) is
that no one gets a license. The vampires who run things
don't want a bunch of half-vampires running around, so most
of the time they send out a couple of guys to help
them "finish" dying. The girl that was attacked before
Colby supposedly committed suicide later. But Colby, who is nothing if not a fighter, is determined
to go to the Tribunal and kick some vampire butt. She
begins researching vampire law (at a special vampire
library they allow her to use) and goes in to argue that
it's not the person's fault for being turned into a
vampire. The fact is, the Tribunal isn't controlling its
vampires well enough, and so they should be responsible for
all the half-vampires being created. But can Colby change
hundreds of years of tradition and make the vampires accept
her rights as a half-vampire? Teen fiction has just gotten so fun! Colby's teenage voice
in this first-person story is a hoot, as is her fall from
grace at the top of the high school food chain to the
bottom of the vampire well. Her orthodontist father had
removed her canines when she was younger, so he makes her a
metal headgear outfit to feed with (fake pointy teeth), so
she's not even a cool vampire. Could it get worse than
being a vampire with headgear? You'll have fun venturing into Colby's new world and will
certainly look forward to seeing more from Ms. Robar. Colby
will be back in future books, as this is the first in a
series, and I'm sure those will be just as much fun as
BRACED2BITE.
SUMMARY
Meet Colby Blanchard - cheerleader, fashionista, daddy's
little princess, bloodthirsty vampire I had it all. I was the popular cheerleader with the
looks, the grades, the hunky boyfriend. Aidan Reynolds was
destined to be my date to the homecoming, and I had the
crown in the bag. Now wait, before you start hating me...
Things are going bad, real bad. Like, I’m-turning-into-a-
vampire bad. Yellow eyes and pasty skin are not the hot
look right now. And let’s just say it’s a good thing my
dad happens to be an orthodontist, since he’s had to fit
me with special headgear to feed: my canines were taken
out long ago so I could have this perfect smile. It makes
it even harder to fit in with my new partners in blood
sucking, especially because I’m only half-vampire... Can things get worse? In two words: Uh, yeah! Now I have to defend my eternal
life in front of a vampire council who don’t see the point
in a half-vampire roaming the earth. Not to mention snag a
date for homecoming, get a college scholarship, and not
fall fangs-over-heels for Thomas, the hottie vampire
investigator who’s trying to track down my attacker. I
just can’t give my heart to someone who secretly wants to
run a stake through it. I have to protect myself from
mortals and vampires. It’s not just my life at stake here—
it’s my reputation...
ExcerptI obediently followed Aunt Chloe and Mom into the spare
bedroom and sat down on the bed. Aunt Chloe searched
through her bag and pulled out a few items. Blood pressure
wrist band, stethoscope, thermometer, a large baggie
filled to the rim with pill bottles that rattled around
when she dropped them on the bed.“Where did I put it?” she mumbled to herself and Mom and I
shared a look. Mom patted my hand reassuringly and I
smiled at her. “Aha, here it is!” Aunt Chloe said triumphantly,
brandishing a large magnifying glass in her hand. “Now dear, let’s get a good look at your neck. Where were
you pinched?” I was relieved she wanted to start there. I had no doubt
if Dad was in charge, he would want to know if I had been
molested in some way and getting an OB/GYN exam by my
great, great Aunt was not my idea of a good time. I pulled my hair to the side and showed her the spot. “Marilyn, could you get me a warm washcloth so we can
clean up her neck a little bit?” Mom jumped to do her bidding, anxious to be helping in any
small way. When my neck was relatively dirt free, my aunt
gazed at it through the looking glass and made a lot of
hmmm and ahh sounds. She pointed out a bruise to my mother where I was pinched
and then identified two small incision marks, barely
visible in the bruise. My mother looked down at her hand, the one I sucked on and
showed it to my Great Aunt. She proceeded to tell her what
I did when I entered the kitchen. I squirmed in my seat,
wishing I could run away and hide. I hear people do really
odd things when they are in shock, but I doubted they
nibbled on their mother’s hand and helped themselves to a
blood cocktail. Then Aunt Chloe wrapped a wide medical gadget on my wrist
and turned it on. “What’s this?” I asked curiously, my wrist getting
squeezed uncomfortably. “It’s my blood pressure band. It helps me keep track of my
high blood pressure. It’s why I need those pills.” She
gestured to the overflowing baggie. I nodded and looked at the large digital face of the wrist
band, which stayed suspiciously blank. “Is it broken?” I asked when the LED registered only one
pulse the entire time it was on my wrist. “Don’t think so. Marilyn, let’s do you.” She took the cuff
off of me and put it on my mom. Mom’s reading showed an unusually high blood pressure
which was understandable considering the situation and a
decent pulse rate. They both looked at the cuff, then me, pursing their lips
in speculation. At that moment, I saw the family
resemblance perfectly. “Let’s take her temperature,” Mom suggested as she picked
up an ancient-looking thermometer. She took it into the
spare bathroom to wash. She walked back shaking the
mercury down and put it under my tongue. I sat obediently, the glass stick placed awkwardly under
my tongue. After a minute, they read the thermometer and
then stared at me strangely. “98 point 6?” I asked hopefully. “Uh, no,” my mom replied, less than helpful. Aunt Chloe took her stethoscope out and listened to my
heart and lungs. She nodded in satisfaction, putting her
tools of the trade back in the bag. She took her time
tidily arranging all of her things. Mom sat down next to
me again and held my hand. When Aunt Chloe was done
straightening things up, she stood up and made her medical
prediction. “Well, technically you’re dead,” she announced with
flourish.
What do you think about this review?
Comments
No comments posted.
Registered users may leave comments.
Log in or register now!
|
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy