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 birth—and 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 war—and save Lucius’s soul from eternal destruction.
Hi Bookies,
I’m back after an extended absence (sorry about that), with an amazing new read by Beth Fantaskey, “Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side.” The first thing that got me hooked was the title! On my goodreads it came up as a recommended book for me and how could I not want to know more with a title like “Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side,” it’s intriguing! Fantaskey did a great job of hooking audiences in with the title and if you weren’t convinced.. The summary was sure to reel in readers who are fans of the supernatural/sci-fi/fantasy genre.
There is nothing slow about the beginning of this book. We jump right into action without any introductions or background to what is happening. That makes it confusing at first but everything is explained afterward. Another thing I liked about it is how we were introduced to Lusius (The Vampire Prince) right away as well. There was no sense holding off his entrance to the story because it revolves around him convincing Jessica that she’s a Vampire Princess.
While this story is from the fantasy genre, there are strong indications of classic teen fiction in the book. There was a nice mix of supernatural responsibility and classic teenager issues. You had all your basic stereotypes in the story: Jock, Cheerleader, Bad Boy, Nerd, and so on. While their characters are a bit exaggerated at times, it makes sense because they need to stand out with all the other supernatural themes.
Overall it was an enjoyable read and although it is sometimes slow on action, it was never enough for me to stop reading. It was well written and keeps the audience hooked!
XOXO Shelby Grace
Read my interview with the Author here
