Throat

February 14, 2011
Nelson (Days of Little Texas) proves that the vampire genre is not entirely sucked dry with this fast-paced adventure featuring an enjoyably flawed heroine. Emma's epilepsy has made her something of an outsider: she's prone to anger and rash decision-making, and her condition prevents her from getting a driver's license. On her own following a disastrous soccer game and car accident, she's attacked by a vampire; waking up in the hospital, she discovers that she's acquired a vampire's powers. When the vampire who assaulted her, Wirtz, comes back to finish the job, Emma flees to protect her family. She takes refuge on a NASA base, where she meets science geek Sagan, an unexpected friend and ally. With Wirtz relentlessly stalking her, Emma must rally Sagan and several local vampires to save both herself and everyone she cares about—Wirtz may have centuries on her, but Emma has her own advantages. With a pseudoscientific take on vampires, a smattering of Germanic lore, and a strikingly unconventional showdown, this is a robust alternative to the forbidden love tropes of wispier vampire novels. Ages 12–up.

April 1, 2011

Gr 9 Up-When Emma is attacked by a vampire, the epilepsy she has always regarded as a curse actually saves her life. Because of her condition, she wakes from the attack with a vampire's speed and strength, but without a craving for human blood or the need to completely avoid sunlight. She doesn't even realize what has happened to her until she starts adding up the pieces-and until the vampire starts showing up in her dreams, tracking her, and threatening to attack her family. To protect them, Emma flees to an abandoned building at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. She eventually meets a sweet and geeky guy who protects her from discovery by the NASA staff and some good vampires who help her plan how to take down the evil vampire before he can kill everyone she loves. This gripping book offers a fresh take on vampire mythology, with some fascinating scientific elements and a hint of romance on the side. The glut of information needed for the story's complex world-building slows the plot in places, but the interactions between characters ring true, and the heart-pounding action sequences make up for the slower moments.-Misti Tidman, formerly at Boyd County Public Library, Ashland, KY

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