Drain You

June 25, 2012
Bloom debuts with a languid, stylish novel that reads like a love letter to cult vampire flicks like The Lost Boys, the work of Francesca Lia Block, and Southern California in the 1990s. The summer looms ahead for Quinn Lacey, 17-year-old slacker. She has a boring job at the video store, her co-worker has been crushing on her forever, and she’s losing her best friend Libby to creepy guys who dress like “classic Spader villain” in chinos and loafers. When Quinn meets sexy and enigmatic James Sheets, she learns that there’s more going on in town than she ever realized. Quinn works to rescue Libby and figure out her relationship with James while coping with the discovery that L.A. is crawling with vampires. The novel unfolds slowly—it’s like Quinn is sharing her story over Diet Cokes on the pool deck—as Bloom lets readers soak in details of muggy California nights. The choppy, disaffected narration is occasionally melodramatic but often funny. It’s a welcome change of pace from more conventional vampire books, and the post-grunge setting gives it strong adult crossover potential. Ages 14–up.

November 1, 2012

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

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