Dinner With a Vampire (The Dark Heroine #1)

Dinner With a Vampire (The Dark Heroine #1) by Abigail Gibbs

Paperback, 549 pages

Expected publication 25th October 2012 by Harper Voyager

My shelves: arc-or-review, books-i-own, read, read-in-2012, series-or-companions, vampires, young-adult

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

The sexiest romance you’ll read this year…

One moment can change your life forever…

For Violet Lee, a chance encounter on a darkened street draws her into a world beyond her wildest imaginings, a timeless place of vast elegance and immeasurable wealth – of beautiful mansions and lavish parties – where a decadent group of friends live for pleasure alone. A place from which there is no escape… no matter how hard Violet tries.

Yet all the riches in the world can’t mask the darkness that lies beneath the gilded surface, embodied in the charismatic but dangerous Kaspar Varn.

Violet and Kaspar surrender to a passion that transcends their separate worlds – but it’s a passion that comes at a price…

Buy this book:

The Book Depository / Amazon (US/INT) / Amazon UK

My thanks go to Harper for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

Despite all of the apparent hype surrounding new author Abigail Gibbs and her rise to success, before I was asked to review this book, I'd never heard of her. As a fifteen year old, Gibbs wrote her story on Wattpad and rose to fame with tens of millions of views and a sturdy fan base, but somehow I missed out! When this book was brought to my attention and I was told the facts, I had great expectations and so of course I had to try it out!

When I first started The Dark Heroine, I wasn't initially sucked in by it - I didn't feel very excited by it and it all seemed a little 'random' to me. I like to have reasoning for the actions in a book and it felt as though the story was jumping in at the deep end with vampires suddenly arriving unnoticed in the middle of London. As the book progressed, things did unfold and I found myself enjoying it more. Though the writing isn't perfect, it was enjoyable for the most part. The story became more logical, slightly more complex and interesting as it went on. I wasn't bored reading this book and I did keep wanting to pick it back up, which definitely wasn't a bad thing! The book was compelling and the plot was interesting, with depth towards the end that I wasn't expecting and which made me eager to read the next instalment.

Though I did enjoy it for the most part, there were some issues that I had with this book. One thing that struck me when I picked up the book was that it had 'The sexiest romance you'll read all year' stamped on the front. What with the publication of so many paranormal, supernatural romances for teens and the absolute truckload of erotica books that are being published for adults this year, that is definitely a title to live up to! There were certainly some steamy moments in this book, but I don't think that they'll be for everyone - mainly due to the romance between our two main characters, Violet and Kaspar.

Now I didn't really want to compare this book to another, but it's hard not to - the romance in this book really reminded me of the romance in the Fifty Shades of Grey series. Though this book is certainly different (it is written for teenagers and for paranormal fans after all!) there is what I would imagine will be a very controversial romance that is explored. Violet is technically taken prisoner by Kaspar, yet starts a relationship with him, initially in a way that could be seen as against her own will - there is something quite manipulative about Kaspar (and the Varn family in general) and I was just not entirely comfortable with the relationship as it developed. There are so many quite twisted things that happen during Violet's stay at the Varn residence and I find it difficult to think that she'd actually be able to handle such a serious relationship or be able to mindfully make serious decisions. I think that the writing surrounding the relationship was  perhaps the weakest part of the book. 

As a character, Violet wasn't the best protagonist I've read about, though she is not the worst either. I did initially warm to her as she seemed to have quite firm ideas and opinions, which I admire. However, although perhaps somewhat intentional or necessary for the story, she dramatically weakened throughout the book and disappointingly, I felt that she turned into a Mary-Sue. Violet seemed to completely let go of her strong opinions and submitted to the Varn's wishes.

Kaspar, the main character in the Varn family was interesting - he was definitely a more complex character with a deep history. Though not entirely likeable, he was fascinating to read about, as was the history of the whole Varn family. The Varns, to me, are what real vampires should be like and I couldn't get enough of them - they were strong and powerful, dangerous and intoxicating.

Regardless of some my reservations, I did find The Dark Heroine: Dinner With a Vampire to be very compelling reading. As aforementioned, I found the book hard to put down - it was a page turner as the story moved at a good pace with a lot of  revelations. I found the plot and the Prophecy of the Heroines to be enthralling and I will be sure to try and get my hands on a copy of the next book in this series as I honestly believe that it will only become more interesting. Overall, this was a book that I'd recommend for slightly more mature teens and those who are able to enjoy books without looking into them too deeply. I can definitely see this becoming an extremely popular published book.

Oliver Twisted

Oliver Twisted by J.D. Sharpe, Charles Dickens

Paperback, 274 pages

Published February 6th 2012 by Egmont Books

My shelves: arc-or-review, better-than-expected,
books-i-own, currently-reading, fantasy, horror, 
read-in-2012, shapeshifters,vampires, 
young-adult, zombies

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

“FLESH", the woe-begotten moaned at Oliver, baring teeth which were ragged and black.

“FLESH”, came another moan, and he turned to see two more woe-begottens behind. They began to shuffle towards him, barefoot – toes blue from cold, arms outstretched.

The world according to Oliver Twisted is simple. Vampyres feed on the defenceless. Orphans are sacrificed to hungry gods. And if a woe-begotten catches your scent it will hunt you for ever. When a talking corpse reveals that Oliver will find his destiny in London, he sets out to seek the truth. Even if it means losing his soul.

My thanks go to Egmont's new imprint, Electric Monkey, for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am not usually tempted by books of this type - an idea taken from a classic book, but changed by a new author, adding new ideas. However, I was glad to see that this wasn't the original work with some new parts stuck in, but instead it was reworked and retold in a very original manner by an author who obviously loved the original characters.

As many of you will know, it was the bicentenary of the birth of Charles Dickens this week, and so I thought, although it's not a traditional work of his, but rather a modern reworking, I'd pick up Oliver Twisted and see how it was. With it's great foundation and it's modern ideas, this was a fun read. Ashamedly, I haven't read Oliver Twist, but of course I am aware of the basic aspects of the story from other media, like most. From the altered name of this novel and it's very apt tagline 'Please, I want some gore', I knew that this was going to be a bit different from the original!

Our new story follows Oliver who is, as a lone orphan, travelling to London where he befriends Dodge and subsequently gets drawn into a world where he is used by Fagin in order to try and gain power for his evil brotherhood. The story is well written, thanks to a good basis and good original characters. 

For our main character, Oliver Twisted, a new and very gory story including zombies, vampires, werewolves and soul stealers is created. Due to these creatures that are very popular at the moment in young adult literature, I think that this book will appeal a lot of young adult readers, especially those who enjoy the paranormal genre. 

Characters that appear and that you may recognise include Fagin, Dodge, Bill Sikes and Nancy. These all possess the characteristics of their original personalities, but Sharpe has also expanded and added a new lease of life to them, making them react realistically to their new situations. 

The writing was good - there was still reference to the old english writing style right at the beginning, but for the most part, the writing was modern and very easily accessible to middle grade children upwards. The book is extremely gruesome - the grotesque descriptions made me squirm several times but were very effective - I can imagine that a lot of children would love this aspect, but beware if you have a sensitive stomach! The pace of the story is very fluid and it does become quite action packed towards the end. This was easy to read and rather quick, too - so there's no excuse not to give this one a go.

I think that JD Sharpe does do justice to this book and is successful in achieving what she intended - a twist to Oliver Twist, turning it into a modern 'horror' story - something that  will certainly appeal to the majority of older children and young adults today. I would definitely recommend this and hopefully it will encourage more people to read the original work too - I know I certainly will, and I would love to read more from Sharpe, too!

The Moth Diaries

The Moth Diaries by Rachel Klein
Paperback, 256 pages

Published May 6th 2010 by Faber and Faber Ltd.
(First published May 30th 2002)

My shelves:arc-or-review, books-i-own, currently-reading, drink-and-drugs, fantasy, horror, mental-health, movies-or-tv, read-in-2012, vampires, young-adult

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

Lucy and Ernessa have become inseparable. Ernessa’s taken her over. She’s consuming her.
What I saw wasn’t real. And I know it wasn’t a dream.
Ernessa is a vampire.
At an exclusive girls’ boarding school, a sixteen-year-old girl records her most intimate thoughts in a diary. The object of her growing obsession is her roommate, Lucy Blake, and Lucy’s friendship with their new and disturbing classmate. Ernessa is an enigmatic, moody presence with pale skin and hypnotic eyes.
Around her swirl dark rumors, suspicions, and secrets as well as a series of ominous disasters. As fear spreads through the school and Lucy isn’t Lucy anymore, fantasy and reality mingle until what is true and what is dreamed bleed together into a waking nightmare that evokes with gothic menace the anxieties, lusts, and fears of adolescence. And at the center of the diary is the question that haunts all who read it: Is Ernessa really a vampire? Or has the narrator trapped herself in the fevered world of her own imagining?

My thanks go to Faber and Faber for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the sound of Rachel Klein’s The Moth Diaries as soon as I heard about it. I’m a fan of books set in boarding schools and I also like reading about the paranormal, especially vampires. This books is about boarding school and vampires, but it’s completely not what I expected. I got something very unique, and something that I’m still quite uncertain about.

This is definitely a book to read if you want something that is different from your usual young adult paranormal novel. The most effective parts of this book, for me, were the foreword and afterword - claiming that this book was based on a journal kept as a teen by our narrator, who was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, depression and psychosis by her psychiatric doctor. These sections are vital to the story and make it very interesting. Can our narrator really trust her thoughts, or is her mental health making her delusional?

The main section of this book is written as a series of diary entries by an unnamed narrator. It did feel somewhat personal, as usual teen issues including concerns over body image and friendship rifts were discussed. However, I found it very difficult to connect with our narrator. She didn't lack emotion, and what she did show, she expressed in quite a philosophical manner or through literary references. I think that the main reason why I didn't connect with the narrator was because I found her to be a little selfish and I thought her relationships with others felt a little immature.

A lot of the friendships in this book seemed to be quite manipulative. Our protagonist has a quite obsessive relationship with her best friend, Lucy, and seems to be possessive of her. When Lucy befriends the new girl, Ernessa, the narrator gets extremely concerned. Ernessa is later shown to have some strange habits, which, teamed with the strange goings on around her (including deaths and illnesses), our narrator single handedly decides that she must be a vampire. Ernessa seems to be very controlling, which creates her dark persona. I just didn't feel as though any of the friendships in this book were very healthy.

There are a lot of quite dark and disturbing issues mentioned in this book. Although there wasn't any particularly horrific graphic accounts of things, I did feel uncomfortable throughout the whole of the book. As I've said, I felt unsure of a lot of aspects in this book, but it did add to the dark undertone of the story. For the most part of this book, the narrator is battling with her thoughts about Ernessa being a vampire. It is an interesting idea - the reader is always questioning whether the protagonist is sensing real, strange habits, or whether it is a case of over thinking, a figment of her imagination.

The setting was gothic and it fitted well with the tone, but the world building could have been better - the setting felt victorian yet modern at the same time and firmer foundations could've been formed. I didn't really know what time period I was in, and I was constantly waiting for something big to happen. There were some deaths, but they didn't feel like shocking events. A lot of this book felt confusing, not because of what happens, but due to the thought processes behind the diary.

I thought that this was definitely interesting, especially the story behind it. Personally, it was a little too difficult for me to get into and a bit too ambiguous, but I would certainly recommend this to others who are interested in both mental health and in the paranormal. I think that Klein obviously has a lot of talent and it is shown in this book - I would love to see more from her.

The Vampire Stalker

The Vampire Stalker by Allison van Diepen
Paperback, 250 pages

Published November 3rd 2011 by Scholastic

(First published June 1st 2011)

My shelves: books-i-own, fantasy, read-in-2012, sci-fi, 

vampires, young-adult, 

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

What if the characters in a vampire novel left their world--and came into yours?Amy is in love with someone who doesn't exist: Alexander Banks, the dashing hero in a popular series of vampire novels. Then one night, Amy meets a boy who bears an eerie resemblance to Alexander. In fact, he IS Alexander, who has escaped from the pages of the book and is in hot pursuit of a wicked vampire named Vigo. Together, Amy and Alexander set out to track Vigo and learn how and why Alexander crossed over. But when she and Alexander begin to fall for each other, Amy wonders if she even wants him to ever return to the realm of fiction.

The premise of this book is absolutely fantastic and I'm sure that a lot of readers will be able to answer with a definite yes to this books tagline - 'Ever been in love with a boy in a book?' - I know that I can. If you like vampires and/or you've ever had a crush on a fictional character, this is something that you might enjoy.


Full marks to the author for the idea of this book, it sounds really interesting and did make me pick up this book immediately. There were a few issues that I had with the actual contents of the book, though, and I do think that it could have been executed slightly better. Saying that, the book itself is only 250 pages and so I think that van Diepen has done a good job of getting  what she did into this relatively short story and I'm sure it'd have been better if it was a longer read. It is a fun, light read and not at all tasking.


For me, the most interesting part of this novel was seeing how Alexander adapted to his new, modern surroundings. The scene was set well and the descriptions were good. It did seem as though the Otherworld characters did adapt exceedingly quickly to all of the new technology, though. I was impressed with how the 'fictional characters coming to life' situation was explained through some scientific theories. Van Diepen did a good job of putting a story-inside-a-story with the Otherworld characters and I think that the idea of the Otherworld story would appeal to a lot of fans of the paranormal genre.


I did like our protagonist, Amy, as she seemed to be realistic and level headed. Alexander certainly came across as charming and I can definitely see the appeal that he could have on readers, but I wasn't completely enamoured with him. As separate characters, they are  interesting and have good potential, but when they were together, it all felt a little awkward. Of course, it would be slightly awkward if you were suddenly faced with your fictional crush in the flesh, but their chemistry just seemed to be lacking and unnatural. There was not much progression in their relationship - Alexander hardly seemed to know Amy - and it all felt a bit whirlwind.


I will admit that I was disappointed with the ending. Whilst it was predictable, It felt like it was a sudden decision it felt untrue to what would've actually happened - it just seemed the easiest way for things to be wrapped up.


Although this book wasn't perfect, it was a very quick read and was enjoyable for the most part - it's not something that I regret reading. I think that a lot of vampire fans will enjoy this book and I'd be interested in reading more books from van Diepen in the future.