Slayed by Amanda Marrone
- paranormal, YA -
reviewed by Tara SG
received for review via Star Book Tours
Links
Author’s Website : www.amandamarrone.com
Author’s Twitter : @AmandaMarrone
Add To Your GoodReads TBR List (61 ratings : 3.41 avg)
This book in 6 words:
funnier than expected. ending had problems.
Why did I read this? And am I glad I did?
I came across this via the tour site and it sounded like something I might enjoy. While I wasn’t expecting to laugh out loud as much as I did (which was fantastic), I didn’t like the way the book ended. While the overall conclusion wasn’t terrible, the character development and plot seemed to drop off quickly and wrap-up a little too nicely.
I’ll probably look for more by this author.
Brief Summary
The Van Helsing family has been hunting vampires for over one hundred years, but sixteen-year-old Daphne wishes her parents would take up an occupation that doesn’t involve decapitating vamps for cash. All Daphne wants is to settle down in one place, attend an actual school, and finally find a BFF to go to the mall with. Instead, Daphne has resigned herself to a life of fast food, cheap motels and buying garlic in bulk.
But when the Van Helsings are called to a coastal town in Maine, Daphne’s world is turned upside down. Not only do the Van Helsings find themselves hunting a terrifying new kind of vampire (one without fangs but with a taste for kindergarten cuisine), Daphne meets her first potential BF! The hitch? Her new crush is none other than Tyler Harker, AKA, the son of the rival slayer family.
What’s a teen vampire slayer to do?- via GoodReads.com
Plot/Pacing/Writing Style
The humor is this book fit me perfectly. I was getting the most amusing looks at the coffee shop. It almost had a Buffy feel to it. I really liked the characters in the beginning, but I wish they were a little older. They acted like (and were treated as if) they were adults. Daphne’s parents were beyond careless with her well-being. Yes, the book talks about how ridiculous it is and how they get away with it, but it still really bothered me.
The action/mystery aspect of the plot was OK, but I don’t think enough time was spent on it. The ending seemed to wrap up both too quickly and too easily.
Characters
Daphne wasn’t a terrible lead. I liked her POV and found her to be funny and tough while still hurt by her parents poor decisions. Her desire to be normal was both funny and sad. I loved her interactions with Kiki!
Kiki made the book for me. She was hilarious. You couldn’t help but feel sorry for her past and relationship with her parents. I could understand why someone like her would be willing to jump into something so dangerous.
I did not like the romance in this book. Tyler is given a terrible first introduction that was hard to move past. They’re shared experience of vampire hunting and having terrible parents would be a great basis for a relationship if they had spent more time together. To me, it felt extremely rushed.
Favorite Quotes
This is an epic failure on my part. I normally get all the quotes together before I mail the book out… but I forgot. So here is the only quote I remember and therefore may not be word for word.
“…we also need to find out what is preying on the children.”
“What’s wrong with praying for children?”
Recommendations
If you’re looking for a quick read and laugh this might be the book for you. Don’t expect a deep plot or romance.
I’ve never read anything by this author, but Slayed sounds like a fun, quick read to pass the time with. I don’t think I’ll be buying it, but I’ll put it on my TBR list as a future book to find at the library!
@ Natalie : I think you’d like this, but I would go with the library.