All this is is some girl whining about how she can't stop cutting herself when life throws her curve balls. I guess it would mean more to someone who's gone through that problem, but I personally find it to be very whiny and teen angst ridden. I couldn't finish it. ( )

Not only was this book a misuse of most pagan elements, but it offers vampires and just chucks teenagers playing pretend, it offers witchcraft and then spits on it, it goes all over the place and was not a fun read. I found myself wondering if this was a Madlib because some elements get thrown in so haphazardly it looks like the wheel just landed on words like "cult" and "vampire" and then tried to apply them to a teenager cutting herself over her mom's cancer which she doesn't even really focus on so much as use as a crutch.

Skip it!

Cross posted from my review on Goodreads. ( )

This should be popular with the vampire lovers. It's a creepy book. I found it difficult to understand how a young girl would have so much freedom...but I think that was part of her problem. ( )

When life overwhelms 17-yr-old Kia, she becomes deeply involved with a vampiric subculture. Tight plotting and acceptable character development take a detrimental turn when Kia becomes convinced that Damon is truly a vampire, which does not fit with the tightly controlled teen narrator at the start of the story. Hazy settings help to create the illusion of the vampire world, and teen readers will appreciate the non-threatening depiction of gothic subculture and influence. Some suspension of disbelief is required, since Kia manages to breeze into the vampire world, get free drinks, and meet everyone within a short time and still manage to conceal her status as a minor. ( )

Reviewed by Amber Gibson for TeensReadToo.com

Kia feels powerless over her life. Her mom is dying from cancer, and no matter how many times Kia visits her, her mom never seems to get any better. On top of that, Kia is stuck living with her father, who is a joke of a parent. It's like he doesn't even know how to be a dad because he's so absorbed in his work. To help her deal with the pain, Kia sometimes resorts to cutting herself. It's not some petty cry for attention; Kia keeps her cutting a secret. Even from her best friends, Carol and Aaron.

One day, at the hospital, Kia meets a girl named Hecate, whom she connects with right away. Hecate introduces her to a new scene, opening Kia's eyes to a whole new world. An underground world where vampires rule. Where people dress up in elaborate Victorian costumes, with red contacts and fake fangs. Carol and Aaron find the vampire gothic club scene more than a little disturbing, but Kia feels more at home in the dark vampire world than anywhere else. These people seem to understand her in a way that nobody else does. They don't judge her, but just welcome her and support her. Plus, Kia's first night at the club introduces her to Damon, a captivating vampire DJ.

There's something about Damon that is so intriguing that Kia can't stop thinking about him. She finds herself returning night after night, just hoping to see him and hoping to feel his touch. Damon is very important and respected member of this vampire world, and just knowing that he's chosen Kia, singled her out as his own, gives Kia a rush.

As her mom becomes weaker and weaker, Kia immerses herself deeper into the vampire culture, though she doesn't quite understand all of it. Kia withdraws from her friends, Carol and Aaron and starts ditching school. It's not like her dad has any idea what's going on in her life, since he's always on business trips.

The more Kia learns about the vampires, the more curious she becomes and the more she thinks that Damon just might be the answer to all of her problems. All clues point to Damon being a real vampire.

Carla Jablonski does a fantastic job in blurring the lines of fantasy and reality as she shows how impressionable Kia is and how quickly Kia's life changes as her wishful thinking impairs her judgment. Although everything will never again be as it once was, Kia needs to learn to deal with her life, however unfair it may be, rather than running away from her problems. ( )