Drink.Slay.Love

Title: Drink.Slay.Love
Author: Sarah Beth Durst
Rating: 3/5
Summary: Pearl is a sixteen-year-old vampire... fond of blood, allergic to sunlight, and mostly evil... until the night a sparkly unicorn stabs her through the heart with his horn. Oops. 

Her family thinks she was attacked by a vampire hunter (because, obviously, unicorns don't exist), and they're shocked she survived. They're even more shocked when Pearl discovers she can now withstand the sun. But they quickly find a way to make use of her new talent. The Vampire King of New England has chosen Pearl's family to host his feast. If Pearl enrolls in high school, she can make lots of human friends and lure them to the King's feast -- as the entrees.

The only problem? Pearl's starting to feel the twinges of a conscience. How can she serve up her new friends—especially the cute guy who makes her fangs ache—to be slaughtered? Then again, she's definitely dead if she lets down her family. What's a sunlight-loving vamp to do?

My Thoughts: Not my favorite Sarah Beth Durst book, but still a Durst book nonetheless, which automatically means it was good. Drink, Slay, Love was an interesting take on the vampire story. I liked how the vampires had all the classic features, but she still put her spin on them.  I did not enjoy how the book was written, the ending was predictable (one of my pet peeves), and is available in the summary above The cover however is brilliant! I actually downloaded the book off of Galley Grab because of the cover :). I expected this book to offer a new, original take on vampires, however I was not pleased. Overall, I would most likely not recommend it to anyone. (Harsh, I know, but I was not impressed!)

The Beginning of After

Title: The Beginning of After 
Author: Jennifer Castle
Rating: 4/5
Summary: Sixteen-year-old Laurel's world changes instantly when her parents and brother are killed in a terrible car accident. Behind the wheel is the father of her bad-boy neighbor, David Kaufman, whose mother is also killed. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Laurel navigates a new reality in which she and her best friend grow apart, boys may or may not be approaching her out of pity, overpowering memories lurk everywhere, and Mr. Kaufman is comatose but still very much alive. Through it all, there is David, who swoops in and out of Laurel's life and to whom she finds herself attracted against her better judgment. She will forever be connected to him by their mutual loss, a connection that will change them both in unexpected ways. 
My Thoughts:  I was drawn to this book because of its cover, and because I enjoyed reading the book If I Stay. This book was one of the few books that deal with the reality of tradegy, and how one does not suddenly fall in love and forget everything, but gradually heals. Castle wrote the emotions of her characters brilliantly. The Beginning of After dealt with the pychological effect of the death of all of one's family members. This book was a strong, and amazing novel, and I am very glad to have read it.

Spellbound

Title: Spellbound
Author: Cara Shultz
Rating: 3.8/5
Summary:Life hasn't been easy on sixteen-year-old Emma Connor, so a new start in New York may be just the change she needs. But the posh Upper East Side prep school she has to attend? Not so much. Friendly faces are few and far between, except for one that she's irresistibly drawn to—Brendan Salinger, the guy with the rock-star good looks and the richest kid in school, who might just be her very own white knight.
But even when Brendan inexplicably turns cold, Emma can't stop staring. Ever since she laid eyes on him, strange things have been happening. Streetlamps go out wherever she walks, and Emma's been having the oddest dreams: visions of herself in past lives—visions that warn her to stay away from Brendan. Or else.
My Thoughts:  Spellbound was a surprisingly enjoyable read.  The plot was a bit predictable, the average starcrossed lovers story. The author gave a detailed description of the reincarnation aspect of the book, making it understandable to all readers. The school status quo made the book a bit cliches, but overall it was an enjoyable read.