Review: Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

Again, I've been a bad blogger. School got the best of me and so my personal life (including this blog) suffered. Never worry, for I am never really gone! Now it's time to blog about books I've read in the meantime, comment on your reviews and do a vlog (look for one in a couple of days).

To kick off what I hope will be the greatest comeback since Mariah Carey, I am reviewing Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey. Jessica is an ordinary girl with a mysterious past - adopted from Romania when she was still a baby, she only knows of her American parents, while her Romanian heritage is a mystery. Enter Lucius Vladescu, a "foreign exchange student" from Romania, with the craziest idea: Jessica is to move to Romania, marry him and live as the greatest vampire queen the Balkans have ever seen.

Jessica's Guide is not to be confused with any recent YA vampire books (especially not the saga-I-shall-not-name). The approach here is much lighter, reminiscent of MaryJanice Davidson's Queen Betsy series. A chick lit in its core, the novel stumbles through multiple twists and turns and manages to come off as humorous and fun, if a little trivial. Lucius is a great character and it is through him that Fantaskey manages to sneak a little satire into the story. His perception of American culture is often funny and rings true. Jessica is spunky (of course!), but she also has her moments of humor.

All in all, Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side is a good choice for people who would like to try out a different approach to vampires. Edgy and fun, it still has an emotional scene or two, and an ending that is so mythical, it manages to wipe out almost every misstep in the books 350 pages.

RATING: 4/5

Thanks to Beth Fantaskey for providing me with a review copy of the book.