Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2002)
Turquoise Draka, a vampire hunter, goes undercover as a slave in order to assassinate the vampire Jeshickah, but the ruse stirs memories of her own slavery after the slaying of her family. Her master, sexy vampire Jaguar, assists and romances her. Dominance and submission play a big role in the callow, often clichéd writing, but Atwater-Rhodes’s easy emotional hooks propel this accessible story. Category: Older Fiction. 2002, Delacorte, 248pp, $9.95. Ages 12 to 14. Rating: 4: Recommended, with minor flaws.

Amber Coronado (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 15, No. 1))
Turquoise Draka is one of the most revered human vampire hunters in the Bruja guild and she is fighting for the title of leader. Thoughts of leadership are put aside, however, when she is hired to kill the most malicious vampire known to man, Jeshikah. Jeshikah is the founder of Midnight, an ancient vampire sanctuary known to enslave humans. Midnight had been burned and thought lost forever until Jeshikah rebuilds. Masquerading as a slave, Turquoise enters Midnight to kill its founder only to find the benign vampire Jaguar is in charge. Once inside, Turqouise must hide her identity, but must also face her past and defeat her one-time owner. She must also decide if being the leader of the Bruja guild is really what she wants. Once again the author has written a fascinating and imaginative tale of the hidden world of vampires and their hunters. Fiction, Highly Recommended. Grades 7 and up. 2002, Delacorte, 248p, $9.95. Ages 12 up.

Timothy Capehart (VOYA, June 2002 (Vol. 25, No. 2))
Mercenary teenage Hunters Turquoise and Ravyn are competing to see which of them will be the next leader of Crimson, an elite Bruja guild. While waiting for the final contest, they are hired to kill ancient, evil vampire Jeshikah, the former mistress of Midnight. A long-destroyed resort of sorts for Supernaturals, Midnight has been rebuilt, and Jeshikah is vying to regain control. She believes sleek, shirtless Jaguar is too easy on the human slaves. Turquoise and Ravyn hire a vampire friend to sell them to Jaguar, placing them close to Jeshikah. Plans go awry in many ways. Turquoise falls for Jaguar. Ravyn botches an attack on Jeshikah. Turquoise is saddled with protecting Eric, a former slave, as she tries to come to terms with the tragedies of her past and discover what she wants to do with her life. Atwater-Rhodes continues her series of slightly connected, teen Goth novels with more of the same. Adept at conveying the emotional turmoil of her main characters, she displays a facility for action scenes and cliffhangers. Although this latest effort is, by comparison, a less overstated novel, she sometimes crafts purple prose, and her style can be wordy and awkward. Turquoise's flashbacks, although a bit too numerous and repetitive, are handled well, but the opening hunt for Jeshikah peters out long before the close of the book. The return of combat with Ravyn and another revenge plot stumble in to take its place. This story is Buffy without sharp wit and Anne Rice without depth or detail, but Atwater-Rhodes's followers and fans of the genre will not mind a few editorial gaffs. VOYA CODES: 3Q 4P M J (Readable without serious defects; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2002, Delacorte, 248p, $9.95. Ages 11 to 15.