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Tantalize -
Cynthia Leitich Smith
Candlewick, 310p., $8.99. 2007 Reviews:
- Cara Chancellor (KLIATT Review, September 2008 (Vol. 42, No. 5))
To quote the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, March 2007: Quincie Morris is a typical 17-year-old girl living a typical life in Austin, Texas--except for the fact that her best friend (and seemingly unwitting love interest) is a hybrid werewolf named Keiren. Since Quincie’s parents were killed in a car accident three years ago, and she moved in with her loveable but unreliable Uncle Davidson, Keiren has been both her solace and her frustration. Is he interested in being more than friends, or isn’t he? Quincie can never tell. When Smith’s tale opens, Quincie and her uncle are in the process of transforming Fat Lorenzo’s, her parents’ beloved but bankrupt family restaurant, into Sanguini’s, a vampire-themed dining experience. The grand opening is just weeks away when the head chef is brutally murdered in what looks like a werewolf attack. Quincie is forced to deal with her uncomfortable suspicions of a suddenly distant Kieren while simultaneously training new chef Bradley and finalizing Sanguini’s menu. To complicate matters further, Bradley is making no secret of his not-so-honest intentions, which she finds disconcertingly alluring. As Quincie struggles with her feelings toward Keiren and the older Bradley, she gets sucked into an increasingly dangerous world of wine, sensuality, and vampirism. By the time she begins to suspect who Bradley really is, she learns that it may already be too late to save her town, her relationship with Keiren … or herself. For those who enjoy the horror of the original Dracula or the heart-wrenching sorrow of Romeo and Juliet, Smith’s book will be seen as a fresh, updated version of these timeless classics. The doomed love story between Quincie and Keiren is remarkably convincing and poignant, especially considering that this is Smith’s fantasy debut. The otherwise-strong novel does falter at the ending, however, which occurs with blinding speed and fails to resolve several major conflicts, including hundreds of vampires who remain on the loose and intend to take over Texas. Ending notwithstanding, Smith proves with Tantalize that she possesses unquestionable narrative skills; she is alternatively gruesome and seductive, but never boring. Category: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror. KLIATT Codes: SA--Recommended for senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2007, Candlewick, 310p., $8.99. Ages 15 to adult.
| Language | Call Number | LCCN | Dewey Decimal | ISBN/ISSN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English (eng) | - |
9780763640590 076364059X |