Boys that Bite by Mari Mancusi

From the Publisher

This is not your typical boybites-girl love story.

Technically Sunshine can't get killed-because she's immortal. Well, not quite yet. Due to the worst case of mistaken identity with her dark-side-loving twin sister at a Goth club called Club Fang, Magnus, a vampire hottie, went for Sunshine's innocent neck. Now if she doesn't reverse it in time, Magnus will be her blood mate forever and she's doomed to be a blood-gulping, pasty, daylight-hating vampire. That would seriously bite.

And now, after the unfortunate slaying of the vampire leader, Sunshine, her sister Rayne, and Magnus must find the one thing that can solve her problem: the Holy Grail. They wish it were a joke but it's not. It's absolutely necessary that Sunshine gets out of this in time, because somehow she scored the hottest prom date in her school, the mouth-watering Jake Wilder. So she just can't be a vampire for the prom-let alone the rest of eternity.

Amanda MacGregor - KLIATT

Every 16-year-old has problems, but Sunny's trouble is rather unique: she's been bitten by a vampire. As if that wasn't bad enough, there's only one week until the prom and Sunny's supposed to go with the hottest boy in school. Further adding insult to injury, it's all a big mistake that she was bitten in the first place. The bite, which occurs at a hot new Goth club, Club Fang, was intended for her twin sister, Rayne. Talk about problems! Rayne, after discovering an ancient vampire coven living in New Hampshire, signs up to become one of the undead. Now Sunny has the challenging task of trying to reverse her fate in the seven days it takes to fully become a vampire. Before Lucifent, the vampire leader, can tell Sunny how to halt the change, he's killed by a vampire slayer. Now it's up to Sunny, Rayne, and Magnus (the vampire responsible for the mistaken bite) to figure out the secret. If Sunny thought being bitten by a vampire was surprising, she has no idea what other shocking twists lie ahead for her. Mancusi has successfully written a vampire story that expands the genre and will draw new readers. While surely hardcore fans of true vampire fiction will scoff at how whimsical this story is, its offbeat approach will please many. Funny, fresh, and distinctive, Boys That Bite has an excellent and unexpected ending that leaves the reader ready for a sequel. KLIATT Codes: S--Recommended for senior high school students. 2006, Penguin, Berkley, 262p., $9.99.. Ages 15 to 18.

School Library Journal

Gr 10 Up-Rayne and Sunshine McDonald, 16, may be physically identical, but the similarities stop there. Rayne has been covertly studying to become a vampire, and her moment of love-at-first-bite has arrived. Unfortunately, her decidedly nonvampiric twin is at the receiving end of that kiss of death. Now Sunny has just one week to un-bloodmate herself from the newly appointed King of the Coven, Magnus, and return to human form before her dream date to the senior prom. Though filled with teen and supernatural romance cliches and slang, Mancusi's take on the vampire myth is entertaining. The language is a little coarse, but the characters are sound and behave like many teens with their references to underage drinking and sex. Liberal doses of humor keep things interesting. The plot gains momentum in the second half, and the surprise ending will leave readers bloodthirsty for the next installment of the twins' misadventures with the undead. A ghoulishly fun read for a summer day at the beach.-Elaine Baran Black, Gwinnett County Public Library, Lawrenceville, GA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

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