Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst

Format: Kindle edition, 398 pages

Published: September 13, 2011

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Back cover blurb:

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 think 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 review:

Sarah Beth Durst had me at the were-unicorn. She really didn’t have to add the sparkly vampire references or the Twilight-themed prom to make this book even more awesome. I laughed and was scared and went “awww” throughout the whole thing, and I honestly was surprised by how much I loved it.

Pearl is a snarky teenage vampire who likes to eat her icecream via the blood of an awkward Dairy Hut worker. After sucking on his neck one night she is impaled by a unicorn – yep, she didn’t believe it either – and as a result she is able to walk in daylight. Her nasty family see this as an opportunity for daytime hunting, especially given they have to provide a meal for the vamp king’s visit, so they send her off to high school to find juicy young prey.

It’s not too hard to figure out who the unicorn is, but what happens when Pearl discovers her humanity is unexpected and gripping. Evan is a swoony love interest, and I absolutely loved every time wannabe vampire hunters Zeke and Matt came on the scene. Their dialogue almost stole the show for me. A fabulous book, and the cover is just to die for.

My rating: 5/5