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Slayed
The Van Helsing family has been hunting vampires for more than a hundred years, but sixteen-year-old Daphne just wants her family to settle down in one place. Instead, Daphne has resigned herself to a life of fast food, cheap motels, and buying garlic in bulk.
But when the Van Helsings are called to a coastal town in Maine, Daphne’s world is turned upside down. Not only do the Van Helsings find themselves hunting a terrifying new kind of vampire (one without fangs but with a taste for kindergarten cuisine), Daphne meets her first potential boyfriend—but he’s the son of the rival slayer family. What’s a teen vampire slayer to do?
274 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 5, 2010
26 people are currently reading
3098 people want to read
About the author
Amanda Marrone
8 books387 followersAmanda Marrone grew up on Long Island where she spent her time reading, drawing, watching insects, and suffering from an over-active imagination. It didn’t help that her father told bloodcurdling stories, and would take Amanda and her siblings for moon lit walks in the graveyard—the highlight of which involved having them march up to mausoleums and knock on the doors—alone. On more than one occasion, Amanda turned around to find they’d ditched her for laughs. (No, she didn’t find that particularly funny.)
Not surprisingly, she was extremely scared of the dark—living in fear of cats meowing at the door at night (she was sure they were really monsters pretending to be her cats), and things lurking in basements, attics, dark rooms, and closets.
Amanda successfully avoided monster attacks by leaving all the lights on in her house, and convincing other family members to let the cats in—eventually earning a B.A. in Education at SUNY Cortland. She taught fifth and sixth grade in New Hampshire, where she was known for putting on mini-musicals, and dissecting eyeballs and owl pellets with her students.
After taking a very early retirement to raise a family and write novels—some of which have vampires and other creepy creatures, Amanda now lives in Connecticut with her husband, Joe, two kids, two cats, a crayfish, hissing cockroaches, and their newest addition is Griffin, a havanese dog who can say "Hello" and "I love you". Check the links page to see Griffin’s YouTube videos where you can see him in action.
Amanda loves reading, going to Broadway shows, creepy crawly things, hiking, annoying her husband with show tunes, and is thinking about getting another tattoo. She is still scared of the dark.
Amanda’s first two books for teens, Uninvited and Revealers are available now, and her next book Devoured will be out in September of 2009. Her middle grade series The Magic Repair Shop Chronicles: The Multiplying Menace, Kobold Blues and The Shape Shifter’s Curse will be available starting in the summer of 2010.
Read more about Amanda Marrone here: http://authors.simonandschuster.com/A...
Not surprisingly, she was extremely scared of the dark—living in fear of cats meowing at the door at night (she was sure they were really monsters pretending to be her cats), and things lurking in basements, attics, dark rooms, and closets.
Amanda successfully avoided monster attacks by leaving all the lights on in her house, and convincing other family members to let the cats in—eventually earning a B.A. in Education at SUNY Cortland. She taught fifth and sixth grade in New Hampshire, where she was known for putting on mini-musicals, and dissecting eyeballs and owl pellets with her students.
After taking a very early retirement to raise a family and write novels—some of which have vampires and other creepy creatures, Amanda now lives in Connecticut with her husband, Joe, two kids, two cats, a crayfish, hissing cockroaches, and their newest addition is Griffin, a havanese dog who can say "Hello" and "I love you". Check the links page to see Griffin’s YouTube videos where you can see him in action.
Amanda loves reading, going to Broadway shows, creepy crawly things, hiking, annoying her husband with show tunes, and is thinking about getting another tattoo. She is still scared of the dark.
Amanda’s first two books for teens, Uninvited and Revealers are available now, and her next book Devoured will be out in September of 2009. Her middle grade series The Magic Repair Shop Chronicles: The Multiplying Menace, Kobold Blues and The Shape Shifter’s Curse will be available starting in the summer of 2010.
Read more about Amanda Marrone here: http://authors.simonandschuster.com/A...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews
November 23, 2010
This was the only book I had with me during an hour and a half long basketball practice. I enjoyed the first couple chapters but the book went downhill fast after that. I should have just closed the book and watched the basketball practice.
I couldn't buy that Daphne's "overprotective" parents let her, their 17 year old daughter, go off slaying vampires alone?
I was going to go with 2 stars because the despite the objectionable content the story was entertaining - rival vampire slaying families meet rich wannabe vampire slaying star - at least until the last page when I was completely turned off.
This is a book I just should have closed about chapter 3.
Tons of language & crude, crass, skanky content not appropriate for me as an adult let alone for a teenager. Skip this one.
I couldn't buy that Daphne's "overprotective" parents let her, their 17 year old daughter, go off slaying vampires alone?
I was going to go with 2 stars because the despite the objectionable content the story was entertaining - rival vampire slaying families meet rich wannabe vampire slaying star - at least until the last page when I was completely turned off.
This is a book I just should have closed about chapter 3.
Tons of language & crude, crass, skanky content not appropriate for me as an adult let alone for a teenager. Skip this one.
July 29, 2010
My gosh this book is something out of this world. Never have I heard of a vampire slaying family that totally kicks butt!
Daphne Van Helsing's life is anything but normal. Bound to serve the world as a vampire slayer, Daphne is tired of what she is doing. From the very moment she entered this world, Daphne has been trained and honed in to a hunter. She's never had the opportunity to live a normal 17 years old life. When her family comes to the town of Bristol to extinguish their vamp problem they run into The Harkers. They are forced to work together, ruining their every plans. But fate has its own plans.
Kiki Crusher is a uppity type of girl who just happens to witness Daphne's slaying of a vamp. In order to keep her mouth shut, Daphne's family agreed to show Kiki the ropes of a vampire slayer. At first Daphne was upset and didn't want to do it at all. But in the end, Kiki grew on Daphne becoming her first real friend.
Tyler Harker is the son of Nathan Harker, her rivals. Even since a falling out years back, her parents have told her that they are bad news and to stay away from them. They both were raised the same. She knows just how hard it is to live this life.Yet she can't seem to fight the pull she has toward him. And with her every waking step, he is always just around the corner.
Bristol poplutaion is quickly going down. People are dying and no one seems to know exactly what is going on. The vampire that they hunt are much stronger, and are even stronger during the day. Some say it is demons, other vampires. Will they learn to put the past behind and move forward?
I had a great time reading this book. Amanda Marrone did a wonderful job writing this. She was able to get into the mind of a deprived teenager expressing her feelings truly, making her character real. I loved reading about Daphne and was glad to see her character grow. She was able to make new friends and learn from the past. I was glad to see her parents saw the wrong of their ways, that Daphne was able to stand up for herself once and for all.
The love interest in the story was a great asset. Tyler and Daphne has such great chemistry going on. Plus, they were rivals. Who wouldn't want to fall in love with something that is forbidden to you? They understood each other the best and they were perfect together. Her new friend Kiki was a great addition. She definitely brought the laughter and humor in this book. Kiki smart-remarks and funny antics had me laughing hard. Kiki was there for Daphne in every way a friend should be.
While reading this you feel pulled into her world, experiencing everything with her characters. The plot, her writing was fabulous. It was a easy read and everything was describe with such great detail. If you love a good action packed family who slays vampires then this story is for you.
Amanda Marrone delivered a heart-stopping, action-packed, drama filled story, with a great romance.
I would recommend this book to older teens. There was cursing, drinking, etc in the book.
Daphne Van Helsing's life is anything but normal. Bound to serve the world as a vampire slayer, Daphne is tired of what she is doing. From the very moment she entered this world, Daphne has been trained and honed in to a hunter. She's never had the opportunity to live a normal 17 years old life. When her family comes to the town of Bristol to extinguish their vamp problem they run into The Harkers. They are forced to work together, ruining their every plans. But fate has its own plans.
Kiki Crusher is a uppity type of girl who just happens to witness Daphne's slaying of a vamp. In order to keep her mouth shut, Daphne's family agreed to show Kiki the ropes of a vampire slayer. At first Daphne was upset and didn't want to do it at all. But in the end, Kiki grew on Daphne becoming her first real friend.
Tyler Harker is the son of Nathan Harker, her rivals. Even since a falling out years back, her parents have told her that they are bad news and to stay away from them. They both were raised the same. She knows just how hard it is to live this life.Yet she can't seem to fight the pull she has toward him. And with her every waking step, he is always just around the corner.
Bristol poplutaion is quickly going down. People are dying and no one seems to know exactly what is going on. The vampire that they hunt are much stronger, and are even stronger during the day. Some say it is demons, other vampires. Will they learn to put the past behind and move forward?
I had a great time reading this book. Amanda Marrone did a wonderful job writing this. She was able to get into the mind of a deprived teenager expressing her feelings truly, making her character real. I loved reading about Daphne and was glad to see her character grow. She was able to make new friends and learn from the past. I was glad to see her parents saw the wrong of their ways, that Daphne was able to stand up for herself once and for all.
The love interest in the story was a great asset. Tyler and Daphne has such great chemistry going on. Plus, they were rivals. Who wouldn't want to fall in love with something that is forbidden to you? They understood each other the best and they were perfect together. Her new friend Kiki was a great addition. She definitely brought the laughter and humor in this book. Kiki smart-remarks and funny antics had me laughing hard. Kiki was there for Daphne in every way a friend should be.
While reading this you feel pulled into her world, experiencing everything with her characters. The plot, her writing was fabulous. It was a easy read and everything was describe with such great detail. If you love a good action packed family who slays vampires then this story is for you.
Amanda Marrone delivered a heart-stopping, action-packed, drama filled story, with a great romance.
I would recommend this book to older teens. There was cursing, drinking, etc in the book.
July 31, 2021
I rarely rate books one star, but this one was just really crazy and unbelievable.
I remember just spotting this book on the shelf of my school library, and didn’t even know why I decided to read it at home. I could have read like a cool classic or another fun book.
I discovered a lot of interesting books on the shelves of the school library, but this is by far the most unoriginal I ever found.
There is lots of slut shaming and sexual situations found in here. There’s a statue that is described as having an “erection.” The main female protagonist complains too much about her boobs, and gripes about her body image. At one point, she calls a girl a ho just because she is dressed like one.
I didn’t get it all, and there’s this one scene where demons come out of a hole in the ground or something. The main herione kills some vampires, but I found most of it all just forced. The female friendship was fine.
The romance? I didn’t even remember it all. I do remember the ending though: the herione claims that her boyfriend will now be her “boob guy” and the story ends. We end a YA supernatural romance talking about boobs?
I am not saying others won’t find this appealing, but earlier YA books with cheap settings and attempts to appear cool and understand teenagers really just fall flat. I am not saying this book is like that, even if it does attempt it, but it just didn’t work for me.
I remember just spotting this book on the shelf of my school library, and didn’t even know why I decided to read it at home. I could have read like a cool classic or another fun book.
I discovered a lot of interesting books on the shelves of the school library, but this is by far the most unoriginal I ever found.
There is lots of slut shaming and sexual situations found in here. There’s a statue that is described as having an “erection.” The main female protagonist complains too much about her boobs, and gripes about her body image. At one point, she calls a girl a ho just because she is dressed like one.
I didn’t get it all, and there’s this one scene where demons come out of a hole in the ground or something. The main herione kills some vampires, but I found most of it all just forced. The female friendship was fine.
The romance? I didn’t even remember it all. I do remember the ending though: the herione claims that her boyfriend will now be her “boob guy” and the story ends. We end a YA supernatural romance talking about boobs?
I am not saying others won’t find this appealing, but earlier YA books with cheap settings and attempts to appear cool and understand teenagers really just fall flat. I am not saying this book is like that, even if it does attempt it, but it just didn’t work for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 14, 2011
I really liked the story & character but it had a disappointing ending that was rushed & not very fun.
February 15, 2012
In a world where Vampires were ruling literature was the year 2010/2011 , it was all the craze to read supernatural fiction and myself I loved it . I brought alot so this year is my year to catch up on reading books on my shelf.
Remember the two men who slayed Dracula - Jonathon Harker and Van Helsing , well this novel Slayed talks about their descendants we have the Van Helsing family consisting of Mum , Dad and daughter Daphne and the Harker family consisting of Dad and son Tyler. These two families have been killing vampires for years and were the best of friends until an incident occured which caused the families to fall-out and stick to their own territories until now. Called up for a job, the Van Helsings and Harkers have been employed for the same job which causes friction. Soon the families decide that the only way to make it fair is that they are paid for the vampires that their team kills. One night while out scoping the clubs, Daphne comes across a vampire feeding and kills him leaving behind though a witness Kiki who now in order to keep her happy wants to become a Vampire slayer. If Daphne training her wasn't enough for her to keep her busy, Daphne's developing feelings for Tyler Harker .
A fun, enjoyable read about the descendants of Van Helsing and Harkers.
I quite enjoy Amanda Marrone's books and if you are in the mood for a rendition of Snow White -Check out Devoured and wanting a ghost story check out Uninvited and for a Witch tale check out her novel Revealers.
Remember the two men who slayed Dracula - Jonathon Harker and Van Helsing , well this novel Slayed talks about their descendants we have the Van Helsing family consisting of Mum , Dad and daughter Daphne and the Harker family consisting of Dad and son Tyler. These two families have been killing vampires for years and were the best of friends until an incident occured which caused the families to fall-out and stick to their own territories until now. Called up for a job, the Van Helsings and Harkers have been employed for the same job which causes friction. Soon the families decide that the only way to make it fair is that they are paid for the vampires that their team kills. One night while out scoping the clubs, Daphne comes across a vampire feeding and kills him leaving behind though a witness Kiki who now in order to keep her happy wants to become a Vampire slayer. If Daphne training her wasn't enough for her to keep her busy, Daphne's developing feelings for Tyler Harker .
A fun, enjoyable read about the descendants of Van Helsing and Harkers.
I quite enjoy Amanda Marrone's books and if you are in the mood for a rendition of Snow White -Check out Devoured and wanting a ghost story check out Uninvited and for a Witch tale check out her novel Revealers.
March 5, 2011
Oh God. Oh dear God, that was pretty crappy....
October 5, 2010
Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy
SLAYED is a little like what Buffy might have been (with a Romeo & Juliet twist) if she’d partnered up with Cordelia and had to teach her the vampire slaying ropes. There is shallow fun dialogue, a somewhat campy foe, and a forbidden romance that you root for from the start.
This is an example of a great premise (the teenage descendants of the two most famous vampire hunters: Van Helsing and Harker, meeting up and falling for each other despite their feuding families) that turned out to be a good book.
The characters were all very believable and pitiable in their own way. Daphne as the bitter slayer whose parents don’t seem to care about the danger they constantly put her in or the truly cloistered life she’s had to live. Then there’s Kiki, the washed up former child star whose parents kicked off the family TV show when she put on weight at the age of five. And finally Tyler, the slayer who has been living in a car with his disturbed father ever since his mother got turned and had to be staked.
Everyone is a mess, but in a can’t-look-away-car-crash-on-the-side-of-the-road way. Daphne cuts out magazine pictures of the friends she imagines having (and the prom date she fantasizes about getting to second base with), Kiki is a plastic surgery addict with serious promiscuity issues, and Tyler is barely hanging on to his father’s sanity.
Compared to the more thoughtful character development early on, the ending of SLAYED felt pretty rushed and much too easy. Another fifty pages would have gone a long way towards smoothing out some of the convenient plot developments and jumpy action sequences (not to mention the much too perfect epilogue). But the feuding vampire slayer dynasties and fascinatingly damaged characters make SLAYED a fun, if flawed, read. I believe this is a stand alone story (although there is ample opportunity for a sequel, so you never know), but Amanda Marrone has several other Paranormal YA’s under her belt that I plan on picking up.
Sexual Content: References to sex. References to homosexuality. A scene of mild sensuality.
SLAYED is a little like what Buffy might have been (with a Romeo & Juliet twist) if she’d partnered up with Cordelia and had to teach her the vampire slaying ropes. There is shallow fun dialogue, a somewhat campy foe, and a forbidden romance that you root for from the start.
This is an example of a great premise (the teenage descendants of the two most famous vampire hunters: Van Helsing and Harker, meeting up and falling for each other despite their feuding families) that turned out to be a good book.
The characters were all very believable and pitiable in their own way. Daphne as the bitter slayer whose parents don’t seem to care about the danger they constantly put her in or the truly cloistered life she’s had to live. Then there’s Kiki, the washed up former child star whose parents kicked off the family TV show when she put on weight at the age of five. And finally Tyler, the slayer who has been living in a car with his disturbed father ever since his mother got turned and had to be staked.
Everyone is a mess, but in a can’t-look-away-car-crash-on-the-side-of-the-road way. Daphne cuts out magazine pictures of the friends she imagines having (and the prom date she fantasizes about getting to second base with), Kiki is a plastic surgery addict with serious promiscuity issues, and Tyler is barely hanging on to his father’s sanity.
Compared to the more thoughtful character development early on, the ending of SLAYED felt pretty rushed and much too easy. Another fifty pages would have gone a long way towards smoothing out some of the convenient plot developments and jumpy action sequences (not to mention the much too perfect epilogue). But the feuding vampire slayer dynasties and fascinatingly damaged characters make SLAYED a fun, if flawed, read. I believe this is a stand alone story (although there is ample opportunity for a sequel, so you never know), but Amanda Marrone has several other Paranormal YA’s under her belt that I plan on picking up.
Sexual Content: References to sex. References to homosexuality. A scene of mild sensuality.
January 16, 2011
I essentially picked up Slayed largely because it’s set in Maine, but also because I thought the fact that it’s about a vampire slayer interesting. It’s a short book and I started off thinking that it was a cheesy but fun paranormal novel. Unfortunately, by the end of the novel I was rolling my eyes at the extreme lack of development.
Daphne has a unique problem of not really having a true home because she’s constantly been on the move with her slayer parents, and she craves a normal teenage life. I thought that this was an interesting situation to have a teenage character in, however, it also seemed like one of her biggest passions was being a normal teenager. I can understand that feeling, but she was so self-centered in her focus on this one goal that her emotions never really felt genuine to me.
When you toss in a character who’s only somewhat likable with poor writing, things go from meh to worse. The main plot was okay, but nothing particularly special. The character relationships all moved too quickly to come across as realistic, and were often kind of cheesy for me. However, my least favorite part of Slayed was the romance Daphne and Tyler, because it felt terribly cliched and mushy. Note that I call a romance “mushy” when the characters have just met but are already proclaiming their undying love. A good romance keeps you rooting in the air and crying and fist pumping as you watch what happens throughout the characters, and that isn’t what this did for me.
Honestly, I’m not entirely sure who I would recommend Slayed to. A ten or twelve year old me would have been more forgiving of the cheesiness, but this book has a bit too much crass content for me to push it on a middle grade audience. Perhaps if you just can’t get enough vampires and want a light read this is the book for you, but otherwise I’d pass it by.
Daphne has a unique problem of not really having a true home because she’s constantly been on the move with her slayer parents, and she craves a normal teenage life. I thought that this was an interesting situation to have a teenage character in, however, it also seemed like one of her biggest passions was being a normal teenager. I can understand that feeling, but she was so self-centered in her focus on this one goal that her emotions never really felt genuine to me.
When you toss in a character who’s only somewhat likable with poor writing, things go from meh to worse. The main plot was okay, but nothing particularly special. The character relationships all moved too quickly to come across as realistic, and were often kind of cheesy for me. However, my least favorite part of Slayed was the romance Daphne and Tyler, because it felt terribly cliched and mushy. Note that I call a romance “mushy” when the characters have just met but are already proclaiming their undying love. A good romance keeps you rooting in the air and crying and fist pumping as you watch what happens throughout the characters, and that isn’t what this did for me.
Honestly, I’m not entirely sure who I would recommend Slayed to. A ten or twelve year old me would have been more forgiving of the cheesiness, but this book has a bit too much crass content for me to push it on a middle grade audience. Perhaps if you just can’t get enough vampires and want a light read this is the book for you, but otherwise I’d pass it by.
May 14, 2011
My first reaction to Slayed was that I really hoped it was like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and in a way, it was. Slayed could have been an episode of Buffy.
The characters were instantly relatable. Daphne always felt alone, and with her parents, who wouldn't? Kiki was funky and awesome. I would love to meet her in real life and hang out. She was a lot of fun and had issues but wasn't bitter. The parents were annoying characters. They didn't look after their kids well and many times I was shocked by their behaviours.
The story was quick and fun. Daphne and her family were doing another vampire gig but ended up having to share the gig with a rival family who they had bad history with. There was a fair bit of mythology- angels, demons, vampires, etc. but it was quickly done without much detail. It was an interesting premise so I wouldn't mind a sequel but I don't think one is needed. This is a good example of a standalone.
The one thing I don't like in the story is the simplicity of the plot. This feels like a tv episode which make me wonder about the next episode. So many things could have been explained. Much more could have happened. The story takes place in 3 days without many big events. Slayed is a short story very different from all the series we have now.
Overall, Slayed is a fun, fast light read. Easy to read with likable characters, I'm giving this 3.5 stars,
*** & 1/2 *
The characters were instantly relatable. Daphne always felt alone, and with her parents, who wouldn't? Kiki was funky and awesome. I would love to meet her in real life and hang out. She was a lot of fun and had issues but wasn't bitter. The parents were annoying characters. They didn't look after their kids well and many times I was shocked by their behaviours.
The story was quick and fun. Daphne and her family were doing another vampire gig but ended up having to share the gig with a rival family who they had bad history with. There was a fair bit of mythology- angels, demons, vampires, etc. but it was quickly done without much detail. It was an interesting premise so I wouldn't mind a sequel but I don't think one is needed. This is a good example of a standalone.
The one thing I don't like in the story is the simplicity of the plot. This feels like a tv episode which make me wonder about the next episode. So many things could have been explained. Much more could have happened. The story takes place in 3 days without many big events. Slayed is a short story very different from all the series we have now.
Overall, Slayed is a fun, fast light read. Easy to read with likable characters, I'm giving this 3.5 stars,
*** & 1/2 *
September 13, 2011
FINAL RATING: 2.70 STARS
This was quite a lovely, quick read. Tyler Harker is impressively hot, Daphne is a better-than-average heroine, and Kiki is a lively, bright character.
The plot was smooth, if a little too undetailed for my taste. It flowed nicely but seemed to end too soon, with no real resolution.
Daphne was a strong heroine with faults, and I liked that about her. Kiki, however, stole the spotlight with her dazzling personality and brightness. Tyler was lovely and dark and forbidden, keeping the story well-rounded if a bit overly typical.
Marrone's writing style is simple and easy to follow, but has few frills, if that's your thing. She reminds me a bit of Hemingway in a twisted, convoluted way. It's easy to follow but almost sullenly simplistic.
*****WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOWING*****
This is my one of my major complaints: why the hell does the book end with them in bed?! I get that romance is a big part of the YA genre these days, but it's not everything. It irritated me to no end. It's not a romance novel; there's no reason why the book needed to end with the characters getting dirty.
My other complaint: why does Daphne file to become an emancipated minor at the end of the novel, leaving her parents? What does this say about teens' relationships with their parents today? It's simply not realistic and cannot possibly be taken seriously.
These two faults ruined the book for me, but I do plan on reading more Marrone.
This was quite a lovely, quick read. Tyler Harker is impressively hot, Daphne is a better-than-average heroine, and Kiki is a lively, bright character.
The plot was smooth, if a little too undetailed for my taste. It flowed nicely but seemed to end too soon, with no real resolution.
Daphne was a strong heroine with faults, and I liked that about her. Kiki, however, stole the spotlight with her dazzling personality and brightness. Tyler was lovely and dark and forbidden, keeping the story well-rounded if a bit overly typical.
Marrone's writing style is simple and easy to follow, but has few frills, if that's your thing. She reminds me a bit of Hemingway in a twisted, convoluted way. It's easy to follow but almost sullenly simplistic.
*****WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOWING*****
This is my one of my major complaints: why the hell does the book end with them in bed?! I get that romance is a big part of the YA genre these days, but it's not everything. It irritated me to no end. It's not a romance novel; there's no reason why the book needed to end with the characters getting dirty.
My other complaint: why does Daphne file to become an emancipated minor at the end of the novel, leaving her parents? What does this say about teens' relationships with their parents today? It's simply not realistic and cannot possibly be taken seriously.
These two faults ruined the book for me, but I do plan on reading more Marrone.
December 11, 2010
Oh, this book is FUN! It’s light, and perhaps just a little clichéd at times, but it’s really fun.
Daphne Van Helsing, our 17-yr old heroine, is travelling around the country with her parents killing vampires... it’s a family business, whether she likes it or not.
We’ve also got her new BFF Kiki, once child star, now spoiled little rich girl who’s looking for meaning to life, and trying to find it in the bottom of a bottle.
And the cast is complete with Tyler Harker, the other family in the business of killing vampires.
Despite the ties that once bound the Van Helsings and the Harkers, from the days when they killed Dracula together, there’s a bit of trouble between them these days; allowing for a perfect Romeo & Juliet setting.
So you can see that the story is going to be a pretty light read, but it’s very well written and I can actually see myself quite happily re-reading this whenever I need to kill a couple of hours in light amusement. There are a few ‘booty-call’ references but nothing much past a kiss, so aimed at a mid-teen audience.
There are a few dramatic scenes, a touch of ‘coming of age’, and a few tears were shed; I liked the characters, I liked the Dracula references and I thought the plot was well thought out and developed. Yes, it’s very light, but most enjoyable.
Daphne Van Helsing, our 17-yr old heroine, is travelling around the country with her parents killing vampires... it’s a family business, whether she likes it or not.
We’ve also got her new BFF Kiki, once child star, now spoiled little rich girl who’s looking for meaning to life, and trying to find it in the bottom of a bottle.
And the cast is complete with Tyler Harker, the other family in the business of killing vampires.
Despite the ties that once bound the Van Helsings and the Harkers, from the days when they killed Dracula together, there’s a bit of trouble between them these days; allowing for a perfect Romeo & Juliet setting.
So you can see that the story is going to be a pretty light read, but it’s very well written and I can actually see myself quite happily re-reading this whenever I need to kill a couple of hours in light amusement. There are a few ‘booty-call’ references but nothing much past a kiss, so aimed at a mid-teen audience.
There are a few dramatic scenes, a touch of ‘coming of age’, and a few tears were shed; I liked the characters, I liked the Dracula references and I thought the plot was well thought out and developed. Yes, it’s very light, but most enjoyable.
July 3, 2011
For more reviews, visit http://909reviews.blogspot.com
Slayed by Amanda Marrone is like a mix of Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets the TV show Supernatural.
I’m not sure if that’s a good thing.
Our heroine, Daphne Van Helsing, is seventeen years old… and a vampire slayer! Daphne and her parents have just finished another ‘cleaning’ as they call vampire-slaying, and are now on their way to Maine for their next hunt. But the only thing that makes this cleaning different from all the rest is that the rival slaying family—the Harkers—want this Maine city as well.
The teenage characters were realistic in speech and thought, but at times, I found the whole of them to act less than their age, and not behave with the maturity you would believe them to have, having been brought up around vampire slayers their whole lives.
Daphne has thoughts and dreams just like everyone else, but being a seventeen year old slayer can really be a pain.
She doesn’t have very many friends—okay. She doesn’t have any at all—but she wants them. I found Daphne’s longing for a normal life with parents with normal jobs and friends heartbreaking, and I felt that gave her character a little more depth.
She wasn’t a very strong character in my opinion. You never really saw any growth from her throughout the story. Though, without spoiling it for all of you… there is a scene at the end of the book with Daphne and her parents, and that scene alone will make you feel that Daphne has at least learned one thing throughout the book. I’ll leave it at that!
Throw in once-upon-a-time child star and slayer wannabe Maybelle “Kiki” Crusher, and slayer hottie Tyler Harker and you got yourself a whole lot of fun and trouble!
Tyler was sweet and cute, but we never learned anything about him.
We never learned his interests besides being a slayer and we didn’t really see much of him. The relationship between him and Daphne seemed to be based purely on physical attraction, and the fact that they had the whole Romeo and Juliet thing going on.
Kiki was one of the only reasons that kept me flipping pages, wanting to read more. She was funny, a bit of a diva, and a totally awesome slayer in training. She had the most depth of any of the characters in this book, and it is easy to say she was my favorite character.
Over all, Slayed was fun and light, but I wouldn’t rush out first thing to buy this book just based on the facts above.
The plot was very weak—at times, it seemed like the author didn’t even know where she was going with this story.
Many scenes seemed rushed and messy, and certain things that took place had me at a lost for a few moments, and made me turn back a page or two and try to find my place again.
And don’t get me started on the spelling/grammar!
Now, I know that no one book can be without mistakes… but I have never seen so many in one book in my short (but somewhat meaningful) life!
There were so many typos and grammatical errors that I found distracting and at times I was just put off by the fact that this book was so poorly edited and then published!
No novel is without flaws, but I can only hope that the person who edited this book was half asleep, or this being the first book he/she has ever worked on. Though I do believe the author should have taken more time to look everything over and make sure it was up to standards.
But the one thing that set this book apart from others is that in this vampire story, the slayer does not end up falling in love with what she hunts. I found that part comforting.
So there you have it! I would not recommend this book to young readers. There is strong language and suggestive content throughout the story, and at times, I felt this unnecessary.
This having been my first Amanda Marrone book, I’m not sure if her writing is for me, but I never rule out an author just because I did not enjoy one of their books. So who knows? Maybe I’ll love her next book!
Though if she were to give Kiki her own book and/or series… let’s just say I’ll be lining up for that one!
Slayed by Amanda Marrone is like a mix of Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets the TV show Supernatural.
I’m not sure if that’s a good thing.
Our heroine, Daphne Van Helsing, is seventeen years old… and a vampire slayer! Daphne and her parents have just finished another ‘cleaning’ as they call vampire-slaying, and are now on their way to Maine for their next hunt. But the only thing that makes this cleaning different from all the rest is that the rival slaying family—the Harkers—want this Maine city as well.
The teenage characters were realistic in speech and thought, but at times, I found the whole of them to act less than their age, and not behave with the maturity you would believe them to have, having been brought up around vampire slayers their whole lives.
Daphne has thoughts and dreams just like everyone else, but being a seventeen year old slayer can really be a pain.
She doesn’t have very many friends—okay. She doesn’t have any at all—but she wants them. I found Daphne’s longing for a normal life with parents with normal jobs and friends heartbreaking, and I felt that gave her character a little more depth.
She wasn’t a very strong character in my opinion. You never really saw any growth from her throughout the story. Though, without spoiling it for all of you… there is a scene at the end of the book with Daphne and her parents, and that scene alone will make you feel that Daphne has at least learned one thing throughout the book. I’ll leave it at that!
Throw in once-upon-a-time child star and slayer wannabe Maybelle “Kiki” Crusher, and slayer hottie Tyler Harker and you got yourself a whole lot of fun and trouble!
Tyler was sweet and cute, but we never learned anything about him.
We never learned his interests besides being a slayer and we didn’t really see much of him. The relationship between him and Daphne seemed to be based purely on physical attraction, and the fact that they had the whole Romeo and Juliet thing going on.
Kiki was one of the only reasons that kept me flipping pages, wanting to read more. She was funny, a bit of a diva, and a totally awesome slayer in training. She had the most depth of any of the characters in this book, and it is easy to say she was my favorite character.
Over all, Slayed was fun and light, but I wouldn’t rush out first thing to buy this book just based on the facts above.
The plot was very weak—at times, it seemed like the author didn’t even know where she was going with this story.
Many scenes seemed rushed and messy, and certain things that took place had me at a lost for a few moments, and made me turn back a page or two and try to find my place again.
And don’t get me started on the spelling/grammar!
Now, I know that no one book can be without mistakes… but I have never seen so many in one book in my short (but somewhat meaningful) life!
There were so many typos and grammatical errors that I found distracting and at times I was just put off by the fact that this book was so poorly edited and then published!
No novel is without flaws, but I can only hope that the person who edited this book was half asleep, or this being the first book he/she has ever worked on. Though I do believe the author should have taken more time to look everything over and make sure it was up to standards.
But the one thing that set this book apart from others is that in this vampire story, the slayer does not end up falling in love with what she hunts. I found that part comforting.
So there you have it! I would not recommend this book to young readers. There is strong language and suggestive content throughout the story, and at times, I felt this unnecessary.
This having been my first Amanda Marrone book, I’m not sure if her writing is for me, but I never rule out an author just because I did not enjoy one of their books. So who knows? Maybe I’ll love her next book!
Though if she were to give Kiki her own book and/or series… let’s just say I’ll be lining up for that one!
February 2, 2012
Title: Slayed
Author: Amanda Marrone
Publisher: Simon and Schuster, 2011
Format: Print and Ebook
Genre: Young adult, Paranormal
The Van Helsing family has been hunting vampires for over one hundred years, but sixteen-year-old Daphne wishes her parents would take up an occupation that doesn’t involve decapitating vamps for cash. All Daphne wants is to settle down in one place, attend an actual school, and finally find a BFF to go to the mall with. Instead, Daphne has resigned herself to a life of fast food, cheap motels and buying garlic in bulk.
But when the Van Helsings are called to a coastal town in Maine, Daphne’s world is turned upside down. Not only do the Van Helsings find themselves hunting a terrifying new kind of vampire (one without fangs but with a taste for kindergarten cuisine), Daphne meets her first potential BF! The hitch? Her new crush is none other than Tyler Harker, AKA, the son of the rival slayer family.
What's a teen vampire slayer to do?
I picked this book up at Books A Million when my local store was closing. It was like three dollars and I thought that it would be a fun, quick read. It was a quick read and it had some good points but it wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be.
I really enjoyed the premise of the book about vampire hunters called to a town that has a vampire problem, but not any vampire problem there was something different about these vamp attacks.
I liked the fact that Daphne’s love interest was not a vampire (like so many hunter – vamp books) but a fellow hunter from a rival family. I also liked Daphne’s new friend – who was spunky and gung ho about hunting vamps. She had some depth to her, deep down, she was a wounded girl by parents who didn’t have any time for her.
Daphne was a character that I liked but I just couldn’t get that involved with her. She was very sheltered surprisingly for being a vampire hunter. She had a kind of “sorry for me” attitude that this was her life and her mother was a cold and unfeeling person. I don’t understand why she didn’t just speak up and tell her parents how she was feeling. She just kind of went along with everything and complained about it internally. Her parents annoyed me acting like they were overprotective but then letting her go off alone to hunt vampires… it didn’t make much sense to me.
I think story line in the book had potential to be better. The plot was weak and I think a good content edit could really have brought the plot front and center and set this book apart from other vampire books. I also think that for a young adult book there were too many references to alcohol and sex. The fact that the book ends with Daphne and Tyler in bed annoyed me as well. I’m certainly not saying that the absence of sex in YA books is necessary, in fact I think that it can be unrealistic because let’s face it teen’s deal with sex and the pressures of it but I think it should be handled in a responsible way. The fact that the book ended the way it did was trying to relay a “happily ever after” scenario but why does happily ever after have to equate with the bedroom? It doesn’t. And also, for a girl that led such a sheltered life and never had any contact with boys at all until meeting Tyler is it really believable that he would be “the one”? Wouldn’t she be wanting to meet more people and really learn about the things she thought she was missing?
Slayed had potential to be a really good vampire hunter book but in my eyes it fell short.
So there you have it. My opinion.
Author: Amanda Marrone
Publisher: Simon and Schuster, 2011
Format: Print and Ebook
Genre: Young adult, Paranormal
The Van Helsing family has been hunting vampires for over one hundred years, but sixteen-year-old Daphne wishes her parents would take up an occupation that doesn’t involve decapitating vamps for cash. All Daphne wants is to settle down in one place, attend an actual school, and finally find a BFF to go to the mall with. Instead, Daphne has resigned herself to a life of fast food, cheap motels and buying garlic in bulk.
But when the Van Helsings are called to a coastal town in Maine, Daphne’s world is turned upside down. Not only do the Van Helsings find themselves hunting a terrifying new kind of vampire (one without fangs but with a taste for kindergarten cuisine), Daphne meets her first potential BF! The hitch? Her new crush is none other than Tyler Harker, AKA, the son of the rival slayer family.
What's a teen vampire slayer to do?
I picked this book up at Books A Million when my local store was closing. It was like three dollars and I thought that it would be a fun, quick read. It was a quick read and it had some good points but it wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be.
I really enjoyed the premise of the book about vampire hunters called to a town that has a vampire problem, but not any vampire problem there was something different about these vamp attacks.
I liked the fact that Daphne’s love interest was not a vampire (like so many hunter – vamp books) but a fellow hunter from a rival family. I also liked Daphne’s new friend – who was spunky and gung ho about hunting vamps. She had some depth to her, deep down, she was a wounded girl by parents who didn’t have any time for her.
Daphne was a character that I liked but I just couldn’t get that involved with her. She was very sheltered surprisingly for being a vampire hunter. She had a kind of “sorry for me” attitude that this was her life and her mother was a cold and unfeeling person. I don’t understand why she didn’t just speak up and tell her parents how she was feeling. She just kind of went along with everything and complained about it internally. Her parents annoyed me acting like they were overprotective but then letting her go off alone to hunt vampires… it didn’t make much sense to me.
I think story line in the book had potential to be better. The plot was weak and I think a good content edit could really have brought the plot front and center and set this book apart from other vampire books. I also think that for a young adult book there were too many references to alcohol and sex. The fact that the book ends with Daphne and Tyler in bed annoyed me as well. I’m certainly not saying that the absence of sex in YA books is necessary, in fact I think that it can be unrealistic because let’s face it teen’s deal with sex and the pressures of it but I think it should be handled in a responsible way. The fact that the book ended the way it did was trying to relay a “happily ever after” scenario but why does happily ever after have to equate with the bedroom? It doesn’t. And also, for a girl that led such a sheltered life and never had any contact with boys at all until meeting Tyler is it really believable that he would be “the one”? Wouldn’t she be wanting to meet more people and really learn about the things she thought she was missing?
Slayed had potential to be a really good vampire hunter book but in my eyes it fell short.
So there you have it. My opinion.
October 16, 2010
Amanda Marrone's Slayed is well written spin on the descendents from `Dracula'.
The protagonist, Daphne, 17 years old, has traveled over the east coast most of her life `slaying' vampires. She yearns to be normal; to have friends, to experience having a boyfriend or to at least have the opportunity to hold hands with a boy! There's even pictures of potential prom dresses for a prom she'll never go to. She has a scrapbook of sorts that she has collected over the years; in those pages are pictures of imaginary friends she's drawn, a yellow house with a dog sitting in front just waiting for her to come home to. These are the `normal' things she yearns for, instead of life on the road with no friends, no home and not even a curling iron to call her own! Her mother, Joy is a controlling rigid woman, doesn't allow Daphne to read any other magazine except for Jennifer-Kate, a magazine devoted to clean living and isn't all `sexed-up'. Her father is more laid back; always deferring to her mother. Despite this type of sheltered life, she has seen more than her share of horror in the form of vampire slaying. Daphne's a great character; she's smart, witty and real. I loved her!
When the story starts, Daphne and her parents, descendents of THE Van Helsing, her father anyways, are heading towards South Bristol, Maine. There have been strange occurrences; traditional vamp activity but also a rash of infants being admitted to the hospital with anemia and weakness and some have died mysteriously in the night. No sign of any fangs present.
When the Van Helsing's arrive they meet up with the Harkers, yes, from Dracula, once friends now foe; Nathan and Tyler Harker, father and son. Tyler's the same age as Daphne and has the whole Goth look going. Daphne doesn't understand her mother's hostile attitude towards Mr. Harker and is surprised at how angry she gets when they are meeting with the police chief to discuss the assignment and the price. It's decided that the Van Helsings and the Harkers will work together on this assignment with a $5000 bonus going to the family with the most kills. The race is on!
Mr. Harker has some unique ideas; vampires aren't harming/killing the infants but something else is..... Could he be right? Tyler, our Goth dude with guyliner has some surprising character developments; his life hasn't been easy but he is easy on the eyes.
Kiki aka Maybelle Crusher, is a rich girl who was once a part of her family's famous children's band and television show: The Disco Unicorns. Daphne meets her on a recon trip and Kiki is one of the most hilarious characters!Kiki is a plastic surgeons dream with a chip on her shoulder and lots of money to burn. Kiki decides that slaying is her calling & Daphne has to teach her. Kiki is a riot and despite her `spoiled girl' tude, she's got guts, humor and a surprising sense of empathy that makes you want to be her friend once you get to know her.
The story flows very nicely. It held my attention, I liked the characters and there were some unexpected developments that I wasn't expecting. I especially liked the humor and found myself laughing out loud at some of Kiki's antics. There is also some sorrow and heartbreak; all in all, there is a nice balance of chills and thrills, romance and comedy blended with real characters who have suffered greatly.
The protagonist, Daphne, 17 years old, has traveled over the east coast most of her life `slaying' vampires. She yearns to be normal; to have friends, to experience having a boyfriend or to at least have the opportunity to hold hands with a boy! There's even pictures of potential prom dresses for a prom she'll never go to. She has a scrapbook of sorts that she has collected over the years; in those pages are pictures of imaginary friends she's drawn, a yellow house with a dog sitting in front just waiting for her to come home to. These are the `normal' things she yearns for, instead of life on the road with no friends, no home and not even a curling iron to call her own! Her mother, Joy is a controlling rigid woman, doesn't allow Daphne to read any other magazine except for Jennifer-Kate, a magazine devoted to clean living and isn't all `sexed-up'. Her father is more laid back; always deferring to her mother. Despite this type of sheltered life, she has seen more than her share of horror in the form of vampire slaying. Daphne's a great character; she's smart, witty and real. I loved her!
When the story starts, Daphne and her parents, descendents of THE Van Helsing, her father anyways, are heading towards South Bristol, Maine. There have been strange occurrences; traditional vamp activity but also a rash of infants being admitted to the hospital with anemia and weakness and some have died mysteriously in the night. No sign of any fangs present.
When the Van Helsing's arrive they meet up with the Harkers, yes, from Dracula, once friends now foe; Nathan and Tyler Harker, father and son. Tyler's the same age as Daphne and has the whole Goth look going. Daphne doesn't understand her mother's hostile attitude towards Mr. Harker and is surprised at how angry she gets when they are meeting with the police chief to discuss the assignment and the price. It's decided that the Van Helsings and the Harkers will work together on this assignment with a $5000 bonus going to the family with the most kills. The race is on!
Mr. Harker has some unique ideas; vampires aren't harming/killing the infants but something else is..... Could he be right? Tyler, our Goth dude with guyliner has some surprising character developments; his life hasn't been easy but he is easy on the eyes.
Kiki aka Maybelle Crusher, is a rich girl who was once a part of her family's famous children's band and television show: The Disco Unicorns. Daphne meets her on a recon trip and Kiki is one of the most hilarious characters!Kiki is a plastic surgeons dream with a chip on her shoulder and lots of money to burn. Kiki decides that slaying is her calling & Daphne has to teach her. Kiki is a riot and despite her `spoiled girl' tude, she's got guts, humor and a surprising sense of empathy that makes you want to be her friend once you get to know her.
The story flows very nicely. It held my attention, I liked the characters and there were some unexpected developments that I wasn't expecting. I especially liked the humor and found myself laughing out loud at some of Kiki's antics. There is also some sorrow and heartbreak; all in all, there is a nice balance of chills and thrills, romance and comedy blended with real characters who have suffered greatly.
September 10, 2016
Daphne es una adolescente que ha pasado toda su vida viajando en coche de aquí para allá matando vampiros sin piedad. Su padre es descendiente de Abraham Van Helsing y jamás han conocido otra vida que no sea llevar una estaca y un cuchillo en la mano.
Cuando llegan a la ciudad que les ha pedido ayuda, descubren que no son los primeros en aparecer. Nathan Harker y su hijo Tyler ya están allí dispuestos a quedarse con la jugosa recompensa de librar del mal al pequeño pueblo. Lástima que el chico siempre vista de forma tan siniestra, porque si se quitara todo ese el maquillaje y se pusiera algo de ropa de color sería todo un Don Juan.
Ambas familias deberán pelear a muerte para ser los que más vampiros maten y ganarse así su sueldo. El perdedor no se llevará nada, así es que es lógico que exista una gran rivalidad entre todos. Lo que Daphne no sabe es que la rivalidad de Harker y sus padres se remonta bastante en el tiempo y poco a poco irá descubriendo cosas que siempre la habían ocultado.
En uno de sus registros habituales, Daphne salva a una actriz algo tonta llamada Maybelle Crusher, Kiki para los amigos. Y, por si eso no fuera suficiente, un terrible mal se desata en la ciudad dispuesto a reclamar la sangre de todo el que se le ponga delante.
Este libro no es nada de otro mundo, lo reconozco, por la portada me esperaba algo más tipo Urban Fantasy y Slayed no deja de ser una novela juvenil con algo de paranormal de por medio. Tiene una historia muy sencilla que se resuelve en escasas 200 páginas y, precisamente debido a su poca extensión, los personajes son bastante superficiales. Los tres protagonistas principales (Daphne, Kiki y Tyler) son un poco repelentes; Kiki por su forma tan tonta de actuar, Daphne por ir de víctima por la vida y Tyler simplemente por ser como es.
Hay bastante acción, eso también es verdad, pero tampoco es un libro que deje especial huella en el lector. Tiene bastantes clichés (chica rubia tonta, chico que es guapísimo sin esforzarse por serlo...) y no me ha terminado de gustar. La supuesta rivalidad entre las dos familias es un poco ñoña, todo sea dicho, y no he encontrado giros inesperados ni momentos de excesiva tensión a lo largo de las páginas. Me he supuesto lo que iba a pasar bastante antes del final y efectivamente no me había desviado demasiado del resultado.
Otra cosa que tampoco me ha terminado de cuadrar es que la policía y los agentes de la ley en general conocen la existencia de los vampiros y llaman específicamente a los cazavampiros para que los maten... pero la población general desconoce su existencia. Además está ese final tan típico, y en este caso ñoño, de "y fueron felices y comieron perdices" que deja totalmente descuadrado al lector.
Mencionar que la edición que yo tengo viene con un avance de otro libro de la misma autora, Devoured, que no me ha llamado en abosluto y que dudo mucho que llegue a leer algún día.
Predecible, prescindible y excesivamente superficial. Si os apetece una lectura ligera con cazavampiros donde hay vampiros muy malos y buenos muy buenos, esta es una opción.
2.5/5
Cuando llegan a la ciudad que les ha pedido ayuda, descubren que no son los primeros en aparecer. Nathan Harker y su hijo Tyler ya están allí dispuestos a quedarse con la jugosa recompensa de librar del mal al pequeño pueblo. Lástima que el chico siempre vista de forma tan siniestra, porque si se quitara todo ese el maquillaje y se pusiera algo de ropa de color sería todo un Don Juan.
Ambas familias deberán pelear a muerte para ser los que más vampiros maten y ganarse así su sueldo. El perdedor no se llevará nada, así es que es lógico que exista una gran rivalidad entre todos. Lo que Daphne no sabe es que la rivalidad de Harker y sus padres se remonta bastante en el tiempo y poco a poco irá descubriendo cosas que siempre la habían ocultado.
En uno de sus registros habituales, Daphne salva a una actriz algo tonta llamada Maybelle Crusher, Kiki para los amigos. Y, por si eso no fuera suficiente, un terrible mal se desata en la ciudad dispuesto a reclamar la sangre de todo el que se le ponga delante.
Este libro no es nada de otro mundo, lo reconozco, por la portada me esperaba algo más tipo Urban Fantasy y Slayed no deja de ser una novela juvenil con algo de paranormal de por medio. Tiene una historia muy sencilla que se resuelve en escasas 200 páginas y, precisamente debido a su poca extensión, los personajes son bastante superficiales. Los tres protagonistas principales (Daphne, Kiki y Tyler) son un poco repelentes; Kiki por su forma tan tonta de actuar, Daphne por ir de víctima por la vida y Tyler simplemente por ser como es.
Hay bastante acción, eso también es verdad, pero tampoco es un libro que deje especial huella en el lector. Tiene bastantes clichés (chica rubia tonta, chico que es guapísimo sin esforzarse por serlo...) y no me ha terminado de gustar. La supuesta rivalidad entre las dos familias es un poco ñoña, todo sea dicho, y no he encontrado giros inesperados ni momentos de excesiva tensión a lo largo de las páginas. Me he supuesto lo que iba a pasar bastante antes del final y efectivamente no me había desviado demasiado del resultado.
Otra cosa que tampoco me ha terminado de cuadrar es que la policía y los agentes de la ley en general conocen la existencia de los vampiros y llaman específicamente a los cazavampiros para que los maten... pero la población general desconoce su existencia. Además está ese final tan típico, y en este caso ñoño, de "y fueron felices y comieron perdices" que deja totalmente descuadrado al lector.
Mencionar que la edición que yo tengo viene con un avance de otro libro de la misma autora, Devoured, que no me ha llamado en abosluto y que dudo mucho que llegue a leer algún día.
Predecible, prescindible y excesivamente superficial. Si os apetece una lectura ligera con cazavampiros donde hay vampiros muy malos y buenos muy buenos, esta es una opción.
2.5/5
December 16, 2010
Amanda Marrone crafts an intriguing, fun story with Slayed. It is certainly not a particularly dark or scary book, it resonates more with the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie than with today's darker vamp hunting models (like the Winchester Brothers).
The story opens with the Van Helsing family's arrival to a sleepy Maine town - they have been called in by the local authorities to deal with a Vampire outbreak. Soon they are informed, much to their dismay, that they will have to work with another Vampire Slaying family; the Harkers. The two families go way back, but have been on the outs ever since Mrs. Harker's death. Now they are forced to play nice in the sandbox. At first Daphne and Tyler (Harker) avoid each other, but soon they form a friendship.
I wish that the relationship between Daphne and Tyler would have been drawn out a little more. It was, "I hate you"..."oh, your kind of cute without your guyliner"... "I love you". I mean, bing-bang-boom. I know they are teenagers and they have raging hormones and all, but come on.
Daphne also makes her first real female friend in Kiki; a vampire slayer wannabe. Maybelle "Kiki" Crusher was easily my favorite part of the book, her character was absolutely hilarious. She was a childhood television star and is now going through a rebellious stage. Kiki and Daphne hit it off after Kiki forces her way into the vamp slaying life - much to Daphne's chagrin. The scenes in which the two teens hunt vamps together are priceless. Kiki shows up in her idea of hunting gear - a pink hoodie, black cami and blinged out stakes that she purchased online.
Parts of the story were certainly predictable, but if you go into reading it with the right attitude, you will find it enjoyable. Slayed is a light, fluffy take on the vampire craze and it doesn't try to be anything else. The story is suspenseful and engaging enough that you can easily finish it within a few hours. I wouldn't drop everything to run out and buy this one, but if you are looking for something to light it was certainly a cute read.
The story opens with the Van Helsing family's arrival to a sleepy Maine town - they have been called in by the local authorities to deal with a Vampire outbreak. Soon they are informed, much to their dismay, that they will have to work with another Vampire Slaying family; the Harkers. The two families go way back, but have been on the outs ever since Mrs. Harker's death. Now they are forced to play nice in the sandbox. At first Daphne and Tyler (Harker) avoid each other, but soon they form a friendship.
I wish that the relationship between Daphne and Tyler would have been drawn out a little more. It was, "I hate you"..."oh, your kind of cute without your guyliner"... "I love you". I mean, bing-bang-boom. I know they are teenagers and they have raging hormones and all, but come on.
Daphne also makes her first real female friend in Kiki; a vampire slayer wannabe. Maybelle "Kiki" Crusher was easily my favorite part of the book, her character was absolutely hilarious. She was a childhood television star and is now going through a rebellious stage. Kiki and Daphne hit it off after Kiki forces her way into the vamp slaying life - much to Daphne's chagrin. The scenes in which the two teens hunt vamps together are priceless. Kiki shows up in her idea of hunting gear - a pink hoodie, black cami and blinged out stakes that she purchased online.
Parts of the story were certainly predictable, but if you go into reading it with the right attitude, you will find it enjoyable. Slayed is a light, fluffy take on the vampire craze and it doesn't try to be anything else. The story is suspenseful and engaging enough that you can easily finish it within a few hours. I wouldn't drop everything to run out and buy this one, but if you are looking for something to light it was certainly a cute read.
September 29, 2010
Originally posted on The Authoress: Book Review and More.
Received via: ARC Book Tour - Good Golly Miss Holly
I may not be a lover of vampires, but there are more than several reasons why this book didn't exactly call to me.
The writing was so-so. It seemed very half-hearted and there were many mistakes that should have been caught by an editor. There was nothing in the style that drew me in and kept me riveted.
The plot needed serious work. I can understand a little lull now and again and maybe some loose strings but there wasn't any depth. There wasn't a lot of mystery; I didn't feel compelled to figure it out for myself.
The characters: No depth whatsoever. In fact, the most fleshed out character was KiKi (aka: Maybelle Crusher). The main character, Daphne, was portrayed as weak and dramatic, constantly delivering choppy, unrealistic lines. You would think, given the fact she'd been slaying vampires since she was twelve, that she would have a backbone. It felt more like I was watching a soap opera--you know that stuff like this never happens. There wasn't any sense of realism--more like a dream.
There were promising components. There were many ideas that I thought were interesting and original--if only they had panned out. It had great potential at being a really good book if the MC was tougher and more realistic, the love interest not so Ken-like, and stronger supporting characters and atmosphere. I liked the humor even if there were only spurts of it. Kiki was hilarious.
If I were to choose one word to describe this book, it would be "cute". Most of the parts were stock--things you see in late night TV shows that carry no substance. For all the ideas the author had, the book should have been longer to allow the ideas to pan out. It really petered out towards the end.
Overall, not the most enjoyable book for me.
WARNING! Lots of swearing in this book, especially in the beginning and middle--not so much at the end.
Received via: ARC Book Tour - Good Golly Miss Holly
I may not be a lover of vampires, but there are more than several reasons why this book didn't exactly call to me.
The writing was so-so. It seemed very half-hearted and there were many mistakes that should have been caught by an editor. There was nothing in the style that drew me in and kept me riveted.
The plot needed serious work. I can understand a little lull now and again and maybe some loose strings but there wasn't any depth. There wasn't a lot of mystery; I didn't feel compelled to figure it out for myself.
The characters: No depth whatsoever. In fact, the most fleshed out character was KiKi (aka: Maybelle Crusher). The main character, Daphne, was portrayed as weak and dramatic, constantly delivering choppy, unrealistic lines. You would think, given the fact she'd been slaying vampires since she was twelve, that she would have a backbone. It felt more like I was watching a soap opera--you know that stuff like this never happens. There wasn't any sense of realism--more like a dream.
There were promising components. There were many ideas that I thought were interesting and original--if only they had panned out. It had great potential at being a really good book if the MC was tougher and more realistic, the love interest not so Ken-like, and stronger supporting characters and atmosphere. I liked the humor even if there were only spurts of it. Kiki was hilarious.
If I were to choose one word to describe this book, it would be "cute". Most of the parts were stock--things you see in late night TV shows that carry no substance. For all the ideas the author had, the book should have been longer to allow the ideas to pan out. It really petered out towards the end.
Overall, not the most enjoyable book for me.
WARNING! Lots of swearing in this book, especially in the beginning and middle--not so much at the end.
October 20, 2010
Slayed is a mix of horror and humor that pokes fun at common vampire lore. One of my favorite characters in the book is Kiki, a wealthy former child star who decides she wants to hunt vampires too. She adds much needed comedy to the story. Tyler is my favorite character and a good love interest for Daphne. I liked the way he challenged her to think for herself instead of just going along with everything her parents told her. Daphne comes across as being alternately tough and insecure due to her difficult childhood and lack of a normal home life. I did not really care for Daphne’s parents, especially her mother, because they didn’t seem to think about Daphne’s safety and I didn’t like Mr. Harker who was just really creepy even with his painful past. Actually all the parents in this book are portrayed in a negative way which bothered me although it isn’t unusual for YA fiction in general.
I liked the humor, the romance, and the main characters and the fact that this appears to be a stand alone novel rather than a trilogy however the ending left me feeling a little disappointed because it wrapped up so quickly. Still, I enjoyed the journey and the snarky humor and likeable main characters make up for the lack of a strong resolution. While it is not as good as the Mortal Instruments series or as gritty as Strange Angels and Devil's Kiss it did remind me of those books because of the sense of humor (Mortal Instruments) and the mix of paranormal creatures. I think that Slayed would appeal to paranormal fans who are tired of vampire romance and want something a little different and to those who miss Buffy.
Readalikes: Devil’s Kiss by Sarwat Chadda, Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow, The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, Sucks to Be Me by Kimberly Pauley
I liked the humor, the romance, and the main characters and the fact that this appears to be a stand alone novel rather than a trilogy however the ending left me feeling a little disappointed because it wrapped up so quickly. Still, I enjoyed the journey and the snarky humor and likeable main characters make up for the lack of a strong resolution. While it is not as good as the Mortal Instruments series or as gritty as Strange Angels and Devil's Kiss it did remind me of those books because of the sense of humor (Mortal Instruments) and the mix of paranormal creatures. I think that Slayed would appeal to paranormal fans who are tired of vampire romance and want something a little different and to those who miss Buffy.
Readalikes: Devil’s Kiss by Sarwat Chadda, Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow, The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, Sucks to Be Me by Kimberly Pauley
November 16, 2012
Reviewed by Andrea for TeensReadToo.com
Daphne has grown up in a vampire slayer family. Her family history of slaying vampires goes way back - in fact, one of her distant relatives was the famous Van Helsing. Now, she has to travel around with her parents, helping to rid cities and towns of the vampires.
All Daphne wants is the normal life of a teenage girl. She even has a binder with pictures of imaginary best friends and pictures cut out of magazines of her dream prom. But considering she doesn't even have a home, since she and her parents stay in cheap motels, she knows that this will never be an option.
But one night, while on patrol, she meets Kiki, who witnesses a vampire slaying. And Kiki wants in on the action.
As a condition for not telling the world about vampires, Kiki wants to go with Daphne on vampire hunts. At first, Kiki is annoying, but soon Daphne has her very first best friend. And not only that, but she is also introduced to a guy, Tyler, who could be her first real kiss. The only problem is that Tyler is the son of a rival vampire-slaying family.
This was a cute and fun slayer story. I liked Daphne and how she was a kick-butt girl but still wanted a normal high school life. And Kiki, Daphne's new friend and trainee, is great fun, too! I loved her personality! She was bubbly but had vulnerabilities.
The plot was pretty good, although it did get a little weird at one part involving the father of the rival slayer family. But I'll leave you to read that and find out why. I hope there is a sequel to this book so we can get to know more about Daphne and Kiki!
Daphne has grown up in a vampire slayer family. Her family history of slaying vampires goes way back - in fact, one of her distant relatives was the famous Van Helsing. Now, she has to travel around with her parents, helping to rid cities and towns of the vampires.
All Daphne wants is the normal life of a teenage girl. She even has a binder with pictures of imaginary best friends and pictures cut out of magazines of her dream prom. But considering she doesn't even have a home, since she and her parents stay in cheap motels, she knows that this will never be an option.
But one night, while on patrol, she meets Kiki, who witnesses a vampire slaying. And Kiki wants in on the action.
As a condition for not telling the world about vampires, Kiki wants to go with Daphne on vampire hunts. At first, Kiki is annoying, but soon Daphne has her very first best friend. And not only that, but she is also introduced to a guy, Tyler, who could be her first real kiss. The only problem is that Tyler is the son of a rival vampire-slaying family.
This was a cute and fun slayer story. I liked Daphne and how she was a kick-butt girl but still wanted a normal high school life. And Kiki, Daphne's new friend and trainee, is great fun, too! I loved her personality! She was bubbly but had vulnerabilities.
The plot was pretty good, although it did get a little weird at one part involving the father of the rival slayer family. But I'll leave you to read that and find out why. I hope there is a sequel to this book so we can get to know more about Daphne and Kiki!
November 6, 2010
I read this in one evening. Pretty much one sitting, just a break to eat and play on the computer a bit. This is a quick, light and easy read. I really liked the three main characters, Daphne, Kiki, and Tyler. It's a fun story of a girl that travels with her parents killing vampires and she never gets to settle down and have a normal teenage girls life. That wonn't change when she reaches the coastal Maine town or will it?
Suddenly she has a best friend and a potential boyfriend. The problem is the town is overrun with vampires that are stronger than what she is use to.
Lots of fun and laughs mixed in with the serious. Yes the story is about the group coming in to take over the vampires, but it's more about Daphne and her desire for a normal childhood. She has those typical in books, missing parents, ones that are more caught up in vampire hunting than raising their child. This is pointed out more than once and you feel for Daphne. But Daphne makes the best she can in her situation which she thinks improves with the introduction of Kiki and Tyler.
I loved Kiki, yes she has her own problems and her own absentee parents, but when given a situation to channel her energy she really shines. And Tyler, that typical goth boy ends up completely different than first expected as well.
Full of action, laughs and character development, Slayed is a fun quick read. Perfect for one of these cool autumn evenings. I'm hoping to see more of the characters though the way it is tied up at the end I'm not sure we will. Either way, I'm glad I spent an evening reading Slayed. It's pure fun.
Suddenly she has a best friend and a potential boyfriend. The problem is the town is overrun with vampires that are stronger than what she is use to.
Lots of fun and laughs mixed in with the serious. Yes the story is about the group coming in to take over the vampires, but it's more about Daphne and her desire for a normal childhood. She has those typical in books, missing parents, ones that are more caught up in vampire hunting than raising their child. This is pointed out more than once and you feel for Daphne. But Daphne makes the best she can in her situation which she thinks improves with the introduction of Kiki and Tyler.
I loved Kiki, yes she has her own problems and her own absentee parents, but when given a situation to channel her energy she really shines. And Tyler, that typical goth boy ends up completely different than first expected as well.
Full of action, laughs and character development, Slayed is a fun quick read. Perfect for one of these cool autumn evenings. I'm hoping to see more of the characters though the way it is tied up at the end I'm not sure we will. Either way, I'm glad I spent an evening reading Slayed. It's pure fun.
June 13, 2011
Slayed is definitely a novel that I did not see myself loving. Thinking it was cute... a possibility. Being disappointed... another option. But I can admit with all honesty that I did not think that I would find this novel so irresistible. The tale starts off nice enough. A likable character, who through a sad twist of fate, has been paired her with her parents... traveling from place to place until who knows when... doing only what someone with the last name of Van Helsings can do. Slay vampires.
It was only too easy to fall into Daphne's story. She is a very likable character who I instantly bonded with. Part down and out teen... part kick butt and take names. A character who is so emotionally torn, she does not often know which way was up. Rounding out the main-ish characters is Kiki. Now, where do I start with her? Kiki is one of those characters that make a novel... and annoy you at the same time. For the most part, Kiki added the needed breath of fresh air to Slayed. Many of her antics are laugh out loud funny and really added a nice touch of humor to the overall storyline. Other times, I just wanted her to go away since she was just too perky. Annoyance aside, Kiki, in the end, seemed to have a lot more growth as a character than Daphne. And as a reader, I appreciated that.
While Slayed may have had a few flaws, it was definitely the perfect novel for my rainy weekend. Plenty of humor... interesting characters... and a little romance goes a long way in this delightful novel.
It was only too easy to fall into Daphne's story. She is a very likable character who I instantly bonded with. Part down and out teen... part kick butt and take names. A character who is so emotionally torn, she does not often know which way was up. Rounding out the main-ish characters is Kiki. Now, where do I start with her? Kiki is one of those characters that make a novel... and annoy you at the same time. For the most part, Kiki added the needed breath of fresh air to Slayed. Many of her antics are laugh out loud funny and really added a nice touch of humor to the overall storyline. Other times, I just wanted her to go away since she was just too perky. Annoyance aside, Kiki, in the end, seemed to have a lot more growth as a character than Daphne. And as a reader, I appreciated that.
While Slayed may have had a few flaws, it was definitely the perfect novel for my rainy weekend. Plenty of humor... interesting characters... and a little romance goes a long way in this delightful novel.
August 15, 2012
Daphne Van Helsing doesn't have a clue what a normal life entails. She has moved from city to city in her parent's beat up VW van to fight outbreaks of vampires. She doesn't have any friends because she doesn't stay in one spot long enough. So, she keeps a journal where she cuts out magazine pictures of people she would like to be friends, houses she would like to live in and dresses she would wear to a prom.
Soon the Van Helsing is in Maine on another assignment; however, when they arrive they learn they have competition for the job from an old family rival, the Harkers. Unfortunately, the teenage son, Tyler Harker is a cutie pie and Daphne cannot seem to get him out of her mind or keep her distance. Then, one night Daphne stops a vampire attack only to become saddled with Kiki, a former child star.
Little does anyone know but the town is about to have more problems than just vampires. It seems that an ancient evil is about to invade the town bringing about death and carnage. Some will not make it out alive. Will Daphne find the courage to stop the evil and pursue the life she has always longed for or will she get caught up in a tide of events that will negatively change her future? This is why you have to read this book. This is a short read and the story line was fun and comical. It some ways the plot reminded me of a paranormal "Hatfield's and McCoy's." The romance was a little cheesy at times and happened a little too quickly for me; but, the book is only 240 pages and does not leave much room for lengthy romances.
Soon the Van Helsing is in Maine on another assignment; however, when they arrive they learn they have competition for the job from an old family rival, the Harkers. Unfortunately, the teenage son, Tyler Harker is a cutie pie and Daphne cannot seem to get him out of her mind or keep her distance. Then, one night Daphne stops a vampire attack only to become saddled with Kiki, a former child star.
Little does anyone know but the town is about to have more problems than just vampires. It seems that an ancient evil is about to invade the town bringing about death and carnage. Some will not make it out alive. Will Daphne find the courage to stop the evil and pursue the life she has always longed for or will she get caught up in a tide of events that will negatively change her future? This is why you have to read this book. This is a short read and the story line was fun and comical. It some ways the plot reminded me of a paranormal "Hatfield's and McCoy's." The romance was a little cheesy at times and happened a little too quickly for me; but, the book is only 240 pages and does not leave much room for lengthy romances.
February 27, 2012
Originally posted at Nose in a Book
I picked up this book on a whim. I’ve been interested in the author and when I was at the library I decided ‘why not?’ I am so glad I picked up this book. It was a quick read. When I say quick read I mean, started it when I got off of work at 11PM and kept reading until I finished at 2-ish in the morning.
This is the story of Daphne Van Helsing who is a vampire slayer. No really, it’s the family business. All Daphne wants to do is stay in one place longer than two weeks, go to high school, go to prom, and meet guys that she doesn’t have to stake. She isn’t asking for much!
Daphne and her parents end up in a small town in Maine to kill the local vampire that is messing with the population. While Daphne is fighting the vampire she has to also deal with her new BFF who thinks it is AWESOME that she kills vampires (until she figures out how hard it is), the new cute boy on the scene (who happens to be a rival vampire killer), and how her parents don’t seem to know what a hard time she’s having. I can’t say I relate to Daphne because I don’t. Sorry, I don’t slay vampires at night, my parents didn’t move me on a weekly basis (once was enough.) But the thing is the way Marrone wrote the novel, I empathise with Daphne. I hated her parents for her. I wanted them to understand her. I wanted her to figure out that sooner or later everything would be okay.
This is an excellent stand alone book. I was quite a fan.
I picked up this book on a whim. I’ve been interested in the author and when I was at the library I decided ‘why not?’ I am so glad I picked up this book. It was a quick read. When I say quick read I mean, started it when I got off of work at 11PM and kept reading until I finished at 2-ish in the morning.
This is the story of Daphne Van Helsing who is a vampire slayer. No really, it’s the family business. All Daphne wants to do is stay in one place longer than two weeks, go to high school, go to prom, and meet guys that she doesn’t have to stake. She isn’t asking for much!
Daphne and her parents end up in a small town in Maine to kill the local vampire that is messing with the population. While Daphne is fighting the vampire she has to also deal with her new BFF who thinks it is AWESOME that she kills vampires (until she figures out how hard it is), the new cute boy on the scene (who happens to be a rival vampire killer), and how her parents don’t seem to know what a hard time she’s having. I can’t say I relate to Daphne because I don’t. Sorry, I don’t slay vampires at night, my parents didn’t move me on a weekly basis (once was enough.) But the thing is the way Marrone wrote the novel, I empathise with Daphne. I hated her parents for her. I wanted them to understand her. I wanted her to figure out that sooner or later everything would be okay.
This is an excellent stand alone book. I was quite a fan.
January 2, 2013
I picked up this book because I enjoyed Amanda's Devoured and Uninvited, but this one not so much. Seventeen year old Daphne Van Helsing is born into a vampire slaying family. She hates the business and longs for a normal stable teenage life. When Tyler Harker (the son of her family's nemesis) who she's supposed to hate comes along, they discover they have a bit more in common than they thought. They slowly realize that maybe being enemies isn't what they should be. So, this book had some spelling and grammatical errors. Not the authors fault I know, just throwing that out there, but I do tend to notice those things. Basically Daphne is a kickass fiery redheaded heroine in this book, but at the same time she's whiny. I get why she is, but like Kiki stated in the book "she's constantly whining about prom". Which she does and I like I said I get why, but she constantly whined and it'd get annoying. Then Tyler comes along and of course she wants nothing to do with him at first. He wants to be friends with her. They eventually bond over their families being vampire slayers and it leads to them being more than friends. Nothing in common except for slaying families so far, two conversations, and already they want each other. Then at the end of the book after being together for only a few months they have sex. I was all for the vampire slaying, but these characters were the typical hormonal teenagers which I've been getting out of most YA books. Couldn't they have at least known each other longer? Guess not. Good plot. Characters not so much.
August 16, 2014
Slayed
Amanda Marrone
2.5/5 Stars
This book was far, far too short. If it had been a longer, 350 to 400 page novel, I think the author could have filled out the characters a lot more in depth, as well as the world she's created for them. Due to the length of the book, I felt the story wasn't as believable as it could have been – it felt like Marrone wanted a “quick to publish” sort of book. A good idea, with no follow through.
Our protagonist, Daphne, 17, is left to go and kill vampires on her own, while her parents are in another part of whatever town they're in doing a “job”, backing each other up. The believability that parents would let their seventeen year old daughter, whom they don't trust to do anything else on her own, would allow her to be in near-death scenarios on a daily basis, with no help whatsoever.
The editing (a favourite topic of mine) was also sub-par and I noticed several blaring mistakes as I polished off the book.
Despite the description on the back of the book describing the love interest as “crush worthy”, Marrones original description of Tyler tells us he's a greasy-haired goth wannabe – leaving me with more of a cringe than a crush.
The ending was rushed and made little-to-no sense. Also (minor spoiler) the “romance” at the end felt very much forced.
If you're a fan of the vampire YA genre, I do recommend a read. It's short and chalk full of those undead creatures we love so much. Just don't go in expecting the moon, because it will fall short.
Amanda Marrone
2.5/5 Stars
This book was far, far too short. If it had been a longer, 350 to 400 page novel, I think the author could have filled out the characters a lot more in depth, as well as the world she's created for them. Due to the length of the book, I felt the story wasn't as believable as it could have been – it felt like Marrone wanted a “quick to publish” sort of book. A good idea, with no follow through.
Our protagonist, Daphne, 17, is left to go and kill vampires on her own, while her parents are in another part of whatever town they're in doing a “job”, backing each other up. The believability that parents would let their seventeen year old daughter, whom they don't trust to do anything else on her own, would allow her to be in near-death scenarios on a daily basis, with no help whatsoever.
The editing (a favourite topic of mine) was also sub-par and I noticed several blaring mistakes as I polished off the book.
Despite the description on the back of the book describing the love interest as “crush worthy”, Marrones original description of Tyler tells us he's a greasy-haired goth wannabe – leaving me with more of a cringe than a crush.
The ending was rushed and made little-to-no sense. Also (minor spoiler) the “romance” at the end felt very much forced.
If you're a fan of the vampire YA genre, I do recommend a read. It's short and chalk full of those undead creatures we love so much. Just don't go in expecting the moon, because it will fall short.
February 5, 2011
Amanda Marrone's books are very hit and miss with me. While I adord Uninvited and Devoured, Revealers and Slayed were disappointing and left me hanging, wondering what I'd missed. This book had a great premise, and I'm a sucker for any teenage vampire slayer. I loved Kiki Crusher, but Dahpne's character felt too juvenile for her sixteen years most of the time, and I just never saw enough of Tyler to really get interested in his character.
The plot moved along nicely, but somewhere towards the end of the book the premise turned from vampires to demons and opening up a portal to hell, and call me confused but I'm not sure where all that came from. I wanted to get back to the slaying and beheading. Then all of a sudden they reveal vampires to the world? Huh? The end interview with Kiki was absolutely cringe-worthy. I love Kiki's attitude but this part was ridiculous.
I am interested to know if all her books take place in the same universe, considering two of her books have now featured vampires from two very different perspectives.
The plot moved along nicely, but somewhere towards the end of the book the premise turned from vampires to demons and opening up a portal to hell, and call me confused but I'm not sure where all that came from. I wanted to get back to the slaying and beheading. Then all of a sudden they reveal vampires to the world? Huh? The end interview with Kiki was absolutely cringe-worthy. I love Kiki's attitude but this part was ridiculous.
I am interested to know if all her books take place in the same universe, considering two of her books have now featured vampires from two very different perspectives.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 2, 2015
Slayed introduces 16 year old vampire slayer Daphne, a girl who wants a very different life from the one she leads as an infamous Van Helsing.
Slayed was a quick and easy read that I finished in one sitting. Despite the serious nature of the story hinted at from the jacket copy, it was full of humor and laugh out loud moments. The story was a real page turner that kept me engrossed from beginning to end.
The character of Maybelle "Kiki" Crusher was one of the main reasons why I enjoyed this book so much. She was funny and a great complement to Daphne's character. I liked how Kiki was all gung ho vampire slayer one minute and then nervous and unsure of herself the next. But in the end, she was a true friend to Daphne and always come through for her no matter what the situation.
I was a little skeptical about Tyler and Daphne's relationship at first. Their Romeo and Juliet style romance seemed a little too formulaic and unoriginal, but Marrone threw in some twists that kept it from being too much "been there, read that." I also really would have liked to have read some of the story from Tyler's point of view. His family history was interesting and I think his character could have been developed more if readers could have had a glimpse into his mind.
Slayed was a great read and I look forward to reading more from Amanda Marrone.
Slayed was a quick and easy read that I finished in one sitting. Despite the serious nature of the story hinted at from the jacket copy, it was full of humor and laugh out loud moments. The story was a real page turner that kept me engrossed from beginning to end.
The character of Maybelle "Kiki" Crusher was one of the main reasons why I enjoyed this book so much. She was funny and a great complement to Daphne's character. I liked how Kiki was all gung ho vampire slayer one minute and then nervous and unsure of herself the next. But in the end, she was a true friend to Daphne and always come through for her no matter what the situation.
I was a little skeptical about Tyler and Daphne's relationship at first. Their Romeo and Juliet style romance seemed a little too formulaic and unoriginal, but Marrone threw in some twists that kept it from being too much "been there, read that." I also really would have liked to have read some of the story from Tyler's point of view. His family history was interesting and I think his character could have been developed more if readers could have had a glimpse into his mind.
Slayed was a great read and I look forward to reading more from Amanda Marrone.
April 9, 2019
I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought I would.
Okay so, the idea of a family kicking ass is just one of the reasons I bought this book. The fact that it was such a historical family "Van Helsing" was another reason I bought this book.
But you learn literally nothing about Daphne's family. They are not even key characters. They are sub-characters that the author just glazes over. And Daphne had been hunting Vampires for a long time, you'd think she would kind of be into it. Just a little, at least.
The love interest was obsolete. I'm not sure why he even existed.
Kiki is just...wow...I don't even know, she's just there and she made more of an appearance than the love interest, which (if you read the synopsis) seems like what the story is going to be about, but it isn't.
I didn't like it. Maybe because it was too, I dunno, "kid-friendly", or something. It lacked the impact I would think fighting Vampires would come with.
Okay so, the idea of a family kicking ass is just one of the reasons I bought this book. The fact that it was such a historical family "Van Helsing" was another reason I bought this book.
But you learn literally nothing about Daphne's family. They are not even key characters. They are sub-characters that the author just glazes over. And Daphne had been hunting Vampires for a long time, you'd think she would kind of be into it. Just a little, at least.
The love interest was obsolete. I'm not sure why he even existed.
Kiki is just...wow...I don't even know, she's just there and she made more of an appearance than the love interest, which (if you read the synopsis) seems like what the story is going to be about, but it isn't.
I didn't like it. Maybe because it was too, I dunno, "kid-friendly", or something. It lacked the impact I would think fighting Vampires would come with.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 30, 2017
This is a nice and short story really. It is a fast read and enjoyable. I love the vampire hunter stories,and this was fun to read. It is a YA story, and written about a teenage vampire hunter who wants to be a normal kid. So, predictable in some ways, but I enjoyed it. Also had some demons and such, so good for anyone who enjoys reading about vampire hunters, demons and the like. Pretty well written for the YA audience. The main characters are teenagers, so it is kind of along that mindset. I did enjoy it, but if you are looking for really developed characters and not so much of a "why me" kind of story you might want to look elsewhere, but if you just want a fun read this would be perfect.
October 26, 2019
I love when you re-read a book you loved as a teenager and it still was enjoyable reading it
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