Thicker Than Water

by Carla Jablonski

Seventeen-year-old Kia barely survived her parents’ divorce several years ago. Now her mom is in the hospital battling cancer and Kia is stuck with her workaholic father, leaving her searching for an escape from the everyday horrors of her life.

She finds this escape with a group of people acting out a dark fantasy. These “vampires” spend all night in dark clubs, wearing gothic outfits, and even baring fake fangs. But when Kia meets Damon, she begins to wonder if maybe a true vampire exists among them, one who could be the answer to all of her problems . . .

Genres: Young Adult, Vampires, Fantasy, Fiction, Romance, Paranormal, Contemporary

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Carla Jablonski is the author and editor of dozens of best-selling books for teenage and middle-grade readers. She grew up in New York City, where she attended public schools and the Bronx High School of Science. She has a BA in anthropology from Vassar College and an MA from NYU's Gallatin School, an interdisciplinary program for which she combined playwriting, the history of gender issues in 19th Century Circus, and arts administration. "I wanted to write the play, contextualize the play, and learn how to produce the play for my degree," she explains. "I think I may have been the happiest graduate student at NYU -- I SO loved working toward my thesis."

While still in graduate school she supported herself as the editor of The Hardy Boys Mysteries. "When I interviewed for the job they asked me if I'd ever read the Hardy Boys as a kid. 'No way,' I scoffed. 'Those are BOY books! It was Nancy Drew for me!' Luckily my future boss had a sense of humor. She hired me after I promised I'd read the books if I got the job."

She has participated in the renowned Breadloaf Writers' Conference as well as Zoetrope's All-Story highly competitive writing workshop held at Francis Ford Coppella's resort in Belize. She has taught writing for the children's market, as well as "cold-reading" skills for teachers as part of Project:Read. Several of her books have been selected as part of the Accelerated Reader's program.

She continues to work freelance as an editor for publishers and for private clients, even as she writes novels and creates new series. She also has another career (and identity!) as a playwright, an actress, and a trapeze performer. "I try to keep the worlds separate," she explains about her multiple identities. "The different work I do has different audiences, so I want to keep them apart. But they're all me -- they're all ways of expressing what I'm thinking and feeling -- just in different mediums."

Reviews

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by Amber Gibson for TeensReadToo.com

Kia feels powerless over her life. Her mom is dying from cancer, and no matter how many times Kia visits her, her mom never seems to get any better. On top of that, Kia is stuck living with her father, who is a joke of a parent. It's like he doesn't even know how to be a dad because he's so absorbed in his work. To help her deal with the pain, Kia sometimes resorts to cutting herself. It's not some petty cry for attention; Kia keeps her cutting a secret. Even from her best friends, Carol and Aaron.

One day, at the hospital, Kia meets a girl named Hecate, whom she connects with right away. Hecate introduces her to a new scene, opening Kia's eyes to a whole new world. An underground world where vampires rule. Where people dress up in elaborate Victorian costumes, with red contacts and fake fangs. Carol and Aaron find the vampire gothic club scene more than a little disturbing, but Kia feels more at home in the dark vampire world than anywhere else. These people seem to understand her in a way that nobody else does. They don't judge her, but just welcome her and support her. Plus, Kia's first night at the club introduces her to Damon, a captivating vampire DJ.

There's something about Damon that is so intriguing that Kia can't stop thinking about him. She finds herself returning night after night, just hoping to see him and hoping to feel his touch. Damon is very important and respected member of this vampire world, and just knowing that he's chosen Kia, singled her out as his own, gives Kia a rush.

As her mom becomes weaker and weaker, Kia immerses herself deeper into the vampire culture, though she doesn't quite understand all of it. Kia withdraws from her friends, Carol and Aaron and starts ditching school. It's not like her dad has any idea what's going on in her life, since he's always on business trips.

The more Kia learns about the vampires, the more curious she becomes and the more she thinks that Damon just might be the answer to all of her problems. All clues point to Damon being a real vampire.

Carla Jablonski does a fantastic job in blurring the lines of fantasy and reality as she shows how impressionable Kia is and how quickly Kia's life changes as her wishful thinking impairs her judgment. Although everything will never again be as it once was, Kia needs to learn to deal with her life, however unfair it may be, rather than running away from her problems.

[Marlena · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was quite good and seemed promising, with the vampire plot detailed and the characters very interesting. .....And then came the end, which was so much of a letdown that it was on par with the "And (insert main character's name) woke up and realized it had all been a dream"
Yeah-that disappointing.

[The Local Spooky Hermit · Rating 2 out of 5]

I kinda find it hard that a woman crying her eyes out saying "my husband isn't like this hes an office worker and we have a son, we've been married for years, just left us for this woman, and all this gothy vampire stuff" is gonna get hissed at for being a "normie" while bursting into a geeky vampire meet up
Its been a while since I read this so I'll have to read it again so I'm probably not getting it all right.
Then again I guess there are super weird ppl that don't want their illusion of nerdy crap interrupted. But im pretty sure most ppl would be like "yo dude, get your life together" and shunned by others with 2 brain cells that hes a scumbag with a mid-life crisis to work through.
Lol and this is just a side thing and not something having to do with the main character she just kinda there watching a crumbling marriage in an akward but great veiw. The second hand embarrassment in that room had to be smothering.
AAYYOO WRITE THE BOOK ABOUT THIS JERRY SPINGER EPISODE IN THE MAKING!!
👁👄👁 👌🍿
MY WHITE COLLAR HUSBAND ABANDONED US FOR BIG TIDDY GOTH IN A VAMPIRE CULT
10/10 would read get weird with it. Boo boo

[Brittanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

All this is is some girl whining about how she can't stop cutting herself when life throws her curve balls. I guess it would mean more to someone who's gone through that problem, but I personally find it to be very whiny and teen angst ridden. I couldn't finish it.

[lily’s library ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ · Rating 2 out of 5]

not bad- not great.

i feel like it wasn’t a bad read, but at the same time, it could’ve ended better than what it did. kia annoyed me to no end.

[Diana Townsend · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, thanks to someone's review I read, which was not marked with a spoiler alert but spoiled the book anyways, I already pretty much knew where the story was going. It kind of ruined it for me but that doesn't change what I felt about this book. This is not a good book because of a few different things:

1. This girl's age is unbelievable. She doesn't act 17 in any kind of way, more like 14 or 15 to me. A younger age would have been more believable for me.

2. The characters are unlikable people. Especially her friends because they come off really snobby but they are supposedly social outcasts.

3. There is no real plot. None. Nothing. Just a story with a slight twist that kind of leads nowhere.

The cover is the most interesting thing about this book, sad to say.

[Katrina G · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't what I thought it was going to be. It was actually kind of strange. I was expecting a book about vampires, and as it turns out, vampires don't exsist. It wasn't exactly a plot twist, but I think it was an interesting way to go since there are so many books out there about vampires or werewolves. The book was okay, but if you're looking for a good vampire story to sink your teeth into, you may want to look somehwere else.

[Whitney Echols · Rating 1 out of 5]

I get the whole "reality vs fantasy" thing, but this book was a waste of time. And how the author thought this was appropriate writing for kids, is beyond me. The whole idea that a kid would believe vampires exist and at no point did any of the other characters explain that it was role-playing, is not realistic, at all. I know it's fiction, but this was ridiculous, at best.

[Brittney. Break my heart why dont ya · Rating 1 out of 5]

To be honest i didnt like this book at al it was sorta wierd and with the vamp thing. I like vamps but it was really bad I warn you DO NOT READ THIS BOOK !!!

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed in the sudden twist the story takes. In the end I was just kind of freaked out. Maybe that was what the author was aiming for.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Firstly this book might as well be a sorta non fiction book. If you're looking for a fantasy book this isn't for you.

So on the realistic side the book handles cutting fairly well. But it does annoy me that the main character (who's goth) just has to be a cutter huge *eyeroll*. Goths need less of that stereotype not more.

In regards to the goth side:
There's no way you'll find a big group of goths in Highschool, you'll be lucky if you even find one. If this had been set in a university it would have been more realistic for the number of alternative people.
"What kind of freak does that" isn't something any goth would say as insulting. If anything a goth would say that about themselves as a form of crude Humor.
Kia gets overly upset at anyone talking even remotely negatively about vamps or gothy things. Real life goths make a joke of it, considering how often goths get negative attention for their goth or vamp stuff. You'd be one pissy goth and likely have high blood pressure if you were even half as touchy as Kia is.
Sexual dancing isn't really a goth thing at all, we prefer to stomp industrial style. Though fetish goths nights are a thing and they're not seen as weird.
I was surprised to find a reference to blood bath events (the club rains down/covers everyone in fake blood). These are hosted by pretty much all goth clubs, they're fun and they will (like the novel hints) wreck/severely dirty your clothing.

In regards to the witch craft side:
Wiccan doesn't equal witch. The term that should have been used is pagan, Wicca is often considered fluff. Also witchs don't wear turbans........
The main character, being a goth, and being freaked out by paganism/witchcraft is weird and just plain wrong. The goth subculture is highly accepting of witchcraft and most goths are pagans of some kind.

In regards to the vampire lifestyler side:
Vampire lifestylers don't take themselves even close to this seriously.
Also goths don't hate the vampire life stylers, they accept and enjoy them. They definitely don't give fellow goths a bad name.
Most actual vampire lifestylers are silly, over the top and just looking to have a fun time playing dress up. Blood drinking is a rarity but it does happen, only with full consent of course.

The ending:
The weird break off/up with Damon was quite ridiculous and one of the most cringy things I've read in a while. Really it would have been more fitting for him to have turned out to be sang or even a real mythological vampire. The underage bomb was interesting I guess.
The actual end to the book felt out of place and very insatisfying.

Over all thoughts:
It was nice to see an author touch the vampire lifestyler and goth subcultures with some realism and not completely shit on them (though it does paint vampire lifestyler subculture in a dark light).

Over all it was an enjoyable read with a bad ending. It gets somethings right about goth and vampire lifestylers but lots is woefully inaccurate.

[Kim Barletter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah, this was definitely not it for me.

This book is more for those angst-y preteens and teens that want to blame everybody but themselves for their problems. I ended up skimming through this than actually truly reading it.

I will warn readers that the storyline never truly goes anywhere past what the summary tells you: this teenager who has a mom dying of cancer starts clubbing with people who pretend to be vampires.

Cause that is LITERALLY the entire book. Oh, with a splash of Kia desperately/obsessively crushing on this hot guy.

So… if that’s what you’re interested in, this is the book for you!

[Red · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not only was this book a misuse of most pagan elements, but it offers vampires and just chucks teenagers playing pretend, it offers witchcraft and then spits on it, it goes all over the place and was not a fun read. I found myself wondering if this was a Madlib because some elements get thrown in so haphazardly it looks like the wheel just landed on words like "cult" and "vampire" and then tried to apply them to a teenager cutting herself over her mom's cancer which she doesn't even really focus on so much as use as a crutch.

Skip it!

[Victor Vilchiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

for some... there are possible triggers through the book. there is self-harm, self-mutilation. I think the book was predictable and the same outcome could have been achieved without the possible triggers mentioned above. oh yes and the cliches are full on as well.

[Nina Sakura · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5

[Eya · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is exactly like your ex it promises you things but then dissapoint you at the end

[Educating Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning: So there might be spoilers in this but not really. I mean, even though I talk about the book rather candidly I don't think that it will ruin the experience if you ever pick up the book. So I guess what I'm saying is, read at your own risk.
"Suicide was not appealing, nor was it the reason she sliced her skin. And this was no 'cry for attention' since to get attention for it, someone would have to now and no one did. Kia made sure of that." (9)

Immediately upon meeting Kia we find out she's a cutter. Just like most fiction espouses through their characters and their characters' thoughts, cutting is about a release, not suicide. Kia stresses this to herself (us the readers?) over and over again. There's too much inside of me, I have to get it out, and it's only released through my blood. Please know that I'm not mocking cutting as much as how it is usually written about. I'm always skeptical because this is a close-to-me-"issue".

Soon we find out why Kia is cutting. Her mom's got cancer and she's been in and out of the hospital and her condition doesn't look good - er WE know it doesn't look good - but she still believes that her mom is going to make it. And her dad, the ex-husband, is emotionally distant, doesn't go to visit the ex-wife with his daughter and instead travels a lot for work. Pretty predictable, huh? Kia has two close friends, the token gay boy who totally wants a boyfriend and the bestie who is focused at school and making out with boys. They are mere backdrops and hardly fleshed out (even though there is some "hey let's get into Wicca" moments with the three of them when they start their own coven of sorts, except, it's not. Like a coven I mean).

And also, can I tell you that Kia is goth? I mean, she's a cutter. Aren't ALL cutters goth? (Insert snark). But truly, the goth is important here. 'Cuz at the hospital Kia meets this cool older chick Hecate (which means what, really?) who introduces her to the underground counter-culture scene of nightclubs and vampires.

Are they real? The vampires? That's what Kia wants to know. Especially when she sees the Vampire rockstar DJ Damon (were you surprised his name was Damon?) He's hot. He's dark. He's got fangs. And he's known for being one that "turns". They call it siring? Kia wants Damon. And she wants him to know that he can confide in her and admit that he is a vampire. And she confronts him in this final emotional breakdown where...guess what? He's so NOT a vampire; he's just a regular guy hanging out in da clubz. CUZ THIS IS REAL LIFE PEOPLE.

So, let's start over. Because the above does have some snark in it. Really? Could you tell. I wasn't totally impressed with this book. I mean, there were parts where I had to roll my eyes. Such as: "Kia looked at her friends. Their faces looked like matching moons, shining in the now-dark park, illuminated by the old-fashioned streetlamps just overhead." (28). I mean, really? REALLY? But get this, peeps, it's still a book I'm putting on my bookshelves at school. Wanna know why? 'Cuz it tells the TRUTH.

Think about it. Here's this girl who's livin' a world of misery and she can't turn to anyone and all of a sudden she's been invited into the underworld and she feels that she's not so different and I mean VAMPIRES CAN REALLY EXIST, CAN'T THEY? They're on television and the movies and books and - and - and -- (!)(!)(!) So it's totally real. A young girl will get enamored and create something that she wants to believe in.

I LOVE THE EXECUTION OF THE NOVEL. I love that Damon's all like, "Jesus! I'm not a real vampire. Real vampires don't exist." It's brilliant. I want all of my lovesick students to read this. I want them to get caught up in their creativity and their imagination without -- without, I don't know, believing it whole-heartedly.

Don't bite people's necks, man. Don't think that there's immortality. Don't believe the worlds that we create to make things better.

[Amanda-Lee (StoryWings) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although not what I expected, Thicker Than Water drew me in and kept me coming back for more.

Kia is struggling. Her mum is dying of cancer and her Dad doesn’t really know what he’s doing. She has a couple of close friends but she can’t even tell them her deepest thoughts or troubles. One day at the hospital she meets a girl who invites her to a vampire party.

Kia is intrigued by the idea so goes along with her friends and for the first time in a long time, feels accepted. As Kia gets pulled deeper though she starts to reorganise her priorities, the feeling she gets when she is with the “vampires” is too good, and she always wants more.

Kia starts to forget about everything else with her obsession with the vampires and it doesn’t go unnoticed, but she doesn’t care. Until Kia is so far in she doesn’t know where the line between real life and make believe is drawn.

Kia is both a likeable and an unlikeable character. She is strong in the fact that she puts on a good face when it comes to dealing with people and doesn’t burden people with her issues. But on top of that she is also quite selfish. She thinks only of herself and even when she realises that she hasn’t gone to see her dying mother in over two weeks she still carries on doing whatever she wants.

The other thing I didn’t like about Kia was her willingness to push her new vampiric beliefs on everyone after telling her best friend Aaron that Wicca was stupid.

Thicker Than Water was a very interesting dive into the world of a vampire cult. They bit each other, drank blood (mostly fake though), had houses with “Royal Courts” and even almost a pecking order. Kia quickly rose through those ranks through her association with Damon, a vampire DJ who ran a lot of the parties, DJ at most of them and even hosted some very exclusive ones.

Thicker Than Water held an unrelenting mystery of is it real? Through Kia’s eyes it is definitely understandable that she started to fall into the trap. Even I did.

I think that’s why I got through Thicker Than Water so quickly, even though Kia was a bit annoying, I had to know if it was real.

Thicker Than Water pulled me along with its very clever lure, Kia grated on my nerves a little but other than that it was a very fast-paced, extremely interesting read.

find this review at storywings.blogspot.com

[River Frey Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I'm doing this 4 stars not 5 since I started reading this book because I thought it was a gothic fantasy. But really it’s a realistic novel. Which honeys I have had enough crap like this going on in my life, I don't need the books I read to get away from my life to also have the same thing happening in them.

Unlike some of the readers on here I don't see Kia as a lunatic actually I can relate to her. And since yes she is a kid, who just wanted to help her mum and I don't see what she did as bad. I mean if I was in her place I would be trying everything to heal my mother too. So no she is not a lunatic but just a child that got lost on her way.

As a story in all it was pretty good. Though the first 4 chapters are the hardest to read since almost nothing happens in them, so they are a bit boring. But other than that… awesome book.

THOUGH as I said before this book is NOT FANTASY and if that is what you want to read then this is not the book for you.

It is based on a girl trying to get away from the hurt of her life and getting lost in a Goth fantasy world. So lost, that she believes that it's real. But then that is the human brain for you, when its most in pain it shuts down and makes the person believe things that aren't real just to give the person comfort. That is how all humans are if you want to admit it or not and she girl just shows you that. So if you think she is a lunatic, better open your eyes and understand where she is coming from, cause if you don't it mean that you have never really loved any one, like Kai loves her mother. Or been in a really bad moment like Kia has (but then that is pretty impossible).

[Sienna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pages: 256
Main Characters: Kia, Hecate, Damon, Carol, Evan, Mom, Dad

This novel is a lot like “Sweetblood” by Pete Hautman in that it stars a troubled teen girl who turns to goth clothes and vampire lore to escape the realities of her life. However, in this novel, Kia isn’t dealing with her own illness but rather with her mothers as well as resentment toward her parents divorce.

It’s part messed up love story. When Kia meets Damon, it’s very “Twilight” reminiscent in its swept up style. She is very taken in by the subculture of underground vampirism and vampire clubs. She knows that a lot of the people she meets aren’t really vampires but begins to have doubts, especially the more wild nights she has with Damon and this supernatural life he seems to lead.

The ending of this book is a let down for a lot of people. However, being a fan of tragic realism, I found it rather poetic in a way. It isn’t happy. Don’t prepare to feel joy at the culmination of this story.

[Heather ~*dread mushrooms*~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have always loved vampire stories, so I try to read as many of them as I can. That's the main reason I picked up this one. I've read books before where the vampires are fake, but this one really put me off for some reason. I didn't like the world of the fake vamps at all. It was just so weird and creepy. The main character really should have known better. Then again, she was kind of a lunatic, which wasn't really apparent until the end, and even then only because of drastic actions, not thoughts or feelings. I think this story would have been more successful if the reader had a better clue as to what was going on inside Kia's head. It's obvious she had troubling issues, but I felt the way she acted out doesn't really connect with them. I also couldn't sympathize with the cutting, as another reviwer said; it's too teen-angsty. This book wasn't a total waste of time, just interesting enough to keep me reading, but the goth/vampire thing was a little overdone.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up the hardback version in my school library about a day ago. The cover looked interesting, the summary looked promising, so i checked it out. I loved it! It was easily relatable (well, not the vampire/goth nightclub scene....), sad, happy, romantic, disturbing all at the same time. The only thing I didn't like too much was the ending. A bit of a let down , I think. I mean, don't get me wrong, the book was amazing, but the ending kind of fell flat. No big "TA-DA!", no eerie twist, just going back to her (somewhat) humdrum life. BOO!!! I would, however defintiely recommend this book to a friend. Just dont expect a great ending, because you wont find it. One bit toward the end peaked my interest, a sort of mental meltdown on the main character's part, but nothing exciting or "omg did that just happen"' kind of thing. An interseting story, a fun read, with a crap-tastic ending.

[Mango · Rating 4 out of 5]

OMG, did any one else thick that Damon was a real vampire? Because I fell for it.
Does that make a gullable?

The book is kinda slow in the beginning but when it is half-way through, it starts getting good. Damon... Hmm. I thought he was a real vampire. In the end he did think Kia was a psyco for believing in vampires but he actually did seem like a vampire!!!
And though it was kinda his whole life "buisiness", what is the point of pretending to be a fricking vampire?!?!

Anyway, Kia was kinda of annoying always saying that people don't understand her and whatever. Maybe she doesn't understand other people. GOsh.
:D

Anyway, the book was really revolved around Kia and Damon's relationship and how Kia wants Damon to turn her mom into a vampire.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seventeen year old Kia seeks an escape from her life in the dark clubs of New York City. In these clubs she meets the mysterious Damon, who introduces her to a circle of "vampires" -goths acting out their fantasies amidst pounding music, seductive drinks, and darkness. This was an interesting twist on the typical YA vampire romance because it is truly unclear throughout most of the book whether Damon really is a vampire or not. Instead the book focuses on Kia's downward spiral as she struggles with her mom's cancer and moves further and further into an increasingly dangerous goth scene. Despite the subject matter, it stayed pretty tame and vague with most of Kia's forays into the darker side of the scene, although her cutting may be too intense for younger readers.

[**Carla** · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kia feel that she has no power or control in her life. Her mother is ill with cancer and she is forced to live her barley there father that is always away for work. When she meets Hecate at the hospital she makes a new friend and is taken into a whole new scene she didn't know existed. Thats where she meets Damon and she can't get him out of her mind. The further she goes from goth to full out vampire scene the more lost she really becomes. Shutting out her close friends from school, missing school and not visiting her mother much. All of it comes to a blinding halt her mothers illness gets worse and she goes to desperate lengths to try and help her.

[Chronicler of Creepy · Rating 3 out of 5]

For vampire aficionados, one will notice that this novel has a different "feeling" from the mainstream . It feels so much more mundane and isn't glamorized in comparison to most. These are normal people, normal lives, and normal times. Well, as far as being a troubled teen goes. It's not a painful read, but this difference will lead to a stark and surprising conclusion that's entirely unpredictable. When I came across it, I had to reread the paragraph(s); it knocked the socks off of me! I just couldn't believe it. Most would probably be severely disappointed, but anyone who enjoys vampire novels should read this one for sure.

[Aleah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this during my, "scene" days in middle school back when I was having a teenage angst-ridden identity crisis. Whenever I would feel alone, I would skim through the pages and instantly feel relieved to know I was not. I thoroughly enjoyed Kia's struggle for self acceptance and security as I've dealt with both missing facets my entire life. The plot and dialogue can be cheesy and tiresome at times, but I love this book profusely since I relate(d) to it.

[Ailene · Rating 2 out of 5]

can you say crazy? hey, okay book, but Kia was like a lunatic in here, especially the ending where she was literally killing herself. did she really have to give herself up to Damon? old guy, shoulda got to know him better first....just saying

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

there were parts i liked and parts i didn't. Like i understand vampires and blood and how she comes from a messed up family but do i really need all the specifics on how she cuts herself. I understand i've had friends who have done this in the past but i just dont need all the gory details.

[Librariann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ages 12+.

17 year old Kia tries to cope with her mother's cancer, falls for vampire scene. Starts believing sexy DJ Damon is really a vampire. Is he? And can he help her save her mother? Good for niche audience but not a particularly well-rounded book. If you like: Twilight by Stephanie Meyer