Wicked

Bloodlust

by Michael Bates

Andy has the chance of a lifetime. His cousin, Steve "Stealth" Thurman, is a famous masked rock star who's had enough of life in the fast lane. Andy is more than happy to take on Steve's life behind the mask. But there were some things cousin Steve didn't tell Andy about--like the crazed fan who's stalking him and out to kill.

Genres: Young Adult

176 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 1995

Reviews

[Paula Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Stealth", a famous masked rock star (think Sia, but male), is sick of the lifestyle that comes with being famous. Stealth's 16 year old cousin, Andy, an aspiring rock star himself, is the perfect replacement, and he's more than ready to step into the role! With only bandmate Java knowing about the swap, Andy takes over for a couple of days while Stealth has a time-out. What Stealth failed to mention is that he has a stalker who's more than a bit obsessed with them, and their threats are escalating!

The premise is great fodder for a thriller, but this addition to the "Bloodlust" series doesn't do a whole lot with it. The focus seems to be more on the awe and wonder Andy feels as he experiences life as a bona fide rock star, rather than being a full-on thriller. The book gives us three main suspects in bass player Opal Lyons, Stealth's girlfriend Carla Chong and Jennifer Callahan, who is actually Andy's friend, but completely obsessed with Stealth. Despite the thin attempts at red herrings, the stalker's identity is highly obvious.

However, it is a quick read, and builds to an impressively loopy and entertaining climax, along with an amusing epilogue, ensuring the tale ends on a high.

[Matthew MacIntyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this bloodlust book more than any of the other ones. Yes it was predictable, and yes the red herrings were super obvious, but it was a fun ride. Stealth is a famous rock star who always wears a mask he is so famous but wants a break so he enlists is cousin, Andy, who is pretty much identical to him to take his place. (all I could think about was that theme song identical cousins lol). Andy jumps at the chance to become Stealth for a weekend, but unbeknownst to him Stealth has a stalker. What could go wrong. The person you think is the stalker is and the person they are presenting to be the stalker is obviously not easy lol. A few things did bother me this being a bloodlust book there are more sexual scenes but Stealth is 19 or older while Andy is 16 and in one scene as Stealth he sleeps with someone over 18 and also under the pretense that he is Stealth wrong in so many ways. Spoiler it all works out in the end because they end up together?? Really gross. And lastly the epilogue really made me mad. Huge spoilers but the stalker didn’t face punishment and was with Stealth in the end. Hated that ending.

[John Marr · Rating 4 out of 5]

God, I love the Blood Lust series. It's such a goofy blend of PG-rated sex, bloody violence, and inane irony. In this one, a 16-yr old aspiring rocker gets to stand-in for the biggest (masked) rock star in the land, ignorant that the deal included A STALKER!!! He gets cheered, gets laid and (spoiler alert!) gets stabbed in a milieu that has as much to do with the real rock scene as a cul-de-sac has with the Indy 500. But so what

[The Third Place A Teen Library]

F BAT