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Vamped #1
Vamped
Gina Covello's Perks and Pitfalls of Vamp Life
1. Hello?! Eternal youth and beauty!
1. Hello?! Eternal youth and beauty!
2. Free. Designer. Clothes.
3. My hot new boyfriend Bobby went from chess dud to vamp stud.
4. No reflection! First order of business: turn my own stylist to stop the downward spiral from chic to eek.
5. Vampire vixen Mellisande has taken an interest in my boyfriend, and is now transforming the entire high school into her own personal vampire army. If anyone's going to start their own undead entourage it should be me.
I guess I'll just have to save everyone from fashion disasters and other fates worse than death.
240 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2009
32 people are currently reading
3837 people want to read
About the author
Lucienne Diver
31 books522 followersLucienne Diver is a literary agent with The Knight Agency and also the author of the Vamped young adult series—think Clueless meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer—and the Latter-Day Olympians urban fantasy series from Samhain, which Long and Short Reviews calls “a clever mix of Janet Evanovich and Rick Riordan”.
Her short stories have appeared in the KICKING IT anthology edited by Faith Hunter and Kalayna Price (Roc Books), the STRIP-MAULED and FANGS FOR THE MAMMARIES anthologies edited by Esther Friesner (Baen Books), and her essay “Abuse” was published in DEAR BULLY: 70 Authors Tell Their Stories (HarperCollins).
Her first young adult suspense novel, FAULTLINES, is a November 2016 release from Bella Rosa Books.
On a personal note, Lucienne lives in Florida with her husband and son, the two cutest dogs in the world, and enough books to fill an entire store and perhaps some day collapse the second floor of her home into the first. She likes living dangerously.
Her short stories have appeared in the KICKING IT anthology edited by Faith Hunter and Kalayna Price (Roc Books), the STRIP-MAULED and FANGS FOR THE MAMMARIES anthologies edited by Esther Friesner (Baen Books), and her essay “Abuse” was published in DEAR BULLY: 70 Authors Tell Their Stories (HarperCollins).
Her first young adult suspense novel, FAULTLINES, is a November 2016 release from Bella Rosa Books.
On a personal note, Lucienne lives in Florida with her husband and son, the two cutest dogs in the world, and enough books to fill an entire store and perhaps some day collapse the second floor of her home into the first. She likes living dangerously.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 119 reviews
June 14, 2025
Vamped by Lucienne Diver
Vamped series #1. Humorous YA vampire paranormal.
Gina Covello’s love is fashion, beauty and style. Turning into a vampire has put a strain on her high school years, especially since she can’t see her reflection to make sure she looks perfect! There are perks. Eternal youth, designer clothes, and a boyfriend that goes from chess geek to vamp stud.
On the downside, rival Mellisande is turning the high school into her own personal army and looking at my boyfriend with hunger. That’s not cool.
Time to show everyone just who they should be following.
First in series so world building is important. And the first thing I learned was how happy those angst filled years are behind me!
Gina is self absorbed but does learn there is more beyond her previously sheltered existence and shockingly, she is going to have to do more.
At times funny, this vampire teen’s life will never be the same.
And fair warning, a hook at the end that will have you looking for the next book in the series.
Vamped series #1. Humorous YA vampire paranormal.
Gina Covello’s love is fashion, beauty and style. Turning into a vampire has put a strain on her high school years, especially since she can’t see her reflection to make sure she looks perfect! There are perks. Eternal youth, designer clothes, and a boyfriend that goes from chess geek to vamp stud.
On the downside, rival Mellisande is turning the high school into her own personal army and looking at my boyfriend with hunger. That’s not cool.
Time to show everyone just who they should be following.
First in series so world building is important. And the first thing I learned was how happy those angst filled years are behind me!
Gina is self absorbed but does learn there is more beyond her previously sheltered existence and shockingly, she is going to have to do more.
At times funny, this vampire teen’s life will never be the same.
And fair warning, a hook at the end that will have you looking for the next book in the series.
September 10, 2010
I really , really wanted to like this book, but something was just... off. The book opens up with our main character, Gina, clawing her way out of her coffin, realizing she is now a vampire. Then we meet her sire, who was a former chess geek and is now her... boyfriend????
I found Gina to be self centered and downright annoying. We as readers get no real chance to get to know Gina, or any of the other characters for that matter. It almost feels like we missed an entire prequel. The scenes jumped around quite a bit and I often found myself lost.
After about 100 pages of this nonsence, I just gave up on it because I just didnt care what happened to her anymore. I will not be following this series.
I found Gina to be self centered and downright annoying. We as readers get no real chance to get to know Gina, or any of the other characters for that matter. It almost feels like we missed an entire prequel. The scenes jumped around quite a bit and I often found myself lost.
After about 100 pages of this nonsence, I just gave up on it because I just didnt care what happened to her anymore. I will not be following this series.
February 15, 2023
teenage angst
It was an interesting book. At times I had a hard time following the jumps. Gina is a bit whiny at times. I did like the rules for surviving prom. The book does have an interesting ending but I don’t know if it’s enough for me to read the next book.
It was an interesting book. At times I had a hard time following the jumps. Gina is a bit whiny at times. I did like the rules for surviving prom. The book does have an interesting ending but I don’t know if it’s enough for me to read the next book.
February 10, 2018
This book seems to be for young adults. I wasn't aware of that until I started reading it. Cute story with a lot of teen twist. If you're a young and love vampires - this is the book for you.
September 26, 2025
"Vamped" is book one in the "Vamped" series by Lucienne Diver. This was an amazing start to a new to me series. Lucienne did a wonderful job writing about vampires. I loved Gina's character and how she handled most situations. My favorite scene was when she was helping the other girls with their hair. The ending scene was really good, too, and sets it up for the reader wanting to dive right into the next book.
January 1, 2011
Genre: YA, most like definitely.
Synopsis: When Gina makes out with newly hot Bobby after prom, she gets more than she bargained for. Later, her boyfriend Chaz crashes his car and Gina finds out the hard way why the teen death rate is up in her Ohio town. She wakes up and claws her way out of the grave, adjusting quickly to the fact that she is now undead. Bobby meets her at the cemetery and they end up back at her house before sunrise. They are then captured and taken to a secret hideout where they meet Mellisande, a rogue vampire who seeks to build her own army and to fulfill a prophecy. She has turned a group of teens into vampires, but Bobby has special powers, including telekinesis, that the other vamps do not possess. Chaz and Gina's friend Marcy are among the new vamps who are training in combat skills to take on the vampire council, and Gina must step up to save her friends.
Gina Covello's Perks and Pitfalls of Vamp Life
1. Hello?! Eternal youth and beauty!
2. Free. Designer. Clothes.
3. My hot new boyfriend Bobby went from chess dud to vamp stud.
4. No reflection! First order of business: turn my own stylist to stop the downward spiral from chic to eek.
5. Vampire vixen Mellisande has taken an interest in my boyfriend, and is now transforming the entire high school into her own personal vampire army. If anyone's going to start their own undead entourage it should be me.
This book has pretty much everthing you need: Mindless banter, fashionable lead character who just happens to now be a vampire with the powers to not be glamoured by any vamp; a boyfriend who has mad skills; teens being turned into vamps to start an army; a nasty female vampire who wants to rule the world but has to deal with the vampire council first in a uber showdown of wacky proportions. It's also a very quick read so you can pretty much read it in one sitting if you have the time.
Make sure you read the second book in the series if you start this one. You will know what I mean once you do.
Synopsis: When Gina makes out with newly hot Bobby after prom, she gets more than she bargained for. Later, her boyfriend Chaz crashes his car and Gina finds out the hard way why the teen death rate is up in her Ohio town. She wakes up and claws her way out of the grave, adjusting quickly to the fact that she is now undead. Bobby meets her at the cemetery and they end up back at her house before sunrise. They are then captured and taken to a secret hideout where they meet Mellisande, a rogue vampire who seeks to build her own army and to fulfill a prophecy. She has turned a group of teens into vampires, but Bobby has special powers, including telekinesis, that the other vamps do not possess. Chaz and Gina's friend Marcy are among the new vamps who are training in combat skills to take on the vampire council, and Gina must step up to save her friends.
Gina Covello's Perks and Pitfalls of Vamp Life
1. Hello?! Eternal youth and beauty!
2. Free. Designer. Clothes.
3. My hot new boyfriend Bobby went from chess dud to vamp stud.
4. No reflection! First order of business: turn my own stylist to stop the downward spiral from chic to eek.
5. Vampire vixen Mellisande has taken an interest in my boyfriend, and is now transforming the entire high school into her own personal vampire army. If anyone's going to start their own undead entourage it should be me.
This book has pretty much everthing you need: Mindless banter, fashionable lead character who just happens to now be a vampire with the powers to not be glamoured by any vamp; a boyfriend who has mad skills; teens being turned into vamps to start an army; a nasty female vampire who wants to rule the world but has to deal with the vampire council first in a uber showdown of wacky proportions. It's also a very quick read so you can pretty much read it in one sitting if you have the time.
Make sure you read the second book in the series if you start this one. You will know what I mean once you do.
December 31, 2009
Vamped is about a girl named Gina who becomes a vampire becuase she was bittne by her boyfriend Bobby. He finds her in the cemetery covered in mud which obviously shows she dug her way out, they get forced to move into a house and become soldiers/prisoners which happens to have there whole grade already there including her exboyfriend and the girl who she hates who's dating her ex boyfriend. Gina must find a way to live her glamorous vampire life and save her class mates before they all become minions.
I think this is a Text-to-Text connection because in a story I read on a Website called Quizilla this girl named Lacy was trying to break out of her all Boys Juvenille Camp. Everthing was fine until the new girl came in a stole her boyfriend,she didn't want ot be around that so her only solution was to break out. In the end Lacy was on the run just like how Gina and her classmates are.
I have this book 5 stars because I could not put it down. It's extremmelly funny and has the whole save the world super hero thing. It was just awsome.
I think this is a Text-to-Text connection because in a story I read on a Website called Quizilla this girl named Lacy was trying to break out of her all Boys Juvenille Camp. Everthing was fine until the new girl came in a stole her boyfriend,she didn't want ot be around that so her only solution was to break out. In the end Lacy was on the run just like how Gina and her classmates are.
I have this book 5 stars because I could not put it down. It's extremmelly funny and has the whole save the world super hero thing. It was just awsome.
November 16, 2009
Vamped by Lucienne Diver is about a girl named Gina who has to dig her way out of her grave and realizes that she is actually a vampire. Her vampire boyfriend Bobby finds her in the cemetery dirt with mud. When they are chased down, they are forced to live in a dorm hosted by the powerful vampire Mellisande. Gina couldnt take it anymore so she decides to fight back.
Text to Text. This sort of reminds me of the book Once Dead, Twice Shy. Its like Bobby is protecting Gina with his powers. In the book Once Dead Twice Shy, Madison is protected by a light reaper from a dark reaper. Its like Bobby is Ginas light reaper.
I would give this book 3 stars. I didnt really like it that much because the book would tush into other things that i couldnt understand and would have to read over again. Plus i didnt really like the character Gina, even if she was in extreme danger she would be thinking about her clothes and how she looked. I would reccomend the book Once Dead Twice Shy.
Text to Text. This sort of reminds me of the book Once Dead, Twice Shy. Its like Bobby is protecting Gina with his powers. In the book Once Dead Twice Shy, Madison is protected by a light reaper from a dark reaper. Its like Bobby is Ginas light reaper.
I would give this book 3 stars. I didnt really like it that much because the book would tush into other things that i couldnt understand and would have to read over again. Plus i didnt really like the character Gina, even if she was in extreme danger she would be thinking about her clothes and how she looked. I would reccomend the book Once Dead Twice Shy.
August 17, 2009
Gina was not a real character. No human being (or former human being!) like this would exist in this dimension or any other. Gina was more a running joke than a character, with as much depth as an article in Cosmo.
Someone compared her to Cordelia on Buffy. Yes, Cordelia was superficial and hilariously biting, but Cordelia had at least some substance to her character. I couldn't finish this. It was simply ridiculous.
The narrator accepting that she's waking up in a grave and thus a vampire within mere pages? Reassuring herself she's awesome because she's Gina Covello? Please.
Someone compared her to Cordelia on Buffy. Yes, Cordelia was superficial and hilariously biting, but Cordelia had at least some substance to her character. I couldn't finish this. It was simply ridiculous.
The narrator accepting that she's waking up in a grave and thus a vampire within mere pages? Reassuring herself she's awesome because she's Gina Covello? Please.
Read
July 15, 2010Can't truely say i read the book becuase after the second chapter, i wanted to throw myself off the roof of my house. Never in my life had i encountered such an annoying character. The tone that seemed to pop out the page, was shrill. Like i was ready to burn the book. 2 chapters! No person, Realistiically, could be so self-centered and egotistical. The main character expected everything to land on her lap. That juust irritated the crap out of me. Don't think i will ever try to read this book again.
January 23, 2009
A big thanks to Lucienne herself for sending me a copy of VAMPED to review! This 4 stars is super close to 5, like 4 3/4! Maybe I should just mark it five. This book is written with a fabulous voice, and if you like a good vampire novel, and fun quick read with lots of wit, this is the one for you. It reminds me of Cordelia from Buffy turning Vamp with a concience. It was great! For a full review and author interview check out http://myfavoriteauthor.blogspot.com the second week of Feb.
May 11, 2009
Gina gets bitten on prom night by the once geeky, but now super hot Bobby. The next thing she knows she digging her way out of a coffin dressed in her worst dress.
Gina is super self centered, and only seems to care about clothes, cars, and hairstyles. Not my favorite.
Gina is super self centered, and only seems to care about clothes, cars, and hairstyles. Not my favorite.
October 15, 2015
i liked it cause i love vampire books i have a lot of vampire books
May 4, 2025
Unfortunately this book is a flop in my opinion. I think it had the potential to be really good but so many details are missing.
The book instantly starts with the main character, Gina, clawing her way out of her coffin, figuring out that she is a vampire. Her sire a former chess geek now turned to hottie vampire boyfriend? There is next to no back story on events leading up to where she is now except she died during prom due to a car accident.
The whole gist of the book is that Mellisande (a vampire) is creating an "army" by taking high school students, turning them into vampires, and training them to over throw the vampire counsel. (We don't get much information on the counsel).
You have Mellisande's sire Alistaire who is, but isn't a vampire, he is now some inhuman crazy "angel of death" who likes to speak in riddles but doesn't make since being in the book. (I assume he will be better explained in the books after this one)? Then Bobby, Gina's hottie vampire boyfriend is apparently a part of some prophecy which has little to no backstory! There is A LOT of action that takes place but sadly the book is so fast paced you don't get any good details to visualize.
Gina herself being the main character is not someone most people can relate to. She is downright self centered, annoying, rude, and thinks she is the "it" girl. I will say she does "improve" herself as the story plays out but not by a lot.
The story jumps around SO MUCH it's hard to stay focused without losing interest. This book gives me wanna be Buffy the Vampire Slayer vibes but from Temu... I personally wouldn't recommend this book to read, BUT maybe if it was rewritten it would have a chance at redemption.
The book instantly starts with the main character, Gina, clawing her way out of her coffin, figuring out that she is a vampire. Her sire a former chess geek now turned to hottie vampire boyfriend? There is next to no back story on events leading up to where she is now except she died during prom due to a car accident.
The whole gist of the book is that Mellisande (a vampire) is creating an "army" by taking high school students, turning them into vampires, and training them to over throw the vampire counsel. (We don't get much information on the counsel).
You have Mellisande's sire Alistaire who is, but isn't a vampire, he is now some inhuman crazy "angel of death" who likes to speak in riddles but doesn't make since being in the book. (I assume he will be better explained in the books after this one)? Then Bobby, Gina's hottie vampire boyfriend is apparently a part of some prophecy which has little to no backstory! There is A LOT of action that takes place but sadly the book is so fast paced you don't get any good details to visualize.
Gina herself being the main character is not someone most people can relate to. She is downright self centered, annoying, rude, and thinks she is the "it" girl. I will say she does "improve" herself as the story plays out but not by a lot.
The story jumps around SO MUCH it's hard to stay focused without losing interest. This book gives me wanna be Buffy the Vampire Slayer vibes but from Temu... I personally wouldn't recommend this book to read, BUT maybe if it was rewritten it would have a chance at redemption.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 7, 2023
Vamped by Lucienne Diver is a witty and fun young adult novel that explores the perks and pitfalls of vampire life through the eyes of its protagonist, Gina Covello. The book starts with Gina being turned into a vampire by her hot new boyfriend Bobby, and from there, Gina dives headfirst into her new life with all the enthusiasm of a newly turned vamp.
One of the things that I loved about this book was Gina's voice. She's smart, sarcastic, and irreverent, and her sense of humor keeps the story moving along at a quick pace. Her observations about vampire life are both hilarious and insightful, and I found myself laughing out loud more than once while reading this book.
But Vamped is more than just a comedy - it also has plenty of action and drama to keep readers engaged. The threat of Mellisande and her vampire army provides a compelling plotline that keeps the tension high throughout the book, and the supporting characters - from Gina's best friend to her fashion-challenged stylist - are all well-drawn and memorable.
Overall, I highly recommend Vamped to anyone looking for a fun, fast-paced read with plenty of humor and heart. Whether you're a fan of vampire stories or just looking for a good YA novel, this book is sure to delight you.
One of the things that I loved about this book was Gina's voice. She's smart, sarcastic, and irreverent, and her sense of humor keeps the story moving along at a quick pace. Her observations about vampire life are both hilarious and insightful, and I found myself laughing out loud more than once while reading this book.
But Vamped is more than just a comedy - it also has plenty of action and drama to keep readers engaged. The threat of Mellisande and her vampire army provides a compelling plotline that keeps the tension high throughout the book, and the supporting characters - from Gina's best friend to her fashion-challenged stylist - are all well-drawn and memorable.
Overall, I highly recommend Vamped to anyone looking for a fun, fast-paced read with plenty of humor and heart. Whether you're a fan of vampire stories or just looking for a good YA novel, this book is sure to delight you.
January 28, 2020
Vamped is the first book in this YA series. Gina founds out she is part of the un dead when she wakes up in her own coffin and claws her way out. Bobby the geeky boy from school, is actually a vampire who turns Gina the night of Prom. Some girls get pregnant on prom night poor Gina becomes a vampire. Just because she is a vampire does not mean she lost her taste for high fashion and cute boys. Did I mention Bobby as a vampire is pretty hot in Gina's eye? bye bye chess club nerd. Expect the teen drama and angst and sarcasm but overall a good story line. I look forward to seeing how the characters grow in future books.
December 25, 2023
Vamped is not your average young adult vampire story. Think less Twilight and more Mary Janice Davidson and early Lynsay Sands. The book is filled with humor, action, and a budding romance. Gina Covello’s prom night ends with a make-out session with Bobby, the suddenly hot former chess champion and her life changes forever. Gina is a snarky, take-charge girl with more than a hint of vanity. Over the course of the book she learns to think of others as well as herself. There is not a lot of relationship development between Bobby and Gina as they spend much of the book apart. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys paranormal stories that don’t take themselves too seriously.
November 17, 2024
Great start to this series. Gina has made a few bad choices and wakes up dead and even worse she can’t see herself in the mirror to make sure her look is on point! Seems there is a bad vamp in town that is making a teenage army to fight the counsel for power only she has kept the fighting part under wraps. Gina is doing every thing she can to gain as much information as possible to keep herself safe while also giving fashion tips and haircuts. She is all the teenage angst and delight in one package that is now a vampire. The story moves along at a great pace and I am looking forward to see what is next for Gina.
February 3, 2020
Gina gets bitten by the class geek during the prom and wakes up in her coffin as a vampire. The story goes downhill from there unless you want to read about a teen who’s obsessed with clothes and looks.
February 4, 2018
This book was really good! Gina's so LOVEABLE! <3 Not only does she share a name with one of my BFFs from High School, but she's very fun and cool at the same time! <3
August 22, 2018
It was boring ish.
March 19, 2020
Good, quick paced, easy read. Definitely fun to follow and very witty!
August 14, 2021
Énorme déception. L'histoire n'a aucun sens et je n'ai pas du tout accroché avec le style d'écriture de l'auteur :/
July 14, 2022
This was a reread that I read a long time ago. It was exciting, sweet, and a good read to re set my vampire mode again.
February 17, 2023
It was good but really reminded me of different books I’d already read especially Twilight. It was a book to just knock out of the way while I waited for others on the way.
April 1, 2011
When I requested a sample of this novel for my Kindle and read the first couple of pages, I clicked "Buy Now" immediately and was amped to keep reading. Sadly, my hopes were dashed somewhere around chapter three when I realized that the "vapid Gina" act wasn't really an act, it was the real deal. To be perfectly frank, this novel is a train wreck and it's difficult to point a finger at one particular problem, so I tried my best to parse them out into list form (this was more for my own sanity than anything else) in the hopes that I could better isolate the larger issues.
**Spoilers**
1. There is absolutely no character development. Period. None. I have no idea why Gina (the protagonist) was turned into a vamp by her quasi-boyfriend Bobby. I know only that Gina had a boyfriend, not Bobby, until the night she sneaked off and made out with Bobby who subsequently bit her. There is little to no emotional connection between the characters, other than the author telling us there is, and I was left wondering why or how they ever came to be a couple in the first place.
2. Almost immediately, the reader is thrust into the midst of a war of sorts, where baddie Melli is creating and collecting newborn vamps in order to create an army. She is the cause of Bobby's vampirism and is none too happy that Bobby has turned Gina. So here's what doesn't work. There's no explanation of the purpose of this battle. I'm sorry, maybe I'm being picky, but I like to know why things are happening. Not knowing the motivations of characters I'm expected to love or hate or feel sorry for is a huge flaw.
3. Ugh, the over abundance of hip lingo and biting sarcasm from Gina. I get that the author is trying to portray Gina as this tough on the outside, squishy on the inside kind of character, but it doesn't resonate. Gina simply comes off as snarky and rude, not misunderstood.
4. Hero to zero to hero. In the beginning of the book Gina is popular and the "it" girl at school. As newborn vamp, she's shunned by her fellow newborns. Then, for no apparent reason, she's their hero after providing some much needed hairstyling for some underclassmen. Okay, perhaps I'm oversimplifying, but not by much. Things happen in this novel that make no sense at all. I adore the underdog story. I love to see a character find their footing and take on the world, but they have to earn their way to that place, they need to work for it. Gina simply shows up and poof, all her former haters are now lemmings. Huh?
5. Issues are eluded to yet never excavated. We're told Gina has a family who clearly has some issues, we're even briefly introduced to Gina's sister - literally less than a paragraph dedicated to this little run in - and that's it. This is only one example of a thread introduced and never explored, there are tons of them. If only the author took the time to delve a little deeper, this book could have been salvaged. If Gina was real, I could connect. If her motivations were clear, I could have overlooked some glaring problems, but nothing ever gelled because the reader is never given enough of anything to allow for a connection of any kind.
So those are the major flaws, as I noted there are quite a few niggling little flaws as well, I just don't have the energy to go on. Anyway, I was hoping for some really amusing, campy vampire fun and what I came away with was a lot of frustration and irritation. Needless to say, I won't be going on to the sequel.
**Spoilers**
1. There is absolutely no character development. Period. None. I have no idea why Gina (the protagonist) was turned into a vamp by her quasi-boyfriend Bobby. I know only that Gina had a boyfriend, not Bobby, until the night she sneaked off and made out with Bobby who subsequently bit her. There is little to no emotional connection between the characters, other than the author telling us there is, and I was left wondering why or how they ever came to be a couple in the first place.
2. Almost immediately, the reader is thrust into the midst of a war of sorts, where baddie Melli is creating and collecting newborn vamps in order to create an army. She is the cause of Bobby's vampirism and is none too happy that Bobby has turned Gina. So here's what doesn't work. There's no explanation of the purpose of this battle. I'm sorry, maybe I'm being picky, but I like to know why things are happening. Not knowing the motivations of characters I'm expected to love or hate or feel sorry for is a huge flaw.
3. Ugh, the over abundance of hip lingo and biting sarcasm from Gina. I get that the author is trying to portray Gina as this tough on the outside, squishy on the inside kind of character, but it doesn't resonate. Gina simply comes off as snarky and rude, not misunderstood.
4. Hero to zero to hero. In the beginning of the book Gina is popular and the "it" girl at school. As newborn vamp, she's shunned by her fellow newborns. Then, for no apparent reason, she's their hero after providing some much needed hairstyling for some underclassmen. Okay, perhaps I'm oversimplifying, but not by much. Things happen in this novel that make no sense at all. I adore the underdog story. I love to see a character find their footing and take on the world, but they have to earn their way to that place, they need to work for it. Gina simply shows up and poof, all her former haters are now lemmings. Huh?
5. Issues are eluded to yet never excavated. We're told Gina has a family who clearly has some issues, we're even briefly introduced to Gina's sister - literally less than a paragraph dedicated to this little run in - and that's it. This is only one example of a thread introduced and never explored, there are tons of them. If only the author took the time to delve a little deeper, this book could have been salvaged. If Gina was real, I could connect. If her motivations were clear, I could have overlooked some glaring problems, but nothing ever gelled because the reader is never given enough of anything to allow for a connection of any kind.
So those are the major flaws, as I noted there are quite a few niggling little flaws as well, I just don't have the energy to go on. Anyway, I was hoping for some really amusing, campy vampire fun and what I came away with was a lot of frustration and irritation. Needless to say, I won't be going on to the sequel.
July 13, 2011
First in the Vamped contemporary Young Adult urban fantasy series.
The Story
After necking with Bobby Delvecchio in a closet on Prom Night, the car in which Gina Covello and her date, Chaz, gets wrecked and, unbeknownst to Gina, they both die. Well, only temporarily, for three days later, Gina scratches and claws her way out of her coffin completely ruining her manicure only to find Bobby waiting for her. Patiently. With several red shopping bags from Macy's waiting on her.
Unfortunately, Gina and Bobby's freedom doesn't last long as Melli, the vamp who turned Bobby, wants him for his unique power so she can take over the council. Part of Mellisande's plans is to raise her own army, which she builds by taking high school students.
Unfortunately for Mellisande, she disses Gina as unimportant. A disrespect Gina will never tolerate and so it begins with the Betsy-impersonation.
The Characters
The main protagonist is Gina Covello. One of the reigning teen queens at the local high school. Almost as primary is Bobby, a member of the chess and debate clubs. Other than that, it's the usual collection of warring teens with the popular fighting for position and boys and the meeker settling for being happy and safe.
Naturally the evil bitch-vamp, Mellisande, is evil to the max while her chief henchman, Connor, is a blank. Yeah, he's plotting, carefully, against her but he's not much of a conniver as Gina easily overcomes him. Melli's remaining henchmen are rather cartoonish in their roles; I almost expected to see Wiley Coyote slamming into something.
My Take
If you enjoy MaryJanice Davidson's Queen Betsy, you'll love Vamped as it's Betsy if she had been turned as a young teen. Obsessed with appearance and mad about shopping, Gina Covello has sass and attitude. And doesn't hesitate to use 'em to get back her teen queen position amongst her peers.
I think what bothered me was this is all just too easy. Too teen-y. The lame name-calling didn't help. Why was such a teen queen as Gina even in a closet necking with Bobby? What was Bobby doing there in the first place if he's considered such a dweeb? Just why does Gina think Bobby is all that all of a sudden? Why did Mellisande let Bobby run around loose if he was such a treasure? Why engineer the car wreck that kills Gina if she's a nonentity? There's no real drama or tension in the story other than the typical teen angst about who's going with whom and who's wearing what. I just couldn't get excited.
The rules Diver begins the novel with are a crack-up…be sure your teenage daughters (and sons!) read these before heading out for prom!
The Cover
The cover is fabulous! I love it! Bright red with a fanged teen mouth open as she reapplies her lipstick. As for the title, Vamped, we certainly are. Gina vamps us all with her kick-ass approach while dressed to the nines.
The Story
After necking with Bobby Delvecchio in a closet on Prom Night, the car in which Gina Covello and her date, Chaz, gets wrecked and, unbeknownst to Gina, they both die. Well, only temporarily, for three days later, Gina scratches and claws her way out of her coffin completely ruining her manicure only to find Bobby waiting for her. Patiently. With several red shopping bags from Macy's waiting on her.
Unfortunately, Gina and Bobby's freedom doesn't last long as Melli, the vamp who turned Bobby, wants him for his unique power so she can take over the council. Part of Mellisande's plans is to raise her own army, which she builds by taking high school students.
Unfortunately for Mellisande, she disses Gina as unimportant. A disrespect Gina will never tolerate and so it begins with the Betsy-impersonation.
The Characters
The main protagonist is Gina Covello. One of the reigning teen queens at the local high school. Almost as primary is Bobby, a member of the chess and debate clubs. Other than that, it's the usual collection of warring teens with the popular fighting for position and boys and the meeker settling for being happy and safe.
Naturally the evil bitch-vamp, Mellisande, is evil to the max while her chief henchman, Connor, is a blank. Yeah, he's plotting, carefully, against her but he's not much of a conniver as Gina easily overcomes him. Melli's remaining henchmen are rather cartoonish in their roles; I almost expected to see Wiley Coyote slamming into something.
My Take
If you enjoy MaryJanice Davidson's Queen Betsy, you'll love Vamped as it's Betsy if she had been turned as a young teen. Obsessed with appearance and mad about shopping, Gina Covello has sass and attitude. And doesn't hesitate to use 'em to get back her teen queen position amongst her peers.
I think what bothered me was this is all just too easy. Too teen-y. The lame name-calling didn't help. Why was such a teen queen as Gina even in a closet necking with Bobby? What was Bobby doing there in the first place if he's considered such a dweeb? Just why does Gina think Bobby is all that all of a sudden? Why did Mellisande let Bobby run around loose if he was such a treasure? Why engineer the car wreck that kills Gina if she's a nonentity? There's no real drama or tension in the story other than the typical teen angst about who's going with whom and who's wearing what. I just couldn't get excited.
The rules Diver begins the novel with are a crack-up…be sure your teenage daughters (and sons!) read these before heading out for prom!
The Cover
The cover is fabulous! I love it! Bright red with a fanged teen mouth open as she reapplies her lipstick. As for the title, Vamped, we certainly are. Gina vamps us all with her kick-ass approach while dressed to the nines.
April 29, 2012
I like light, funny vampire books (see Bloodthirsty) and that’s what this one tried to be. And while I know saying something was a bit unbelievable about a book about vampires, I found a few things to be somewhat hard to swallow. First off, Gina wakes up in a coffin and comes to the conclusion that since she’s obviously dead she must be a vampire because she didn’t feel like a flesh-eating zombie. And she’s more concerned about what her parents buried her in than her current situation. Additionally, I found it weird that her parents and sister could be so blasé about her apparent death. That made them creepier than the vampires.
Also, she’s all over Bobby, who she ignored in his previous incarnation as high school chess geek; he’s nice, sweet, and turns out to be more powerful than anyone would’ve thought, but just because he bit her and bought her clothes from a stupid department store he’s her boyfriend now? I understand that after being turned Bobby is totally hot, and their relationship was actually pretty cute, but I think it would have been a bit better if they’d actually had more of a connection beforehand. That’s sort of the way I felt about the entire story. We were just kind of dumped into everything after the fact and it all moves so fast that, combined with the hard to swallow stuff, it made it hard for me to really like this book.
I did like how Gina took control, or at least tried to, of every situation she was in, not content to sit back and see how things played out but instead tried to figure out what was going on, who was involved and how she could fix things for herself and her friends.
However, she drove me nuts with the word “like” coming out of her mouth every other sentence. She lives in Ohio, not California. And the whole, Smelly Meli thing, among other nicknames, got to be annoying. It just felt like this book was trying too hard. Too hard to be cool, too hard to be funny, etc. I did feel the role of the Council was underplayed, I mean, how can these people be in charge for who knows how long if they can’t fend off a bunch of teenagers? I also want more of an explanation for the state of the crazy vampire and his situation as well as this whole prophecy thing, which was, in my opinion, pretty much ignored.
Yet, I found the supporting characters to be pretty good and as I said before, though rushed beyond belief, the relationship between Gina and Bobby was cute. My favorite thing about the book was the ending, not because I finished it, but because Diver introduced an interesting aspect to the story, setting up the sequel for who knows what. I already have Revamped thanks to the douches running Borders into the ground, and I’m actually looking forward to starting it given the twist at the end of Vamped.
Also, she’s all over Bobby, who she ignored in his previous incarnation as high school chess geek; he’s nice, sweet, and turns out to be more powerful than anyone would’ve thought, but just because he bit her and bought her clothes from a stupid department store he’s her boyfriend now? I understand that after being turned Bobby is totally hot, and their relationship was actually pretty cute, but I think it would have been a bit better if they’d actually had more of a connection beforehand. That’s sort of the way I felt about the entire story. We were just kind of dumped into everything after the fact and it all moves so fast that, combined with the hard to swallow stuff, it made it hard for me to really like this book.
I did like how Gina took control, or at least tried to, of every situation she was in, not content to sit back and see how things played out but instead tried to figure out what was going on, who was involved and how she could fix things for herself and her friends.
However, she drove me nuts with the word “like” coming out of her mouth every other sentence. She lives in Ohio, not California. And the whole, Smelly Meli thing, among other nicknames, got to be annoying. It just felt like this book was trying too hard. Too hard to be cool, too hard to be funny, etc. I did feel the role of the Council was underplayed, I mean, how can these people be in charge for who knows how long if they can’t fend off a bunch of teenagers? I also want more of an explanation for the state of the crazy vampire and his situation as well as this whole prophecy thing, which was, in my opinion, pretty much ignored.
Yet, I found the supporting characters to be pretty good and as I said before, though rushed beyond belief, the relationship between Gina and Bobby was cute. My favorite thing about the book was the ending, not because I finished it, but because Diver introduced an interesting aspect to the story, setting up the sequel for who knows what. I already have Revamped thanks to the douches running Borders into the ground, and I’m actually looking forward to starting it given the twist at the end of Vamped.
August 25, 2010
You know that old phrase "all dressed up and no where to go"? For me, this describes Vamped perfectly. Told in first person, we meet Gina, an interesting, savvy, hilarious narrator (with a killer fashion sense) who gets turned into a vamp. I loved her voice, I loved the way she saw the world and her new predicament, I loved her spontaneity and her knack for always speaking what was on her mind. The problem is she was put in drop dead gorgeous heels and then had no where to walk around in them.
The plot was less than stellar for me. For the most part, we are trapped in a large doom-like room, trying to figure out what's going on before it's too late. Gina has her chances to go kick some butt (and does willingly (and stylishly!)) but there is so much downtime where we are forced to watch her kick around her feet that it seems a little boring. Gina's voice kept me going to the end but without that amazing voice and a great cast of supporting characters, I probably would have been less than enthusiastic.
I say all the time that I am a character writer but this novel is really a case where awesome characters still weren't enough. They needed something to do. There were two fight scenes that were interesting and fun to read and a bad guy that made my toes curl but there wasn't enough of either to give me any sense of urgency. Because of this, it made the book really easy to set down... and set down again. Also, I felt the novel didn't stand on it's own and ended in that sort of cheesy "stay tuned for next time" way making it overly obvious that there was going to be a sequel and you had to buy that to get your questions answered. I wanted to feel more closure than I did.
All that plot stuff being said, I did really enjoy the wide range of characters and Bobby (her new boy toy) was an amazingly great distraction when he was in the novel. I know I was meant to really hate Rick but he ended up being one of the most interesting characters for me and I did really enjoy Alistaire (a.k.a. Psycho-physic) who was creepy behind the max.
Like I mentioned before Gina's voice is so authetic and what I loved the most about this novel is she didn't really have to change. She was selfish on the outside but really did care for people on the inside and the author rejoiced in the fact that Gina spoke her mind. She didn't have to "learn" anything. She just discovered that she was kick-ass and a natural leader who also happened to have nice hair.
I am, by no means, saying not to meet Gina. She's worth the read, at least for this first book. I am saying not to expect a killer plot to go along with her killer attitude and tight black jeans.
The plot was less than stellar for me. For the most part, we are trapped in a large doom-like room, trying to figure out what's going on before it's too late. Gina has her chances to go kick some butt (and does willingly (and stylishly!)) but there is so much downtime where we are forced to watch her kick around her feet that it seems a little boring. Gina's voice kept me going to the end but without that amazing voice and a great cast of supporting characters, I probably would have been less than enthusiastic.
I say all the time that I am a character writer but this novel is really a case where awesome characters still weren't enough. They needed something to do. There were two fight scenes that were interesting and fun to read and a bad guy that made my toes curl but there wasn't enough of either to give me any sense of urgency. Because of this, it made the book really easy to set down... and set down again. Also, I felt the novel didn't stand on it's own and ended in that sort of cheesy "stay tuned for next time" way making it overly obvious that there was going to be a sequel and you had to buy that to get your questions answered. I wanted to feel more closure than I did.
All that plot stuff being said, I did really enjoy the wide range of characters and Bobby (her new boy toy) was an amazingly great distraction when he was in the novel. I know I was meant to really hate Rick but he ended up being one of the most interesting characters for me and I did really enjoy Alistaire (a.k.a. Psycho-physic) who was creepy behind the max.
Like I mentioned before Gina's voice is so authetic and what I loved the most about this novel is she didn't really have to change. She was selfish on the outside but really did care for people on the inside and the author rejoiced in the fact that Gina spoke her mind. She didn't have to "learn" anything. She just discovered that she was kick-ass and a natural leader who also happened to have nice hair.
I am, by no means, saying not to meet Gina. She's worth the read, at least for this first book. I am saying not to expect a killer plot to go along with her killer attitude and tight black jeans.
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