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Oct. 4th, 2015 12:48 pmThis is the epitome of a biased review, because I have been waiting for a finished version of Elisa Catrina's The First Bite Is the Deepest since about 2009, when it was a wacky parody called "VAMPTERVENTION!"
The First Bite is the Deepest has gotten significantly darker and more serious in its themes since then, but don't worry, it still features plenty of terrible vampire puns. TAKE IT LIKE A MANPIRE.
The book starts out when Stella Ortiz, solid student, field hockey player, and frequent reader of terrible romance novels, meets -- of course! -- a MYSTERIOUS TRANSFER STUDENT named Sebastian.
Stella thinks Sebastian is hot and tragic. Stella's friends Jenny, Nadia and Austin, who are kind of annoyed that Stella keeps skipping horror movie night for dates, think Sebastian is a pretentious, controlling douchebag.
When it turns out -- surprising no one -- that Sebastian is a vampire, Stella thinks maybe she can save Sebastian through the power of love! Stella's friends think she needs to get out of this relationship, FAST.
Unfortunately, breakup-and-exposure methods like sneaking up on Sebastian, shouting 'PERFORMANCE ART!!!' and dumping a bucket of blood on his head don't really do anything except encourage Sebastian to call in his whole terrifying vampire family for backup.
Pretty soon there are mysterious creatures of the night lurking around their houses, sinister storms blowing in their windows, and vampires at school making rude assumptions about Nadia's decision to wear hijab. Also, at least one member of the gang is sort of unsure how to feel about the fact that their nascent sexuality crisis has been completely overshadowed by vampire drama.
It quickly becomes evident, even to Stella, that Sebastian is probably very bad news. But as the stakes get higher for everyone, breaking away becomes increasingly difficult -- and while Jenny, Nadia and Austin are determined to wage an anti-vampire crusade whether Stella's emotionally ready to stake her ex-boyfriend through the heart or not, the hardest part is not just staying alive and un-vampiric, but figuring out how to support each other and keep their friendships intact.
I am so excited that Elisa's decided to self-publish this book: it's funny and clever and emotionally hard-hitting, it doesn't shy away from the complications and ambiguities of abusive relationships, and it puts the friendships between teen girls of color squarely at the center of the narrative. (Although I should add in a warning for abusive relationships in general -- not just Stella's, but also a couple other terrible vampire relationships, including pseudo-parental abuse.) It doesn't come out until October 31 -- hence the Amazon link, because a.) I totally want to encourage pre-orders and b.) there is no goodreads link! -- and though, as I said, the author is a longtime friend and I am the world's most biased reviewer, I would super recommend it.
The First Bite is the Deepest has gotten significantly darker and more serious in its themes since then, but don't worry, it still features plenty of terrible vampire puns. TAKE IT LIKE A MANPIRE.
The book starts out when Stella Ortiz, solid student, field hockey player, and frequent reader of terrible romance novels, meets -- of course! -- a MYSTERIOUS TRANSFER STUDENT named Sebastian.
Stella thinks Sebastian is hot and tragic. Stella's friends Jenny, Nadia and Austin, who are kind of annoyed that Stella keeps skipping horror movie night for dates, think Sebastian is a pretentious, controlling douchebag.
When it turns out -- surprising no one -- that Sebastian is a vampire, Stella thinks maybe she can save Sebastian through the power of love! Stella's friends think she needs to get out of this relationship, FAST.
Unfortunately, breakup-and-exposure methods like sneaking up on Sebastian, shouting 'PERFORMANCE ART!!!' and dumping a bucket of blood on his head don't really do anything except encourage Sebastian to call in his whole terrifying vampire family for backup.
Pretty soon there are mysterious creatures of the night lurking around their houses, sinister storms blowing in their windows, and vampires at school making rude assumptions about Nadia's decision to wear hijab. Also, at least one member of the gang is sort of unsure how to feel about the fact that their nascent sexuality crisis has been completely overshadowed by vampire drama.
It quickly becomes evident, even to Stella, that Sebastian is probably very bad news. But as the stakes get higher for everyone, breaking away becomes increasingly difficult -- and while Jenny, Nadia and Austin are determined to wage an anti-vampire crusade whether Stella's emotionally ready to stake her ex-boyfriend through the heart or not, the hardest part is not just staying alive and un-vampiric, but figuring out how to support each other and keep their friendships intact.
I am so excited that Elisa's decided to self-publish this book: it's funny and clever and emotionally hard-hitting, it doesn't shy away from the complications and ambiguities of abusive relationships, and it puts the friendships between teen girls of color squarely at the center of the narrative. (Although I should add in a warning for abusive relationships in general -- not just Stella's, but also a couple other terrible vampire relationships, including pseudo-parental abuse.) It doesn't come out until October 31 -- hence the Amazon link, because a.) I totally want to encourage pre-orders and b.) there is no goodreads link! -- and though, as I said, the author is a longtime friend and I am the world's most biased reviewer, I would super recommend it.
