Vamped

Teenagers will likely bite at the fun premise of Diver’s YA debut, first in a planned series. When Gina awakens in a grave and discovers she’s a vampire—her senior prom didn’t end well—one of her first concerns is facing “an all-liquid diet, a life without tanning options.” She continues to focus on fashion (and to deliver feisty insults) even as she finds herself embroiled in (and eventually leading) a vampire war, which involves a mysterious prophecy—and many of her former classmates. The story’s appeal lies in Gina’s snarky narration, though readers may have trouble tracking all of the characters. The plot takes a while to arrive at its gory action scenes, complete with severed limbs and garlic bombs. Readers will be entertained by some great one-liners (“Yup, just a day in the life of a typical teen... only instead of dodging gossip and pop quizzes, it was stakes and [holy water] spritzing”) and a nascent romance for Gina, though the open-ended finale leaves answers about the prophecy and other questions until a later volume. Ages 14–up. (May)