Thoughts of a nerdy feminist

I thought I was sick of vampires, but I really liked this book.  

There are a number of things about this book that have been done before.  I've read many books in which vampires were known to the public.  Another teen main character, with a powerful, compelling, attractive vampire.  

I think this book proves that it doesn't matter if something has been done before, so long as you take it and make it your own.  And you can still do something original with it.  What really made this book special to me was the care with which she revealed the character's background.  I felt very early on that I understood Tana incredibly well, and could even relate with her on many levels.  Other characters seemed familiar to me as well.  I've definitely known the charming, philandering type, like Aidan.  And other characters, those obsessed with vampirism?  I've known a fer like that, as well.  The characters were very believable.  

While the vampires were the literal monsters of the story, honestly, I found the humans more frightening in many ways.  The author does an excellent job illustrating just how screwed up a person has to be to truly want to be a vampire, knowing that they are killers.  And she addresses the boredom that would have to come with immortality.

At about eighty percent of the way through, I did guess what the ending would be.  That said, it was the perfect ending.  To end it any other way would have cheapened the story, ruined it.  If you enjoy vampires, I absolutely recommend this book.  If you're sick of vampires, I recommend giving this a shot anyway.  You may be pleasantly surprised.