Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

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The undead can really screw up your senior year ... 

Marrying a vampire definitely doesn’t fit into Jessica Packwood’s senior year “get-a-life” plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth—and he’s her long-lost fiancé. Armed with newfound confidence and a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica makes a dramatic transition from average American teenager to glam European vampire princess. But when a devious cheerleader sets her sights on Lucius, Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire war—and save Lucius’s soul from eternal destruction.

My thoughts

This book was very different than I had expected. From the blurb I thought this was going to be a light, fluffy read. Well, it wasn't. It turned out to actually be somewhat of a deep story, about identity, obligations, choice, courage, loss and love. Jessica is Romanian by birth, but has been adopted by an American couple when she was just an infant. Before her adoption though, her birth parents sealed a pact with another royal vampire clan, ensuring peace between the clans by marriage of their heirs. However, Jessica knows nothing about this until Lucius - her fiancé - suddenly appears, telling her she is a vampire and about to become his wife. Obviously, Jessica isn't very happy, and she definitely doesn't believe in vampires. She rather thinks Lucius is a bit of a lunatic, especially for him claiming to be a vampire. But Lucius, as the proper prince he is, begins to court her, so she'll decide to fulfill the pact - or else risk a vampire war. 

I loved the first half part of this book. Jessica and Lucius has some very funny banter, and there was a lot of laugh out loud moments. Jessica is very much just an average American teenager, trying to blend in, while enjoying her senior year. She is a math geek that stongly believe in the 'rational' and that everything can be explained by logic and reason. She is not very impressed by Lucius and his royal behaviour, and she doesn't find his courtship that charming. 

Lucius on the other hand is very much not an average guy, and he certainly doesn't try to blend in. In the beginning he's arrogant and has an air of general superiority. He is bit annoying, though at the same time quite charming. He also has some of the funniest lines. Seriously, he made me laugh so hard. And his observation of Americans and their talk, behaviour and customs were so hilarious. But he gradually adapts and starts to see his own life in a new light, in which he definitely didn't have an easy time. He really was a tortured hero, though without acting much of one, because he is also a very strong character. 

I didn't like the last part of the book nearly as much as the first part. Everything grew much darker and Lucius changed a great deal, and I didn't like that change very much. Actually, I kind of got annoyed with him, and at times I just wanted to slap him or shake him. But at the same time, I almost understood his reason for what he did. Some of it, anyway. And Jessica too changed a lot. I liked the change in her, though, she got more confident in herself and started to live up to her being a princess, and therefore a future ruler, but she also got very focused on Lucius, as she started to fall in love with him. I'm surprised to say that the latter part irked me a bit at times, but Jessica made me almost roll my eyes several times.

All in all, this was a fun book with an interesting take on vampires.

☆ ☆ ☆