Pretty Dead by Francesca Lia Block

2 stars -- I don't like it

Pretty Dead is, unsurprisingly, a vampire story. But it doesn't do anything to add to the topic.

The main character, Charlotte, is a vampire--and has been for 100 years (a common age for vampires). She was turned when she was 16. She's going to school to see what's it like for other people who look her age. She's fabulously rich (due to her long life), and she hates the vampire who turned her.

It's all very much, "Been there, done that."

The only possibly unique turn to the story is that it details not only the century Charlotte has lived as a vampire (and her possibly incestuous life before turning), but also her transition from vampire back to mortal.

I say possibly unique, because--though I have by no means read all vampire fiction--I haven't come across it before. But I can't imagine that it hasn't been done before.

While the writing of the story is beautiful, and it's pleasant to read, the story itself lacks much substance, and I was left thinking, "What?" many times.

Charlotte's "best friend" (in quotes because vampires are too sad and lonely to have real best friends), Emily, commits suicide. Charlotte attempts to comfort Emily's boyfriend, Jared. This quickly turns into more than comfort--as one would typically expect in a romance novel, but not so much in a YA novel. (The reason this was a "What?" moment for me is that the whole first half of the novel talks about how Jared and Emily were perfect, perfect, perfect for each other, and Jared was so distraught over her suicide that he nearly commits suicide. Yet, it only takes him a few days before he's sketching Charlotte naked...)

Anyway, the story ends by Jared nearly being turned into a vampire by William, Charlotte's creator; discovering that Emily is a vampire (and a bitchy one at that) and not truly dead; and nearly getting blown up--saved only by Charlotte, who has managed to regain supernatural mind-reading powers now that she's mortal.

Jared leaves.

And then comes back to mortal, suddenly poor Charlotte because they have found that ever-elusive "true love." (By the way why because she's suddenly mortal, does Charlotte suddenly become poor? Did she have to get rid of all of antique and expensive stuff?? She owned a mansion outright, and surely selling it would have gotten her a could million dollars to tide her over...)

Also, the cover is very cheap-looking, and I was embarrassed to read the book anywhere but at home. It doesn't relate to the interior or title at all, and I hope when the book is put in softcover (or, heaven forbid, reprinted), they choose something a little less tacky.