Still Sucks to Be Me picks up just after the first book ends. Mina Hamilton is now a vampire. She's just getting used to her new abilities, but her life/undeath is complete. She has her best friend, Serena, and her wonderful boyfriend, George. What more could a person ask for? It would have been perfect if the Vampire Relocation Agency hadn't forced her family to fake their deaths and relocate to a teeny tiny city named Cartville in the middle of nowhere (also known as Louisiana). Now Mina is thrown into a completely different environment, without any support. Serena, while she knows Mina is alive, has to stay in California and George goes to reconnect with his parents in Brazil. (Gorgeous beach babes may or may not be involved.) At her new school, she's popular because she's from California, but that comes with a whole set of new problems, including a raging jealous rival and Cameron, a mysterious and sexy vampire. Plus a goth vampire wannabe is trying to kill her best friend. Can Mina's life suck any more?
Kimberly Pauley's Still Sucks to Be Me is just as charming, light hearted, and funny as its predecessor. It's completely different from most of the other vampire teen lit out there that focuses on forbidden relationships, tortured souls, and general gloom and doom. Stuff like that doesn't happen in real teens' lives. Mina is just a regular teenager, who now needs to drink blood and is pretty much immortal. But don't think that being a vampire is a picnic. You have to make sure not to get photographed, keep your strength in check, and keep your diet a secret. Mina is one of my favorite vampire heroines. Her observations and insights are funny as well as intelligent. I could never get bored reading from her point of view. I also really enjoyed her journey entries and the truth (or untruth) of vampire myths on the header of each chapter complete with cute drawings.
I love the new setting in Louisiana. It allows Mina to get used to a small town, where everyone knows everyone else's business. Louisiana also has a rich vampire history. In the novel, vampires dress in the goth style and sell vampire souvenirs because of that history. I like when vampire novels pay homage instead of ignoring the vast history of vampire literature. The new cast of characters is also enjoyable to read. Cameron is my favorite new character. He is mysterious and attractive, but not tortured and whiny like Angel or Edward. Throughout most of the story, the reader doesn't know what side he is on, lending to his complexity as a character. I almost hoped that George wouldn't come back to see where the relationship with Cameron would lead.
Still Sucks to Be Me is a unique teen vampire read for those that are sick and tired of the unrealistic drama of those typical vampire books. If there is going to be another book in the series, I hope it gets published faster because I can't wait!
*****My rating: 4/5 fishmuffins*****
**This book comes out on May 11! Pre-order here.**
**Check out Kimberly Pauley's awesome site for goodies and cool stuff!**
**Read my review on the first book here.**
**Read my review on the first book here.**
2 comments:
Yay! So glad you liked it! If I get to write a third book, there'll be more Cameron in it...
Sounds like something I should give a try.
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