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Overview
Destiny Weller and her twin sister, Livvy, return from their summer vacation with an overpowering thirst –– an inhuman desire to drink blood.
Have they turned into vampires?
How will they keep their horrifying secret from their family and friends?
And can they find a way to become human again ... before it's too late?
After sixteen-year-old Destiny and her twin sister Livvy are turned into partial vampires at a summer camp, they try to find the "Restorer," someone who can return them to normal.
Synopsis
Destiny Weller and her twin sister, Livvy, return from their summer vacation with an overpowering thirst –– an inhuman desire to drink blood.
Have they turned into vampires?
How will they keep their horrifying secret from their family and friends?
And can they find a way to become human again ... before it's too late?
Publishers Weekly
Stine delivers a fast and breezy vampire tale punctuated with a few nasty shocks. The summer before senior year, high schooler Destiny Weller and her twin sister, Livvy, are trying to put their mother's suicide behind them and are working as camp counselors. Each is attracted to-and bitten by-Lorenzo "Renz" Angelini, an ancient vampire masquerading as a hunky staff member. Back at home, Destiny and Livvy have no recollection of Renz, but both are secretly overcome by a sudden lust for blood. Gory scenes of the sisters killing and feasting on small animals will sate horror fans ("And both girls buried their faces in the warm body, and fed... fed so hungrily on the warm blood"). As the sisters race to find the so-called Restorer, who alone can cure their condition, Renz appears in another guise and stalks Destiny to make her a full vampire. As in his Fear Street books, Stine sends his characters through the details of a plot that is basically all chase; the few glimpses of the sisters' everyday life won't slow down readers who like their chillers quick and light. Ages 12-up. (Aug.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly
Stine delivers a fast and breezy vampire tale punctuated with a few nasty shocks. The summer before senior year, high schooler Destiny Weller and her twin sister, Livvy, are trying to put their mother's suicide behind them and are working as camp counselors. Each is attracted to-and bitten by-Lorenzo "Renz" Angelini, an ancient vampire masquerading as a hunky staff member. Back at home, Destiny and Livvy have no recollection of Renz, but both are secretly overcome by a sudden lust for blood. Gory scenes of the sisters killing and feasting on small animals will sate horror fans ("And both girls buried their faces in the warm body, and fed... fed so hungrily on the warm blood"). As the sisters race to find the so-called Restorer, who alone can cure their condition, Renz appears in another guise and stalks Destiny to make her a full vampire. As in his Fear Street books, Stine sends his characters through the details of a plot that is basically all chase; the few glimpses of the sisters' everyday life won't slow down readers who like their chillers quick and light. Ages 12-up. (Aug.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.VOYA
Here is a vampire story with all the requisite ingredients: a young, rash girl; a dark, handsome stranger; odd happenings at a summer camp; an underground group of vampire hunters; and an old (hundreds of years) romance. Sisters Destiny and Livvy could not be more different. Destiny is the conscientious one, and Livvy is ruled by her passions, but one thing binds them together. When they return from summer camp they both share a strong abhorrence of light and a driving need to hunt small creatures and drink their blood. Destiny is horrified and wants to do everything in her power to save herself, but her sister is excited by her newfound power. A change is coming upon them, and if Destiny does not find a cure before the next full moon they could be condemned to endless life. There are no surprises in this book that resurrects all of the archetypes of the vampire story. Stine does a competent job of tying together quite a few separate story lines. The mystery surrounding the girls' father's true vocation is the glue that holds the tale together. This fast read is perfect for a summer afternoon. Die-hard vampire fans and those saddened by the demise of Buffy's television show will eagerly read this title. VOYA Codes: 2Q 4P M J (Better editing or work by the author might have warranted a 3Q; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2003, HarperCollins, 256p,— Alison Kastner