Customer Reviews

Vamped

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was hoping for so much with this book. It looked cute, silly and fun. Instead it felt a bit awkward and tried really hard to be cute and light.
I would still read further work by this author, as I liked her overall style.

Gina Covello's life-altering night in only six words: went to prom, became a vampire.

Well, it's really not that simple. There were some things Gina could have done to prevent this. For one, she could have stuck with her boyfriend, Chaz, during prom instead of making out with the transformed, now uber gorgeous chess geek, Bobby. She could have found a better place so Chaz would not actually see this occur. She could have not gone in the car with a now angry and a little tipsy boyfriend who might just be a little off while driving.

If only all these "could haves" were processed before Gina could actually make an executive decision. In the end, the car crashed, Gina thought she was dead, woke up in a grave, and discovered that Bobby was not a normal chess geek, but a newly vamped one.

After clawing her way out of her grave with her superpower vamp strength, and being saved by her "vampire boyfriend," Bobby, Gina thinks that with her new life, she can rule the world. Of course that is once she gets out of the hideous ensemble her parents buried her in and shops til she drops with an addition of a serious makeover (vamps can do that, right?).

Little does Gina know that another vamp is vying to take over the vampire world and the army she is building is all too familiar with Gina and the entire town.

What's now in store for Gina? There is discovering that Bobby may not be just a normal vampire, and can he get any sexier? Then, of course, there are the harsh interrogations and treatment by a freakshow, and a dragon lady, and a revival of her arch-enemy. And who could forget the all-out battle to the end.

With a huge influx of vampire inspired novels, it is hard to choose the ones that are worth taking a bite out of. VAMPED is one novel you will want to sink your teeth into... more than once.

Lucienne Diver introduces the newest and hottest couple to the vampire world. Gina, who knows how to kick butt, take control when needed, and look good while accomplishing it all; and Bobby, the perfect gentleman vampire who knows exactly how to make Gina happy and is an amazing kisser. Watch out Edward Cullen, you have major competition.

With the combination of witty banter, intertwined with small curl-your-lip-up romantic scenes, scheming plots, and a war no one will want to miss, VAMPED is the newest, biggest vampire novel around. Do not miss out on what everyone else will be reading!

Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen

When I requested a sample of this novel for my Kindle and read the first couple of pages, I clicked "Buy Now" immediately and was amped to keep reading. Sadly, my hopes were dashed somewhere around chapter three when I realized that the "vapid Gina" act wasn't really an act, it was the real deal. To be perfectly frank, this novel is a train wreck and it's difficult to point a finger at one particular problem, so I tried my best to parse them out into list form (this was more for my own sanity than anything else) in the hopes that I could better isolate the larger issues.

**Spoilers**
1. There is absolutely no character development. Period. None. I have no idea why Gina (the protagonist) was turned into a vamp by her quasi-boyfriend Bobby. I know only that Gina had a boyfriend, not Bobby, until the night she sneaked off and made out with Bobby who subsequently bit her. There is little to no emotional connection between the characters, other than the author telling us there is, and I was left wondering why or how they ever came to be a couple in the first place.

2. Almost immediately, the reader is thrust into the midst of a war of sorts, where baddie Melli is creating and collecting newborn vamps in order to create an army. She is the cause of Bobby's vampirism and is none too happy that Bobby has turned Gina. So here's what doesn't work. There's no explanation of the purpose of this battle. I'm sorry, maybe I'm being picky, but I like to know why things are happening. Not knowing the motivations of characters I'm expected to love or hate or feel sorry for is a huge flaw.

3. Ugh, the over abundance of hip lingo and biting sarcasm from Gina. I get that the author is trying to portray Gina as this tough on the outside, squishy on the inside kind of character, but it doesn't resonate. Gina simply comes off as snarky and rude, not misunderstood.

4. Hero to zero to hero. In the beginning of the book Gina is popular and the "it" girl at school. As newborn vamp, she's shunned by her fellow newborns. Then, for no apparent reason, she's their hero after providing some much needed hairstyling for some underclassmen. Okay, perhaps I'm oversimplifying, but not by much. Things happen in this novel that make no sense at all. I adore the underdog story. I love to see a character find their footing and take on the world, but they have to earn their way to that place, they need to work for it. Gina simply shows up and poof, all her former haters are now lemmings. Huh?

5. Issues are eluded to yet never excavated. We're told Gina has a family who clearly has some issues, we're even briefly introduced to Gina's sister - literally less than a paragraph dedicated to this little run in - and that's it. This is only one example of a thread introduced and never explored, there are tons of them. If only the author took the time to delve a little deeper, this book could have been salvaged. If Gina was real, I could connect. If her motivations were clear, I could have overlooked some glaring problems, but nothing ever gelled because the reader is never given enough of anything to allow for a connection of any kind.

So those are the major flaws, as I noted there are quite a few niggling little flaws as well, I just don't have the energy to go on. Anyway, I was hoping for some really amusing, campy vampire fun and what I came away with was a lot of frustration and irritation. Needless to say, I won't be going on to the sequel.

If you have ever read MaryJanice Davidson'S Undead series and you enjoyed it, you should pickup Vamped. It's a great G rated version for teens. Plus, it's a good one day read. Though the character development is lacking, it still has a good base story line.

Gina Covello, high school Sr. was turned into a vampire at an after prom party. After drinking a little to much she found herself in a closet with of all people, the chess club geek. However, somehow he is not so geeky any more, and he kisses great.

After being in a car accident, Gina finds herself in a coffin. She realizes that she is now a vampire and how she became one. After clawing her way out she comes face to face with Bobby, the hot geek, who is carrying bags full of new clothes, shoes, and jewelery.

Together they battle power hungry vamps who are creating an army of high school vampires, insane vamps, and the like, until in the end they prevail.

Though left with a good amount of unanswered question, I still enjoyed the book as a whole.

2 of 5 stars

By combining the strength of Buffy (the Vampire Slayer) with the fashion sense of Cher Horowitz (Clueless), Ms. Diver has created a fun and fresh new addition to the vampire mythos. Not one for brooding or angst ridden posing, newly-turned vampire Gina Covello hits the ground running, quickly accepting her new un-life style with humor and her own sense of style. No wilting flower, or damsel in distress, Gina's smart, confident manner is a far better model for young readers that the some of the stalker-like, borderline abusive ones out there. Vamped is a fun, quick read that leaves you anxiously looking for the (soon-to-be-released) sequel.

You have to appreciate a vampire whose first thought is to turn her stylist because she can no longer see herself in the mirror. Imagine Elle Woods meeting Dracula and you'll get the idea what this funny, snarky, chick-lit romp is all about. I loved listening in on Gina's clueless internal monologue ("Missionary" style furniture) that was often laugh-out-loud funny and I liked watching Gina come into her own as the leader of her HS cohorts. But overall, I found the story a little muddled and would have appreciated a little more depth and detail. We're just supposed to accept certain things along the way (a Council, a medallion, a prophecy, etc.) without too much explanation of what they mean or how they're significant. The author didn't spend too much time describing her settings for us either, which was also confusing at times.

There's not much characterization here (although I liked the idea of Gina as chaos made flesh, and the psycho-psychic was beyond creepy) but there are lots of action scenes. It's just never quite clear what the battle scenes are in service of. What is clear is that the book is a set up for a sequel, just like many other YA titles I've read lately. Apparently, that's what publishers want these days, but I think this book would have been better if it hadn't left so much of its world-building for the sequel.

I read this book after I heard the author read the beginning of it at Lunacon last year. Previously, I had only mild curiosity about it, as I don't read many YA books and when I do I prefer more outright fantasy. However the author's humorous reading made me curious, and I ordered the book when I got home.

Much to my surprise I enjoyed it immensely. Not only is it a light and easy read (which it is, and which I expected) but it has unexpected depths. It shows us the coming of a age of a young woman, and with that it presents her unexpected depths of leadership and feeling, while she continues to enjoy make up and dresses. In a way it is a perfect snapshot of young women's choices today, caught between achievement and looks. And it does all this with grace, humor and without being in the slightest bit preachy.

Highly recommended. A coming of age story for our times, even if the main character has fangs. :)

While Vamped is a witty new take on the world of vampires, Vamped is not for those who love the original, dark and dangerous vampire types. But, for those who love your paranormal novels filled with humor, this is the book for you!

At the beginning of this novel, I felt like I'd missed the first chapter or so. It took me awhile to catch up with things and figure out what was going on. Even so, I was about halfway into the novel before I felt like I was really into the novel and knew what was going on, who the characters were and where things were headed. But, once I got there, it was fun. There was Gina, obsessed with her looks who had no reflection. Then she's separated from her boyfriend who has some kind of superpowers for vampires. She's held prisoner and her best friend treats her like she's got a disease, no one is talking to her. But, Gina isn't going to take it lying down. She's the kind who takes charge now and falls apart later. So, she does makeovers. When Marcy goes missing, she gets out to rescue her. And she wants to find out why the evil vamp holding them captive is building an army of high school vampires. Does she even care about them?

When Gina hides out in the head vamps office and hears a conversation she shouldn't, she finds out more of what's going on. She hopes she can round up the troops to help save Bobby and take their own fates into their hands, but mayhem ensues and retreat is required. When they are attacked the next night, more mayhem ensues and Gina and Bobby are made an offer they can't refuse!

It's not a hardcore vampire book. Other than the confusion in the beginning, it was a fun book. I'm looking forward to reading Revamped. I like the snarky way Gina talks and thinks and her comebacks. She isn't at all upset about being a vampire other than the fact that she can't see her reflection. She's a take charge kind of girl and even though she's not sure if she's making the right decision, she stands behind it so that everyone else believes in her. And she's got a boyfriend that has her back. And really knows how to talk to win a girl's heart.

I can't remember any bad language. Only one scene where Gina and Bobby are in their underwear. But that's all it says. I think this would be fine for thirteen and up.

****spoiler alert***

The story begins catching; digging out of your own grave is always interesting. The lighthearted story is about a teenage vampire socialite. She loves, hates, and fears as all teens do. Fighting to keep her fashion sense and save the group of newly vamped teens, she battles stronger, older and sometimes scarier vamps.

Here what I liked about the book. The main character, Gina Covello, was quick witted and had an air of superiority. She was a great teen drama queen, which could hold her own in a battle. I loved the language and point of view of the book. The writing was an easy read. The author left a lot of loose ends, creating the need for a second book.

Here is what I didn't like. The story began at her death, that's fine, but it lost her humanity. Because I, the reader, never saw her as human, it was hard for me to relate on that level (my level). It was strange to me that she automatically loved the boy that turned her, but not because he turned her. It was an awkward transition. I would have liked to see more relationship development between the two of them. Maybe it's because it's a teen book, it just seemed too shallow. The story was good, although it happened so fast. Bam, she's a vamp, bam, she's in trouble, bam, she saves the day (all in about a week). I like a story that evolves into something. I think it was too unreal for me to be entirely sucked in.

I give Vamped four Bran Stars! It's a good easy read that will make you laugh and remember you outrageous teenage drama. If you are a teen, you will love it. This would be a great gift for any girl that's in love with vamps.

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