Drink, Slay, Love in What's the Name of That Book???

Jul 06, 2011 Jessica rated it it was amazing

Shelves: youngadult, werewolvesnvampires

Oh, I loved this book so much! Pearl is so wonderfully . . . not human. So used to the manipulations and compete emotionlessness of her own family. And the blending of vampire and unicorn mythology? Genius. A very fun read, made even more delightful by Durst's excellent storytelling and wonderful writing. ...more

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Jan 23, 2011 Liz rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-star, young-adult, favorites, paranormal

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: as soon I saw the synopsis and cover of Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst, I knew I would be reading this book. After I finished, I had only one regret: not reading it sooner. Durst took me by surprise with her funny yet insightful novel that had me turning pages late into the night.

While I guessed from the summary that Drink, Slay, Love was supposed to be funny, I was impressed that Durst actually pulled it off. I read Ice by her a few years earl I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: as soon I saw the synopsis and cover of Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst, I knew I would be reading this book. After I finished, I had only one regret: not reading it sooner. Durst took me by surprise with her funny yet insightful novel that had me turning pages late into the night.

While I guessed from the summary that Drink, Slay, Love was supposed to be funny, I was impressed that Durst actually pulled it off. I read Ice by her a few years earlier, and that was a fairly serious book. Durst’s humor here stems from the fact that she has a strong knowledge of popular culture and an ability to write snappy, witty dialogue. It’s possible some of the things she alludes to, like Twilight and Snuggies, might not mean anything to teenagers ten years from now, but I think she chose timeless enough references that this isn’t too high of a risk.

As you can see, Durst’s humor was probably my favorite part of the novel, but I think that the paranormal elements were fantastic as well. Durst clearly spent a lot of her time thinking not only about the paranormal creatures in her novel and their day-today lives, but the worlds around them. Pearl contemplates the life she used to lead versus living a different kind of lifestyle. She begins to question whether or not she could continue feasting on humans.

This element of the story was crucial for a variety of reasons: for one thing, seeing Pearl grow throughout the story gave readers a chance to care about her and her story. Second of all, and I hinted at this before, Durst actually thinks about how paranormal creatures can and do get by amidst humans. Given that the high school setting in this novel is intended to be realistic, that particular question shaped Drink, Slay, Love from what could’ve been paranormal fluff into a novel that was actually thought-provoking. Even though I don’t really need to worry about whether the person on the exercise bike next to me at the gym is vampire who wants me for a snack, this component makes Drink, Slay, Love a more interesting paranormal novel that acknowledges some of the skepticism that readers could hold.

I am so thrilled that Drink, Slay, Love lives up to my expectations. While some people love the brooding romance and angst of books like Twilight, paranormal fans who like a bit of humor need great books as well. Durst has a title and cover that suggest her book is a thoroughly amusing read, and thankfully the contents live up to that. ...more

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Jul 12, 2011 Emma rated it really liked it

Shelves: from-publisher

Pearl is like a lot of sixteen-year-old girls. She likes to steal cars and drive too fast with her handsome, dangerous boyfriend Jadrien. She wears a lot of black. She is extremely flammable in direct sunlight.

Okay. Maybe Pearl isn't exactly an average teenaged girl. But she is an average vampire. Completely ordinary and almost completely evil; Pearl is the perfect predator at the top of the food chain in her Connecticut town. And she is fine with that.

With the vampire king of New England coming Pearl is like a lot of sixteen-year-old girls. She likes to steal cars and drive too fast with her handsome, dangerous boyfriend Jadrien. She wears a lot of black. She is extremely flammable in direct sunlight.

Okay. Maybe Pearl isn't exactly an average teenaged girl. But she is an average vampire. Completely ordinary and almost completely evil; Pearl is the perfect predator at the top of the food chain in her Connecticut town. And she is fine with that.

With the vampire king of New England coming soon for the annual fealty ceremony that marks the start of a vampire's adulthood, it's a good time to be a young vampire. Since her Family has been given the honor of hosting the king's feast things are especially good for Pearl.

At least until the unicorn comes along and stabs her in the heart with his stupid sparkly horn.

But instead of dying a quick death, Pearl survives the attack. Not just that, she can now withstand sunlight. No one in her Family believes her about the unicorn (they are mythical creatures after all--even vampires know that), but even they can't ignore her new resistance to daylight.

Within the king's feast looming and no volunteers in sight, Pearl's Family decides to take advantage of her newfound ability by enrolling her in high school. Securing the king's feast should be easy with an entire high school of students to choose from, right?

Wrong, as it turns out.

Blending in among the human students is harder for a vampire than Pearl expected. Some students, like Bethany seem overly eager to befriend her. Others want to prove their dominance (unlikely). Then there's Evan. The deliciously cute boy who Pearl can't decide if she wants to bite or . . . not.

Torn between what her Family needs and what she actually wants, Pearl finds that after the unicorn incident nothing is black and white anymore. Maybe, just maybe, it's time for things to change and maybe, just maybe, Pearl is the one to bring about those changes in Drink, Slay, Love (2011) by Sarah Beth Durst.

Filled with twists and turns, Drink, Slay, Love is fun new spin on vampires (and, of course, unicorns too). Durst stays true to traditional vampire mythology (Pearl does not sparkle) while also adding her own unique spin to these familiar mythical monsters.

Viewing high school through Pearl's eyes brings a level of humor to the story as she evaluates teachers as potential threats and brings her predator mentality to cafeteria politics. (Think Katniss Everdeen walking the halls of Sweet Valley High.) What results, in addition to a satisfying urban fantasy, is a dryly fun commentary on the ins and outs of high school.

Durst aptly demonstrates her range as readers follow Pearl's journey from scary vampire to something else entirely. There are, in fact, enough drastic changes throughout the course of the story that the opening for a sequel is very wide indeed. Drink, Slay, Love is a clever, entertaining book complete with a winning heroine readers will want to cheer for--albeit from a safe distance.

Possible Pairings: White Cat by Holly Black, Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins, Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough, Rampant by Diana Peterfreund, The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan, Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford, Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde ...more

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