This story by Annette Curtis Klause entwines the two stories of Zoe and Simon, chapter by chapter. We start with Zoe - a lonely girl who is struggling with the steady decline of her mother to cancer and the loss of her best friend who is moving to a new city. She feels lost and unloved, and as though no one can understand her grief and pain. Enter Simon, one of the undead. A vampire who has flitted from city to city in pursuit of his monstrous brother, also a vampire. Simon struggles against his nature, believing himself to be unnatural - this is why he is unable to show his face to the sun, or cross running water. He is perfectly positioned to understand Zoe's plight, particularly because he feels as though his condition is a disease.

This is a beautiful, poetic and ephemeral little book. The fleeting nature of Zoe and Simon's relationship and their brief sweet love is perfectly written. Unlike other reviewers I felt the ending of the book to be extremely appropriate and very moving.

I loved the language that Klause used throughout the book, especially when describing Simon - such as: "He was young, more boy than man, slight and pale, made elfin by the moon. He noticed her and froze like a deer before the gun. They were trapped in each other's gaze. His eyes were dark, full of wilderness and stars. But his face was ashen. Almost as pale as his silver hair. With a sudden ache she realized he was beautiful..."

Simon is a lovely, half-wild predecessor to Edward Cullen - from a time when vampires could love, but were never selfish enough to think they could stay with a human. Simon is written in an 'old-fashioned' sense, when the usual cliches of vampires applied - couldn't go out in the daylight, affected by crosses, definitely not sparkly. I much prefer him, although I know I am in the minority here!

I am glad that in the wake of the Twilight phenomenon this book would have seen a wider audience, because it deserves to be read. It has two strong central characters, with genuine motivations, who affect each other's lives and learn from the other. The girl does not depend solely on the vampire for succour and support; although lonely and scared, she can stand on her own two feet. The vampire is not emasculated by his love for a human girl.

The only part I wasn't too sure about was the info dump approach to Simon revealing his past in one long story, but this section was still absorbing and probably necessary to get out all at once considering the slightness of the book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this lovely story and felt deeply affected by both Zoe and Simon. I would recommend it to anyone who does not like the cloying nature and poor writing of the Twilight books and their carbon copies on the market. This is the thinking girl's Twilight. ( )

Pick this up..read it don't ask questions! Just trust the re-release. Very rustic vampire rules but in a sea of over romanced vampires this is a breath of fresh are.You cant really fall in love with a vampire and live happily ever after but you can learn something. It says a lot if the undead underline undead find you approachable but not worthy of food. A bitter sweet read you wont forget. Well worth the 8-10 dollars this paper back reprint cost. ( )

Zoe is alone. Her mother is dying of cancer, her father is consumed by his grief and his wife's suffering, and Lorraine, Zoe's best friend, is moving away. Zoe is alone with her pain and her anger, not even allowed to visit her mother in the hospital. Simon is also alone. A centuries-old vampire trapped in a hopeless, endless quest. Forever a teenager, forever chasing after his depraved, child-like brother. And when Simon and Zoe encounter each other in a park, each recognizes a fellow lost soul and each is changed forever.

Annette Curtis Klause writes with such depth and characterization that I felt I knew these characters. I felt Zoe's grief and isolation, and understood her selfish anger at her mother for being ill. Likewise, I understood Simon's desperation, and sympathized with his self-loathing and his urge to seek companionship, however mad the desire. And I loved how Ms. Klause drew a parallel between the disease killing Zoe's mother, and the "disease" forced on Simon so many years ago.

I loved how fully she created a history for Simon; how she took the reader all the way back to Cromwell's England to show how Simon had ended up in Zoe's world. And I loved how she amplified the vampire legend and explained their aversion to water, their fear of sunlight, and the reason a wooden stake kills. But I also loved that Simon seems like a real person rather than just the standard creature of the night. Simon is tormented by the knowledge that he is "at odds with nature." And though he tries to do no harm to his victims, he cannot completely abstain from human blood. He does not kill, and he uses his ability--his "silver kiss"--to make the experience as pleasant (even pleasurable) as possible.

This book was originally released in 1990 which, I suspect, makes Ms. Klause a pioneer of the emo-vampire genre. Indeed, the book has been re-released with a Twilight-esque red, black, and white cover trying to capitalize on that fact. But I don't think the two books really compare. "Twilight" is Bella and Edward's story together--we wouldn't care about Bella without Edward and vice versa. But "The Silver Kiss" is about Zoe's story and Simon's story and how their lives briefly intertwine and how they help each other learn what's real and important. I loved both books, but I don't think "Twilight" fans (especially the kind who white out Bella's name in the book so they can insert their own) will find what they loved in "Twilight" in "The Silver Kiss." But I think anyone who appreciates good writing, great characterization, and real emotion, will love "The Silver Kiss." ( )

Readers Annotation:
Zoe’s mother is dying of cancer, her father doesn’t spend any time with her anymore because he is always at the hospital. Just when she needs her the most, her best friend Lorraine tells her she is moving out of state in two weeks. Zoe meets Simon and he seems to understand her fear of death and she is drawn to him.
Plot Summary:
Zoe’s mother is dying of terminal cancer, her father is pulling away from her as he spends more and more time at the hospital with her mother. The doctor has told them that Zoe shouldn't visit her mother much because it might stress her mother. Her father tells her that she should try to keep her life as normal as she can. How can you keep your life normal when you are left at home by yourself, constantly worrying whether the next time the phone rings it will be to tell you your mother is dead? If this isn't bad enough then Zoe finds out that her best friend is going to move out of town in two weeks. Zoe begins to hang out at the park at night just to get out of her lonely house. She meets Simon at the park, he seems to understand death. There are several strange murders taking place in town where the victims have their blood drained and their throats slit. When Simon tells her the story of his older brother a vampire child that kills without mercy she realizes her friend Lorraine could have become one of his victims. Zoe promises to help Simon kill his brother to prevent him from hurting anyone else.
Evaluation:
This book is beautifully written. The author took a lot of time in the description of the character's feelings, and the description of the environment is beautiful. This book is about facing death, coping with it, and trying to move past it. This book makes you want to cry for death, for everything that is lost and for the suffering we have go through in our human existence. Despite all of the darkness this book comes off as a sweet story about the lessons that life teaches us. The descriptions of the characters' feelings as they deal with death are heartfelt and accurate. This book could be helpful to someone dealing with the loss of a loved one.
Reason Included: I wanted to include an author that is considered more of a classic in the YA vampire genre.
Ages: 14+/Interests: Vampire, Supernatural, Death, terminal illness.
Authors blog: http://humanoddity.blogspot.com/ ( )

Zoë is a pretty normal teenage girl, except for the fact that her mother is dying of cancer. It has made her grow up very fast, assuming responsibilities not typically expected of others her age. She is also kind of a loner. It's hard to have friends when they don't know how to talk to you or how to act around you because of tragedy. Simon is a tortured, but alluring vampire, driven by revenge for his mother's death. These two lonely souls meet up and join forces against an evil force that is killing unsuspecting young women in a horrific way.

I remember really liking this book as a child. It generated my interest in the vampire genre that has flourished ever since (as you can see from my library). Upon rereading it as an adult, I found that I still liked it, but not nearly as much as my younger self. The plot is pretty predictable and cliché at times. Girl meets and falls in love with vampire. Vampire hates his own existence, mopes, and wants to eat girl. There are so many teen vampire books out there with similar plots. I found myself rolling my eyes at some of the cheesier lines and predictable points in the plot. I also felt that the character development was a little slow, making me connect later with the characters than I would like.

Still, I feel that this book is special, despite its flaws. I really like that there is a fantastical plot line alongside a very realistic plot line. The juxtaposition of the two grounds it a little more in reality and makes the characters more believable. The Silver Kiss is more gory and horrific than most other books in the teen vampire genre, which makes my inner horror fan happy. Plus, the ending is beautiful and still brings tears to my eyes.

This book has gore, horror, romance, and action. I would definitely recommend this book to fans of other teen vampire novels. ( )