Darcy Miller

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and Darcy Miller of the eArc copy of "I Am Not a Vampire (Anymore)" in exchange for an honest review.

4.75 Stars

Normally, when I'm told a book is something for fans of or similar to (*Insert popular thing here*) that book is the furthest thing from any of those. Darcy Miller delivered on exactly what this book said it was going to be and for who.

I love this book. I love this book and I can not wait for more to come. This book made me feel like I show more was a teen again, sitting in the school library, devouring yet another fun and enjoyable vampire novel. I could sense the influence of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, The Last Vampire (Thirst), Night World, The Vampire Diaries, The Vampire Chronicles, The Drake Chronicles, Jessica's Guide, and so many many more within this book. Honestly, I could go on for days. Miller was able to capture their essence and give little heads nods while maintaining complete originality.

"I Am Not a Vampire (Anymore)" is a book that follows ex-vampire Lily in her attempt to live a normal life. That is until her boyfriends bestie turns vampire. She not only has to teach him how to survive, but also deal with her dark past hunting her down. Lily, Ezra, Max, and Sarita get to band together in a witty mesh of dialogue to save each other.

When I say I loved this book, I really do mean it. I can not wait for publishing so that I can re-read it over and over again. I absolutely loved the characters, their interactions, and the dialogue. While I do love the fast paced nature of the book, I do wish it would have been longer. I wish I could have spent more time with each character and in the city of Sunrise Harbor. That's just me being selfish though because this book yanked me in and I wasn't ready to leave.

June 2026 can't come soon enough. show less

I read this book because I had read about it and that source was practically drooling over the ideas. The photos are great, the ideas are mostly good, but not always do-able. And many of her suggestions assume a larger budget than I have. She used to work for Martha Stewart (who wrote the foreword to this book) and that should tell you all you need to know. The average person isn't going to be able to recreate most of what the author suggests. But inspiration is available within the pages, show more and her energy and enthusiasm could be enough to motivate you. I got the book from the library, but it might be a good reference book to have on your shelf if you do a lot of entertaining. show less

Recommended Ages: Gr. 3-6

Plot Summary: Margot and Mateo have the lead roles in the school play, but it seems like they may not get to star in opening night when they discover a weird leech-like thing on Mateo's back that was causing him to act violently. Thankfully, Margot used her wrestling moves to remove it and throw it in the drain right before the all school assembly. Turns out, they weren't the only ones in the bathroom--Calvin was in a stall and was too intrigued by what just happened show more that he totally forgot about the speech he was supposed to give. He convinced Margot to fish it out of the drain and they inspected it, googled it, and discovered others have reported similar situations. They rush to tell Mateo they need his help, and although Mateo at first says no, once they see their zombie gym teacher also has an alien on his back, Mateo realized he has no choice. Then, even worse, they identify the source of contagion and realize Mateo's dad is in danger. Ditching school despite Margot's perfect attendance record, they race to find Mateo's dad and solve this mystery. Unfortunately, they discover something even worse. Will they find Mateo's dad? Will they survive?

Setting:

Characters:
Margot - professional wrestler trained by her dad
Mateo - always wears certain clothes, puts on a persona of confidence but not everyone knows that, has a "look" he always wears
Calvin - scientist waiting eagerly for his awful boss to retire so he can take over
Chelsea - fellow cast member, wants to know what is happening but left out, follows Margot and Mateo

Recurring Themes: aliens, family, friendship, honesty, wrestling, strong girl

Controversial Issues: none

Personal Thoughts: Decent amount of character development and action. I liked it.

Genre: fantasy (sci-fi?)

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Readalike: Sci-Fi Junior High, Last Kids on Earth show less