laurashrti's Full Review: Kimberly Pauley - Sucks to Be Me: The All-True Con...
It's no secret that vampires are a huge fad with teenagers lately. After the immense success of the Twilight saga it seems that (as a library employee) I get questioned almost every afternoon by teenagers (and sometimes their skeptical, reading-level/appropriateness-concerned parents) looking for other vampire or similar supernatural teen fiction books. Teen fiction happens to be one of my favorite genres to read but I have to admit I still haven't gotten into the whole vampire-lust thing. Alas, I was not too surprised to find a copy of author Kimberly Pauley's Sucks to Be Me: the All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire (Maybe) in my mailbox. The word "vampire" stuck out like a sore thumb to me... I initially felt unsure of my reviewing capabilities in regards to this book, because I haven't read other vampire books, and didn't think I'd have anything to compare it to. The subtitle and other introductory information had me pretty excited, however, and I eagerly rushed to finish my other readings so I could move on to this one.
Mina Hamilton (Dracula, anyone?) seems like your average teen girl; a junior in high school, she's mostly interested in hanging out with her best friend Serena, who can't make up her mind what style she wants to fit (she's currently going for the goth look). Mina's not totally uncool, but she doesn't really fit into the popular crowd either, though her major crush, Nathan Able, sure fits into the popular scene. Mina is a fairly smart girl with a sarcastic side and quite a dry sense of humor... and oh yeah, her parents are vampires.
Yes, you read that last sentence right, Mina Hamilton is the daughter of two vampires. In the beginning of the book we find that Mina's parents are basically putting her into a pickle: Mina must decide within the next few weeks whether or not she, too, wants to commit the rest of her life (which would be a very long one, if she decides to go with it) to vampirism. As it turns out, Mina's parents weren't totally honest with the Vampire Council about her existence, and now she must make a decision others have lots of time for... within weeks. Her quirky Uncle Mortimer agrees to sponsor her (any newcomer, would-be vampire must have a sponsor) and Mina immediately begins vampire classes.
Throughout the story Mina struggles with several things, some of which any normal junior would have trouble with, others only a vampire would, and of course many of her obstacles fit into both of these categories. For one thing, Mina is finally finding herself to be not-so-silly around the guys, and she even seems to be getting more attention from them. This comes with territory, however... Mina struggles with why she's interested in the boys she is, and also seems oblivious to some potential love interests that could really be good for her. And what about Serena? Serena seems to have somewhat of an interest in a boy, but is Mina too wrapped up in her own love interests and thoughts of who Serena should be with to see the realities of her relationships? Mina also obviously stresses about how becoming a vampire -or not becoming one- could effect her relationships. If she opts out of vampirism she would be taken away from her parents... since vampires age very slowly they would eventually attract attention having a daughter that looks older than them. Non-vampires cannot know of the existence of true vampires... so if she did become one she would soon have to move away from her best friend and the town that would also realize at some point that Mina and her parents aren't aging. Other pros and cons of vampirism swing Mina back and forth constantly: who really wants to drink blood, for example? But gosh, vampires seem to get the good looks, and that wouldn't be half bad, now would it?
Mina Hamilton has to choose to be or not to be a vampire... that is the question, and boy is it a difficult one. Balancing this decision on top of other teenage concerns like boys, friends, family, school work, and (of course) prom makes for an interesting and hilarious story. I found myself remembering what it was like to be Mina's age (really, it wasn't that long ago...) and having to deal with similar problems, minus the vampire issue. Author Kimberly Pauley has done a phenomenal job of building a story that is easy to relate to, even if there isn't really such a thing as vampires. The issues Mina has to deal with are realistic and easy to relate to, and the characters are many and detailed. There are a few girls that I could put faces on from my own high school days... those girls that were pretty, popular, and always seemed to have a thing against me. The love interests in the book were also very real: one vampire wanna-be boy is handsome but seems just a little odd; another boy Mina's been crushing on for a long time, but is he really what she wants? Mina's best friend Serena is the typical side-kick best friend: she's funny and quirky, but doesn't steal the show from our main character. Mina's parents seem cool (after all, they're vampires!) but still have those qualities any teen girl's parents would have of over-protectiveness and displaying public affection towards their daughter, but it's better than Mina's odd Uncle Mortimer who seems to have a mysterious past Mina just can't quite get the whole story of.
The plethora of characters and the unique, humorous story make up for the few faults in this book, but I did find a few things that left me a little disappointed. For one thing, Mina seems oblivious to one certain love interest, as well as to her best friend's true feelings. This little love quadrangle plays a huge part in the story and for the most part pans out well, but there are times I found myself cursing Mina and thinking, "Seriously? Don't you get it?" after certain interactions and events. Also, there were a few cliche incidents and character traits... okay, this is a teen novel, but come on. For example, we learn that Serena has been known to drift between different typical high school styles or personalities... prior to our story she made an attempt at preppiness, and during part of our story she's goth... seriously? Teens don't really drift from personality to personality as obviously and quickly as Serena seems to. The author makes good of these things, though, as the entire novel seems to have an air of funny surrealism to it. The story is realistic even though we all know parts of it are a little out there.
After visiting the author's own website (www.kimberlypauley.com) and learning a bit about her as well as examining the copy I was sent (Thanks, Ms. Pauley, for the book and other goodies) for review I feel a familiarity with the author and can see a clear sense of her personality in this book. Kimberly Pauley describes herself as a "YA Books Goddess" as well as a mother(hey, me too in a few more weeks!), short person (hey, me too!), book reviewer (hey, me too!) and crafting fiend (hey, me too!)... obviously all things I can relate to. Her perky personality shines through in her blog as well as in her first teen fiction novel, Sucks to Be Me, which was published about a year ago, in August of 2008. I was surprised to learn that this was her first novel, as it was overall a success to me. I was also surprised and excited to learn that she has a second book on it's way out, a sequel to this one, called Still Sucks to Be Me, which is due out in September of 2010 (I can't wait, and hope to get a copy of it to review as well!). I'm positive I'm not the only one excited about Pauley's first book and her potential teen fiction vampire series.
I mentioned early on that I just haven't gotten into the whole vampire thing, and while I know its rare, I'm sure there are lots out there who can relate to me in that regard. From sitting in the middle of a library 5 days a week I know there are tons of teens, boys and girls alike, that are currently vampire-crazy. Sucks to Be Me is a great teen fiction novel for both sides of this vampire coin; while it's not a Gothic supernatural vampire romance novel it will certainly appeal to vampire lovers, but its humor and Mina's awesome, relatable personality will appeal to those who haven't quite fit into that vampire fad niche. The book will appeal to teens from 14+ but I wouldn't say it's inappropriate for younger teens or tweens reading at a higher level. There wasn't much language to tsk tsk at, and while there are a few parts that involve alcohol, the author makes a point to make these parts appeal to both teens and their parents. Mina is a cool character but isn't a fan of alcohol and in fact she mentions the idiocy of drinking and driving at one point.
If you're looking for a new and different teen fiction book give Sucks to Be Me a taste. The story will appeal to teens of all types and parents and teens will be able to agree on a vampire novel that's 'safe' to read for once. Can it get any better?
**I received this product in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion, which is stated above.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.