Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Target Audience: Teens/Young Adults
Genre: Fantasy/Horror

I finished reading this then went to read other people's reviews about this to see if my thoughts were similar, and I've noticed that the very thing that i found off-putting has troubled other readers, so i'm glad i'm not the only one. This main off-putting thing being lack of depth in characters and also the explanation of the world it's set in, although the character problem was definately the biggest issue.

Don't get me wrong, there were some major positives to this story, or it would'nt have gotten the three stars it did, all of which are for plot and originality. The plot itself was really well thought out and there were some amazing twists, not to mention some rather amusing jokes throughout. The ending was fantastic, and i wouldn't have seen it coming even if it had been coming at me like a car with blazing headlights, it was cleverly done.
With regards to originality, the author takes old ideas of vampirism and werewolves and gives them a sharp twist, i don't think i've laughed so much as i did at some of the were's in this story!

The problem, as i've mentioned, depth. I didn't feel that there was enough character building and as a result by the end i felt detached from the characters and the ending, though being fantastic idea wise, simply didn't move me as much as it should. Also, Quincie's relationship with Kieren also suffered this problem, as by the time anything happened between them i just didn't feel anything towards them.

Having said that, i still think i'll read Eternal as i'm curious to see what will happen in the rest of the Tantalize series, although i'm well aware that Quincie and Kieren aren't in it. However, if you love vampire/werewolf romances you should give this a go.