• Paperback: 222 pages
• List Price: $12.00 US/$16.00 CDN
• Publisher: By Light Unseen Media (December 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1935303015
• ISBN-13: 978-1935303015

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• Chapters/Indigo
• Amazon
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As a child, Catherine Taylor never understood why her parents were so secretive and distant. After the death of her grandmother, Cat’s parents take her to a mysterious castle called Blacklune. They explain to her that they, and she, are vampires, part of a hidden community co-existing with humans. Now that she’s of age, Cat will be initiated into the community and undergo a period of training in its methods and morals, along with several other vampire students her own age. At Blacklune, Cat meets a young man who had appeared to her in dreams, Morgan. She and Morgan form an instant bond, but success with their vampire lessons doesn’t come so easily. Tempted by the lure of blood and the powers they now have, Cat and Morgan push the limits over and over, ignoring the concerns of their classmates and the scolding of their teacher, River. As they become ever more reckless, Cat and Morgan risk going too far. It’s only when serious harm comes to someone else that they realize they have to control themselves–and it may be too late.

Cat The Vamp follows 18 year old Catherine (Cat) Taylor through finding out she is a vampire after her grandmothers death and moving to a castle to “learn” the ways of a vampire. What I liked about Christina Martine’s take on vampires is that they can go out in the sun and the only difference they have from humans is they are born with less energy which requires them to drink small amounts of blood. Cat ends up meeting Morgan, who she has been dreaming about and finds out he’s also a vampire.

I was not happy with this book, for a young adult novel it just didn’t sit well with me. A few times I actually felt disturbed by some of the things that happend and thought to myself, I wouldn’t want my nieces reading this at all. I do believe this book should come with a warning and maybe should be targeted at much older young adults.

There is a scene where Cat and her boyfriend Morgan, cut their names into each other’s flesh with a razor blade and drink from the wounds, when another character (Amber) finds out, she thinks it’s “cool”. Cutting is a BIG problem with YA’s right now, so I don’t make light of things like that. There are constant mentions to smoking cigarette’s and drinking, though these characters are 18 they act like 15 year olds. There’s a scene where Cat drinks a lot of Morgan’s blood and he faints, both characters again make light of the situation. Cat and Morgan also have unprotected sex, there is little mention other than Cat is happy when she gets her period and isn’t pregnant. There are plenty sex scenes, which again I do not feel is appropriate for a YA novel.

At one point, “high” on blood they attack a human blood donor. When their teacher River finds out, there are little consequences to Cat and Morgan for their actions. Once again, they attack another person and escape for a few days. And again, little consequences for their actions even if they are getting completely out of control. For a “school” that’s supposed to be teaching them, they seem to do more hanging out and partying then anything else. When Cat is told by her parents she is a vampire, she accepts it right away, no outburst or questions asked. That to me seemed an odd reaction for a teenager to have, especially when they drop her off at this castle and she basically has no other contact with them.

While Christina Martine’s writing is okay and her descriptions are very visual, the story just didn’t work for me. This book may appeal to others, just not me.

Read Ellz Readz review of Cat The Vamp here