Thicker Than Water Book

Seventeen-year-old Kia barely survived her parents' divorce several years ago. Now her mom is in the hospital battling cancer and Kia is stuck with her workaholic father, leaving her searching for an escape from the everyday horrors of her life.

She finds this escape with a group of people acting out a dark fantasy. These “vampires” spend all night in dark clubs, wearing gothic outfits, and even baring fake fangs. But when Kia meets Damon, she begins to wonder if maybe a true vampire exists among them, one who could be the answer to all of her problems . . .

School Library Journal

Gr 10 Up-Kia, a 17-year-old New York City teen, cut herself for years before she stopped. Now, with her mother ill with cancer for the second time, she has started again. She meets an older, goth girl at the hospital, who invites her to "vampire night" at a club in Brooklyn. She quickly alienates her two best friends, begins neglecting her schoolwork and her mother, and becomes obsessed with Damon, the older, seductive DJ and leader of the vampire scene, who has a taste for sadistic, kinky parties. Kia's descent into this world is a strong metaphor for her sense of alienation and her need to belong, but most of the story is told rather than shown, and the protagonist herself is often unlikable. Characters are flat, even Kia's best friends, who are merely sketched in, and dialogue is sometimes clunky. Strange occurrences make Kia (and readers) believe that Damon may be a real vampire, leading to the climax. The concept is tackled more effectively in Annette Curtis Klause's The Silver Kiss (Delacorte, 1990). The ending-therapy, reconciliation with her friends and her father, and possible acceptance of her mother's death-is too quick and easy for the lengthy buildup. While there is always an audience for vampire books, even if the vampires turn out to be fakes, teens will prefer Pete Hautman's Sweetblood (S & S, 2003), which covers similar territory.-Karyn N. Silverman, Elizabeth Irwin High School, New York City Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.