Review: A Refreshingly Dark Tour of An L.A. Seldom Written About...With Vampires
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 29, 2013
There is one tried and true rule for sequels: they can be as good as the first book(s), even better than said book(s) or a total let-down. Vampire L.A. easily fell into the second category. One thing I appreciated as a Los Angeleno is that author Phil Tucker didn't set this book in the most obvious places. Huntington Park, Pomona, Fontana--areas that seldom get written about because working-class areas or places that aren't near the beach just aren't considered interesting (although Huntington Park is home to one of the most incredible botanical gardens in the world and Pomona contains many great examples of Victorian architecture).Selah is just such an awesome character. I loved how she's so set in her purpose, and unlike a lot of YA heroines, she has her priorities--and the hawt boy du jour isn't it. She's got bigger fish to fry, such as holding onto her humanity by finding a cure for vampirism and finding out her father's fate. In spite of these herculean tasks, there are many subtle reminders that she's still a teenage girl thrust into extraordinary circumstances.The multicultural aspect just rocks. The fact that so many marginalized groups are given huge parts in this adventure, to be complex--be they as idealistic as seminary student Chico, darkly pragmatic Armando, or the loyal scamp Ramonito--these are people with depth, functioning as best as they can in a world gone mad.Sorry, but I must deduct a half star for Louis, the aristocratic French vampire. Been there, done that, got Anne Rice to sign the t-shirt. Don't get me wrong, even in the midst of a dystopian society, there could possibly be those old school vamps who like capes and drafty castles and the like, but I just kept seeing too much Rice in this otherwise interesting character. Also, Arachne, the vampire queen (and Theo's wife once known as Sethe) didn't feel as fully fleshed as she could have been.In spite of those two issues, I'm off to read the next book.