Review: What happened to Tilly?
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 05 22, 2014
This book is a reheated mismash of elements from popular vampire series.  You've got your psychic girl who finally meets a guy whose mind she can't read, a vampire prophecy, a rapidly growing vampire baby, a caring and rich vampire family, elite vampire warriors, and a bad guy who thinks muggles -- I mean, humans -- should be ruled by vampires and has started a vampire civil war and so on and so on.  It's almost as if the author simply lifted her favorite elements from recent best-selling books.Alexa is the psychic.  She grew up in a group home and doesn't have any real friends because her ability to read minds interferes with her relationships.  Her only meaningful relationship is with her dog, Tilly (later Tilly's devotion will receive a really sad and tragic reward).  This all changes when she meets the super-hot Ethan.  He takes her to swim with dolphins and helpfully relieves her of her virginity before he realizes that SHE IS THE ONE FORETOLD IN PROPHECY (dun dun dun).  Geez, why can't women ever meet a uncomplicated vampire.Ethan cuts and runs, leaving Alexa to console herself with Tilly.  When she realizes that she is pregnant, she decides to give birth.  Fortunately, her parents left her a boatload of cash when they died, so she's able to quit her job and devote herself to being pregnant.  As it turns out her fetus is also psychic and they can communicate (in a development that angered me more than it should have, the fetus thinks in a lisp, sending thoughts like "wuv mommy."  Just . . . no).When Chloe is a few months old, she begins crying all the time and Alexa takes her to a specialist.  This initiates a series of events that draws both of them into vampire danger and intrigue. The plot is strictly okay if you don't mind being able to easily predict what is going to happen. What really ruined this book for me was Alexa's self-absorption and obsession with Ethan.  A couple of examples:  Chloe is a super-growing vampire child, capable of aging months overnight.  Yet Alexa is so obsessed with Ethan that she will go days without spending time with Chloe.  We're supposed to believe that she was a selfless and caring mother for nine months, but now she suddenly doesn't care about missing Chloe's first words, first steps, her transition from toddlerhood to childhood, etc.  She goes overseas and just does Facetime to keep up with Chloe.  More disturbing, at least to me, was her total abandonment of her most faithful friend.  Tilly, her dog, actually risks her life in a selfless attempt to keep Chloe and Alexa safe.  In return, Alexa takes Tilly with her when she relocates, but just dumps her outside (and we're told explicitly told that she had never slept outside before) where she is alone and fed irregularly.  Then Tilly just vanishes from the story.Alexa is so absorbed with her super-special lovefest with Ethan that she neglects all her other obligations.  Rather than honor her commitment to her dog and best friend and her obligation to be involved in her daughter's childhood, she gets caught up in the magic of private jets and amazing vampire sex.