Review: Drink Slay Love by Sarah Beth Durst

Pearl is a sixteen-year-old vampire, fond of blood, allergic to sunlight, and mostly evil... until the night a sparkly unicorn stabs her through the heart with his horn. Oops.

Her family thinks she was attacked by a vampire hunter (because, obviously, unicorns don't exist). They're shocked she survived. They're even more shocked when Pearl discovers she can now withstand the sun. But they quickly find a way to make use of her new talent. The Vampire King of New England has chosen Pearl's family to host his feast. If Pearl enrolls in high school, she can make lots of human friends and lure them to the king's feast -- as the entrees.

The only problem? Pearl's starting to feel the twinges of a conscience. How can she serve up her new friends -- especially the cute guy who makes her fangs ache -- to be slaughtered? Then again, she's definitely dead if she lets down her family. What's a sunlight-loving vamp to do? (YA)

Review:
I was looking for something paranormal, yet fun to read when I stumbled upon Drink Slay Love by Sarah Beth Durst.

What a breath of fresh air to the vampire genre!

I love how Sarah combined old school villainess vampires and added her own fresh twist with unicorns.

Pearl is just your average blood sucking vampire with a hot vampire boyfriend when she is stabbed by a unicorn.

Soon after she starts experiencing changes. Like being able to walk in daylight and developing a conscious.

Her family sees this as an opportunity to use Pearl to lure in unsuspecting high schoolers to the upcoming vampire feast and sends Pearl off to High School. Pearl is trying to implement a plan that pleases her family and puts her back in their good graces until she starts caring a little too much for her new human friends.

Durst did a great job of developing Pearl's character as she discovers what having family and friends really mean. It was fun to see her transition from rather cruel and uncaring to a typical high school girl who interacts with and begins to care for her former victims without losing her bite. (excuse the pun)

The cast of high school kids that Pearl befriends are all great. From Matt and Zeke - the nerdy "vampire hunters", to Evan the crush worthy boy with a secret and his shy sidekick, Bethany.

I know a few people on Twitter have said to me they didn't want to pick it up because of the unicorn angle. Personally that's exactly why I picked it up…lol C'mon! vampires AND unicorns! That is just an awesome combination right there. Don't be afraid - these aren't My Little Pony pink unicorns. Think of them more as what werewolves are to vampires in the Twilight series. The unicorns are sent to kill vampires but this one hunt goes a little wrong and ends up having major implications for both species.

Favorite line: Pearl - "Well, this is all very nice, but I have to run. Go on, shoo. Go...poop rainbows...or whatever it is you do."

Rating: 3.5 out of 4: Drink Slay Love is fun and original and I do believe a stand alone, although there is enough to explore further if a sequel is planned. There is a perfect blend of action, humor and romance - give this one a try when you're looking for something light & quick to read.

Find Sarah: Website, Blog, Twitter, Facebook

Buy Drink, Slay, Love! Amazon 

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books - September 13, 2011

Sarah was just at For What It's Worth as part of our Month of Treats celebration. You can view her interview HERE. *NOTE: The giveaway in the post has ended.