Review: Slayed

Author: Amanda Marrone
Pages: 272
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Source: Library
Synopsis: The Van Helsing family has been hunting vampires for over one hundred years, but sixteen-year-old Daphne wishes her parents would take up an occupation that doesn’t involve decapitating vamps for cash. All Daphne wants is to settle down in one place, attend an actual school, and finally find a BFF to go to the mall with. Instead, Daphne has resigned herself to a life of fast food, cheap motels and buying garlic in bulk.

But when the Van Helsings are called to a coastal town in Maine, Daphne’s world is turned upside down. Not only do the Van Helsings find themselves hunting a terrifying new kind of vampire (one without fangs but with a taste for kindergarten cuisine), Daphne meets her first potential BF! The hitch? Her new crush is none other than Tyler Harker, AKA, the son of the rival slayer family.

What's a teen vampire slayer to do?

My first reaction to Slayed was that I really hoped it was like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and in a way, it was. Slayed could have been an episode of Buffy, except it was about a girl named Daphne without superhuman powers.

The characters were instantly relatable. Daphne always felt alone, and with her parents, who wouldn't? Kiki was funky and awesome. I would love to meet her in real life and hang out. She was a lot of fun and had issues but wasn't bitter. The parents were annoying characters. They didn't look after their kids well and many times I was shocked by their behaviours.

The story was quick and fun. Daphne and her family were doing another vampire gig but ended up having to share the gig with a rival family who they had bad history with. There was a fair bit of mythology- angels, demons, vampires, etc. but it was quickly done without much detail. It was an interesting premise so I wouldn't mind a sequel but I don't think one is needed. This is a good example of a standalone.

The one thing I don't like in the story is the simplicity of the plot. This feels like a tv episode which make me wonder about the next episode. So many things could have been explained. Much more could have happened. The story takes place in 3 days without many big events. Slayed is a short story very different from all the series we have now.

Overall, Slayed is a fun, fast light read. Easy to read with likable characters, I'm giving this 3.5 stars,

*** & 1/2 *