Teased by Tantalize? Possessed by Eternal? Then prepare yourself to be Blessed in Cynthia Leitich-Smith's latest dark fantasy...
Quincie Morris, teen restaurateur and neophyte vampire, is in the fight of her life.
Even as she adjusts to her new appetites, she must clear her best friend and true love, the hybrid-werewolf Kieren, of murder charges; thwart the apocalyptic ambitions of Bradley Sanguini, the seductive vampire-chef who "blessed" her; and keep her dead parents' restaurant up and running.
She hires a more homespun chef and adds the preternaturally beautiful Zachary to her waiting staff. But with hundreds of new vampires on the rise and Bradley off assuming the powers of Dracula Prime, Zachary soon reveals his true nature -- and a flaming sword -- and they hit the road to staunch the bloodshed before it's too late. Even if they save the world, will there be time left to salvage Quincie's soul?
Cynthia Leitich Smith has written a little about her inspirations behind her dark fantasy series below...
I’m in the thrall of the dark master.
In the year 2000, I opened a word processing document and, without much thought, gave it the working title “Brad: The Impaler,” a clear play on the moniker of the famed historical Vlad, a long-ago prince of Wallachia known for having impaled his enemies.
I’ve since read disputing accounts as to whether Vlad actually inspired Bram Stoker’s title character in Dracula (1897), but at the time I hadn’t yet begun to do my homework and there was much of it to do.
I wanted to write the kind of book I loved most. I’ve always enjoyed spooky stories. I read a lot of Stephen King and Dean Koontz. I watched TV shows like “Friday the 13th” and “Tales from the Crypt.” I enjoyed movies like “Lost Boys” and “Teen Witch.”
I'd already begun watching Joss Whedon’s “Buffy: The Vampire Slayer” TV series and adored the take-back-the-night/hell-school-is-hell themes as well as the way it blended horror, romance and comedy in a multi-creature-verse with strong (though by no means invulnerable) characters of both genders.
Then it was time for me, research-wise, to kick it old school. This was well before the paranormal trend in YA literature, so I started with the few YA Gothics and worked all the way back to Stoker.
What with its foreboding themes and atmosphere, I could appreciate how the novel Dracula had survived into modern day and why it had been reinterpreted so many times.
I decided to assume that it was loosely based on truth and extend the tradition to a present day setting. I created Quincie P. Morris, a many-times great niece of one of Stoker’s vampire hunters (Quincey P. Morris), a gallant Texan, and as a nod to that character, largely centred the action in Austin, Texas, which I call home.
The Tantalize series, and especially Blessed, is a literary mystery, a tribute to Stoker’s leading fiend, as well as a Whedon-esque rescue-the-boy, destroy-the-monster, save-the-world story. Blessed blends heartfelt romance and sensual temptation with horror, humor, and suspense. The story even invites the dark master back on stage, so to speak, and pits him against modern YA heroes—all with their own inner monsters, but nevertheless fighting with an angel on their side.
Blessed is out at the beginning of October - pre-order it now
If you're new to the series, why not listen to Cynthia reading from the first chapter of Tantalize.
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