I'll admit the reason I picked up the book was because I loved the cover, still do. But inside wasn't what I expected. It talked a lot about fashion, some I liked, other times it just felt like a lot of words. I did love some of the imagery, it was beautiful. Charlotte talked of her brother in almost a romantic way, which was kinda creepy. The end I wasn't a fan of. I don't know why but I wanted her to kill Emily and William. But they got away to live as vampires? Charlotte is human now, but doesn't have a degree in anything since she was a vampire for decades, how does she survive once Jared comes back to her? Maybe it's just me but I thought the ending would've been better. It was an interesting read, I didn't want to put it down, even though a lot of the parts bothered me and lost me I kept reading. I was so disappointed in this book! It had a lot of signature Francesca Lia Block elements - the lush language, unrealistically beautiful protagonists, idealized romance - but it seems like she stopped there. The storyline didn't make much sense, didn't tie up at the ends. I grew up loving FLB's Weetzie Bat books and her other earlier works, although I have aged out of that demographic and also become more critical of some of the more problematic aspects of her work,* so I'm probably less likely to give her new works glowing reviews. Still, I feel like this book really does mark a low point in her writing career.*Cultural appropriation, an idealization of thinness that isn't really justifiable in books geared toward teen girls, tokenizing of queer characters (the Gay Best Friend might have been a breakthrough in the 80s, but we can do better than that in 2013). I would still totally recommend a lot of her books despite these problems, but it's worth being aware of.
What do You think about Pretty Dead (2009)?
She's pretty…and she's dead. The story of a vampire and her friend who died…and love…and life.
—david
Such a deeply satisfying book. So quick and so detailed. It's quite unique.
—Cece
