Slayed by Amanda Marrone

Published: October 2010

Publisher: Simon Pulse

# pages: 240

Copy provided by: Library

Summary: Goodreads

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?

'Slayed' is the newest title by Amanda Marrone and it pokes delicious fun at vampire slayers. Our main protagonist is Daphne Van Helsing - a name most readers will recognise as being synonymous with vampire killers - and no, they don't all look like Hugh Jackman! Daphne's love interest is Tyler Harper, who is the crushworthy son of her parents old and estranged friend. Anyone read Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' - remember the character Mina Harper? Yep, it's the same Harker family. I loved this nod to literature (and graphic novels).

The story itself read like an episode of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and as an avid fan and dvd owner, I really enjoyed this. The action was bloody and tongue-in-cheek, and the vampires were a wonderful mish-mash of popular stereotypes - or not!

'She bites on the pen cap. "So you're telling me I'm not going to get any hot wolf action from the alpah male who battled his pack to win me as his mate?" I laugh. "Sorry." '

Kiki, Daphne's new BFF is hilarious as the spoilt little rich b.... with attitude, and my initial impression of her was all wrong. Yet another of those stereotypes blown to smithereens. There's violence, lots of it, underage drinking and casual sex, so this isn't a book for the younger teens, but it was lots of fun and a fairly quick read. I have to mention that I wasn't too keen on the cover of this one - you know what cover snobs Christinabean and I are - but there is an interesting scene in the book which completely explains the cover, and after that I didn't mind it so much. I know, it makes no sense. Enjoy.