Author: Sarah Beth Durst
Release Date: September 13, 2011
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry (S&S imprint)
Pearl is a normal vampire, drinks blood, allergic to sunlight, mostly evil, until a unicorn shows up and stabs her in the chest. Her family doesn't believe her (since unicorns don't exist), but when they discover she can now withstand the sun, they want to use it. The Vampire King of New England has chosen Pearl's family to host his feast, and her family want her to visit the high school, make some friends so they can be the main course.
The only problem? Pearl's starting to feel some twinges, like she has a conscience. What's a sunlight-loving vampire to do?
A unique and interesting concept. Vampires as evil (this is not unique, I know, but stay with me) and getting stabbed in the chest by a unicorn turns them nice. There's that weird twist of, "oh, hey, that's different, I don't remember that coming up in a book before," and that's when potential readers become readers.
Pearl is evil. It says so in the summary. She's calculating and manipulative, she's like the anti-hero. She's an evil vampire who doesn't give a flying leap about humanity and drinks blood to survive, even though she was 'changed' by a bright and sparkly unicorn, the symbol of cute and bubbly little girls. But things start to change, she's starting to feel a twinge here and there, a shift in her head and her chest, and BANG! she's got a conscience. Something new and nice to screw with her years of being a manipulative and cold-blooded vampire.
Plus she's caught in this vague and supposedly impossible middle ground, craving the sun but living off blood, being used by her parents as a means to a tasty end but being liked by teens at school who just want to be her friend. Bloody rock, meet hard place covered in sunshine. This book turns into a moral lesson, a book about making the right choices, about doing what's right and not what's expected, about family and if they're really the best environment for you if your views and theirs no longer stay the same.
And of course there has to be awkward moments for Pearl attempting to navigate the weird and confusing circles of high school and teenage popularity. Especially if her only reference is movies from the 1980's, like Pretty in Pink or The Breakfast Club. High school has changed since then, Pearl.
Intriguing and fun, Drink, Slay, Love was an entertaining read, a glimpse into a young vampire's life when her life is altered in the biggest of ways. Apparently, being stabbed in the chest by a unicorn gives you a conscience. Who knew?
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