Tantalize is a very interesting book. After I closed the cover for the final time, I poked around on Amazon to see if others shared my view, and found a surprising number of single-star ratings. Although the book isn't perfect -- and the characters are far, far, FAR from perfect -- I don't think Smith's novel deserves that strong of criticism.
In Tantalize, 17-year-old Quincie has a lot of balls in the air. She's just starting her senior year and is trying to juggle school, her frustratingly slow-moving romantic relationship with her best friend, Kieren (who just happens to be half-werewolf) and the re-opening of her family's restaurant after her parents' recent death. She's a highly organized and ambitious girl, and a very likeable character. In the world Smith has created, were-creatures and vampires are a somewhat accepted part of life, although still running on the fringes of society. That's why Quincie thinks her new vampire-themed restaurant will be a huge hit in the more accepting community of Austin, Texas.
Unfortunately, just days before opening, Quincie's long-time family friend and head chef, Vaggio, is brutally murdered in the restaurant kitchen. This violent event begins a series of changes that leave Quincie reeling, and change her life forever.
Smith does a fantastic job of making her heroine into a dynamic character. She changes dramatically throughout the course of the novel, and the writer is gifted at slowly changing her voice and language throughout to reflect those deeper changes. There's a major plot twist toward the end of the book that I somehow completely missed, too, so I found the book to be full of surprises.
I enjoyed the short chapters - they really helped move along the pace of the book -- and the newspaper clippings, menus and other devices used by the author also added a lot of interest. However, I was very disappointed in the abrupt and unsatisfying ending. It reminded me very much of the "resolution" to Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely series books. To put it simply, there isn't much of one. As readers, we're left hanging to hope that Smith ties up some of the obvious loose ends in her subsequent books.
Overall, Tantalize is a delicious read -- but it did leave me wanting a little more. It did a good job of wheting my appetite for the next two books of the trilogy, but I felt this first portion of the story could have been a little more developed.
One word of caution, however: as an adult reader of YA novels, I had no problems with this book and really enjoyed some of the spicier content. However, as a mom, there are a few things in the story that would curl my toenails if I found out my 12 or 13-year-old were reading it. I think this book is more appropriate for older teens, as there is a fair amount of drinking, gore and mature subject matter in the later chapters.
In Tantalize, 17-year-old Quincie has a lot of balls in the air. She's just starting her senior year and is trying to juggle school, her frustratingly slow-moving romantic relationship with her best friend, Kieren (who just happens to be half-werewolf) and the re-opening of her family's restaurant after her parents' recent death. She's a highly organized and ambitious girl, and a very likeable character. In the world Smith has created, were-creatures and vampires are a somewhat accepted part of life, although still running on the fringes of society. That's why Quincie thinks her new vampire-themed restaurant will be a huge hit in the more accepting community of Austin, Texas.
Unfortunately, just days before opening, Quincie's long-time family friend and head chef, Vaggio, is brutally murdered in the restaurant kitchen. This violent event begins a series of changes that leave Quincie reeling, and change her life forever.
Smith does a fantastic job of making her heroine into a dynamic character. She changes dramatically throughout the course of the novel, and the writer is gifted at slowly changing her voice and language throughout to reflect those deeper changes. There's a major plot twist toward the end of the book that I somehow completely missed, too, so I found the book to be full of surprises.
I enjoyed the short chapters - they really helped move along the pace of the book -- and the newspaper clippings, menus and other devices used by the author also added a lot of interest. However, I was very disappointed in the abrupt and unsatisfying ending. It reminded me very much of the "resolution" to Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely series books. To put it simply, there isn't much of one. As readers, we're left hanging to hope that Smith ties up some of the obvious loose ends in her subsequent books.
Overall, Tantalize is a delicious read -- but it did leave me wanting a little more. It did a good job of wheting my appetite for the next two books of the trilogy, but I felt this first portion of the story could have been a little more developed.
One word of caution, however: as an adult reader of YA novels, I had no problems with this book and really enjoyed some of the spicier content. However, as a mom, there are a few things in the story that would curl my toenails if I found out my 12 or 13-year-old were reading it. I think this book is more appropriate for older teens, as there is a fair amount of drinking, gore and mature subject matter in the later chapters.
