The vampire novel takes on a decidedly new spin with Susan Hubbard's first novel of a tale of a 13-year-old girl coming of age. Behind the doors of a victorian mansion in upstate New York, Ariella Montero is homeschooled by her father. She learns about Poe, Keats, and Kerouac, she practices meditation and yoga, and she is also most definitely very lonely.
Ariella's mother disappeared when she was just a baby and she misses her. She is confused about so many things, a big part of which involves her father's work, and she also knows she lives a very sheltered life. Thanks though to the family's housekeeper, Mrs. McGarritt, Ariella will finally get a taste of some normalcy.
Mrs. McG invites Ari to her family's home for dinner one night and that opens up a new world for Ari. She finally relates to other children and will even find a best friend in Kathleen McGarritt. But of course, sinister forces are waiting to strike and a series of disastrous events will encourage Ari to find out the truth about who she really is.
Ariella will journey to the south in search of her mother and along the way she'll find out more about her father, his work and herself. I thought Hubbard did a wonderful job in creating a very believable 13-year-old girl who experiences confusion, first love, anger and all the angst that comes with being a teenager.
If you are expecting a vampire story with lots fangs, blood and creatures in black capes turn away. Instead, be prepared for a story that has a very gothic feel, a story that questions science and ethics and one that will have you eager for the next installment.
Added 10/07