Insatiable

Insatiable by Meg Cabot (NY: William Morrow, 2010).

Meena Harper writes dialogue for a soap opera, and she is not at all pleased when not only does a slacker co-worker get promoted to head writer instead of her, but the story line will become dominated by vampires! Too trendy! Besides writing, Meena has special talents--she can see how people she meets are going to die, which has wreaked havoc on many of her interpersonal relations and definitely put the kibosh on her last romance. Meena's nosy neighbor is constantly trying to set her up with new men, but Meena is taking a break after her most recent love calamity. An odd encounter with bats and a mysterious stranger while she's out walking her dog one night and then a chance reacquaintance with the same stranger--who turns out to be a princely relative of her neighbor no less--nudge Meena back into the relationship game. And then things get really strange!

This is supposed to be an anti-vampire novel, right? And there are lots of digs at the Twilight series, but it's a romance, so it shares many of the same conventions, including the addle-brained heroine and the fabulously good-looking and conflicted hero who are immediately attracted to one another but must resist their attraction, etc. Then there's the other guy, a vampire killer associated with the Vatican, with the same attributes, plus he carries a sword that he has nicknamed Senor Sticky. Who will win the heroine? See what I mean about romance conventions? Cabot is a great story teller and spins an excellent plot, so this is a good read, but it is not anti-vampire! There's a lot of silliness as well with coveted handbags and vintage dresses. The climactic battle scene riffs on Twilight to highly comedic effect.

Although this novel aims for an adult audience, YAs will also enjoy it. High school & up.