samiism's review against another edition
2.0
I just couldn't get into it. The first few pages already had my eyes rolling. I found myself skimming and skipping at least 80% of what I read until I decided that this book just isn't for me.
Pearl is written in a way that makes her seem like she's trying to be all badass and goth. Every human she encounters is beneath her. She can kick ass. And she is stalked by a unicorn. She is sulky teenage vampire and I can't roll with that. This book seemed childish.
I thought the story would get better. I cheated and read spoiler reviews, but even those didn't intrigue me. Didn't make me want to skip to the end to see what happens because I didn't care about Pearl. I couldn't relate to her.
Perhaps it's because I was reading heavier, more insightful books before diving into this one. I spent three days reading [b:The Golem and the Jinni|15819028|The Golem and the Jinni|Helene Wecker|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1349205573s/15819028.jpg|21547736], gave myself five hours to rest and reflect on that book, then dove into [b:The Deep End of the Sea|18844839|The Deep End of the Sea|Heather Lyons|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1389985849s/18844839.jpg|26787794], which I spent about half a day on. I should've given myself time to digest it all. Instead I went straight for this book in order to satisfy my streak.
I might give this book another chance, another day. But right now, it was a solid meh.
Pearl is written in a way that makes her seem like she's trying to be all badass and goth. Every human she encounters is beneath her. She can kick ass. And she is stalked by a unicorn. She is sulky teenage vampire and I can't roll with that. This book seemed childish.
I thought the story would get better. I cheated and read spoiler reviews, but even those didn't intrigue me. Didn't make me want to skip to the end to see what happens because I didn't care about Pearl. I couldn't relate to her.
Perhaps it's because I was reading heavier, more insightful books before diving into this one. I spent three days reading [b:The Golem and the Jinni|15819028|The Golem and the Jinni|Helene Wecker|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1349205573s/15819028.jpg|21547736], gave myself five hours to rest and reflect on that book, then dove into [b:The Deep End of the Sea|18844839|The Deep End of the Sea|Heather Lyons|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1389985849s/18844839.jpg|26787794], which I spent about half a day on. I should've given myself time to digest it all. Instead I went straight for this book in order to satisfy my streak.
I might give this book another chance, another day. But right now, it was a solid meh.
tehani's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely brilliant! I loved this from beginning to end - the snarky voice of the narration was excellent and spot on, and it was WONDERFUL to read a YA paranormal that made SENSE! My only complaint about the book is to do with the cover - this is a book that could, and should, be read by male and female readers, but the cover is so anti-boy that I would struggle to get young men to pick it up. And I don't think it's at all representative of the story. A small disappointment for an otherwise spot-on read.
meganmreads's review against another edition
5.0
One day, as I scrolled through Facebook, author Lauren DeStefano posted a humorous status about how there are never any were-unicorns in paranormal YA fiction and someone should fix that. Someone commented about the book Drink, Slay, Love and how it’s a humorous book that includes unicorns as part of a paranormal YA plot, even though it sounds like it’s just a vampire book. Unicorns… and vampires?! Naturally, I just had to check this book out and see for myself!
Drink, Slay, Love was awesome! It was light, entertaining, and quite humorous. There was so much to love! Pearl was a 16 year old vampire who was pretty great at hunting. She belonged to a quite ruthless and scary vampire Family and had an equally ruthless boyfriend. And then she got stabbed by a unicorn on the way home from a successful hunt. Except unicorns didn’t exist, so her family refuses to believe her. After being captured by two hilarious, but somewhat idiotic teenagers and left outside, Pearl discovered she had the ability to walk in the sun. Instead of killing her, the Family decided to use her “talent” to good use. She had to enroll in public school as part of a mission to gather up a large group of unsuspecting humans and present them as food for an upcoming royal feast.
As soon as Pearl started walking in the sun, she started changing. She was feeling guilty, starting to like humans, starting to see her reflection in certain things, and she was not at all happy about it. I loved the conflict because Pearl was raised to not just feed on humans, but to disregard them as an intelligent species. They were beneath vampires. But once she was around humans in the daytime, especially once she was enrolled in school, she started to actually like them and see how funny, smart, and witty they could be. But she couldn’t disappoint her family. They would kill, torture, punish, or hurt her if she failed in the mission.
Evan was the first human she encountered during the day and the first person to notice her at her new school. She found him pretty intriguing. I loved Evan because I sensed he was a laid back and sweet guy who could potentially balance Pearl out. His friend Bethany also befriended Pearl and she was extremely sweet. She was one of those shy and studious types of people who benefited greatly from having a friend as confident and outspoken as Pearl. Zeke and Matt, the two idiots who captured Pearl in the beginning, were also students at the local high school and I loved their characters so much. They were hilarious and charming at the same time. They made me laugh so many times. Not a single character in the book was filler or a waste. They were all great in their own ways.
Drink, Slay, Love was like The Addam’s Family mixed with Vamps and Mean Girls. There were tons of great elements and themes in the novel that were more serious, like abusive relationships, acceptance, understand social hierarchies in high school, friendship, and morality. And then there were the awesome paranormal aspects, namely the fact that unicorns exist in a non-fairy tale and they actually matter to the plot in a major way. And vampires, which will always be awesome IMO. The dialogue was full of wit and humor, as the characters really made the novel what it was. I expected a ridiculous and humorous story after seeing this was a novel with vampires and unicorns, but I didn’t expect it to be so witty and sweet. I definitely recommend the book, especially if you’re in the mood for some light and refreshing paranormal plot.
Review originally published at Love, Literature, Art, and Reason Book Review Blog
Drink, Slay, Love was awesome! It was light, entertaining, and quite humorous. There was so much to love! Pearl was a 16 year old vampire who was pretty great at hunting. She belonged to a quite ruthless and scary vampire Family and had an equally ruthless boyfriend. And then she got stabbed by a unicorn on the way home from a successful hunt. Except unicorns didn’t exist, so her family refuses to believe her. After being captured by two hilarious, but somewhat idiotic teenagers and left outside, Pearl discovered she had the ability to walk in the sun. Instead of killing her, the Family decided to use her “talent” to good use. She had to enroll in public school as part of a mission to gather up a large group of unsuspecting humans and present them as food for an upcoming royal feast.
As soon as Pearl started walking in the sun, she started changing. She was feeling guilty, starting to like humans, starting to see her reflection in certain things, and she was not at all happy about it. I loved the conflict because Pearl was raised to not just feed on humans, but to disregard them as an intelligent species. They were beneath vampires. But once she was around humans in the daytime, especially once she was enrolled in school, she started to actually like them and see how funny, smart, and witty they could be. But she couldn’t disappoint her family. They would kill, torture, punish, or hurt her if she failed in the mission.
Evan was the first human she encountered during the day and the first person to notice her at her new school. She found him pretty intriguing. I loved Evan because I sensed he was a laid back and sweet guy who could potentially balance Pearl out. His friend Bethany also befriended Pearl and she was extremely sweet. She was one of those shy and studious types of people who benefited greatly from having a friend as confident and outspoken as Pearl. Zeke and Matt, the two idiots who captured Pearl in the beginning, were also students at the local high school and I loved their characters so much. They were hilarious and charming at the same time. They made me laugh so many times. Not a single character in the book was filler or a waste. They were all great in their own ways.
Drink, Slay, Love was like The Addam’s Family mixed with Vamps and Mean Girls. There were tons of great elements and themes in the novel that were more serious, like abusive relationships, acceptance, understand social hierarchies in high school, friendship, and morality. And then there were the awesome paranormal aspects, namely the fact that unicorns exist in a non-fairy tale and they actually matter to the plot in a major way. And vampires, which will always be awesome IMO. The dialogue was full of wit and humor, as the characters really made the novel what it was. I expected a ridiculous and humorous story after seeing this was a novel with vampires and unicorns, but I didn’t expect it to be so witty and sweet. I definitely recommend the book, especially if you’re in the mood for some light and refreshing paranormal plot.
Review originally published at Love, Literature, Art, and Reason Book Review Blog
onceuponasarah's review against another edition
2.0
Like most books by this author, the writing wasn't particularly well done but did keep me intrigued. I would get fed up with the writing, but have to pick it back up again because I wanted to know what happened in the story.I will say that it was surprisingly predictable though. If you have nothing else to kill and really like vampires, you should read this book. If not, skip it.
akookieforyou's review against another edition
3.0
*3.5*
I loved how this book was it's own thing. I mean it had freaking unicorns, how different is that for a vampire book!? It also makes fun or references popular vampire flicks, which always amuses me. The main character, Pearl, is alright. She's interesting (especially compared to certain females in vamp stories *cough cough* twilight *cough cough*, but I don't love her that much, which is basically how I feel about this book. Unique, but overall just okay.
I loved how this book was it's own thing. I mean it had freaking unicorns, how different is that for a vampire book!? It also makes fun or references popular vampire flicks, which always amuses me. The main character, Pearl, is alright. She's interesting (especially compared to certain females in vamp stories *cough cough* twilight *cough cough*, but I don't love her that much, which is basically how I feel about this book. Unique, but overall just okay.
amjmiller's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
missprint_'s review against another edition
4.0
Pearl is like a lot of sixteen-year-old girls. She likes to steal cars and drive too fast with her handsome, dangerous boyfriend Jadrien. She wears a lot of black. She is extremely flammable in direct sunlight.
Okay. Maybe Pearl isn't exactly an average teenaged girl. But she is an average vampire. Completely ordinary and almost completely evil; Pearl is the perfect predator at the top of the food chain in her Connecticut town. And she is fine with that.
With the vampire king of New England coming soon for the annual fealty ceremony that marks the start of a vampire's adulthood, it's a good time to be a young vampire. Since her Family has been given the honor of hosting the king's feast things are especially good for Pearl.
At least until the unicorn comes along and stabs her in the heart with his stupid sparkly horn.
But instead of dying a quick death, Pearl survives the attack. Not just that, she can now withstand sunlight. No one in her Family believes her about the unicorn (they are mythical creatures after all--even vampires know that), but even they can't ignore her new resistance to daylight.
Within the king's feast looming and no volunteers in sight, Pearl's Family decides to take advantage of her newfound ability by enrolling her in high school. Securing the king's feast should be easy with an entire high school of students to choose from, right?
Wrong, as it turns out.
Blending in among the human students is harder for a vampire than Pearl expected. Some students, like Bethany seem overly eager to befriend her. Others want to prove their dominance (unlikely). Then there's Evan. The deliciously cute boy who Pearl can't decide if she wants to bite or . . . not.
Torn between what her Family needs and what she actually wants, Pearl finds that after the unicorn incident nothing is black and white anymore. Maybe, just maybe, it's time for things to change and maybe, just maybe, Pearl is the one to bring about those changes in Drink, Slay, Love (2011) by Sarah Beth Durst.
Filled with twists and turns, Drink, Slay, Love is fun new spin on vampires (and, of course, unicorns too). Durst stays true to traditional vampire mythology (Pearl does not sparkle) while also adding her own unique spin to these familiar mythical monsters.
Viewing high school through Pearl's eyes brings a level of humor to the story as she evaluates teachers as potential threats and brings her predator mentality to cafeteria politics. (Think Katniss Everdeen walking the halls of Sweet Valley High.) What results, in addition to a satisfying urban fantasy, is a dryly fun commentary on the ins and outs of high school.
Durst aptly demonstrates her range as readers follow Pearl's journey from scary vampire to something else entirely. There are, in fact, enough drastic changes throughout the course of the story that the opening for a sequel is very wide indeed. Drink, Slay, Love is a clever, entertaining book complete with a winning heroine readers will want to cheer for--albeit from a safe distance.
Possible Pairings: White Cat by Holly Black, Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins, Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough, Rampant by Diana Peterfreund, The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan, Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford, Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde
Okay. Maybe Pearl isn't exactly an average teenaged girl. But she is an average vampire. Completely ordinary and almost completely evil; Pearl is the perfect predator at the top of the food chain in her Connecticut town. And she is fine with that.
With the vampire king of New England coming soon for the annual fealty ceremony that marks the start of a vampire's adulthood, it's a good time to be a young vampire. Since her Family has been given the honor of hosting the king's feast things are especially good for Pearl.
At least until the unicorn comes along and stabs her in the heart with his stupid sparkly horn.
But instead of dying a quick death, Pearl survives the attack. Not just that, she can now withstand sunlight. No one in her Family believes her about the unicorn (they are mythical creatures after all--even vampires know that), but even they can't ignore her new resistance to daylight.
Within the king's feast looming and no volunteers in sight, Pearl's Family decides to take advantage of her newfound ability by enrolling her in high school. Securing the king's feast should be easy with an entire high school of students to choose from, right?
Wrong, as it turns out.
Blending in among the human students is harder for a vampire than Pearl expected. Some students, like Bethany seem overly eager to befriend her. Others want to prove their dominance (unlikely). Then there's Evan. The deliciously cute boy who Pearl can't decide if she wants to bite or . . . not.
Torn between what her Family needs and what she actually wants, Pearl finds that after the unicorn incident nothing is black and white anymore. Maybe, just maybe, it's time for things to change and maybe, just maybe, Pearl is the one to bring about those changes in Drink, Slay, Love (2011) by Sarah Beth Durst.
Filled with twists and turns, Drink, Slay, Love is fun new spin on vampires (and, of course, unicorns too). Durst stays true to traditional vampire mythology (Pearl does not sparkle) while also adding her own unique spin to these familiar mythical monsters.
Viewing high school through Pearl's eyes brings a level of humor to the story as she evaluates teachers as potential threats and brings her predator mentality to cafeteria politics. (Think Katniss Everdeen walking the halls of Sweet Valley High.) What results, in addition to a satisfying urban fantasy, is a dryly fun commentary on the ins and outs of high school.
Durst aptly demonstrates her range as readers follow Pearl's journey from scary vampire to something else entirely. There are, in fact, enough drastic changes throughout the course of the story that the opening for a sequel is very wide indeed. Drink, Slay, Love is a clever, entertaining book complete with a winning heroine readers will want to cheer for--albeit from a safe distance.
Possible Pairings: White Cat by Holly Black, Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins, Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough, Rampant by Diana Peterfreund, The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan, Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford, Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde
dlewis85's review against another edition
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
chllybrd's review against another edition
4.0
reviewed by http://urbanfantasyinvestigations.blogspot.com/
Pearl is a typical vampire to start out with. She enjoyes blood, joyriding in stolen cars and being evil. One night after she finishes feeding on her favorite Ice cream scooper she is staked by a unicorn through the heart. She wakes up, no one really believes her. She starts getting little good thoughts that isnt normal for her and one night she is kidnapped and stuck in a cage by some amateur vampire hunters. She fears she is about to die as the sun comes up and realizes she is still there in the sun like no vampire is supposed to be able to do. That is the start of her troubles and journey to turning good.
I enjoyed Pearl from the beginning. I just love snarky, witty people, they make me happy. The book is full of humor and creativity. Everything about it was all around unique. Really who would have thought were-unicorns and Vampires would go so great together. Evan seems to be there from the beginning, he has a huge hero complex and strives to help people out which is totally the opposite of what Pearl stands for. You can tell from the start that there is some sort of connection between Evan and Pearl although they both seem to push it off as just being friendly. Even though Pearl's family were technically the "bad guys" I still enjoyed all the characters and their personalities. Pearl becomes an outcast because she can go into the sun but is still expected to provide the feast for the Vampire King. Her parents seem to believe in her but are also dark and mysterious and tend to be a little more scary then the rest of her family. DRINK, SLAY, LOVE had an all around great plot that kept me interested. I didn't see the twist coming but I liked how it all played out. Sarah wrote the book as a stand alone but I would totally love to read a second book. I think Pearl has a ton of story left in her.This is a great book for anyone that is looking for a paranormal YA comedy.
Pearl is a typical vampire to start out with. She enjoyes blood, joyriding in stolen cars and being evil. One night after she finishes feeding on her favorite Ice cream scooper she is staked by a unicorn through the heart. She wakes up, no one really believes her. She starts getting little good thoughts that isnt normal for her and one night she is kidnapped and stuck in a cage by some amateur vampire hunters. She fears she is about to die as the sun comes up and realizes she is still there in the sun like no vampire is supposed to be able to do. That is the start of her troubles and journey to turning good.
I enjoyed Pearl from the beginning. I just love snarky, witty people, they make me happy. The book is full of humor and creativity. Everything about it was all around unique. Really who would have thought were-unicorns and Vampires would go so great together. Evan seems to be there from the beginning, he has a huge hero complex and strives to help people out which is totally the opposite of what Pearl stands for. You can tell from the start that there is some sort of connection between Evan and Pearl although they both seem to push it off as just being friendly. Even though Pearl's family were technically the "bad guys" I still enjoyed all the characters and their personalities. Pearl becomes an outcast because she can go into the sun but is still expected to provide the feast for the Vampire King. Her parents seem to believe in her but are also dark and mysterious and tend to be a little more scary then the rest of her family. DRINK, SLAY, LOVE had an all around great plot that kept me interested. I didn't see the twist coming but I liked how it all played out. Sarah wrote the book as a stand alone but I would totally love to read a second book. I think Pearl has a ton of story left in her.This is a great book for anyone that is looking for a paranormal YA comedy.