So You Married A Vampire

Jessica Rules the Dark Side

Written by: Beth Fantaskey

Released: January 10, 2012 by Harcourt Children’s Books

Summary: The highly anticipated sequel to Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side.

It’s one thing to find out you’re a vampire princess. It’s a whole other thing to actually rule. Newly married Jessica Packwood is having a hard enough time feeling regal with her husband, Lucius, at her side. But when evidence in the murder of a powerful elder points to Lucius, sending him into solitary confinement, Jessica is suddenly on her own. Determined to clear her husband’s name, Jessica launches into a full-scale investigation, but hallucinations and nightmares of betrayal keep getting in her way. Jessica knows that with no blood to drink, Lucius’s time is running out. Can she figure out who the real killer is—and whom she can trust—before it’s too late?

Ok, I really enjoyed Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side. I was a little hesitant when I first started reading, but I ended up really liking it. So, when I went into readingthis novel I figured that I would at least like reading it as well – boy was I wrong.

So I received my copy while at BEA last year almost by fluke. I was in the Harcourt area, asking about a different novel that they had a display poster for, and overheard another girl asking about this novel. Turns out that there were advanced copies and my inner book whore reared its head and I asked for a copy as well even though I had (at that point) never read the first book. It was on my shelf, I just hadn’t read it.

Like I said, I went into reading this book expecting to enjoy it like I did the first but sadly that wasn’t to be. As much as I liked the first, I disliked this one – which is really too bad.

The main focus of this novel is the murder mystery and Jessica becoming the ideal Queen. Well, I had the mystery figured out within the first few chapters (before the damn crime was even committed) and Jessica was a huge drip for almost the entire novel. Sure, she finally came into her own within the last few chapters, but I was just so taken back by the abrupt change in her character. It just was not enjoyable to read.

There were parts of this novel that I did enjoy and they go by the name of Mindy. I enjoyed reading her chapters and loved her voice in them. She was just so fun and I was rooting for her romance with Rainero. Plus, I love how she saw the obvious which STARED YOU RIGHT IN THE FACE!

I think that, unless you’re a die-hard Jessica fan, you should stop reading after the first novel. It ended well and didn’t necessarily warrant a sequel. If you want more, there’s always the online wedding novella on Beth Fantaskey’s website (which is super cute). I’m giving this novel a 3.5/10.



Help me decide what amazing novel to read next!