Book Review: Almost to Die For by Tate Hallaway

Publication Date: August 2010
Pages: 256

Series: 1st in a series
Acquisition: bought new paperback

Summary:

On her sixteenth birthday, Anastasija Parker learns that her so-called deadbeat dad is actually a vampire king. And he wants Ana to assume her rightful position at his side, in spite of the fact that she has witch's blood running through her veins-from her mother's side.

Too bad witches and vampires are mortal enemies. And now Ana's parents are at each other's throats over her future. It's up to Ana to make a choice, but deciding your eternal destiny is a pretty big deal for a girl who just wants to get through high school. (from Goodreads)

My thoughts:
Loved the premise but I had a very hard time connecting to Ana. She's lived her whole life not knowing anything about her father and then on her 16th birthday he shows up. But instead of pushing her mother for answers, instead of fighting for her right to know what it is that is actually happening to her she...well...she does nothing. She goes to school and she has secret conversation with "Dad". She goes on dates and she considers becoming a vampire princess. But when all is said and done, not a whole lot actually happens.

Aside from my dislike of Ana, another thing that really got to me was the romance. There are 2 guys in Ana's life. The old family friend Nikolai and the 'knight of the dark realm' Elias. So, Ana just turned 16 and although I can't remember if we are told exactly how old Nikolai is he as got to be at least 18. He's a freshman in college - it actually wouldn't be improbable for him to be 19 or older. Reading about a teenage couple with a possible 4 year age gap dating and fooling around? Just doesn't work for me.

And then we have Elias who is CENTURIES OLD. I don't care how old he looks - that type of romance always grosses me out. Vampires might not age in body but their minds do So yeah, gross.

Final verdict:
The actions of, not only Ana, but most of the characters weren't very realistic and it made for a less then enjoyable read. To top it off, the romance totally turned me off of the story.

Unfortunately I don't think I'll be picking up the next installment of this series.

If you like fluffy vampire tales you might enjoy Almost To Die For. If you can look past the wishy washy characters and icky romance you might like it a lot better then I did!

My favorite part of this book? The cover.

Overall Rating:

2 / 5 Stars

Books in Vampire Princess Series:
Almost To Die For
Almost Final Curtain (May 2011)

Linkage Love:
NAL Trade
Author's Website
Goodreads