My Thoughts: Tantalize

Author: Cynthia Leitich Smith
Published: July 22, 2008 by Candlewick Press
Paperback: 336 pages

Synopsis:

Are you predator or prey?

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APPLY IN PERSON BETWEEN 2:00 AND 4:00 PM.

Quincie Morris has never felt more alone. Her parents are dead, and her hybrid-werewolf first love is threatening to embark on a rite of passage that will separate them forever. Then, as she and her uncle are about to unveil their hot vampire-themed restaurant, a brutal murder leaves them scrambling for a chef. Can Quincie transform their new hire into a culinary Dark Lord before opening night? Can he wow the crowd in his fake fangs, cheap cape, and red contact lenses — or is there more to this earnest face than meets the eye? As human and preternatural forces clash, a deadly love triangle forms, and the line between predator and prey begins to blur. Who’s playing whom? And how long can Quincie play along before she loses everything? TANTALIZE marks Cynthia Leitich Smith’s delicious debut as a preeminent author of dark fantasy.

My Thoughts: 


This paranormal book has a very different atmosphere than the others that I have read recently. The restaurant aspect gave it an edge and allowed me to focus on the plot instead of all the things I found confusing. That being said, I'll briefly touch on those confusing aspects:

1. The "were" creatures. Not only does this book start off with a werewolf, other were creatures are talked about but never fully explained and that confused the snot outta me. Were-cats, were-armadillos,  were-possums, were-birds....I mean, hello?!?  I have no idea were this starts and stops if you don't tell me. They also kill/eat people but aren't completely feared or considered dangerous by all.
   
2. The Vampire. Vampires in this story are ALSO were-creatures of a sort. They differ in that they are made, not conceived like regular were-creatures, but the idea that they also morph into animals of their choice was so baffling. They have powers like a witch and kill/eat people but ARE considered to be dangerous by all. (enter sarcasm..~.no, not confusing at all comparing to the were-creatures~)
   
3. The character's names.  Quincie, Vaggio, Sanguini, Kieren, and more. Trying to repeat them over and over was a tongue twister in the brain.
4. The food. While it wasn't necessarily confusing, the food was off-putting, which I'm sure was the point, but my stomach churned.
   

The beginning was slow, but after 40 pages in, I was intrigued despite the confusion and continued to push through it. I really liked the relationship between Brad/Henry and Quinice and wanted to see it progress. But even through that, the end was a complete let-down. It's not the worst thing I've read but I have no real urge to hunt up the sequel/companion novel. 2.5 stars