Sarah Beth Durst

Drink, Slay, Love

ISBN: 9781442423732


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Drink, Slay, Love

a young adult novel
by Sarah Beth Durst
available now from Simon & Schuster / Margaret K. McElderry Books

Pearl is a sixteen-year-old vampire, fond of blood, allergic to sunlight, and mostly evil... until the night a sparkly unicorn stabs her through the heart with his horn. Oops.

Her family thinks she was attacked by a vampire hunter (because, obviously, unicorns don't exist). They're shocked she survived. They're even more shocked when Pearl discovers she can now withstand the sun. But they quickly find a way to make use of her new talent. The Vampire King of New England has chosen Pearl's family to host his feast. If Pearl enrolls in high school, she can make lots of human friends and lure them to the king's feast -- as the entrees.

The only problem? Pearl's starting to feel the twinges of a conscience. How can she serve up her new friends -- especially the cute guy who makes her fangs ache -- to be slaughtered? Then again, she's definitely dead if she lets down her family. What's a sunlight-loving vamp to do?

Read the first chapter

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"Combining a sense of humor with the dark appeal of supernatural romance, this book is funny, scary and thought provoking all at once. Even jaded fans of the supernatural will find fun in this one." -- Kirkus (Read full review)

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"Having her way with the conventions of the genre, Durst crafts a fresh, modern, and humorous twist on the vampire novel. Lively characters and a sweet romance are icing on the cake." -- Publishers Weekly (Read full review)

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"How refreshing to find a stand-alone vampire book with a real twist... There's catty and dark humor, romance, blood, danger, and, of course, there's the unicorn, whose secrets are revealed. The story transitions easily between the vampire and human world, creating characters, settings, and situations that are quite believable and often funny while still maintaining a respectable level of darkness. Fans of vampire fiction will be pleased to find this one on the shelf." -- School Library Journal (Read full review)

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"Offering a nicely skewed twist on the teen vampire genre, this book features a young bloodsucker enduring a crisis of conscience that causes her to be torn between the traditional vampire way of life and that of a normal high schooler. Pearl is an engagingly written, deeply flawed character, and readers will enjoy her sarcasm-fueled search for the unicorn that altered her life." -- VOYA

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"Durst creates an original, tough-as-nails brood of vampires who vie for social standing and use a flail to teach manners. The novel oozes ironic humor as Pearl's violent subterranean society crashes up against the local high school scene, with its tasteless ponytails and kindly counselors. Fierce, smart, and sarcastic, Pearl is a lively antihero who is forced to choose sides in the ultimate showdown, revealing her true loyalties. A sweet yet unusual romance completes the book's appeal." -- The Horn Book

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"Pearl is, if not exactly likable, refreshingly self-aware and possessed of a sort of mad charm, and readers both vamp-crazy and not will enjoy her dry, unapologetic take on the genre that is at once pointed send-up and twisted celebration." -- The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

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"One of the most entertaining vampire books to come along in a while." -- Realms of Fantasy

Read additional reviews.

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Download high-res cover art by Evan Schwartz and Jessica Handelman.

US ISBN (hc): 978-1-4424-2373-2
US ISBN (pb): 978-1-4424-2374-9

International Editions

Drink, Slay, Love

Drink, Slay, Love
Australia / New Zealand Edition

available now from
Allen & Unwin

AUS/NZ ISBN: 978-1-7423-7916-6

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