"Tantalize" by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Candlewick Press,
9780763640590, $8.99)
A funny, sexy read for older "Twilight" fans, "Tantalize" is the story of
high school senior Quincie Morris (named after Texan Quincey P. Morris, one
of Lucy's suitors-turned-hunters in Dracula) and the two things she cares
about: her hybrid-werewolf almost-boyfriend, Kieren, and her family's
Italian restaurant, about to reopen as Austin's first vampire-themed eatery,
Sanguini's. Both are suddenly threatened by the brutal murder of beloved
chef Vaggio in what looks like an animal attack. Quincie's in charge of
whipping their mysterious new chef into culinary and wardrobe shape before
the grand opening. But he keeps pouring her wine and warning her away from
Kieren, and the local body count keeps rising.
Smith creates a world at once familiar and bizarre - for instance,
werewolves aren't the only "shifters" who can take human form: there are
werebears, werecats, werevultures, even a werearmadillo. And vampires aren't
just a gimmick, though Quincie tells us "the last reported sighting of one
was around the time of the Kennedy assassination." Bloody awful puns, social
injustice (werefolk don't have the same legal rights as humans, and they're
commonly lynched), mouthwatering cuisine (mozzarella, Gorgonzola, and
parmesan ravioli in wild mushroom sauce? yes, please) - and a startling
twist - make "Tantalize" a treat.
Review by
Anna Perleberg,
June 26, 2008
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