Insatiable by Meg Cabot

Sick of vampires? So is Meena Harper.

But her boss is making her write about them anyway, even though Meena doesn’t believe in them.

Not that Meena isn’t familiar with the supernatural. See, Meena Harper knows how you’re going to die (not that you’re going to believe her; no one ever does).

But not even Meena’s precognition can prepare her for what happens when she meets—then makes the mistake of falling in love with—Lucien Antonescu, a modern-day prince with a bit of a dark side . . . a dark side a lot of people, like an ancient society of vampire-hunters, would prefer to see him dead for.

The problem is, he already is dead. Maybe that’s why he’s the first guy Meena’s ever met that she could see herself having a future with. See, while Meena’s always been able to see everyone else’s future, she’s never been able look into her own.

And while Lucien seems like everything Meena has ever dreamed of in a boyfriend, he might turn out to be more like a nightmare.

Now might be a good time for Meena to start learning to predict her own future . . .

If she even has one.

Obtained: ARC received courtesy of Meg
Genre: Chick-lit/Paranormal Romance
Series:
1. Insatiable
2. TBA
My Rating:

My Opinion:
Before I begin, I wanted to describe my experience upon receiving a copy of this book.  I walked into my house after a long day in Manhattan with my mother.  I was tired from having to wake up so early to commute to the city for a haircut, I ate way too much chocolate for one day, and I was not expecting to see about five packages stacked on top of each other on our breakfast counter.  Neither was my mom.

The package from Meg Cabot was the first I tore into.  My heart froze upon seeing the beautiful cover staring back at me.  A two minute (literally) screaming-fest ensured, where I was jumping up and down, staring at the ARC, note, and bookmarks I had in my clutches.  I imagined that numerous people had requested a copy to review, and here I was, with an actual copy.  I was so lucky!

My mom was staring at me with the queerest of looks, while my puppy jumped up and down around my feet, barking in excitement while never truly knowing what was going on.  Upon realizing that I was a "mature" 21 year old, I forced myself to calm down.  Then, I explained that Insatiable was going to be a modern sequel to Bram Stoker's Dracula.  It was then that I had to fend off my own mother, whose interest was to steal my precious ARC from me in order to read it also.

Suffice to say, the book is still in one piece, and I devoured it in two days.  It would have been one if I didn't have class when I started it.

Moving on, I admit that I have grown somewhat wary of vampires at this point.  Not only has the book market surpassed its saturation point with these fanged creatures, but they have also lost a vital part of their original identity.  I appreciate the vampire-craze that Twilight created, however, I did not appreciate the new, modern version of vampires.  Where was that dark, seductive side?  Where had the predator disappeared to?  Surely, vampires couldn't be this soft now.  Which is why, while I love Meg's writing, I was somewhat wary of this book due to the widely accepted and humanized version of the predator.

I was pleasantly surprised while reading Insatiable.  The first chapters previewed on Meg's website mesmerized me, and this captivation lasted throughout the entire book.  Not only did Meg successfully create a strong heroine that I adored (hated Bella), but she also managed to make me constantly squeal in hysterical laughter.

Meena is the type of woman interested in saving lives.  Meg made a parallel betwixt her character and Joan of Arc, which I completely agree with.  While the young woman had her moments of weakness--considering some of the things she discovered, who wouldn't?--she was not the type of character to cower in a corner.  She did not rely on a man to solve her problems.

Due to this alone, I feel that Meg succeeded in her journey to weave an empowering female remarkably similar to Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  I was somewhat disappointed by the end of the book, because I'm the type of girl who craves for a happily ever after.  Although Lucien is a vampire, I want him to finally be happy--crave for him to be.  I was almost mad at Meena for what she decided to do. 

Meg also succeeded in redeeming vampires.  Lucien, while the sole exception, had both a vulnerable side, and lived up to his name.  He was ruthless when forced to be.  He was tender and endearing around Meena, while also being a predator in the process.  One knew to fear the Prince of Darkness--especially towards the end of the book with the huge final battle.  I found this addition to Lucien's abilities to be not only strange, but also extremely interesting, unique, and refreshing.  It helped reinforce the idea that you should not piss off a vampire.

The only problem I had with the book was the "attraction" betwixt Meena and Alaric being somewhat unconvincing for me.  It is important to note, however, that Meena is under the impression that Alaric is annoyed when forced to be around her.  I would have enjoyed a bit of exploration in regards to why she felt compelled to show the tiny forms of affection toward the man--especially since she was supposed to be in love already.  Likewise, I would have enjoyed being shown why Lucien always looked so sad, instead of being told that he was.

I can guarantee you that I will be fighting tooth and nail to receive a copy of the second book in this series.  The only way I can describe how I felt after reading the final page was this: "I have to wait a whole YEAR until the next book!?"  To be completely honest, I'm not entirely sure how I'll be able to manage.

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• Hardcover - 464 pages
• Price: $22.99
• ISBN-10: 006173506X
• ISBN-13: 978-0061735066
• Released: June 8, 2010
• Meg Cabot's Website
• Buy it at Harpercollins.com
• Buy it at Amazon.com