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juushikaTitle: Tantalize
Author: Cynthia Leitich Smith
Published: Cambridge: Candlewick Press, 2007
Rating: 2 of 5
Page Count: 310
Total Page Count: 53,866
Text Number: 157
Read For: reading books about werecats (or trying to), checked out from the library
Short review: Quincie is a high school senior trying to balance school, her first love—to her best friend, a werewolf/human hybrid who won't return her advances—and the family business: an Italian restaurant which is adopting a vampire theme in the attempt to attract fresh business. When the restaurant's chef is murdered, a young chef comes in to replace him and to play "vampire don" for the restaurant, and Quincie is pulled into the middle of werepeople politics and vampire scheming. The Austin, Texas setting is revamped by cheesy horror figures, the plot is obvious, and the writing is immature and pun-heavy. Not just written for a teenage audience, this book feels like it was written by a teenager. Avoid it.
It is impossible to balance positive and negative comments in a review of a book like Tantalize because the book has precious few positives but its weaknesses are plentiful. At first, the fantasy-twisted Austin setting is almost brave: werewolves and other occult creatures are part of known culture, twisting the world we recognize into a new one created by the author. However, Smith's world is underdeveloped: werecreatures are everywhere yet make up a misunderstood minority, and we're never quite sure if the general population has the same awareness of vampires or no idea that they exist. Where there is confusion in the setting, there is none in the plot: every element, every twist, every revelation is uninspired: either blatantly obvious from a long ways off, or else inexplicable and unrealistic. The reader is never drawn by the plot's mystery; instead, he wants to smack Quincey upside the head for her blindness, or else smack the writer for her plot twists. The writing shows a similar lack of finesse, chock full as it is of cliché figures, heavy puns ("Fang Shui," "A Drinking Problem," and "Baby Got Bite" title the chapters), and overall immature writing.
Tantalize is a young adult novel, but that's no reason to dumb it down. Young adult literature doesn't need to to trade quality for reader interest. In fact, there are children's books that show more tact, skill, and subtlety than this one. Smith achieves little by cramming her book with clichés, puns, and blatant plot twists: the text moves swiftly, but it also offers nothing: the book is not clever enough to be funny, not light enough for a forgettable summer read, not real enough for meaningful character growth or themes. Instead, in her attempt to appeal to teenagers, Smith writes a teenager: young, overeager, and unpolished. It's possible to finish this book, of course, and will only take up a day or two of your time. But why bother? There are many better urban fantasy novels out there, whereas the best thing that this book has going for it is its beautiful cover. I don't recommend it.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
Author: Cynthia Leitich Smith
Published: Cambridge: Candlewick Press, 2007
Rating: 2 of 5
Page Count: 310
Total Page Count: 53,866
Text Number: 157
Read For: reading books about werecats (or trying to), checked out from the library
Short review: Quincie is a high school senior trying to balance school, her first love—to her best friend, a werewolf/human hybrid who won't return her advances—and the family business: an Italian restaurant which is adopting a vampire theme in the attempt to attract fresh business. When the restaurant's chef is murdered, a young chef comes in to replace him and to play "vampire don" for the restaurant, and Quincie is pulled into the middle of werepeople politics and vampire scheming. The Austin, Texas setting is revamped by cheesy horror figures, the plot is obvious, and the writing is immature and pun-heavy. Not just written for a teenage audience, this book feels like it was written by a teenager. Avoid it.
It is impossible to balance positive and negative comments in a review of a book like Tantalize because the book has precious few positives but its weaknesses are plentiful. At first, the fantasy-twisted Austin setting is almost brave: werewolves and other occult creatures are part of known culture, twisting the world we recognize into a new one created by the author. However, Smith's world is underdeveloped: werecreatures are everywhere yet make up a misunderstood minority, and we're never quite sure if the general population has the same awareness of vampires or no idea that they exist. Where there is confusion in the setting, there is none in the plot: every element, every twist, every revelation is uninspired: either blatantly obvious from a long ways off, or else inexplicable and unrealistic. The reader is never drawn by the plot's mystery; instead, he wants to smack Quincey upside the head for her blindness, or else smack the writer for her plot twists. The writing shows a similar lack of finesse, chock full as it is of cliché figures, heavy puns ("Fang Shui," "A Drinking Problem," and "Baby Got Bite" title the chapters), and overall immature writing.
Tantalize is a young adult novel, but that's no reason to dumb it down. Young adult literature doesn't need to to trade quality for reader interest. In fact, there are children's books that show more tact, skill, and subtlety than this one. Smith achieves little by cramming her book with clichés, puns, and blatant plot twists: the text moves swiftly, but it also offers nothing: the book is not clever enough to be funny, not light enough for a forgettable summer read, not real enough for meaningful character growth or themes. Instead, in her attempt to appeal to teenagers, Smith writes a teenager: young, overeager, and unpolished. It's possible to finish this book, of course, and will only take up a day or two of your time. But why bother? There are many better urban fantasy novels out there, whereas the best thing that this book has going for it is its beautiful cover. I don't recommend it.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
