Dangerous Girls ANNOTATION
After sixteen-year-old Destiny and her twin sister Livvy are turned into partial vampires at a summer camp, they try to find the "Restorer," someone who can return them to normal.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Destiny Weller and her twin sister Livvy are beautiful, smart, and popular. But a summer at Camp Blue Moon changes their lives forever. When they return home from camp, Destiny and Livvy exhibit an inhuman craving to drink blood by night, compelled to satisfy their overpowering thirst. Have they turned into vampires? Can they keep their terrifying secret from their family and friends? Can they evade the vampire hunters who are determined to destroy them? Destiny desperately wants to find a way to stop the horror. Livvy is intoxicated by her new powers. Will Destiny regain her life -- only to lose her sister forever?
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
Stine delivers a fast and breezy vampire tale punctuated with a few nasty shocks. The summer before senior year, high schooler Destiny Weller and her twin sister, Livvy, are trying to put their mother's suicide behind them and are working as camp counselors. Each is attracted to-and bitten by-Lorenzo "Renz" Angelini, an ancient vampire masquerading as a hunky staff member. Back at home, Destiny and Livvy have no recollection of Renz, but both are secretly overcome by a sudden lust for blood. Gory scenes of the sisters killing and feasting on small animals will sate horror fans ("And both girls buried their faces in the warm body, and fed... fed so hungrily on the warm blood"). As the sisters race to find the so-called Restorer, who alone can cure their condition, Renz appears in another guise and stalks Destiny to make her a full vampire. As in his Fear Street books, Stine sends his characters through the details of a plot that is basically all chase; the few glimpses of the sisters' everyday life won't slow down readers who like their chillers quick and light. Ages 12-up. (Aug.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
VOYA - Alison Kastner
Here is a vampire story with all the requisite ingredients: a young, rash girl; a dark, handsome stranger; odd happenings at a summer camp; an underground group of vampire hunters; and an old (hundreds of years) romance. Sisters Destiny and Livvy could not be more different. Destiny is the conscientious one, and Livvy is ruled by her passions, but one thing binds them together. When they return from summer camp they both share a strong abhorrence of light and a driving need to hunt small creatures and drink their blood. Destiny is horrified and wants to do everything in her power to save herself, but her sister is excited by her newfound power. A change is coming upon them, and if Destiny does not find a cure before the next full moon they could be condemned to endless life. There are no surprises in this book that resurrects all of the archetypes of the vampire story. Stine does a competent job of tying together quite a few separate story lines. The mystery surrounding the girls' father's true vocation is the glue that holds the tale together. This fast read is perfect for a summer afternoon. Die-hard vampire fans and those saddened by the demise of Buffy's television show will eagerly read this title. VOYA Codes: 2Q 4P M J (Better editing or work by the author might have warranted a 3Q; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2003, HarperCollins, 256p,
School Library Journal
Gr 7 Up-As this story opens, Destiny and Livvy are completing their summer jobs as camp counselors. Their mother committed suicide only months before, and they found the camp a healing environment. Little did they know that one of the other counselors, a mysterious and very handsome young man with an Italian accent, would be the cause of much tragedy and distress for the twins in upcoming weeks. While at camp, Renz had drawn each teen away, revealed his true identity, and then sucked her blood. His ritual was interrupted with Destiny, however, and she did not reciprocate, making her a neophyte. Renz then followed her home to await the full moon and another opportunity, but animals and even some of the twins' friends turn up dead while he waits-all of their blood completely drained from their bodies. This is standard fare for Stine-short chapters each ending with a hook, very little character development, and predictable story lines. There are a few surprises, but nothing particularly innovative. However, teens will immediately gravitate to the teenage girls on the cover and the enticing title, and Stine's many fans will be satisfied.-Kimberly L. Paone, Elizabeth Public Library, NJ Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
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