Sixteen-year-old Raven is a Goth surrounded by "lesser" folks: her parents have
transformed themselves from hippie to corporate, and her only friend at school
is an outsider everyone picks on. In Raven's rich imaginary life, she is bold
and special and in love with the idea of meeting a vampire. Schreiber uses
a careful balance of humor, irony, pathos, and romance as she develops a plot
that introduces the possibility of a real vampire--in the form of an extra-
handsome boy, of course-- while exploring how a girl like Raven finds ways to
cope with a bully who is both class- and gender-conscious of his supposed
superiority. Raven's voice is immediately charming, in spite of her alleged
bravado and coldheartedness. Her hometown could be any Small Town, USA, and
its possibly haunted mansion just lightens the scene rather than making the
story silly. This tale slides down easily and will be welcomed by Goths willing
to look on the lighter side of their own culture as well as by readers who have
an openminded appreciation for the vagaries of their peers and, perhaps, of
themselves.

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