Youngblood

April 15, 2022
Secrets abound at a boarding school for young vampires. Kat Finn, like the rest of her vampire generation, is a Youngblood, someone born a vampire rather than turned. Twenty years ago, vampires nearly went extinct when a virus swept through the human population, infecting their blood; now, vampires drink a blood substitute to sustain them. Kat has wonderful human friends from her public school, but when she gets accepted into Harcote, an elite school for vampires, she's excited to be among her kind. Taylor Sanger is shocked when she finds out that Kat, her former best friend, is her new roommate, since a betrayal severed ties between them years ago. Taylor is not filled with enthusiasm for Harcote like Kat: As an out lesbian, she's stifled by the school's conservative values. Despite an initially rocky reunion, Kat starts questioning her own sexual identity as her feelings for Taylor grow. As the girls uncover secrets and lies about vampires they know, the possibility of romance simmers--but first they have to shake Vampirdom to its core. The mystery elements in this fun spin on boarding school stories and vampire lore are exciting, but the messy relationship drama creates the most intrigue. Privileges based on lineage, class, race, and sexuality are explored through Taylor's and Kat's queer, White, authentically teen lenses. The worldbuilding is smartly woven through the story, and although the middle is a bit slow, the dynamic ending satisfyingly wraps up all threads. Frothy, angst-y fun. (Paranormal. 14-18)

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Starred review from June 13, 2022
Set at a prestigious boarding school for vampires, Laurens’s (A Wicked Magic) vibrant, voice-driven paranormal romance explores sexuality, privilege, and belonging. High school junior Kat Finn is a Youngblood, a generation of vampires who are born, not turned. She and her mother live a solitary existence, barely acquiring enough Hema, a human blood substitute, to survive. Yearning for more out of life, Kat applies—and is accepted—into Harcote Academy, an ultra-exclusive vampire school. Aided by a mysterious benefactor who sponsors her tuition, Kat is determined to blend into the Youngblood elite. But when her roommate turns out to be former best friend, prickly “gay weirdo,” and academy pariah Taylor Sanger, and Harcote high society threatens to push them both out, the pair must reckon with their shared past and the academy’s toxic environment to determine who they are and where they truly belong. Kat and Taylor’s alternating perspectives read as authentically teen, and every elation and humiliation is palpable. Without eschewing impassioned queer exploration, Laurens elevates this fresh look at vampire society, which is brimming with classic boarding school tropes, by astutely tackling timely issues, including homophobia and classism. Most characters cue as white. Ages 14–up. Agent: Stephanie Kim, New Leaf Literary and Media. (July)■