Blessed – Cynthia Leitich Smith

Blessed
Cynthia Leitich Smith
Candlewick
ISBN 9780763643263


I was first introduced to Cynthia Leitich Smith's writings this year through the anthology Geektastic. That anthology was so good I have tracked down and read books by most of the authors in it. Cynthia is one of my new favorites. This book ties together characters from two of her other stories from both Tantalize and Eternal and brings them together in a wonderful new story. I did not read these stories in order, and though the three books form a kind of trilogy, they are strong enough to be read by themselves. This story is one of my favorites of over 275 read so far this year.

Our cast of characters is a little overwhelming when looks at together:

Quincie Morris - A neophyte vampire, and heir of her family's restaurant Sanguini's .
Henry Johnson - AKA Bradley Sanguini, the vampire that turned Quincie and who seeks to obtain the powers of Dracula Prime.
Zachary - a guardian angel whose new assignment is Quincie, the first vampire to have a GA.
Kieren - Quincie's best friend and true love, also a werewolf hybrid who has left to join a pack.
Nora - former chef to the Vampire Prince, now head chef at Sanguini's, and ally of Zachary and Quincie.
Freddy - raised to be a servant of vampire royalty, now allied with Nora and Zachary.

And that is just a few of the characters in this story.

This book, and the whole trilogy was written in part as homage to Bram Stoker's Dracula, but also as a dialogue with him and the mythology he created in his story about Dracula Prime. The way she weaves her narrative in and out of these dual intentions is amazing. She has created a world and stories that are compelling and real, and yet she manages to humbly nod her hat to the original. The characters are believable and some endearing; the plot has many unique twists and turns that keeps the reader addicted and turning the pages. In a recent interview the author indicated there is a fourth and possibly fifth book to be written in this work, and they will be much anticipated after this amazing story.

Books by Cynthia Leitich Smith:

Young Adult Books:

Tantalize
Eternal
Blessed
Cat Calls - Short Story
Tantalize Kierens Story - Graphic Novel
Haunted Love - Short Story
Diabolical

Books for Kids:

Holler Loudly
Santa Knows
Indian Shoes
Rain Is Not My Indian Name
Jingle Dancer

Author Profile Interview with Cynthia Leitch Smith