Sweetblood
by Pete Hautman
SWEETBLOOD by Pete Hautman
Category: Contemporary
Age Recommendation: Grades 9+
Release Date: 8/10/04
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Reviewed by: Jocelyn Pearce
Rating: 5 Stars
Lucy Szabo is diabetic, and that’s led her to think up some interesting theories about vampires. Lucy believes that vampire
legends were inspired by dying diabetics--the uncontrollable thirst, the deathlike appearance.
When Lucy gets involved with an interesting crowd--including a “real” vampire, a cute boy from school, and a bunch of
burnout Goths--she starts to lose control of her life. She’s sneaking out at night, her grades are plummeting rapidly, and
she passes out at school because of an insulin reaction. Lucy’s life is falling apart, and only she can pull the pieces back
together again.
SWEETBLOOD is definitely an interesting novel, and very original. It’s interesting in terms of Lucy’s theories and in terms
of how vampire legends started, but also just as a personal story, as the story of Lucy’s life. There are good, intriguing
characters throughout the novel, it’s quite well-written, and very much worth reading.
