Bibliography: Harvey, Alyxandra. (2010). Hearts at Stake: The Drake Chronicles. New York: Walker Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 978-0802720740
Plot Summary: What Solange really wants is for everyone to leave her alone. Almost sixteen, she prefers throwing pots and spending time with her best friend Lucy to field parties and boys. No ordinary teen, Solange is a member of the legendary Drake vampire family with seven overprotective brothers, a serious father and a kick butt mother. As she is approaches the change, it seems like everyone is after her because of some ancient prophecy that she might be the one to unify vampires the world over.
Critical Analysis: When I first picked this up, I thought, oh, another Twilight copycat. Vampires, romance, danger. I liked Twilight okay, but too many similar books make me want to swear off paranormal romance for good. With Hearts I was pleasantly surprised. Witty, funny, and action packed, this is a story of good friends and loving family that explores the question of whether fate is set in stone.
Solange, which means solemn or dignified, is the dark to Lucy’s light. (Lucy means light or illumination). It is refreshing to see not one but two female teen characters in a novel like this who can not only take care of themselves, but support each other as well. Solange refuses to leave Lucy out of the eventful days leading up to her sixteenth birthday, and Lucy refuses to give up when time is short and Solange needs her help the most.
Others in the story are just as delightful, Lucy’s hippie parents who are fully aware of what the Drake family is and encourage their daughter to spend time with them anyway. (Lucy’s mother explains that vampires are differently abled.) Solange’s dad is a wise and solemn patriarch while her mother is eager to defend her family from all comers. Eccentric Aunt Hyacinth looks at everything as if it were still the Victorian times of her youth, while body guard Bruno would give his life for the Drakes. Of Solange’s seven brothers, each has his own character, but Nicholas gets the most attention here as a slowly blossming romance with Lucy shows that he really does have a caring side beyond all the teasing over the years. The villains are particularly bad baddies, with Lady Natasha current ruler of the vampires longing for her old lover Montmatre, as well as Hounds, Hosts, and Hel Blar and Helios Ra vampire hunters might or might not be after the Drakes as well.
Harvey’s take on the vampires legends, adding genetic vampirism and this dangerous change to the mix is refreshing, and the pace of the book is relentless in the best possible way. Fluffy and fun with its ending never in doubt, every teen girl you know was dying to read this yesterday and will be back tomorrow to ask when the next book is due out.
Review Excerpts: “[A] refreshing take on the familiar teenage vampire drama…. builds an engaging world of vampire cultures balanced with a smart mix of darkness and humor…an emphasis on family and friendship sets this story apart.”–Publisher’s Weekly
“This fluffy series opener is fundamentally silly and derivative of everything from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Twilight to Harry Potter, but its fast-moving plot and refusal to take itself too seriously offer partial redemption.”–Kirkus Reviews
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