Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side (Jessica, #1)

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Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side (Jessica #1)

by Beth Fantaskey (Goodreads Author)

3.88 of 5 stars 3.88 · rating details · 19,549 ratings · 2,212 reviews

The undead can really screw up your senior year ...

Marrying a vampire definitely doesn’t fit into Jessica Packwood’s senior year “get-a-life” plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth—and he’s her long-lost fiancé. Armed with newfound confidence and a cop...more

Hardcover, 351 pages

Published February 1st 2009 by Harcourt

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Best Teen Vampire Fiction

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Jan 17, 2009 Kristi (The Story Siren) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own

This novel wasn’t exactly what I was expecting! With a line like... “The undead can really screw up your senior year...” I was thinking more a more fluffy, funny, entertaining, just generally a cute novel. I was wrong.

Honestly... when I started this novel and read about the first ten pages... I was skeptical. I started having a little bit of deja vu... which really isn’t that big of a surprise considering the volume of vampire novels I read. And it is not necessarily a bad thing, but the feelin...more This novel wasn’t exactly what I was expecting! With a line like... “The undead can really screw up your senior year...” I was thinking more a more fluffy, funny, entertaining, just generally a cute novel. I was wrong.

Honestly... when I started this novel and read about the first ten pages... I was skeptical. I started having a little bit of deja vu... which really isn’t that big of a surprise considering the volume of vampire novels I read. And it is not necessarily a bad thing, but the feeling of deja vu was quickly replaced with awe. Kudos to Fantaskey for reinventing the genre with this one. I think I should start rating my books according to how frequently I put them down. During my duration of reading Jessica’s Guide, I only put it down when I absolutely had to. Which I think only happened once or twice, I was that into the story. I started it and finished it in the same day. This is definitely one of those novels I will be revisiting.

The main conflict, referring to the transition to vampire princess, is minimal compared to the real conflicting themes, of identity, independence, and self discovery. Jessica’s character is adopted but, she never fully accepts that part of her life, but you see that change throughout the novel, it is a very powerful thing.

I was very skeptical of the supposed ‘love’ aspect of this novel. Jessica’s account is very realistic and it wasn’t hard for the author to portray that when the novel is told mainly through her observations. She doesn’t immediately fall into his arms, her feelings gradually change. Lucius was the one I was worried about. He is motivated by duty and not love. As a reader I needed to see this radical transformation, I needed to see him switch that mode of duty to genuine feelings. And Fantaskey masterfully displays Lucian through his first-person letters to his uncle. You witness the change in his letters, and that’s what made the love story for me. I believed it. Had the author not included that insight to Lucian, the story would have been inadequate.

The writing was also exceptional. The minor characters really made the story that much more enthralling. It was just perfect. Perfectly entertaining, perfectly masterful. An impressive addition to the genre.

While the ending of the novel is satisfying ( I believe it is a stand alone novel, but I hope I’m wrong), I would love to see a continuation of this story.
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Mar 18, 2011 Kat Kennedy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: kat-s-book-reviews

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side is an imaginative, immersive (when will the world realize this is a word?) tale of the struggles of a pair of teenage vampires against tradition, expectations and politics.

In a completely original storyline that we've never seen before...

Jessica discovers one day that she is not a normal teenager but is, in fact, a vampire Princess bound by contract to marry a repugnant, spoiled, aristocratic prince, Lucius Vladescu. He does not approve of her at all......more

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Oct 24, 2010 DarienMoya rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010-reads, vampires, young-adult

^^ WHERE THE HELL WAS THE DATING!^^

So I don’t even know where to begin, I heard great things about this book. Therefore, no brainer, I was really excited to read it. Let’s say I was all kinds of disappointed, and for crazy reasons. I thought this book was a teen romance, and I thought Jessica would be using her guide to date, yet there was no dating and approximately two usage of the so-called GUIDE.

It’s Jessica Packwood’s senior year of high school and she just spotted a weird but sexy looking...more ^^ WHERE THE HELL WAS THE DATING!^^

So I don’t even know where to begin, I heard great things about this book. Therefore, no brainer, I was really excited to read it. Let’s say I was all kinds of disappointed, and for crazy reasons. I thought this book was a teen romance, and I thought Jessica would be using her guide to date, yet there was no dating and approximately two usage of the so-called GUIDE.

It’s Jessica Packwood’s senior year of high school and she just spotted a weird but sexy looking boy by the trees, eyeing her like no tomorrow. The creep factor is high, when he shows up in her class and claims they are to be married, and that she is a Romanian princess, straight-jacket much. One thing is clear Lucius Vladescu clearly is hellaciously hot and thinks he is a vampire. Nice!

Lucius is on a mission to win his princess and bring her home, clearly, though she is way too much of an American teenager and lacks the up-standings of a lady. All that aside he needs to bring Jessica home (prefers to call her Antanasia) but his princess is proving difficult and teenage American life is very odd. As the saying goes “when in Rome”, and that’s exactly what Lucius does, and he does it in style and he ruffles a few feathers.

I must say even through my disappointment I was very surprised by this book, this is no teenage fluff and it is quite intense. I really loved Lucius, he was intelligent and dark and the things he said were the highlight of the book. His letters to his uncle describing living in America was really hilarious, and his selfishness when it came to other people I totally loved. Nothing says prince like complete disregard for other people’s feelings.

Low point, the title. There is no guide and there is no dating, she looked at her guide maybe twice and that’s all it was about, unless you count that, it spends a majority of the time under her pillow. Low point number 2 Jessica; I found her annoying and like 12, only wants things when other people get it. Low point number 3, town folks correction town teenagers so supremely ridiculi.

Otherwise, I liked it but only for Lucius he lit my fire and I would marry him in heartbeat.
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Jul 18, 2010 Amelia, the pragmatic idealist rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, ya-kids-teen, harcourt, paranormal, disappointing, annoying-protagonist, mc-girl

Well, the beginning was really good, the middle part was crap, and the ending was alright. Sorry for sounding crass - usually I try and sound more objective and mature when I write reviews, but this book just took all the emotion out of me. It's one of those up-and-down books.
There were things about this book that were really likable. For example:

Jessica as a character: I love well-rounded characters who undergo a transformation throughout the story - keeps them from being stagnate and boring. I...more Well, the beginning was really good, the middle part was crap, and the ending was alright. Sorry for sounding crass - usually I try and sound more objective and mature when I write reviews, but this book just took all the emotion out of me. It's one of those up-and-down books.
There were things about this book that were really likable. For example:

Jessica as a character: I love well-rounded characters who undergo a transformation throughout the story - keeps them from being stagnate and boring. I like how she learned to be assertive and take charge of her life. Bravo.

I liked the vampire lore here: yes, even the biting. I mean, they're vampires, they bite! That's what they do.

And now on to the meat of this review:
Lucius went from being intriguing to incredibly frustrating and then finally to annoying. I guess I just hate characters like Lucius, because I was not impressed by his actions one bit, and so I kind of wondered what exactly it was that Jessica saw in him. He was too bad, with practically no redeeming qualities. So as a reader, I'm supposed to like and connect to Lucius because he wants to keep Jessica safe, so he accomplishes this by screwing around with someone else? Hmmm. And that's my biggest beef with the story: the author had a great premise, but she blew it for me with the stupid Faith subplot. Completely unnecessary - there are so many other ways to have Lucius accomplish the overall goal of what he's trying to do. Wayward characters can just go die in a hole for all I care. Geesh! And so it seemed like Jessica all of the sudden decided she was in love with Lucius because...why? He's messing around with someone else...and she's...jealous? Maybe? I don't know, it was too weird. I don't really understand what she saw in him. I guess I like my boys unspoiled. :P

Anyway, it ended nicely, though, but I really sped through this one, just to be finished with it. A great concept that, in my opinion, was sorely executed. I don't know if I'd recommend this book to anyone - I know it's popular, and I'm sure other readers will enjoy it. I guess when it comes to vampires, I'm just more of an Edward Cullen type of girl. :](less)

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May 18, 2009 Tatiana rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, ya, romancelandia

There are dozens of vampire books on the market right now but I am confident this is one of the better ones, the one that stands out. I don’t want to summarize the book’s plot here because so many people have already done so. But I am going to say that this is an entertaining book, with colorful characters. The plot is not particularly strong and the story loses its ground in the final part of it, but mostly it is funny and witty, with a good measure of satire (“Twilight” comes to mind immediate...more

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Jan 09, 2009 Shannon (Giraffe Days) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, vampires, urban-fantasy, paranormal, 2009, romance

At the start of her last year at high school in rural Pennsylvania, seventeen year old Jessica is spooked at the bus stop by the appearance of a mysterious young man who won't stop staring at her - and she could swear she heard him say her birth name, Antanasia, a relic from having been born in Romania before being adopted by her American parents.

When she gets to school, he's there in her English Lit class, an exchange student from Romania called Lucius Veldescu, domineering the teacher and, aga...more

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Jul 17, 2012 Kajol rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, vampires, paranormal, romance

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side

The title had long since convinced me that this was yet another YA paranormal that was hell bent on holding up a public mockery in the name of the genre "Fantasy". I mean a dating guide to the dark side? Bite me.

Thankful to Ms.Fantaskey, I'd like to express my elation by saying that I was quite glaringly, obviously wrong. I loved the book. In fact, I loved it so much that I stayed up till 3 am on a school night (yeah, so I'm a senior in high school. Bi...more Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side

The title had long since convinced me that this was yet another YA paranormal that was hell bent on holding up a public mockery in the name of the genre "Fantasy". I mean a dating guide to the dark side? Bite me.

Thankful to Ms.Fantaskey, I'd like to express my elation by saying that I was quite glaringly, obviously wrong. I loved the book. In fact, I loved it so much that I stayed up till 3 am on a school night (yeah, so I'm a senior in high school. Big deal. Make fun of the school night thing, and I'll send you my personal guard of paranormal hotties who're quite apt at killing people off-- Dimitri, Barrons, Jace, Damon, and now a new addition Lucius).

As soon as I started reading this book, I just couldn't put it down. Never ever, in the short lifetime of my lustful dreams of sexy vampires had I ever imagined to find so much, so awesome, all in one place. We've got happening European exchange students, we've got beautiful/smart/spunky heroines, we've got meanace in the form of blonde horse-riding cheerleaders, we've got vampires, we've got fights, we've got romance, we've got sarcasm and we've got thrill. One of the most entertaining YA reads is what we've got here and I feel like yelling "Bring it on, bitches!" to every single person who deems YA paranormal writers to be "lame"--mindlessly coining the frankly overused American phrase, and only succeeding in proving the weakness of their argument-- but oh well!

Damn it, Lucius Vladescu was just so YUM (dangerous as he was luscious, oh I need some air)! For a lit-freak like me, it is like a rare dream come true when sexy-european-exchange-student aka vamps start spouting romantic lines from Wuthering Heights (even if they are doing it with some cheerleader side-kick playing Catherine. You just know she's not gonna last) and its enough to get you to sigh dreamily and off into the wilds of your not-so-innocent imaginations.
*blush*
He was arrogant, he was gentle.. He was EVERYTHING. At first when his character opened up, I didn't, for one moment, believe that I'd actually fall for this fictional owner of a royal pair of fangs- 'cause of course he was quite a jerk. But somewhere along the way, I did. You know, you really don't want me describing him, cause when you actually pick this book up, you're gonna want to know all about him without any outside hints.

Anyway, our heroine Jessica Packwood aka Antanasia Dragomir was pretty likable. I didn't have any qualms with her except that she sometimes showed doormat tendencies which maddened me a little and also the fact that her character was that of a close-minded person who sometimes refused to listen to what others had to say. But only sometimes(Heh..I said "sometimes" a little too many times, didn't I?). Spunky, beautiful, smart.. we have the rest of all grounds covered.

I even liked Jessica's foster parents who no doubt were pretty weird at times, but hey, no one's perfect! I can go on and on about this book, so stamping that urge, I'm just gonna say that I really really adored this book and I regret having purposely delayed picking it up(I'd believed this was some farce in the name of Paranormal Romance. Oh, my naivete. *shakes head* ). Great story line, awesome characters.. You JUST know you won't be able to resist it!(less)

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Apr 04, 2012 Lissa & Alexa The Novel Lasses rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Girls and Boys Grades 5 and up

Recommended to Lissa & Alexa by: Daughter (age 11)

Goodreads synopsis

The undead can really screw up your senior year ...

Marrying a vampire definitely doesn’t fit into Jessica Packwood’s senior year “get-a-life” plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth—and he’s her long-lost fiancé. Armed with newfound confidence and a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica makes a dramatic tr...more Goodreads synopsis

The undead can really screw up your senior year ...

Marrying a vampire definitely doesn’t fit into Jessica Packwood’s senior year “get-a-life” plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth—and he’s her long-lost fiancé. Armed with newfound confidence and a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica makes a dramatic transition from average American teenager to glam European vampire princess. But when a devious cheerleader sets her sights on Lucius, Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire war—and save Lucius’s soul from eternal destruction.

Lissa Reviews

The book does take a while to get into, mostly because the major flaws are all in the beginning of the novel. The biggest thing that peeved me was that Jessica's love of "rational thinking" was used as a plot device to make her not believe that Lucius was a vampire until the moment Fantaskey needed her to. This could have been done in a much more natural way, because something just doesn't ring true about her parents not telling her about her vampyric past simply because she has a rational mind. It would have been better, perhaps, if they didn't tell her because, in today's society, no one believes in vampires, but instead, the "Jessica has a rational mind" idea is given to the reader over and over to try to write off her disbelief.

I also have reservations about the way female vampires develop their fangs in Fantaskey's world. A female has to be bitten by a male vampire before the fangs will materialize. The "meaning" of fang development is a little vague; it seems like the girl is not through with vampire "puberty" until the teeth have come in, but linking that to a bite from the male and vampire bites are depicted as very sexual makes it seem more like a loss of virginity. This means that the female cannot become Vampire until she offer ups herself to the male and gives her purity to the male.

What I found the most amusing of the story was the letters that Lucius writes to his uncle, showing how he views the world of the Americans from his rather patrician, strict and structured upbringing. Another theme that we deal with in this story is that of love and redemption. Our favorite arrogant vampire has feelings of worthlessness and feels that he is unforgivable. Yet we see glimpses of kindness and love, even when he refuses to acknowledge their existence. It is a powerful, emotionally charged story that takes the reader on Lucius's emotional roller coaster ride with him, and has us sitting in the sidelines, cheering him on and hoping he finds the forgiveness he desperately craves.

All in all, this is not a bad book but it is not wonderful either. It is a bit silly and often too predictable. I finished it in 2 days, as I found myself not wanting to put it down. Fantaskey writes with a breezy, effervescent style that lends itself to the story, keeping the various story lines -- challenges with parents, students, normal friends, the would-be normal boyfriend, and the vampire prince -- spinning. There's more at stake in the betrothal, because it was calculated to cement an alliance between two powerful feuding vampire clans.

I was highly disappointed by the end of this book. After all that happens, all the leading up to the climax, all the chasing, the drama, the surprises, the book ends in a whisper.
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Aug 17, 2012 Colette rated it 2 of 5 stars

I've never actually hated a book...but for "Jessica", I'll make the exception.

I WOULD give it three, due to it having such promise in the writing-style, but the content itself made it a two.

First of all, before you are deceived, this title does not match the theme of this book. It began as a light-hearted read, comical even, but then it just became a dark, angst volturi-twilight moody thing. I literally watched the tone change right before my eyes, like a gray scale being turned down to its dark...more

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May 30, 2010 Annalisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Annalisa by: Annie

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, humor

A book that balks at the current trend in paranormal romance and for that it shines. It's not just a flat parody but a complex story in its own right by (gasp) a good writer (with a name like Fantaskey, how can you grow up to be anything but a fantasy writer?). A lot of the satire toward the YA trend is subtle, but it's there and it made me smile as much as Lucius' mocking commentary of American lifestyle. Finally a female protagonist that cringes at the dark, mysterious stranger who creeps her...more

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Aug 17, 2008 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: youngadult

Enjoyed this vampire romance. Jessica's teen emotions were more realistic than Bella's.

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Mar 07, 2010 Lisa (A Life Bound By Books) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own

I can say that I was looking forward to this book. Reading it was a whole different thing. The beginning was great.... great idea for a story as a whole, however the middle just rubbed me the wrong way. The ending felt rushed and seemed to clear things up way to easy and fast.

I get books with angst. I think angst fits into things and stories as its part of peoples personalities; however... this pushes the angst for me well over the edge.

Now, if there was going to be a sequel, that would change...more

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Maya this book was great! i totally disagree!-
Jul 16, 2009 06:22pm

Kari Just a random note... to each his own on books, as always. An author can't please everyone... Personally, I liked the book a lot and fell in love with...more
Aug 20, 2009 11:02pm

Kay Fraser Beth F,the Author actually added 20 more chapters to the story in her website. If you go to www.bethfantaskey.com , you can read what happens next...

L...more
Nov 27, 2009 08:26pm

Dec 23, 2011 Kelly-Jane rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: i-haz-dis, fucked-up-relationships, it-hurts-like-i-can-t-even-tell-you, i-m-so-conflicted, mmm-cheesy-cheese-cheese

Okay. Here we go. I'm totally ready for this. No, no I'm not. Oh God, I can't review this book. But I will TRY, GODDAMN IT. Okay:

?OE@#WFHY%TZS!#A6X@#RT$EW3$*HJ^RBKJ2$%3M4*R32#@

Sorry, I just had to get that out of the way first.

Characters

Jessica/Antanasia Dragomir

You had moments of such awesomeness. When you slapped Lucius, when you finally got mad at him... otherwise, you're just a doormat. A doormat who has brief fits of courage, sure, but a doormat nonetheless.

Oh, and I'd just like to say: "I...more

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Aug 30, 2010 Michelle novelsontherun rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a surprising read. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am eagerly awaiting book #2, 'Jessica's Guide to Ruling On The Dark Side'. I think the book blurb personally made me think it was quite a young read but it is an awesome read for all ages. I must be honest and say I don't think the cover grabbed me either. Maybe a more haunting Romanianesq style. Regardless this book is a funny, smexi, chivalrous read.

Jessica Parkwood adopted, mathlete aka Antanasia Dragomir, Vampire Princess ( who k...more

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Mar 24, 2011 Alethea rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone who needs a good giggle

Recommended to Alethea by: Jane

Shelves: awesome

My review: http://bit.ly/rnsljgtdotds | I had to listen to this lying down, or I would have fallen to the floor in actual ROFL mode many times. I <3 Katherine Kellgren's reading, and the guy who reads Lucius's letters home is really funny too. Will have to pick up the hardcover as well. Yeah, it's one of those.

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Jun 28, 2009 Margaret Stohl rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book really grew on me, which surprised even me. It's funny and romantic and low key, sort of Buffy-esque. I hope Beth Fantaskey is hard at work on the sequel!

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Mar 08, 2009 Adele rated it 4 of 5 stars

Before I start, I want to clarify one insy weensy matter - this book is nothing like Twilight! Would people stop saying that as I am beginning to get tired with people's lack of imagination and investment in Twilight theory (YA vampire = Edward = Twilight = Adele arggggghing). Thank goodness it's not like Meyer's work because I actually like and relate to the protagonist in this tale. Jessica's got moxie and buckets of it. She's smart, she's capable and she's unknowingly betrothed to Lucius due...more Before I start, I want to clarify one insy weensy matter - this book is nothing like Twilight! Would people stop saying that as I am beginning to get tired with people's lack of imagination and investment in Twilight theory (YA vampire = Edward = Twilight = Adele arggggghing). Thank goodness it's not like Meyer's work because I actually like and relate to the protagonist in this tale. Jessica's got moxie and buckets of it. She's smart, she's capable and she's unknowingly betrothed to Lucius due to her being a vampire princess!

Lucius is an intense, righteous and darkly handsome Romanian (more Mr Darcy than Edward)who has come to America to convince Jessica that they should marry and reunite their warring vampiric families. I just loved every bit of repartee between these two. Lucius would get all hoity-toity and Jessica would smack him back down to size. The development of their relationship moved naturally as did the pace of the story. Each possess distinct voices which make for hilarious interchanges. Fantaskey also uses letters as way to view Lucius' perspective on certain events, saag and "squatty boy" (hehe). I really knew these characters well by the time I was a few chapters in and found myself very invested in the outcome. Hence, very little movement between pages 1 and 354, my body is atrophying but I really don't care.

Jessica's always known that she was adopted. She lives with her yoga practising, vegan eating adoptive parents in the country and refuses to believe her origins when presented them by Lucius. I loved the new take on vampirism, particular the guide book that Lucius presents to his betrothed. This book was a great sense of humour as are the continual misunderstandings between our terrible twosome. I loved tracing their changing feelings throughout the course of the story. Jessica denying her past and repelling Lucius, slowly comes to see Lucius for his strengths while Lucius begins to see Jessica less as a duty and more as a person of worth. The necessity of the alternating perspectives make this intense, hilarious and moving as we are able to identify both individual's motivations.

I loved these characters, I hope we see more of them. More than anything I love that Lucius, at no point, was compared to cold marble. If I were to nitpick anything, it would be that the cover model should be more curvy with curly, dark hair (emphasis on the curvy).

Beth Fantaskey (she of the fabulous surname), I loved your debut effort. What's next? Zombies, unicorns, football players? (less)

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May 16, 2012 Laura Newcombe rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: i-own, in-my-bookshelf, memorable-covers, not-expecting-much, 2009-release, 2012-reads, best-titles, everybody-is-raving, favorites, kickass-heroines, nommy-nommy-boys, should-have-read-sooner, watch-the-sexual-tension-hover, what-just-happened, 2012-tbr-pile-challenge

More YA reviews at A Work of Fiction!

If you told me during the despised vampire craze that I was going to read a book about a teen vampire romance and love it, I would have laughed in your face and asked what clinic you escaped from. I’m undead serious. I would’ve even cried, “Oh, stake me now!” Get it? Undead? Vampires? Stakes? ...okay, okay! Forgive me, I’m new to this. My puns really suck, right? Yeah, I’m a real pain in the neck.

Normal teenager Jessica Packwood starts her senior year with a...more

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Mar 29, 2010 Penny rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone seeking a good/fun YA vampire story

Shelves: grrrl-power, guilty-pleasures, paranormal-romance, zombies-aliens-vampires-dinos

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I'm stressing over the star rating I've given this book. As of right now I'm not entirely sure I won't change it. That being said, I really do like this book.

I picked up Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Darkside thinking I was diving into a parody of Twilight. It didn't take long to discover how wrong I was. While both books have vampires in them that's where the similarity ends.

Jessica Packwood, 4-H club member/mathlete-extraordinaire, is the adopted daughter of two of the more notorious vega...more

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Jul 25, 2010 Jillian -always aspiring- rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: disappointing-books, could-have-been-better, should-have-loved-it-but-didn-t, titles-i-love, covers-i-love, 2010-reads, reviewed

(I finally found the will to finish this because it was taunting me from my bookshelf, saying, "Finish me, finish me!" -- and, for once, I actually complied.)

To start off, I have to say that I was getting annoyed with the "nice vampire" scenario of the post-Twilight YA vampire selections. Most of these he-vampires are uneasy to "bite and dash" -- or, rather, bite at all.

Not so with Lucius Vladescu -- a bad boy vampire prince if there ever was one.

Then enter Jessica -- the teenage girl with the m...more

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Jun 23, 2010 Karla rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, romance, vampire-stories, ya, fantasy, pennsylvania, romania, 2010

I would honestly give this book 3 1/2 stars, what made me pick 4 over 3 was the exceptional writting as it lead from Jessica AKA Antanasia a rual all american teen that rides horses and isn't perfect, to Lucian a dangerous vampire prince ready to swoop up his bride and the power their kingdoms together can control. Lucian writes to his wicked uncle back in Romania and the letters were the icing on the cake laced with old style words that ozzed with a time of class and sophistication. It showed t...more

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Jan 31, 2009 Ana rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

More like 3.5 stars.

You would think that by the title of this book and they way it has been advertised, that it would be a light, romantic comedy or the like. It's not. It's actually a well-written, somewhat meaty book.

I wasn't blown away by the romance. I can always tell how much I like the romance by going back, after finishing a story, and rereading the poignant and juicy parts. There really aren't any in this book I feel compelled to reread. The word that comes to mind in describing their...more

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Apr 11, 2009 The Library Lady rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-books

Let's get it straight, I am not,not, NOT into vampire books.
I think that "Twilight" is the greatest piece of crappy fan fiction style writing to get published since "Eragon".

The only vampire book I've really enjoyed until now is Sucks to Be Me The All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire, which makes fun of the conventions of the genre.

But this one is worth reading.

Unlike that simp Bella Swan, Jessica doesn't think being a vampire would be cool. When a Heathcliff like (Wutherine Hei...more

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Aug 31, 2011 eleonora - rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

I vampiri sono ancora adolescenti?

Ok, lo ammetto: mi sono avventurata in questa lettura perché le ChapterChicks avevano dato al libro ben cinque stelline. Navigando qui e là ho riscontrato gli stessi pareri positivi, così mi son decisa a leggerlo. Cercavo una lettura leggera, per passare una giornata, e l'ho trovata.

La protagonista è Jessica, una ragazza al suo ultimo anno di liceo. La sua vita sembra andare bene, fin quando non viene sconvolta dall'arrivo di un ragazzo, Lucius, giunto lì dalla...more I vampiri sono ancora adolescenti?

Ok, lo ammetto: mi sono avventurata in questa lettura perché le ChapterChicks avevano dato al libro ben cinque stelline. Navigando qui e là ho riscontrato gli stessi pareri positivi, così mi son decisa a leggerlo. Cercavo una lettura leggera, per passare una giornata, e l'ho trovata.

La protagonista è Jessica, una ragazza al suo ultimo anno di liceo. La sua vita sembra andare bene, fin quando non viene sconvolta dall'arrivo di un ragazzo, Lucius, giunto lì dalla Romania. Anche Jessica è nata in Romania, dove è stata data in adozione. In effetti, Lucius non è solamente un vampiro, ma è anche il suo promesso sposo. E se lei non lo sposerà, sarà guerra tra le loro due famiglie.

L'idea di base non è niente di che, insomma, stiamo pur sempre parlando di vampiri super-belli che si innamorano della protagonista che, a detta della stessa, di bello non ha nulla, ma che tutti trovano incredibilmente sexy. I triangoli amorosi non mancano, non manca neanche l'amica simpatica che viene lasciata da parte senza validi motivi, non manca neanche il menefreghismo nei confronti della propria famiglia in vista di una nuova.

Eppure il modo di scrivere dell'autrice è fresco, mai noioso, veloce, dal ritmo incalzante. Uno stile pulito, lineare, giustissimo per questo genere di romanzo. La storia procede in maniera veloce, complici i capitoli brevi e la maniera dinamica che ha l'autrice di organizzare la trama. Ovviamente, non potevo negarlo, chapeau alla Giunti che, in quanto a traduttori, è messa molto meglio di tante altre case editrici.

Il romanzo di per sé sarebbe autoconclusivo, nonostante ci sia un altro capitolo che verrà pubblicato presto. E il fatto di essere autoconclusivo, sicuramente, aiuta.
Insomma, una storia fresca, che nonostante conti ben cinquecento pagine si legge in maniera incredibilmente veloce. Una buona possibilità per chi non è ancora stufo del mondo dei vampiri adolescenti, o per chi ci si vuole avvicinare per la prima volta. (less)

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Nov 07, 2010 ♥ ĸαяα ♥ rated it 4 of 5 stars

OK, so I was aprevensive about starting this book.Well,I am happy to say that I loved it!!! The only thing that I dislikedabout this book was the title,seriously, it has no relevnace what do everto the story. I reccomend this book to anyone who loves a good vampire novel :)

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Mar 22, 2009 Steph Su rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: best-of-09, own

Debut author Beth Fantaskey explodes onto the heavily populated YA vampire lit world with her amazing book, JESSICA’S GUIDE TO DATING ON THE DARK SIDE, which is sure to convert Twilight fans into having a new favorite vampire and vampire-novel heroine. Or if it doesn’t do that, then at least it will leave you smiling, biting your nails, and reading far into the night.

In rural Pennsylvania, math nerd Jessica Packwood is about to enter her senior year of high school, determined to have a good time...more Debut author Beth Fantaskey explodes onto the heavily populated YA vampire lit world with her amazing book, JESSICA’S GUIDE TO DATING ON THE DARK SIDE, which is sure to convert Twilight fans into having a new favorite vampire and vampire-novel heroine. Or if it doesn’t do that, then at least it will leave you smiling, biting your nails, and reading far into the night.

In rural Pennsylvania, math nerd Jessica Packwood is about to enter her senior year of high school, determined to have a good time, potentially date Jake Zinn, a nice and handsome boy in her grade, and win some more math competitions. But her carefully imagined plan goes down the drain with the arrival of Lucius Vladescu, a hot but arrogant student from Romania who is under the unfortunate delusion that he is a vampire prince destined to marry Jessica, who is apparently a vampire princess from a rival vampire family. Their marriage would end a centuries-long war between the two families and ensure peace for all their vampire relatives.

Jessica, who loves scientific facts, is understandably confused, scared of her reluctant attraction to Lucius and unable to believe the “parlor tricks” that he performs: a flash of fangs here, a miraculous recovery from a serious injury there. But just as she begins to finally believe—in Lucius, in herself—Lucius suddenly begins to court Faith Crosse, the evil-souled reigning cheerleader-slash-prom-queen of Woodrow Wilson High, and Jessica finds herself struggling to win him back, and not just for the sake of her own heart. For if she doesn’t, both vampire families, not to mention Lucius, could end up being destroyed.

Wow! It is almost unfortunate that this book has such an unwieldy and frothy, though eye-catching, title, because I did not realize the extent of what I was in for when I started reading. Jessica and Lucius are two of the best main characters that I have read about in a long time: they are fully three-dimensional and undergo incredible growth through the 350-some pages. Lucius’ intensity and arrogance makes me simultaneously laugh and be attracted to him at the same time, and some of my favorite chapters were those that consisted of Lucius’ letters to his uncle back in Romania. The relationship that develops between Jessica and Lucius seems totally natural, the growing love not forced. The plot goes beyond a typical Twilight spinoff (which all current YA vampire novels are inevitably being compared to), and reaches its awe-inspiring conclusion wonderfully.

Action, love, mortal danger, family, humor—JESSICA’S GUIDE TO DATING ON THE DARK SIDE has everything. I am wholeheartedly a fan, and you will be too.(less)

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Mar 08, 2009 Ellie added it

This one will be perfect for Twilight fans looking for their next fix of vampire lovin’, but there’s something here for those of us who aren’t diehard Twihards. Sure, Lucius is gorgeous, mysterious, and aloof, but Jessica’s transition from detestation to lust is both believable and understandable, and the healthy helping of disbelief on Jessica’s part makes the romance much more enjoyable.

Jess is a cool, down to earth girl from the beginning—she helps her parents out by mucking stalls in the bar...more

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Mar 27, 2013 Mai rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fashionably-good, immortals, glamorous, romance, paranormal, vamps

This is such a fun read!

I fell in love with Lucius Vladescu immediately! He is sooo funny! His medieval attitude with a twist of spunk definitely caught my attention. Jessica, or better known as Antanasia Dragomir, is a different story for me. I mean, why do I always encounter this type of paranormal heroine? She's waaaay too stubborn to accept who she really is.

I can't help remembering this though, because of her name. :D

I suppose it's fitting too. Since Jessica cannot stand Lucius to be...more

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Jun 16, 2012 Shelley aka Gizmo's Reviews rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009-release, borrowed-library, genre-young-adult

*Genre* YA Adult, Vampires
*Rating* 3.0

*Review*

Jessica Packwood is anything but your typical teenager. She lives in a rural Pennsylvania farm town with her adoptive parents who are vegan by nature. She wants to enjoy the last year of high school as well as her math club without any weirdness happening to her. She does competitive horse jumping and may or may not like the boring boy (Jake Zinn) who drops off hay at her house.

What can be stranger when a dark, creepy dude named Lucius Vladescu show...more *Genre* YA Adult, Vampires
*Rating* 3.0

*Review*

Jessica Packwood is anything but your typical teenager. She lives in a rural Pennsylvania farm town with her adoptive parents who are vegan by nature. She wants to enjoy the last year of high school as well as her math club without any weirdness happening to her. She does competitive horse jumping and may or may not like the boring boy (Jake Zinn) who drops off hay at her house.

What can be stranger when a dark, creepy dude named Lucius Vladescu shows up outside of your bus stop and later appears in her classes? How would this creepy dude know you birth name when nobody else does? (Antanasia Dragomir) And, finally, why did your own parents’ keep this secret from you until you were seventeen years of age and expect you to just throw away your life and runaway with this mysterious vampire prince?

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side isn’t a new concept on the whole suddenly waking up and finding out that you’re really not who you thought you were. The only difference is there’s no dating between the characters until they’re given no choice in the matter.

Jessica doesn’t start out swooning and pining after the creepy Romanian character that may or may not be a vampire and your betrothed until much later in the story. There will be the typical teenaged angst when it comes to stories like this. There’s no way to get around it, nor is there any way to get around the fact that Jessica soon realizes that she doesn’t really have any choice in her future, and thus finds a way to break the heart of her first and only real boyfriend.

The first half of this book was interesting in that Lucius doesn’t actually get his way with Jessica. She brushes him off like lint on a cashmere sweater. She thinks he’s out of his mind by claiming that he’s a vampire. Lucius may be forward and leering at times, but Jessica doesn’t let Lucius into her life without a fight. She stands up for her belief that there’s no such thing as vampires and that Lucius needs to ride his horse on out of here fast.

The correspondence between Lucius and his overbearing uncle in Romania explaining how Jessica is abhorrent to the fact that they are supposed to marry was insightful and funny. I liked reading about the change in Lucius’s entire being when forced into the corner by Jessica and her family. His falling into a deep dark emotional cave made the story that much likable.

The second half of the book was more about Jessica coming into the realization that she has to be more in order to save herself, Lucius and a ready to make war between the vampire clans. She comes to realize her feelings for Lucius when he starts dating the schools popular cheerleader and later is accused of biting her in the neck. It is Jessica who is the straightforward and intelligent one when Lucius dives further into the dark abyss after returning home to Romania and confronting his abusive uncle.

The ending, and what happened between Jessica and Lucius, was as obvious as the nose on your face. It came with the understanding that if you pick up the book several years after it originally was released, you will likely run into reviews that told you what happened. On top of that, the sequel and short novella tells you the rest of the story.

I shall endeavor to read the sequel to this series called Jessica Rules the Dark Side when I am able to find it through my library.
(less)

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Jul 21, 2012 Judith (Judith'sChoiceReads) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: tookie-s-got-it

Goodreads Summary

The undead can really screw up your senior year ...

Marrying a vampire definitely doesn’t fit into Jessica Packwood’s senior year “get-a-life” plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth—and he’s her long-lost fiancé. Armed with newfound confidence and a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica makes a dramatic tra

...more

Goodreads Summary

The undead can really screw up your senior year ...

Marrying a vampire definitely doesn’t fit into Jessica Packwood’s senior year “get-a-life” plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth—and he’s her long-lost fiancé. Armed with newfound confidence and a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica makes a dramatic transition from average American teenager to glam European vampire princess. But when a devious cheerleader sets her sights on Lucius, Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire war—and save Lucius’s soul from eternal destruction.

My Thoughts

I finished this read in 2 days, that's how swift of a book it is! I like how the chapters are compressed and not really drawn out, it made reading it very appealing. Beth Fantaskey is a very gifted author and I felt her characters were very real and relatable. I could relate to both Jessica and Lucius as easily as I did to everyone else - speaking of which, the supporting characters are phenomenal! At times I felt as though they carried the story a little, but it was still GOOD.

The cover was great and I would have liked a better view of Lucius as well as his noted long locks, but I'm not complaining. What I didn't like however, was the almost abruptness of some scenes; it was like one moment you were in one situation dealing with issues, but then the next chapter it was totally something else. I get that there will be other books, and the author must have planned it that way, but at times it was confusing.

It kind of got to the point where I felt like I was reading fanfiction - little snippets and bits of a story - but don't get me wrong: I ADORE fan-fiction. I've been writing on there since I was 13 and without it I'd have gotten little feedback and not the opportunity to grow. For me it was my writing school, but for a novel I felt there should have been more consistency.

Beth writes clearly and precise, and she certainly kept me hooked, (ask my parents who haven't seen much of me for the past 2 days. That's right, I've been shut-off in my room, reading.) Lucius was irresistible with his love for Jessica and she was very brave, I loved that! This was a read definitely worth my time and I'll for sure check out the second book as well as that wedding, online...I want to see how things went down! So all in all this book is worth a pick-up, a good sit-down and definitely a read! (less)

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About Beth Fantaskey

1. My favorite hobby is traveling the world - but my biggest fear is flying.
2. My second-biggest fear is public speaking… but I’m a college professor (who sometimes teaches public speaking!)
3. I have two 8-year-old kids - who AREN’T twins.
4. My weirdest work experience was helping to “tan” deer hides using cow brains. (I was actually writing a magazine story about it.)
5. I’ve only been fired...more

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Books by Beth Fantaskey

Jessica Rules the Dark Side (Jessica, #2)

The Wedding of Antanasia Jessica Packwood and Lucius Valeriu Vladescu (Jessica, #1.5)

Dear Teen Me: Authors Write Letters to Their Teen Selves

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“American women. Why do you all want to be nearly invisible? Why not have a physical presence in the world? Women should have curves, not angles. ...One should never confuse fashionable with beautiful. ...Eat. Be happy to have curves. A presence.” — 297 people liked it

“Jessica. For god's sake," he said. "Allow me to do at least one common courtesy for you. In spite ow what 'women's lib' teaches you, chivalry does not imply that women are powerless. On the contrary, chivalry is an admission of women's superiority. An acknowledgment of your power over us. This is the only form of servitude a Vladescu ever practices, and I perform it gladly for you. You, in turn, are obligated to accept graciously.” — 205 people liked it

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Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side (Jessica #1)

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