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Pretty Dead

by Francesca Lia Block (Goodreads Author)

3.21 of 5 stars 3.21 · rating details · 1,326 ratings · 230 reviews

People pity me, but mostly they feel envy. I have all the luxury and freedom a girl my age could want.

Something is happening to Charlotte Emerson. Like the fires that are ravaging the hills of Los Angeles, it consumes her from the inside out. But whether it is her eternal loneliness, the memory of her brother, the return of her first love, or the brooding, magnetic Jar

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Hardcover, 208 pages

Published September 22nd 2009 by HarperTeen (first published September 10th 2009)

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Apr 07, 2010 Kim rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: young girls not yet jaded

Shelves: favorite-authors, fantasy, ur2ys4me, the-kids-are-all-right

I am sad.

I know that this is nothing new. An invisible wall of despondency surrounds me. I could rival any teenager with a slew of Gothic poetry. (Bring it on, Bella… I can take you.)

Anyway, this wall… it keeps people at bay. There are certain words that they will not use around me. (Like saying to a blind man ‘But, don’t you see?’) Mostly I am okay with this. It saves me from thinking, I can play a role, it eases people, and I feel safe. The problem is that other stuff, the stuff that I want t...more I am sad.

I know that this is nothing new. An invisible wall of despondency surrounds me. I could rival any teenager with a slew of Gothic poetry. (Bring it on, Bella… I can take you.)

Anyway, this wall… it keeps people at bay. There are certain words that they will not use around me. (Like saying to a blind man ‘But, don’t you see?’) Mostly I am okay with this. It saves me from thinking, I can play a role, it eases people, and I feel safe. The problem is that other stuff, the stuff that I want to get through, is also kept at bay. Like that feeling you get when you are reading and a certain passage makes you shudder (people say ‘someone is walking on your grave’.) I miss having words bring tears to my eyes. This will come back, I hope. It‘s just that sometimes, it’s not soon enough.

Take for instance, Francesca Lia Block. When I was 20, I devoured her Dangerous Angels: The Weetzie Bat Books series. I sat on subway platforms and saw the Hollywood Hills; I imagined that the broken girls sitting under weeping willows had guardian angels. I saw my future self, with children who wore taffeta gowns and combat boots to school because they wanted to, whose innocence and genuine trust would take on the big bad world and win. What’s this called? Hope? Inspiration? I can’t remember. (Instead, I have My Chemical Romance Tees and 10-year-old daughters who haven’t believed in Santa in years, but just decided to fill me in.)

Anyway, Francesca used to give me this. I poured through her work, I felt the wonder and to use the cliché, had a spring in my step. Oh, to be so young. I guess I was hoping that this still rang true, I realize that I’m a lifetime away from that girl that used to see Harry Houdini’s mansion when she thought of Hollywood. I’m jaded, guarded, I believe in the Miracle Mile now.

However, these are just words strung haplessly together and I’m evading the review… per usual. If you’ve stuck with me this far, you might as well continue.

Francesca decides to take on the V word. I’m sure she’s written about it before. Before Bella and Edward, when it was still just a flighty subject written by women in long flowing gowns. I just can’t recall a whole book on the subject. She is still in the Hollywood Hills, her girls are still broken and looking for rapture, her boys are still beautiful and lost. The words still flow and I can still see the desperation in their dancing and their sunset on the beaches. L.A. is still the wonderland that it was in 1990. (But, I’m different.) I wish I could still be that girl, I wish that I could still feel that awe. I wish that it only took a book, taffeta and combat boots to make me believe.

I am sorry Francesca, I let you down.
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Aug 25, 2010 Greta is Erikasbuddy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Pretty Dead was a story about a girl vampire. And not just ANY Girl vampire.... Actually, it was a story about a girl vampire who's pretty much moving backwards and can't figure out why. Instead of dining on pouches of blood she's starting to eat regular old people food.

This book wasn't the best by FLB that I have read. I read a review that said someone must have told FLB that vampires were in so she had to write one too.... well, I agree....I think this was written just because of popularity an...more

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Oct 23, 2009 Trin rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: american-lit, fantasy, ya

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 13, 2012 Commodore rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: need-to-buy

I'm guessing I'll always have a soft spot for Francesca Lia Block. I liken it to Jack Kerouac: either you found this author at the right time in your life and he/she really spoke to you, and so for the rest of your life you look on their works fondly, even if you grow up enough to see the flaws that are there, or you didn't.

So yes, this book isn't the best book ever. It's not even the best among Francesca Lia Block books. There are parts where things aren't quite properly explained, Charlotte is...more

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Jan 08, 2012 Rachael Smyczak rated it 3 of 5 stars

I continue on my quest to read all of Francesca Lia Block's books.

I don't really know what to say about this one. It was a quick read and it was alright but I don't know that I really liked it. Part of that, I think, is because it is a young adult vampire book, which I have avoided like the plague. Still, I was engrossed in it and read it in one day.

Charlotte is a vampire. She is 17 and lives in a huge house full of pretty things. She is flawlessly beautiful. She has money. She has brains. But s...more

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Dec 04, 2011 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

I like FLB, sometimes. I loved the Weetzie Bat stories and I've loved some of her other work. But this? This feels like a book written to go along with the trend of vampirism in YA fiction, and it's fine, but that's all.

The things I enjoy about FLB's writing are here, but they are echoes of themselves. Normally I come to her books for the magic, the sensuousness, the opportunity to become involved in the wardrobes and beautiful food and sensory experiences of beautiful girls. It's silly, but so...more

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Aug 13, 2011 Melissa (Book Nerd Reviews) rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved the concept of this book, but not really the excecution of it if I am honest.

Not that it was written badly, because it really wasn’t. It just felt like it didn’t have a lot of passion put behind it, which as a reader you can tell straight away.

I felt with more depth and detail the book actually has a lot of potenial. I really love the idea of having a female vampire who falls in love with a human guy. And I truly adored the idea of love bringing someone back from the dead – or the undead...more

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Jun 05, 2011 Paulina rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was a strange vampire book that I have read and the first book that I've read from Francesca Lia Block.
My Synopsis:
Vampire girl, Charlotte Emerson, has dealt with death her past, present, and future. She is surrounded by a busy world, but somehow she feels isolated in her palacial-like home. She finds herself that as much one desires for eternal life and beauty, it is something to her sh longs to not want to have anymore. Charlotte's true friend that she had, Emily, has died mysteriously;...more This was a strange vampire book that I have read and the first book that I've read from Francesca Lia Block.
My Synopsis:
Vampire girl, Charlotte Emerson, has dealt with death her past, present, and future. She is surrounded by a busy world, but somehow she feels isolated in her palacial-like home. She finds herself that as much one desires for eternal life and beauty, it is something to her sh longs to not want to have anymore. Charlotte's true friend that she had, Emily, has died mysteriously; Emily's long wish to be just like Charlotte drop-dead beautiful and to live forever. When Emily dies, Charlotte starts morphing into a human and she gets zits, periods, and pimples. She also finds herself fancied by Emily's boyfriend, Jared, company. Also her creator and long-term boyfriend William comes strangely back into her life bringing Emily back from the dead. What will Charlotte do live forever or die human?

Characters:
Charlotte Emerson: Charlotte actually was tolerable, in my opinion. She writes gothic poetry, enjoys clothes, and she generally doesn't want to be stricken with death all the time. She is described as being drop-dead gorgeous with pale skin and painted red lips (hence, the cover) and nails. She really longs for her true soulmate and she really wants to have her baby. I would also describe her attitude as very maternal in terms her behavior towards characters in her book.
Jared Pierce: Jared is very clingy and emotional. His look is very bad-ass, but he is very torn emotionally inside from his girlfriend's death to being the 'black sheep' of his family. I didn't really like the male characters of the book, because I wished he would just honestly, grow some balls.
William (Billy) Stone Eliot: Now, William has too much balls and is very cocky. I do not like how he treated Charlotte, his forcefulness, and his pushiness. He caused ruckus and chaos wherever he went, and killed people who were close to him and Charlotte. Did not enjoy his tricks whatsoever.
Emily Rosedale: Emily was very vulnerable and a great character. She was very tomboyish and completed Charlotte's character. However, I did not think of her as the cute tomboy at the end and what *spoiler* William made her at the end.

Overall, this book was so-so. I think Block's writing style is very creative, illusive, and her fully-detailed imagery created pictures in my mind. I think that the nudity and the f-word curses could have been put away, but otherwise she done a beautiful job in taking us through the ages with Charlotte from 1925-to present day. There is some history, paranormal, and contemporary thrown in all together which I had enjoyed. I think her characters made me the most disappointed and the boy characters made this book fall from 5 to 3 stars. Honestly, if there were was a better romance (not just undeveloped sex) and a better male lead(s)...(less)

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Mar 26, 2011 Robyn rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

Not Block's best By any means, but not abominable either. It seems like a third hand xerox of one of Block's better works, Most of the elements are there, but it's a faded and blurry version of them. Here and there, peppered through out the text, are the little linguistic gems that Block pulls off so well, but they don't come as fast and hard, deluging your senses as they do in her other, better works.
The characters aspire to be the wonderfully drawn realistic yet fanciful creations which people...more

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Feb 23, 2011 Lillie Roberts rated it 5 of 5 stars

Charlotte Emerson is devastated. Once a care free teen, twin to Charles, but when he succumbs to rheumatic fever, she loses him... lost to her forever, lost to her parents, and to those who enjoyed his essence. She's sick and tired, sick with his lost, tired of the pain. When into her live walk the mysterious William Stone Elliot, he offers takes away the loss and to gives something else in return.

William Stone Elliot, made vampire, has long sought the one to accompany him on his travels through...more Charlotte Emerson is devastated. Once a care free teen, twin to Charles, but when he succumbs to rheumatic fever, she loses him... lost to her forever, lost to her parents, and to those who enjoyed his essence. She's sick and tired, sick with his lost, tired of the pain. When into her live walk the mysterious William Stone Elliot, he offers takes away the loss and to gives something else in return.

William Stone Elliot, made vampire, has long sought the one to accompany him on his travels through the destruction created by mankind; his art, his muse, his desire. As bombs fall over Paris he remarks "Isn't it beautiful." He sees artistry in destruction. Is Charlotte the one to walk through death with him?

Now Char is irrevocably tied to William who made her what she is today. Pretty Dead.

Pretty Dead by Francesca Lia Block is a book of what it's like to wake up a teenage forever. Forever Pretty. Forever Dead. Forever the Pretty Dead. No way to move forward, no way to go back, and after innumerable years as an immortal, Charlotte would like a chance at being human, to undo what's been done. William is what happened to Charlotte when her brother, Charles, died, when she thought she would die too. When her parents wanted to die, who forgot she existed. But, instead of death, William brings another kind of life, immortal life. William views life (death and destruction) as art, it's always a work of wonder and beauty, what the mortals will inflict upon themselves. What they will inflict upon the mortals. And Will's greatest work of art is Charlotte. Only she doesn't want to be anymore.

Pretty Dead is the tale of what happens when a vampire doesn't want immortality anymore. When she wants to turn back the clock. When she wants to grow up, live life, be normal. It's also the story of a girl jealous of what another has, and when she offered the opportunity to take her friend's place, she does. Francesca Lia Block is a new author for me, but this won't be her last book I read. I was impressed with her take on vampirism, if the clock can be turned back, and what if anything can make it happen. There's this intricate relationship between the characters, Charlotte is hiding from William, and hiding what she is. Emily is hiding the facts of her life and what she wants to be, what she wants to have, under the guise of Charlotte's best friend. Jared is hiding from life, especially life after Emily. If you want to try a different type of YA paranormal romance, try this one. It's a quick read, approximately two hours cover to cover. There's some action, emotion twisting loss, and realization of what life's all about. It's a read YA lovers will not want to miss. If you'd like more information about Ms. Block or her books, please visit her website.

I received my copy of Pretty Dead in a contest held by Bitten by Books. All opinions expressed are my own. (less)

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Oct 26, 2010 Shirley :] rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Charlotte Emerson used to be a normal girl. One who would run through the fields and play with her twin brother Charles. Though a deep connection they shared was that they communicated by mind and feelings. They were inseparable and loved each other endlessly. But one day Charles dies with Rheumatic Fever. Charlotte never speaks and never acts like herself since then. One night though, Charlotte meets the "notoriously handsome" William Stone Eliot. But what Charlotte doesn't know as she meets hi...more Charlotte Emerson used to be a normal girl. One who would run through the fields and play with her twin brother Charles. Though a deep connection they shared was that they communicated by mind and feelings. They were inseparable and loved each other endlessly. But one day Charles dies with Rheumatic Fever. Charlotte never speaks and never acts like herself since then. One night though, Charlotte meets the "notoriously handsome" William Stone Eliot. But what Charlotte doesn't know as she meets him is what he his. She knows that something about William is deeply nerving. But she cannot find words to say what he is. Vampire. She begins to feel attraction and jealousy for William. He too falls for Charlotte. Her blonde hair, full lips, blue eyes and long legs make her his perfect prey. William turns Charlotte into a vampire after she asks him. She doesn't realize how impulsively she decided this. Without thinking of how'd she spend an eternity with sorrow and pain because she is without her Charles and everyone who she seems to find a way to love, dying, and she keeps living. Until she meets Emily. A girl who helped Charlotte find herself and notice the beauty everything posses. Everything that alive. Everything thats living. Everything that dies. But when Emily passes, Jared beings to notice Charlotte. Weirdly, because Jared was Emily's boyfriend until she died. Jared notices Charlotte. Her beauty within, her way of walking as if lived many year, her long words and her loving and caring actions. Charlotte begins to fall in love with Jared because he speaks to her as if he knew her life. Speaks to her as if he knew who Charlotte was more than she did herself. He speaks to her, her human side, but still loves her how she is and what she is. But suddenly William is back in Charlotte's life after many years of no encounter with him, after many years of leaving William because every time he is around something horribly wrong always happens. But this time William isn't alone. He has turned Emily. And Jared knowing Charlotte's secret want to be immortalized by William to be with Charlotte forever. But Charlotte does not want that for Jared because she knows he doesn't understand the suffering it brings. But Jared becomes brainwashed to a point where Charlotte realizes one of her great mistakes. That it was Charlotte herself that killed Emily because of how jealous she was of Emily being a human and having Jared there that truly loved her. Something Charlotte was afraid but yearning to have. Jared now knowing this began to look at Charlotte as a monster. Something she was portrayed as. They never spoke after that for a long time because Charlotte felt in deep sorrow thinking Jared would forgive her mistake and look past the beast that took over and at her, her true self. Until one day Jared came to apologize to Charlotte and Charlotte realized because William had turned Emily into his vampire now, Charlotte was now human. Something she regretted abandoning. Her humanity. It was back and although she knew herself that her mortal life was to end one day she did not care for she possessed the beauty and name of a human not a monster.

I liked this book a lot because of the vivid pictures I formed in my head from the clear details and beautiful wording. I recommend this book to teens and anyone who likes vampires or books of deep, true passion. I liked how the author described every person and scenery and wrote the worded meanings beautifully. My favorite quote is, " (...*will write it in a moment*) "(less)

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Jun 20, 2010 Zoë (In The Next Room) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

"By becoming artists we monsters can sometimes be redeemed. We can give instead of devouring."

Pretty Dead is the story of Charlotte Emerson a girl who has everything a person could want, designer clothes, a gorgeous house, a slim body- she is the object of envy and desire. Charlotte is also a vampire who has been mourning her twin brother Charles' death for over a century during which she has been frozen at nearly eighteen. Charlotte has flawless skin and nails which never break until one day th...more "By becoming artists we monsters can sometimes be redeemed. We can give instead of devouring."

Pretty Dead is the story of Charlotte Emerson a girl who has everything a person could want, designer clothes, a gorgeous house, a slim body- she is the object of envy and desire. Charlotte is also a vampire who has been mourning her twin brother Charles' death for over a century during which she has been frozen at nearly eighteen. Charlotte has flawless skin and nails which never break until one day they do and she realizes she may be getting what she has always wanted- a chance to be human again.

Pretty Dead is Francesca Lia Block's jump on the vampire bandwagon, and one of the young adult books I checked out at my latest library visit. When I was about fifteen Block was one of my very favourite authors, epitomized by her storytelling in books like Echo, and half a decade later I was curious what she'd written since. I didn't realize til I got the book home that she'd decided to try her hand at the vampire genre.

Although Pretty Dead is not exactly Twilight rehashed, although there are some similarities (and the book was published in 2009, so it was definitely written afterwards) such as the fact that Charlotte drinks animal blood, as well as a vampire-human romance. Despite the definite Twilight inspiration, Block manages to put her own spin on the genre, and her main focus is on the immortality aspect of vampirism not the bloodsucking. The major problem I had was that- vampires aren't the only immortals, and I felt like making Charlotte a vampire meant that the basic premise of the book felt overdone and unoriginal, a fact which overshadowed the lovely writing Block is known for.

Block's writing is defined by phrases like "It’s amazing how beautiful destruction can appear. If we don’t judge it, don’t put value on it, it’s just color and light and motion. You can think of it as a kind of art." Her writing is decadent and lyrical, a layered beauty which in the case of Pretty Dead barely hides the fact that underneath something is missing- a true connection to the main characters and an original premise.
** (less)

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May 07, 2010 Xemilyx rated it 2 of 5 stars

Charlotte the vampire has been alive for hundreds of years in a flawless 17-year-old body, and all she wants to do is die.

I thought I would love Francesca Lia Block's take on historical scenes, because her sublimely strange stories always seem hyper real, like something brought into stark relief by drugs or death or something. But I was disappointed by her descriptions of Italy in the 1800s and Hiroshima in the 1940s (before the bomb). She described the clothing in detail, but none of it came t...more

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Mar 30, 2010 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a beautiful book to read. It was as if I was reading poetry, her writing was so flowing and smooth. I wish I could see the world the way Francesca Lia Block sees it. She has this way of making ordinary things sound extravagant and extravagant things sound so tempting and other worldly, irresistible.

Charlotte, our narrator, is perfect, which actually, is really annoying but because Block's writing is so flawless and inviting I enjoyed Charlotte's story. I also love how this is a vampire...more

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Feb 01, 2010 Laianna rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. While Pretty Dead came highly recommended by some of my favourite authors -- including Cassandra Clare, author of the bestselling Mortal Instruments series -- it seemed "pretty dead" to me. Yes, that was my creative pun of the day. =P

The book follows Charlotte Emerson, a supermodel-richbitch in all the ways that matter. I guess she's supposedly a "vampire" for some of the book, but the dilemma is that over the course of the story, she finds herself becoming more and more human as she falls for h...more

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Dec 17, 2009 Sue rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: no one

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Pretty Dead just plain ole' sucked. Sorry, but I don't have any better way of expressing it. I thought Charlotte's relationship with her brother, Charles, was confusing at the least. A couple of statements seem to imply that she felt more of a romantic love than a brotherly love towards him. It was creepy. They swam naked together. She compared Charles' and her boyfriend's bodies. Seriously, something was not right there. Aside from the creepy "in love with my brother" theme going on, the "real"...more

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Oct 26, 2009 Brittany rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: vampire, young-adult, suicide, wishlist

Charlotte has lost many people over the years and, oh how many years it has been. When she is finally on her own she has to find someone to fill up her emptiness, but who is there? She has everything anyone could want, except a lover, except mortality.

This book was short and sweet, maybe a little too short. Unlike Block's earlier works this book seem to be lacking that poetic edge, that twists your stomach in knots and makes you cry out as if you were one of her tragic characters. This book was...more

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Apr 01, 2011 Punk rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: vampires, ebook, queer

YA Vampire Fiction. Eternally youthful beauty Charlotte lives in Los Angeles, wears designer clothes, and has vague feelings about being a vampire or maybe about not wanting to be a vampire. Something, it's all very vague and did I mention beautiful? Because she is SO beautiful, you guys! She's so beautiful even she knows she's beautiful. I think the first five pages of this book are all about how beautiful she is.

Block does some non-traditional things with her vampire lore, and she includes bot...more

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Feb 28, 2011 Mark rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, young-adult-literature

Meh. This was another one that I really wanted to like, because of my love for Francesca Lia Block's Weetzie Bat books. I was curious to see what she would do with the vampire genre, but this one feel flat for me (sorry, Francesca). Plus, I'm a sucker for a good cover. This novel follows the story of Charlotte, who has been a vampire for close to 100 years; she was turned by another vampire named William, followed him for years, and then left him to live in LA, go to high school (as a perpetual...more

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Feb 05, 2013 Didi Delighted rated it 2 of 5 stars

If you have never read anything by Francesca Lia Block, for the love of the Goddess, don't start with this book. It does her no justice at all. I love all of her writing, but I could barely get through this thing. Even though it is quite short I literally had to force myself to read it all.

Having said that, it is a better teen vampire book than some other popular rubbish out there. (At least there is no control freak, moody, vampire boy-man over a century old who falls in love with the dullest...more

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Jun 29, 2012 Sarah Louise rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: summer-reading-2012

I really did enjoy this book a lot. It has been a while since I read any Block, probably a few years actually. I started to find her writing a little too fantastical and had a hard time really following along with all of the fanciful details and descriptions. This book still has amazing language but also a great story. It wasn't as overwhelming as some of her other novels. Char is a wonderful character who has an amazing transition when coming to grips with her humanity. Her history is rich with...more

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Apr 08, 2011 Aryelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2011

I picked this book up because I have seen it around the shelves of my library for quite some time and I thought to myself, "Self... Why don't you read this book?" It is a short read and I really liked the cover, so I was sold.

This books storyline is not like any other I have seen before. First, the main character is a girl and a VAMP! If you don't know, let me tell you, that doesn't happen all too often! Not the girl and being a vampire part, the part of it being from her point-of-view and her...more

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Oct 11, 2009 Kate rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, age-ya, vampire-books

I knew from reading an interview with Francesca Lia Block that this was more of a commercial story. It was much more commercial than any of her others I've read. The teen vampire thing has been so overdone lately, and this didn't really add much that was new.

Charlotte has been a vampire since the early 1900s, transformed by William after the death of her brother. In present day, she is living alone, having finally ditched William. She has befriended a girl named Emily who kills herself, and beg...more

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May 24, 2012 Melissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012

First thing is first, I'm a longtime FLB fan so that may have colored my review slightly, but with that being said-- I would encourage those that have never read this author before to first try her older works: The Weetzie Bat Series, Hanged Man, Echo, etc; before trying some of the newer books: which for me I feel there was a shift in her writing with anything after Ruby or Quakeland (I'm not sure which came first). In my humble opinion, I just feel like some of the older works were a bit more...more First thing is first, I'm a longtime FLB fan so that may have colored my review slightly, but with that being said-- I would encourage those that have never read this author before to first try her older works: The Weetzie Bat Series, Hanged Man, Echo, etc; before trying some of the newer books: which for me I feel there was a shift in her writing with anything after Ruby or Quakeland (I'm not sure which came first). In my humble opinion, I just feel like some of the older works were a bit more magical and innocent that some of the newer writing which is probably reflective of the author and where she is at in her life right now. So with that being said, unto the actual review:

(view spoiler)[
I've read a couple of reviews before I picked up this book because I was very skeptical of reading it after being disappointed by the last couple of books Ms. Block has put out there. One review said that it was almost as if someone told FLB that vampires were hot right now and that's why she wrote this book. I felt the exact same as I was reading it. It certainly didn't feel as though the author's heart was in it. The character of Charlotte is a bit disconnected, but beyond the character, it felt like the words were as well. There is so much that FLB could have done with this, but instead I got to read about the different designers of Charlotte's clothes. Really? Ugh. Someone else mentioned that it was a lot like the different chapters were short stories. This is typical FLB writing. She's very poetic in her prose and sometimes the sheer beauty of her words can either strengthen the disjointedness of the story or make it weak. I felt in this instance, it made the story weak. There was actually one instance in a chapter where she mentions 'vulnerable penis' and I just cringed. We may not want to admit it, but girls and women alike are full of sexuality. FLB can usually convey this in a way that doesn't seem vulgar or offensive (mainly because in her books she also brings to light the side of sexuality no one wants to address in YA Books: homosexuality, incest, abuse, exploitation, etc), but with Pretty Dead, it was stark and cold. As someone that grew up with this writer and accredits her with saving her life back in middle school when she had a gay mom and finally read a book that addressed homosexual parents, I would not recommend this story because of that. FLB is the mother of all the lost girls, strange girls, girls that can't quite fit in. She's the one that encourages us to love ourselves, to delve into our art, to be different. This book didn't show any of that. It was so vested in Charlotte's relationships with the two males that it made my inner riotgrl cringe. The redeeming parts of the book were with Charlotte and the human girl (I can't remember her name at the moment). If you dissected the relationship, you could easily compare it to real life girl relationships and how they can twist and become bitter when one girl wants what the other has. I prefer FLB's girl relationships like Violet and Claire. There's enough books that vilify one girl against another.

So in short, it's a quick read, but please do not base this author's talent on this book alone otherwise you'll be missing out on some wonderful books.

If you're looking for good YA vampire fiction, there's a pleathora of stories out there now. My recommendation: Annette Curtis Klaus' "Silver Kiss", LJ Smith's original Vampire Diary Series (not the new books) or Nightworld Series, or even PC Cast + Kristin Cast's House of Night books (I even liked those up until a point).
(hide spoiler)](less)

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Jun 30, 2011 AH rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, vamps, library-finds, zzread-june-2011

Pretty Disappointing.

As I read Pretty Dead by Francesca Lia Block, a thought got stuck in my head. Why would you go back and relive high school if you were immortal? If you already had a nice home, a fancy car, and nice clothes, why would go back to that awkwardness? Yes, I know they did it in another YA book about vampires, but at least in that book, the characters tried to fit in, in their own special ways.

The main character Charlotte seems to stick out like a sore thumb. She has it all – a b...more

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Sep 19, 2009 Erica rated it 4 of 5 stars

When you first pick up Pretty Dead, and read the description on the back of the book, it sounds totally enticing. When you start reading it, it is so much more. This is a must read for those who love the undead. Pretty Dead was a unique twist on the lives of vampires. The first half of the book I found to drag at times, but the second half picked up pace, and took you along for a ride!

Right in the description of description of the book you hear how Charlotte may get a second chance at life, I w...more

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Nov 05, 2009 Kate rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: death, junior-high, romance, senior-high, supernatural

Charlotte is still reeling from the unexpected death of her best friend Emily. It is not easy for Charlotte to deal with loss, especially since Emily has been her only friend in 100 years. Charlotte is a vampire who is sick of being immortal. She wants to feel again, and when Emily's grieving boyfriend Jared confesses his love for Charlotte she isn't sure what to do, but she is inexplicably drawn to Jared. But as their relationship grows deeper, Charlotte begins to realize she is changing, broke...more

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Dec 11, 2010 Inge rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

I worship at the altar of Francesca Lia Block, but this one made me nuts. Why is every Block heroine/protagonist just SO beautiful? Darling, please throw us a YA girl who isn't perfect and model tall and thin. How about some glasses and giant thighs or SOMETHING? A hangnail?
Anyway, the women in this novel were getting punished pretty hard, but I'm not sure exactly for what. Why did Emily deserve what she got? I don't know. There was a lot of misery spread around. Lots of vampire novel clichés we...more

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Oct 04, 2009 Mandy Brouse rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: october-2009

I'm not sure how to best start this review, but my very first reaction, even after reading the first PAGE of Pretty Dead, was "wow. Really? Wow".

Francesca Lia Block's writing astonished me. I was almost unprepared to read this book. I'm going to copy out the first paragraph because after I read it my mind shifted gears, knowing I was about to read something totally different:

Teenage girls are powerful creatures. I remember; I was once one of them. They are relentless and underutilized. They want...more

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Oct 06, 2011 Tiffany rated it 3 of 5 stars

Typically, I have always liked Francesca Lia Block's writing. It's weird, but has a beautifully poetic vibe to it. I remember I read a lot of her stuff in high school (usually taking it out from the public libray), so when I found this book in the bargain section, I was pretty stoked to try and read another one of her novels.
In this one, Block gets in on the vampire craze (zombies are next!) by creating a story about Charlotte, a girl who is terribly devastated by her immortal life that she had...more

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About Francesca Lia Block

Francesca Lia Block was born in Los Angeles to a poet and a painter, their creativity an obvious influence on her writing. Another influence was her childhood love of Greek mythology and fairy tales.
She has lived in the city all her life, and still resides there with her daughter, Jasmine Angelina (about whom she wrote her book Guarding the Moon), her son Samuel Alexander, and her two dogs: a spr...more

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