Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side

My rating:

add to my books

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

by Beth Fantaskey

3.92 · rating details · 11,175 ratings · 1,666 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 confid...more

Paperback, 351 pages

Published January 18th 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (first published February 1st 2009)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Love Stories to remember

28th out of 82 books — 146 voters

Sometimes we do judge a book by its cover

50th out of 151 books — 44 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 19,658)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jan 17, 2009

Kristi (The Story Siren) added it · review of another edition

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, bu...moreThis 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.
(less)

like 33 likes

· see review

Oct 24, 2010

DarienMoya rated it

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 hig...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.
(less)

like 27 likes

· see review

Jul 18, 2010

Amelia, the pragmatic idealist rated it

· review of another edition

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

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 stag...moreWell, 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)

like 16 likes

· see review

May 18, 2009

Tatiana rated it

· review of another edition

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

like 11 likes

· see review

Mar 18, 2011

Kat Kennedy rated it

· review of another edition

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. ...more

like 29 likes

· see review

Jan 09, 2009

Shannon rated it

· review of another edition

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 teac...more

like 19 likes

· see review

May 30, 2010

Annalisa rated it

· review of another edition

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

like 8 likes

· see review

Aug 17, 2008

Laura rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: youngadult

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

like 18 likes

· see review

Mar 07, 2010

Lisa (A Life Bound By Books) rated it

· review of another edition

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 s...more

like 7 likes

· see review

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

Dec 23, 2011

Kelly rated it

· review of another edition

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

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,...more

like 5 likes

· see review

Nov 27, 2011

Kajol rated it

· review of another edition

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, s...moreJessica'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, Edward, 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. But 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 for her being a close-minded person who refused to listen to what others had to say. But only sometimes. Spunky, beautiful, smart.. we have all grounds covered.

I even loved 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)

like 3 likes

· see review

Aug 30, 2010

Michelle novelsontherun rated it

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 Pri...more

like 4 likes

· see review

Mar 24, 2011

Alethea rated it

· review of another edition

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.

like 3 likes

· see review

Jun 28, 2009

Margaret Stohl rated it

· review of another edition

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!

like 4 likes

· see review

Mar 08, 2009

Adele rated it

· review of another edition

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 ...moreBefore 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)

like 12 likes

· see review

Mar 29, 2010

Penny rated it

· review of another edition

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 ...more

like 2 likes

· see review

Jul 25, 2010

Jillian -always aspiring- rated it

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

(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 wa...more

like 2 likes

· see review

Jun 23, 2010

Karla rated it

· review of another edition

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 ...more

like 2 likes

· see review

Jan 31, 2009

Ana rated it

· review of another edition

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 ...more

like 3 likes

· see review

Apr 11, 2009

The Library Lady rated it

· review of another edition

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...more

like 8 likes

· see review

Aug 31, 2011

eleonora - rated it

· 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, ...moreI 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)

like 2 likes

· see review

Mar 22, 2009

Steph Su rated it

· review of another edition

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...moreDebut 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)

like 7 likes

· see review

Mar 08, 2009

Nora added it · review of another edition

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 stall...more

like 1 like

· see review

Jun 05, 2011

Judith rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: tookie-s-got-it

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 w...more

like 1 like

· see review

Oct 10, 2010

Erin Ashley rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: vampires, paranormal-romance

From the title of this book it doesn't give you much to go on. I seriously thought it would be terribly written and a lame excuse for a book. I think it needs a new title but to be honest, it was an amazing story.

I have not read a book about a planned marriage before and in that I also thought it would be a bad story. It isn't by far. The characters are well rounded and thought out, they are unique and structured and give you so much to go on and are changing every minute.

...more

like 2 likes

· see review

Mar 13, 2011

Celine___ rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-french, paranormal-romance, young-adult, coups-de-coeur, teen

Quelle bouffée d'air que ce roman ! Je le dis tout de suite, j'ai ADORE Comment se débarrasser d'un vampire amoureux qui est une romance paranormale captivante, sexy, et originale ! Je suis super entousiaste pour écrire cet avis, héhé ^^

Beth Fantaskey a un peu revisité le genre YA en se l'appropriant et en mélangeant tout ce qui devrait se passer dans une romance pour jeunes adultes basique. Jessica Packwood apprend qu'elle est née vampire et que ses parents biologiques ont fait u...moreQuelle bouffée d'air que ce roman ! Je le dis tout de suite, j'ai ADORE Comment se débarrasser d'un vampire amoureux qui est une romance paranormale captivante, sexy, et originale ! Je suis super entousiaste pour écrire cet avis, héhé ^^

Beth Fantaskey a un peu revisité le genre YA en se l'appropriant et en mélangeant tout ce qui devrait se passer dans une romance pour jeunes adultes basique. Jessica Packwood apprend qu'elle est née vampire et que ses parents biologiques ont fait un pacte à sa naissance qui oblige Jessica a devoir se marier avec son mari promis: le beau et ténébreux Lucius Vladescu. Bien sûr, la jeune fille ne va pas se faire gâcher la vie par ce Lucius qui débarque sans prévenir, et elle est bien décidée à lui faire plier bagages.

L'histoire démarre sur une note comique, mais cette intrigue-ci est loin de faire tout le livre qui contient énormément de rebondissements et de retournements de situations. Au début, Jessica est sûre d'elle ou presque, et Lucius acharné à la faire tomber amoureuse de lui. Mais, au fil des pages, les personnages apprennent à s'aimer et à vraiment se détester, et l'histoire prend des virages innatendus, surprenants et vraiment délicieux ! Du début jusqu'à la fin il m'a été complètement impossible de lâcher ce livre tant il est prenant !

Jessica est une fille cool, elle n'est pas bête, et même si elle n'a pas toujours conscience de ses sentiments ou de ses responsabilités, elle a assez de jugeote pour réfléchir et s'en sortir seule. Son évolution m'a bien plue, parce qu'elle a l'intelligence de constater qu'elle a quelques responsabilités à prendre, quand il faut. Malgré qu'elle soit en Terminale, et par conséquent déjà mûre et assez mature, Lucius Vladescu va lui faire réaliser certaines choses dont elle n'aurait peut-être pas pris conscience sans lui.

Lucius. Un personnage masculin très sexy, sarcastique, drôle, beau et compliqué. Le livre est raconté du point de vue de Jessica, mais on peu également observer le point de vue de Lucius puisque certains chapitres sont en fait des retrascriptions de lettres qu'il écrit à ses proches de Roumanie. Lucius est très différent de Jessica, il est plus mystérieux et intriguant bien sûr, et a un tout autre sens du devoir. Il est également très présent dans le livre, et c'est très bien puisque souvent les personnages masculins nous manquent parce qu'ils n'interviennent pas assez dans l'hostoire. Lucius est tellement présent que la moindre dizaine de pages en son absence parviennent à nous faire vouloir son retour lol

Un livre génial ! Franchement je ne m'attendais pas à cela ! La tournure de l'histoire est sans doute ce qui m'a le plus plu mais c'est également un roman sur l'adolescence, l'amour, la loyauté et le devoir ! À lire ABSOLUMENT ! Que du très très bon ! EXCELLENT !

(less)

like 1 like

· see review

Aug 29, 2010

Novels On The Run rated it

· 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. To be honest , the cover didn't really grab me either, maybe a more haunting Romanianesq cover. Regardless, this book is a funny, smexi, chivalrous read.

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

like 1 like

· see review

Mar 17, 2010

Kailia rated it

· review of another edition

Another story on vampires. But of course, with an interesting twist, which I was glad for. It wasn't the usual, girl meets vampire, girl and vampire fall in love. This one is Princess Vampire Girl meets Prince Vampire Fiancee. Interesting, no?The book began off with an eerie chapter but got more interesting when farm girl Jessica Packwood finds out she's a Romanian Vampire Princess and she has a long lost fiancee. The two have been engaged since they were born.

Jessica is a fun charac...more

like 1 like

· see review

Jan 14, 2012

Donna rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: best-bitten, squeemers

Go read. Nao. Nao. Why are you still reading? Go buy. Nao. Dammit, you're still here? Nao? I guess I better do the review then, huh?

Ok, so the first editorial review I read of this book was on bn.com and it's a Kirkus review. The first sentence states, "Populated with thoroughly flat characters, this vampire romance, despite charming moments, makes Twilight look like a feminist handbook." To which I go, O_o. Huh? To further discredit the review, the reviewer (who is anonymous...moreGo read. Nao. Nao. Why are you still reading? Go buy. Nao. Dammit, you're still here? Nao? I guess I better do the review then, huh?

Ok, so the first editorial review I read of this book was on bn.com and it's a Kirkus review. The first sentence states, "Populated with thoroughly flat characters, this vampire romance, despite charming moments, makes Twilight look like a feminist handbook." To which I go, O_o. Huh? To further discredit the review, the reviewer (who is anonymous) goes on to reference Lucius as Lucien and states a female vampire must be bitten at puberty in order to be turned into a vampire. Um, no. It's Lucius and it's 18. Here's a hint to all you reviewers out there: if you're going to give a review, especially a bad one, and want to maintain your credibility, you might want to get the book's facts straight. The review also puts the book for ages 12 to 14. Wha? So yeah, Jessica would so trample Stella Crow with her horse, Belle. I kept trying to find any kind of substantiating evidence that would somehow spit on feminism in this book and while it had it's moments, to say it made Twilight look like a feminist handbook is going so far out of the way to insult that you're going to need to reprogram your GPS to find your way back.

Jessica is a very logic-minded girl, almost to the point of being pig-headed. If it exists in her real world, then it's fine by her. When Lucius shows up, he kind of dashes her logic right out of the mythical window. And damn is he funny doing it! The short insights into Lucius's head with his letters are absolutely hilarious. Oh how he mocks lentils! He's so snotty and arrogant and he just doesn't quite know what to do with himself now that he finds himself on a vegan farm. Other than protect Jessica from high school assholes. Which she abhors him doing and is sincere about it too.

It gets to a point where it's maddeningly frustrating for Jessica not to admit to herself what's going on until she finally starts to and then everything starts to slip away. There definitely is a "too late" moment going on that only drove me further and faster to keep reading to see what the resolution would be. I think the dynamic that was built up, though, between Jessica, Lucius and Faith, has happened to all of us at one point or another. Someone pursues us, we kind of go "eh" although there could be potential but when we finally get to coming around, that interest has moved on and we're left going, "um, hello?" It's infuriating to read it happen, especially who it's happening with.

Yes, there are some similarities to Twilight. What I saw? The couple of times that Jessica claims she loves Lucius deeply and doesn't want to live with the pain of losing him. Yeah, that's also a Romeo and Juliet thing too, not to mention a slew of other romance reads but considering Twilight's popularity, and the book's vampire/human romance, the comparison was bound to be made. But that's pretty much where the similarities stop. Hate to break it to the Twihards but Stephenie Meyer didn't invent the star cross'd vampire lovers. Hard pill to swallow, I know, but a pill nonetheless.

Where Bella is a weak, simpering little turd that excelled at nothing, didn't have a self of her own and could only stand on her own two feet with the support of Edward, Jessica was very much her own person with her own ideals, her own thoughts and lo! We were in her head the whole time and and lo! Minimal complaining! And it wasn't anywhere near insufferable! She also didn't comment on how hot Lucius was every freaking nanosecond. Yay! Jessica had her own life, was capable of functioning on her own, had goals. Did that all kind of crumble? To an extent, yeah. Here she thought she was this normal girl until this arrogant schmuck guy shows up and tells her she's a vampire princess that's destined to marry him in order to end a centuries-long vampire war. After getting over the absolute insanity of that and realizing it's real, how would your life shape after that? Especially if you started to fall in love with said cranky Romanian guy? Love does funny things to your head but she didn't push anyone away. People pushed her away because of the rumors that were spread about her. She didn't want to be alone. She was miserable to be alone. She wanted Mindy and Jake back in her life but they wouldn't go near her because of ignorance. And then there's Lucius. To say the shit hit the fan towards the end of this book is an understatement. That senior year really did suck. Badly.

The only injustice I saw in this book was the title. It's probably one of the most unfitting titles I've ever seen in a book. And the emphasis on the vampire dating guide. It was mentioned a handful of times, most of them in passing. It certainly wasn't central to the book but from all the blurbs, you'd think it was. Jessica's Guide to Staking Senior Year would have been a better, and more pertinent, title. I'm not really sure what the aim was there but it just doesn't fit with the story.

All in all, an absolutely amazing book and I'm so glad I went nutball over it when I saw the review on Publisher's Weekly back in January. Smart I was to listen to my gut! Fantaskey has an amazing knack for being able to propel the reader from one end of the book to the other in a compelling, intricate and well-written story. This is what a turmoil-ridden teen vampire romance should read like. There's depth, individuality and realism all mixed into this fantasy world. Jessica is real. Her reactions are believable. Her actions are believable and her emotions can be felt through the pages. I laughed out loud, my eyes watered and I just didn't want it to end.

But it did. Rather abruptly. Please tell me there's going to be a sequel. Beth? A little help?
(less)

like 1 like

· see review

Jun 21, 2009

kari rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, ya

I thorougly enjoyed this book. Lucius is lucious! I know others think Jessica/ Antanasia did stay 'queen of denial' a bit too long but it didn't really detract from the story and if someone suddenly told you that you were a vampire princess, you might try hard to deny it, too.
The letters from Lucius to his uncle were wonderfully sarcastic and funny and Lucius was a character I really liked.
The vampire kingdom/world was well explained and well thought out.I did think the ending was a ...more

like 3 likes

· see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 655 656 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Book Boyfriends: Lucius Vladescu	12	13	Jan 22, 2012 02:23pm

combine
Other Editions (20)

More editions...

Genres

Paranormal > Vampires

441 users

Young Adult

422 users

Romance

227 users

Fantasy > Paranormal

207 users

Fantasy

200 users

Romance > Paranormal Romance

80 users

Fantasy > Supernatural

63 users

Young Adult > Teen

51 users

Fantasy > Urban Fantasy

38 users

Young Adult > Young Adult Paranormal

23 users

See top shelves...

Readers Also Enjoyed

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 5-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....more

More about Beth Fantaskey...

Books by Beth Fantaskey

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

Jessica Rules the Dark Side (Jessica, #2)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Pin It

Trivia About Jessica's Guide t...

7 trivia questions
3 quizzes

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from Jessica's Guide to Dat...

“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.” — 170 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 [i]your[/i] power over [i]us[/i]. 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.” — 128 people liked it

More quotes…

Groups That Shelved Jessica's Guide t...

Paranormal Romance & Urba...

11053 members

last activity 31 minutes ago

shelf: read

Romance Readers Reading C...

4392 members

last activity 1 hour, 2 min ago

shelf: read

Witches, Weres, and Vamps...

1376 members

last activity Feb 03, 2012 06:51am

shelf: read

title link	preview: Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side
avg rating	preview: Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side Goodreads rating: 3.92 (11175 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6564075-jessica-s-guide-to-dating-on-the-dark-side?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255605290m/6564075.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6564075-jessica-s-guide-to-dating-on-the-dark-side?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey[/url]

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

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Readers Also Enjoyed

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website