Synopses & Reviews
Are you predator or prey?CLASSIFIED ADS: RESTAURANTS
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Quincie Morris has never felt more alone. Her parents are dead, and her hybrid-werewolf first love is threatening to embark on a rite of passage that will separate them forever. Then, as she and her uncle are about to unveil their hot vampire-themed restaurant, a brutal murder leaves them scrambling for a chef. Can Quincie transform their new hire into a culinary Dark Lord before opening night? Can he wow the crowd in his fake fangs, cheap cape, and red contact lenses — or is there more to this earnest face than meets the eye? As human and preternatural forces clash, a deadly love triangle forms, and the line between predator and prey begins to blur. Whos playing whom? And how long can Quincie play along before she loses everything? TANTALIZE marks Cynthia Leitich Smiths delicious debut as a preeminent author of dark fantasy.
Review
"Cynthia Leitich Smith's dark fantasy creates an interesting...secondary world set in Austin, Texas." Children's Literature
Review
"The storytelling is straightforward but elegant and will hold infinite appeal to the vampire-loving crowd." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Smith juices up YA horror with this intoxicating romantic thriller." The Horn Book
Review
"Whether its the whirlwind plot, the unresolved ending, the fabulous Italian food or all that blood, readers will certainly be licking their lips at the end of Tantalize, their appetites whetted for Smiths next enticing adventure." Book Page
Review
"Smith cleverly manipulates typical YA experiences to suit the book's alternate-reality context....The immersion in food culture including an overhauled menu, as grisly as it is gourmet successfully builds on the sensual aspects of vampire mythology." Booklist
Review
"A stimulating paranormal mystery mixed with romance." Teenreadstoo.com
Review
"Full of unexpected, delicious delights that kept me guessing and turning the pages." Annette Curtis Klause, author of Blood and Chocolate
Review
"Looking for something to read that will make your TV jealous? Tantalize has it all hot vampires and wolf-boys, a super-cool heroine in cowboy boots, nail-biting suspense, romance, chills 'n' thrills, and Austin, Texas. What more could you want?" Libba Bray, author of A Great and Terrible Beauty
Synopsis
When multiple murders in Austin, Texas, threaten the grand re-opening of her family's vampire-themed restaurant, seventeen-year-old, orphaned Quincie worries that her best friend-turned-love interest, Keiren, a werewolf-in-training, may be the prime suspect.When multiple murders in Austin, Texas, threaten the grand re-opening of her family's vampire-themed restaurant, seventeen-year-old, orphaned Quincie worries that her best friend-turned-love interest, Keiren, a werewolf-in-training, may be the prime suspect.
Synopsis
Quincie Morris has never felt more alone. Her parents are dead, and her hybrid-werewolf first love is threatening to embark on a rite of passage that will separate them forever. Then, as she and her uncle are about to unveil their hot vampire-themed restaurant, a brutal murder leaves them scrambling for a chef. Can Quincie transform their new hire into a culinary Dark Lord before opening night? Can he wow the crowd in his fake fangs, cheap cape, and red contact lenses or is there more to this earnest face than meets the eye? As human and preternatural forces clash, a deadly love triangle forms, and the line between predator and prey begins to blur. Who's playing whom? And how long can Quincie play along before she loses everything?
Tantalize marks Cynthia Leitich Smith's delicious debut as a preeminent author of dark fantasy.
Are you predator or prey?
About the Author
Cynthia Leitich Smith is the author of several acclaimed books for younger readers. Of Tantalize she says, "I tapped into my romantic nature, my love for monsters and marinara. Hold the garlic and enjoy!" A member of the faculty at the Vermont College MFA program in writing for children and young adults, she lives in Austin, Texas.