Book Review: Pretty Dead

I know what you are all probably thinking. Ugh, not another teen vampire book right? Well, not exactly. Pretty Dead (By Francesca Lia Block) is a dazzling and horrifying look into the life of Charlotte, a vampire who has been witness to the miseries that mankind has experienced (the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 9/11). In the present day after the death of her closest human friend, she begins to notice signs that could mean she is becoming human again.

The book is split into chapters, but they are never numbered. Block provides us a strong character in the character of Charlotte. The language and dialogue gives the book a bold, dreamlike feel that engages you and makes you feel sympathy for our heroine. It raises questions over what it would mean to live through the worst disasters unscathed, slowly losing your human sympathy. Despite the title, Pretty Dead, comes alive and jumps of its pages, giving us a glimpse of what it means to be alive, and what it means to live.