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dethklok1985's review against another edition
4.0
This was one of my favorite books as an angsty teen! I loved it and read it over and over.
ipanzica's review against another edition
2.0
This book is so bad that it became a comedy. Which is horrible since it is trying to deal with serious topics like struggling with a disability and online safety. Though there are just so many bad and weird things in this book.
For example, one time the book went on a weird rant about seven drops of blood that got on the ceiling after the main character prinked herself for a glucose reading. Though not only was the little rant weird but it physically made no sense that there was blood splatter on her ceiling since when you prick your finger the blood needs to be squeezed out before a few drops come out. There is almost no way that the blood would have been able to reach a velocity high enough to launch it onto the ceiling if she just did a normal finger prick. So this makes the random weird rant even weirder.
Another thing I did not like about this book is that the "mysterious" online person the main character is in an online group chat with is Draco and he is so extra about pretending to be a vampire that it is hysterical at times. Like I know he is a creepy child predator but he is so uncharismatic, cringy, and is so into pretending to be a vampire, that it is hard to take him seriously as a child predator. I feel like if the author would have polished up his character a bit more and spent some more time focusing on Draco it would have made him feel like a bigger threat. Since in the book, Dracco does do some creepy stalker things, so as the reader we know he is a threat, but the book kept on getting distracted by other things happening that it was easy to forget that Draco is a very dangerous threat. Also, the Draco online predator part of the book felt like it was added to the book last minute and does not have a proper conclusion. Like other people writing reviews said, Draco knows where she lives and non of the adults in the main character's life knows about him. This makes this an even weirder book since this book is written like the stereotypical stranger danger PSA that you see in middle school, yet this book does not resolve this major subplot of the book.
For example, one time the book went on a weird rant about seven drops of blood that got on the ceiling after the main character prinked herself for a glucose reading. Though not only was the little rant weird but it physically made no sense that there was blood splatter on her ceiling since when you prick your finger the blood needs to be squeezed out before a few drops come out. There is almost no way that the blood would have been able to reach a velocity high enough to launch it onto the ceiling if she just did a normal finger prick. So this makes the random weird rant even weirder.
Another thing I did not like about this book is that the "mysterious" online person the main character is in an online group chat with is Draco and he is so extra about pretending to be a vampire that it is hysterical at times. Like I know he is a creepy child predator but he is so uncharismatic, cringy, and is so into pretending to be a vampire, that it is hard to take him seriously as a child predator. I feel like if the author would have polished up his character a bit more and spent some more time focusing on Draco it would have made him feel like a bigger threat. Since in the book, Dracco does do some creepy stalker things, so as the reader we know he is a threat, but the book kept on getting distracted by other things happening that it was easy to forget that Draco is a very dangerous threat. Also, the Draco online predator part of the book felt like it was added to the book last minute and does not have a proper conclusion. Like other people writing reviews said, Draco knows where she lives and non of the adults in the main character's life knows about him. This makes this an even weirder book since this book is written like the stereotypical stranger danger PSA that you see in middle school, yet this book does not resolve this major subplot of the book.
tealeafbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I recommend this, particularly if you want to fill revisit the time when YA vampire novels had a surge. This book was published two years before Twilight and that big surge in popularity, but I feel like if I had read this when I was spending "too much" time reading paranormal vampire/werewolf/witch/etc. YA novels, this would've definitely stood out.
It disappoints in parts and the Type 1 Diabetic-me wants to yell at Lucy throughout the novel. It is also dated, but not necessarily in a bad way. This would be a slightly different novel if it had been published in the era of Nick Jonas popularizing the OmniPod (which is in the past, too--not sure if he still uses the OmniPod...but the Jonas brothers seem to be entering the news again, so maybe I'll learn what he uses now...anyway...), the time of the continuous glucose monitors (and CGMs continue to improve), and the time when insulin pumps are often preferred to injections (for instance, when I got my insulin pump, they were hesitant to give video-game-looking devices to children--now, that is a more normalized treatment). I am also disappointed by the calling diabetes being "sick." Yes, Lucy does get sick as a result of her poorly treated diabetes, but diabetes itself is not being sick. It is a disease. It may seem weird, but I am perfectly happy and comfortable to walk around saying "I have a disease," but I would never say "I am sick" unless I had a fever or the sniffles.
What did I like about this book? Many things. The tone of the narrator's voice is what pulled me through the whole novel. She is hilarious and dark and angsty. Because of Lucy, I would actually not mind reading a sequel to this novel. What next? (Maybe there is a sequel? I haven't looked it up.) I also enjoyed the sensory experience. There's a certain type of paper that smells wonderful. It's different than just Old Book Scent. It's more specific. Maybe it's how paper used for YA novels published between the late nineties and early 2000s smells once it has aged a bit. Anyway, the scent of the library book just made me feel so happy and a bit sentimental.
So, I'm not saying that this book is on the higher side of the 3 star (and 3 stars is good coming from me) reviews I've given, but it is worth reading. Yes, it may make you think about your mortality and it might make you cringe. But maybe, there's the possibility that this is the vampire novel that is the one you should've read during that vampire craze. It is a vampire novel, but it also isn't.
It disappoints in parts and the Type 1 Diabetic-me wants to yell at Lucy throughout the novel. It is also dated, but not necessarily in a bad way. This would be a slightly different novel if it had been published in the era of Nick Jonas popularizing the OmniPod (which is in the past, too--not sure if he still uses the OmniPod...but the Jonas brothers seem to be entering the news again, so maybe I'll learn what he uses now...anyway...), the time of the continuous glucose monitors (and CGMs continue to improve), and the time when insulin pumps are often preferred to injections (for instance, when I got my insulin pump, they were hesitant to give video-game-looking devices to children--now, that is a more normalized treatment). I am also disappointed by the calling diabetes being "sick." Yes, Lucy does get sick as a result of her poorly treated diabetes, but diabetes itself is not being sick. It is a disease. It may seem weird, but I am perfectly happy and comfortable to walk around saying "I have a disease," but I would never say "I am sick" unless I had a fever or the sniffles.
What did I like about this book? Many things. The tone of the narrator's voice is what pulled me through the whole novel. She is hilarious and dark and angsty. Because of Lucy, I would actually not mind reading a sequel to this novel. What next? (Maybe there is a sequel? I haven't looked it up.) I also enjoyed the sensory experience. There's a certain type of paper that smells wonderful. It's different than just Old Book Scent. It's more specific. Maybe it's how paper used for YA novels published between the late nineties and early 2000s smells once it has aged a bit. Anyway, the scent of the library book just made me feel so happy and a bit sentimental.
So, I'm not saying that this book is on the higher side of the 3 star (and 3 stars is good coming from me) reviews I've given, but it is worth reading. Yes, it may make you think about your mortality and it might make you cringe. But maybe, there's the possibility that this is the vampire novel that is the one you should've read during that vampire craze. It is a vampire novel, but it also isn't.
readingsouls's review against another edition
1.0
I see no point to the story. It's pointless, and a waste of time to read. I thought maybe this Vampire novel would be different, interesting. But of course not. It has an annoying little girl named Lucy who thinks shes all that in a bag of chips and blah blah blah. Yeah I agree with some of the others who have written on here, her thinking shes a vampire just 'cause she lives on the machines that help her diabetes? Puh-lease! Anyone who's actually educated would know that she's just another wanna-be Vampire who you (like people said) can't relate to and shouldn't be a pretender, a fake. If you don't want to be disappointed, don't read, don't waste your time. I did and I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO regretting it! lmao! Well, at least I get the chance to tell you guys that.
Angry Panda! 8>:(
Angry Panda! 8>:(
prettypieceoffiction's review against another edition
4.0
I loved the whole idea of vampires and diabetes being interconnected. It was a very different take on the myth.
emeraldmaz's review against another edition
1.0
Written with all the finesse of a 12-year-old writing bad Twilight fanfiction, I had to force myself through each and every page of "Sweetblood."
Even if we forget the weak and unsatisfying storyline, the heavy helping of teenage angst made this a pandering, over seasoned mess for anyone over 13 (why it was required reading for University, I'll never know).
I had to stop myself from throwing this book across the room in literary rage.
Its only positive is that it has the mild potential to teach young teens about the dangers of internet strangers.
Even if we forget the weak and unsatisfying storyline, the heavy helping of teenage angst made this a pandering, over seasoned mess for anyone over 13 (why it was required reading for University, I'll never know).
I had to stop myself from throwing this book across the room in literary rage.
Its only positive is that it has the mild potential to teach young teens about the dangers of internet strangers.
askewmom86's review against another edition
4.0
Good book. I liked the whole diabetes/vampire cross reference. It was different. Definitely a new take on the typical teen vampire story.
katiecolson's review against another edition
5.0
Reading Vlog: https://youtu.be/28noWOP4naI
I'm convinced this book is a written account of my high school experience. I'm suing for royalties.
Will you like this book? Almost surely not. To enjoy this you have to be two things - a type 1 diabetic and have been a goth for an extended period of your adolescence. Enter teenage Katie.
This is such a fantastic representation of life with diabetes. The main character thinks about it coooonstantly, which is very realistic to my own experience. But, while she tries so hard to maintain a healthy lifestyle, she is constantly beaten down by the disease. There are times when she stares at the blood sugar monitor and simply walks away because she doesn't want to know. She doesn't want a machine to tell her she's been bad. I can relate so strongly to that.
The way she stomachs the mental strain of diabetes is by curating this elaborate conspiracy of vampires being originally stemmed from undiagnosed diabetes. And when I tell you I fell whole-heartedly down that rabbit hole. This isn't a matter of 'Oh, yeah, I can see that'. This is 'Omg, this is fact. Excuse me while I tell everyone I've ever met what the true origin of vampires is!'.
Again, this is a NICHE book. But I adored it and am so happy that it exists.
I'm convinced this book is a written account of my high school experience. I'm suing for royalties.
Will you like this book? Almost surely not. To enjoy this you have to be two things - a type 1 diabetic and have been a goth for an extended period of your adolescence. Enter teenage Katie.
This is such a fantastic representation of life with diabetes. The main character thinks about it coooonstantly, which is very realistic to my own experience. But, while she tries so hard to maintain a healthy lifestyle, she is constantly beaten down by the disease. There are times when she stares at the blood sugar monitor and simply walks away because she doesn't want to know. She doesn't want a machine to tell her she's been bad. I can relate so strongly to that.
The way she stomachs the mental strain of diabetes is by curating this elaborate conspiracy of vampires being originally stemmed from undiagnosed diabetes. And when I tell you I fell whole-heartedly down that rabbit hole. This isn't a matter of 'Oh, yeah, I can see that'. This is 'Omg, this is fact. Excuse me while I tell everyone I've ever met what the true origin of vampires is!'.
Again, this is a NICHE book. But I adored it and am so happy that it exists.
caseysc's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
theweatherwriter's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5