Infinite Days

Gr 9 Up—Lenah Beaudonte awakens to realize her greatest wish has come true in this novel (St. Martin's Griffin, 2010) by Rebecca Maizel. After living for 500 years as a vampire, her creator, Rhode, has turned her back into a human, sacrificing his life in the process. Rhode has placed her in a New England boarding school and Lenah begins her life as a 16-year-old high school student. She revels in her humanity—her ability to touch and feel and taste. Lenah befriends Tony, an outsider artist at her school, and becomes infatuated with the most popular boy, Justin. However the coven that she created and once ruled is now on the prowl for her, and her new world quickly disintegrates. Justine Eyre provides an arrogant, nasal British accent just perfect for Lenah. The opening chapters are fascinating and will draw listeners in. Sexual situations are subtly plotted. Lenah's casual remembrances of brutally murdering humans are chilling. The romance is the weak link in the story, making it difficult to believe that the two characters could be soul-sick to lose one another at the story's conclusion. Despite these flaws, Maizel has created a fresh spin on the vampire story, and this is bound to be a popular addition to the romantic horror genre.—Tricia Melgaard, Centennial Middle School, Broken Arrow, OK