Throat

Gr 9 Up—When Emma is attacked by a vampire, the epilepsy she has always regarded as a curse actually saves her life. Because of her condition, she wakes from the attack with a vampire's speed and strength, but without a craving for human blood or the need to completely avoid sunlight. She doesn't even realize what has happened to her until she starts adding up the pieces—and until the vampire starts showing up in her dreams, tracking her, and threatening to attack her family. To protect them, Emma flees to an abandoned building at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. She eventually meets a sweet and geeky guy who protects her from discovery by the NASA staff and some good vampires who help her plan how to take down the evil vampire before he can kill everyone she loves. This gripping book offers a fresh take on vampire mythology, with some fascinating scientific elements and a hint of romance on the side. The glut of information needed for the story's complex world-building slows the plot in places, but the interactions between characters ring true, and the heart-pounding action sequences make up for the slower moments.—Misti Tidman, formerly at Boyd County Public Library, Ashland, KY