NewYork, New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003
Lucy Szabo is a diabetic who is preoccupied by vampires. She sees herself as a modern day vampire because of her disease and calls herself Sweetblood. Through the Internet chat-room, Transylvania, she meets Draco who professes to be a real life vampire. Lucy becomes more and more caught up in the world of 'goths and vampires' and her grades begin to slip , her relationship with her parents worsens and she becomes unable to manage her diabetes. She meets Draco face to face and through her association with him and his strange world, she has to make some difficult choices.But is it too late......?
This book is a fantastic read for ages 12-up. And it was written before the Twilight series! Young adults who are keen on vampire stories will find this book very much to their liking. The connection between diabetes and vampires is absorbing and credible. The jacket cover of the book is enticing with the title character being all in red with drops of blood spattered on the white background. The inside of the book is in stark contrast to this with big black chapter numbers and chapter headings in large black font. The blood droplets are on every page and are also in black. Very 'goth-like'. The book is written in the first person making the story line very plausible with imaginative dialogue. The main characters are introduced early on in the book which makes for a swift paced story.
The author himself explains on the inside back cover that he is insulin-dependent so he has first hand knowledge of what Lucy is experiencing.
Sweetblood has been nominated for numerous book awards and won the Minnesota Book Award in 2004.
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