The Compulsive Reader is dedicating July to “Books That Suck.” To clarify: “No,” CR says, “I am not going to spend an entire month on books to avoid. Instead, this month is going to be devoted to an ever growing genre of YA—Vampire books.”

Gothic fantasy fans, be sure to check out this series of posts that begin with a recommendation of Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde and includes giveaways (including copies of Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007, 2008))! The series also may be valuable to those champions seeking more books to recommend to the vampire-loving reader crowd!

On that note, don’t miss…

Books That Suck Month: Day Fourteen: Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith: a review and author interview from The Compulsive Reader.

Here’s a peek of the review: “Tantalize is an elegant, dark, and nicely creepy read.”

And a peek from the interview: “I couldn’t help rolling my eyes at Stoker’s leading female characters, which—true to the fictional norms of the day—were crafted as a sensual monster and ‘virgin’ victim, metaphorically speaking.”