Hearts at Stake by Alyxandra Harvey

The Blakes are rather different to your usual neighbours. They are vampires and some of the members of the family date back to the twelfth century. One of the children, Solange, is the only born female vampire known and, as such, she poses a direct threat to the vampire queen. Her best friend Lucy is human, and when Solange is kidnapped Lucy and Solange's brother, Nicholas, set out to save her. Lucy soon discovers that she would like to be more than just friends with Nicholas. But how does one go about dating a vampire? Meanwhile, Solange finds an unlikely ally in Kieran, a vampire slayer on the hunt for his father's killer.

From Goodreads

So right off the bat you realize that this review is different than the rest. Normally I write my own review of the book's events, but in this case I made an exception as I did not finish the book. I could not force myself to finish a book that could not even keep its own mythos in order. I don't know what it was about this that struck me, but I couldn't let it go. The pheromones (seriously?), the ways to kill a vampire (varied in different parts of the book), and the ability of a vampire to give birth (don't even get me started on the impossibility of that fact) were the main issues that I had with this story. I am a fan of "traditional" vampire mythos and make a few exceptions, but I am always willing to try new experiences. I attempt to go ahead with as little prejudice as can be expected when dealing with a topic that has been written about a thousand different ways.

Not all of this book was unpleasant. I did enjoy the writing style as it was fresh and entertaining. The alternating narrators, a peppy, human and her angsty, vampire best friend, make for a fascinating dynamic. They were practically inseparable during their respective childhoods which allowed them both to give diverse perspectives on the community in which they lived. The characters themselves were varied and represented a wide range of personalities that I found unique.

I don't like not finishing a book, but my friend suggested a motto to help me deal with my distress: there are so many books to be read, why waste any more time than necessary on books that I don't enjoy. I feel like I gave this a good go as I read a little over half the book. If you like vampires and teens I am sure that this book is at least for a go, but for me, it wasn't really worth it. I hope that at least some of you find otherwise.