Item: Peeps
Rating: 4.00
Author: nannah

by Scott Westerfeld

A year ago, Cal Thompson was a college freshman more interested in meeting girls and partying than in attending biology class. Now, after a fateful encounter with a mysterious woman named Morgan, biology has become, literally, Cal's life.

Cal was infected by a parasite that has a truly horrifying effect on its host. Cal himself is a carrier, unchanged by the parasite, but he's infected the girlfriends he's had since Morgan. All three have turned into the ravening ghouls Cal calls Peeps. The rest of us know them as vampires. It's Cal's job to hunt them down before they can create more of their kind. . . .

Bursting with the sharp intelligence and sly humor that are fast becoming his trademark, Scott Westerfeld's novel is an utterly original take on an archetype of horror.

Wow. I certainly know a lot more about parasites now!

This was definitely a page-turner. I couldn't put it down. I'm freaking out over a major exam but I didn't study because I had to finish this novel. Scott Westerfeld certainly knows how to spin prose along. Beautiful descriptions, and a voice that will seduce you. The amazing thing with Scott Westerfeld is that he changes his voice for each book. Not just when the character's thinking. He changes the prose to fit the protagonist. THAT is something that I haven't seen in young adult books for a long time.

The plot will keep you on your toes, and you will fall in love with the main characters almost immediately. Twists and turns abound, and most of them you won't see coming.

I would have rated this five stars in a heartbeat, except for the ending. Don't get me wrong, the concept is cool (marvelous even) but I didn't like some details of it. I'll keep this a spoiler-free review so I can't say what that is.

But an action-packed, fascinating read that I'm going to recommend to a bunch of my friends. :)

Peeps

by Scott Westerfeld

Reviewed by nannah on Jan 30, 2012

Reading updates