Set in the same alternate world as Tantalize (2007), this companion novel is a witty, dark love story of death and redemption. Miranda dreams of one day being a star, but she's already captured the heart of one fan: her lifelong guardian angel Zachary. When he sees her death approach, he desperately breaks the rules to prevent it, an act that dooms both of their souls: Zachary is cast out of Heaven, and Miranda lives long enough to be made a vampire. A year later, Miranda has settled into her wicked life as the glamorous daughter of the vampire king, and Zachary has been sent to their estate on a mission that may earn back his wings. Forced to confront the monster Miranda has become, Zachary is determined to save her soul and redeem them both. Smith's take on aristocratic vampire society is a sometimes humorous, sometimes horrible mix of the niceties of high society and the blasé violence of monsters, while angels appear to be a largely bureaucratic organization. Miranda and Zachary are complex, sympathetic characters, and their hopeful ending is well earned.

Chosen as Dracula's princess and heir, Miranda spends her nights receiving visitors and performing bloody executions. To earn back his wings, fallen guardian angel Zachary applies to be her personal assistant. Events play out in a parallel Chicago mingling mortal and immortal, damned and blessed. Like the author's delectably demonic Tantalize, this suspenseful and entertaining story is not for the squeamish.

Plain Miranda ascends to the rank of vampire princess in this imaginative but somewhat underdeveloped horror-comedy. Revisiting the same world in which bloodsuckers and animal shape-shifters exist alongside and in full view of mortals that was the setting of Smith's 2007 novel Tantalize , the locale has changed from Austin to Chicago. Additionally, guardian angels become part of the cast, providing a rather sardonic love interest for this offering's protagonist in the form of Zachary, who falls from grace while attempting to rescue Miranda from a vampire attacker. In order to save her and himself, he infiltrates the house of Dracul, where Miranda now lives as an unwitting accomplice to the head vampire's grisly schemes. Focusing on the aesthetics of the castle and on the A-list monster world that Miranda now inhabits, Smith falters a bit as she increasingly relies on descriptions of the setting and campy dialogue instead of fleshing out her characters. Still, the pace of this entertaining romp is quick and the action plentiful—a painless, if not particularly memorable, read. (Horror. 14 & up)

Smith's latest revisits the dark alternate world of <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Tantalize (2007) with a new set of characters. Despite the efforts of Zachary, her guardian angel, Dallas teenager Miranda joins the ranks of the undead as an “eternal” (vampire), courtesy of the current Dracula, their aristocratic ruler. A year passes, and as Dracula's pursuit of power begins to affect his sanity, Miranda struggles to acclimate to her new regal life in Dracula's castle (in Chicago). Meanwhile, Zachary has been cast from heaven for revealing his angelic nature while trying to save Miranda, so he poses as a human—and Miranda's personal assistant—trying to save her. Smith balances the story's bloody details with frequent touches of humor (when Zachary is taken aback by Miranda's enormous SUV, she replies, “We're <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">eternals.... We are evil. We are not fuel efficient”). The confessional style, alternating between Miranda and Zachary's points of view, is intriguing as a diary—readers should be hooked by this fully formed world, up through the action-packed finale. Ages 14–up. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Feb.)

Gr 9 Up-This dark romance is told in alternating chapters from the perspectives of 17-year-old Miranda and her guardian angel, Zachary, in an alternate America in which vampires and werewolves exist. Early in the novel, Zachary falls from grace as punishment for materializing in his full radiance in a failed attempt to save Miranda from being bitten by a vampire. The tale resumes a year later with the now-vampire Miranda a revered princess living among vampire royalty and feasting regularly on humans. Zachary, meanwhile, has sunk into a life of aimless debauchery and is resigned to never regaining his wings when an archangel suddenly gives him the opportunity to become Mirandas personal assistant. Determined to save his former ward, with whom he has fallen in love, Zachary takes the job. Miranda finds herself drawn to him, and the murders she has carelessly committed begin to weigh on her conscience. With his help, she is determined to find a way to redeem herself and help him return to grace. The plot is occasionally choppy and frequently grisly, and the dialogue seems forced in places. Neither Miranda nor Zachary is particularly likable, and the ending, while logical, is not one that romance fans will favor. The story lacks the elegance of Stephenie Meyers hugely popular novels, but serious vampire buffs will undoubtedly add the novel to their must-read list. Leah J. Sparks, formerly at Bowie Public Library, MD

Zachary has been MirandaÆs guardian angel since birth, but ZacharyÆs care for his charge extends past that of the usual guardian-human connection. In love with ôhis girl,ö and unwilling to let any harm befall her, he thwarts fate and averts MirandaÆs death, only to have her abducted and turned by Dracula himself. Stripped of his wings for his transgression, Zachary is doomed to walk the earth as a fallen angel unless he can rectify his mistake and fulfill one last mission. His task is a difficult one, however, for as an eternal, Miranda is offered everything she never hadùfame, fortune, and power. For every day that passes, her old life slips farther away as she embraces her new role as DraculaÆs cold, cruel princess. Zachary has little time before Miranda is lost completely, and Miranda has very little time before her transformation is complete to recognize the truth of her new life. SmithÆs new novel approaches popular vampire fiction with a new spin: a vampire protagonist who, for most of the book, is as callous as a vampire should be. This darkness serves to illuminate the significance of the struggle between MirandaÆs human soul and her newly acquired ôvampness,ö but it also reveals new depths of forgiveness, sacrifice, and love. The two characters alternate narration, which further situates the battle between good and evil. Fanpires will not be disappointed with the newest addition to the genre, and the mythology is subtle enough for general fiction readers.ùCourtney Huse Wika.