Pretty Dead

Francesca, L.B. (2009). Pretty Dead. New York, NY:  HarperCollins Publishers.   At 17, Charlotte Emerson was created in 1925 by the vampire, William Stone Eliot. He teaches her to lure couples into their whereabouts in order to make a meal of their blood.  After almost a century of being under the William’s influences, she manages to break free of him.  He finds her, and in an almost unconscious state, William tricks her into making Emily, her best friend a vampire.  Char thinks Emily committed suicide, and through her grief, she becomes close to Emily’s boyfriend, Jared, and learns she is becoming human again.  William wants to do the same Jared, but Char intervenes and is at last free from William.  I truly enjoyed how Block was able to vividly make me see the different cities with her unique descriptions and the use of figurative language, such as “… a dazzle of gold like a handful of tossed coins.”  It also reminded me of Ann Rice’s book Interview with a Vampire when the main character also seeks to leave his maker.  I think teachers could use this book to teach students the use of imagery to make their writing come to life.  I would rather that this book be read by high school students since there are some topics that are too mature for younger students.  In Pretty Deadly, we see the physical and emotional development with the main character.  As she is getting older emotionally and not physically, she decides she will not wear what William decides.  She studies the trends with high school students and tries to fit in with them.  As Char gets older mentally, she realizes she does not see things the same as when she was 17.  She has change and has new desires and impossible yearnings, such as having a child.