Got Fangs? by Katie Maxwell

Awhile back, I had the urge to read some current YA books just to see what was out there. It sorta fizzled, but I did check out Got Fangs? by Katie Maxwell from the library. It had been sitting on top of Jennifer Crusie's Getting Rid of Bradley for awhile now and I realized that it was time to once again renew it since I hadn't gotten around to reading either of them. Bad me. Well, hmph, library wouldn't let me renew Got Fangs?, so well, you know, I had to read it. It's due back at the library tomorrow. It's a quick read, but I rather enjoyed it.

All sixteen-year-old Francesca Getti wants to do is have a normal life where she's one of the crowd, blending in so no one will know just how much of a freak she is. Dragged to Europe by her mother (a witch) to join GothFaire, a travelling band of psychics, magicians, and assorted other oddities, Fran has to cope with not only the normal angst of always being a fish out of water, but also with her own fate as a psychometrist, someone who can tell things by touching objects. Enter one Moravian Dark One (referred to by most people as vampires) named Benedikt who claims Fran is the key to redeeming his soul, a mysterious horse who seems to have an involved past, an immortal friend who remembers what Mozart was like, and a demonologist who thinks he's Elvis, and you can understand why Fran despairs of ever fitting in.

Well, it didn't take me long to finish this book, but I had lots of fun reading it. Fran would rather be anywhere but where she is, and thinks of herself as a freak because she's a psychometrist and is surrounded by witches, demonologists, and Moravian Dark Ones (yeah, the same type as in the MacAlister vamp books). I think I actually liked this one a bit more than I did the MacAlister vamp book that I read. Silly me, can't remember the title and I had gotten it from the library so I don't have it on my shelf. It's not so much romance here, it IS a teen book, but there's obviously going to be more books in the series and I'm interested to see how things go between Fran and Benedikt. Unfortunately, there isn't a release date for the sequel yet. *pout* All in all, an enjoyable way to pass an hour or so in the afternoon.

Maybe one of these days I'll get around to reading the Crusie book. And I have The Art of Undressing by Stephanie Lehmann checked out, too. And Charlaine Harris' Shakespeare's Landlord. Oh dear, one of these days I'll finish them.