Review: Overbite by Meg Cabot

Book Details:
Overbite
By Meg Cabot
Genre: Fantasy
Published 2011, HarperCollins Publishers
Hardback, 275 pages
ISBN: 9780061735103


Synopsis:

          Meena Harper has a special gift, but it's only now that anyone's ever appreciated it. The Palatine Guard — a powerful secret demon-hunting unit of the Vatican — has hired her to work at their new branch in Lower Manhattan. With Meena's ability to predict how everyone she meets will die, the Palatine finally has a chance against the undead.
Sure, her ex-boyfriend was Lucien Antonescu, son of Dracula, the prince of darkness. But that was before he (and their relationship) went up in flames. Now Meena's sworn off vampires for good ... at least until she can prove her theory that just because they've lost their souls doesn't mean demons have lost the ability to love.
Meena knows convincing her co-workers — including her partner, über-demon-hunter Alaric Wulf — that vampires can be redeemed won't be easy ... especially when a deadly new threat seems to be endangering not just lives of the Palatine, but Meena's friends and family as well.
But Meena isn't the Palatine's only hope. Father Henrique — aka Padre Caliente — New York City's youngest, most charming priest, has also been assigned to the case.
So why doesn't Meena — or Alaric — trust him?
As she begins unraveling the truth, Meena finds her loyalties tested, her true feelings laid bare ... and temptations she never even imagined existed, but finds impossible to resist.
This time, Meena may finally have bitten off more than she can chew.

As a sequel to Insatiable, there were certain things I expected from this book - one of which was Lucien's dark appeal, which seemed to be missing for a large chunk of the book. He brooded and moped and generally felt sorry for himself for his lack of "evilness" while mooning over losing Meena to the Palatine Guard. I also thought that Meena's joining of the Palatine Guard to be an awkward fit, but I understand her motivation - who wouldn't want to get at the secret archives of the Vatican?
Alaric's character grew on me gradually, even though I did not care for him much in the first book. His attraction to Meena is obvious to all but himself, and poor Meena is just confused as she battles with her own feelings between two very different men. I actually found it kind of satisfying that Alaric and Lucien are forced to work together towards the end of the novel.
The significance of the book pictured on the cover is what interested me the most, and I was often frustrated that I could not simply read that little book myself and solve the grand mystery of its power. Always a dramatist, Lucien's reaction to the final revelation is believable, though I found what happened to him to be bit of a cop-out so that Meena would not have to make any difficult decisions.
Some of the most humorous parts were Alaric's interactions with the couple, Mary Lou and Emil, as their very human behavior made it rather difficult for him to treat them as the species he made a living from despising. I also would have liked more development in the romance between Jon and Yelena. Overall, I still enjoyed the book, even though it seemed a bit short, and I hope there is another book to follow.

The Cover: The cover is both lovely and creepy, with the significant addition of a book that had me intrigued for at least half the novel.


First Line: "Meena Harper knew things, things no one else knew... things no one could know."
This opening is a great reminder of Meena's ability and a way to hook my curiosity.


Favorite Quote: "You're psychic. How many times do I have to say it? You know everything."

Read For: Just for Fun Challenge