My Blood Approves is the first book in Amanda Hocking’s YA series of the same title. Originally self-published as e-books with a $.99 price tag, her novels proved enormously popular, and won Hocking a four-book deal with St. Martin’s Press. It's not difficult to understand why: My Blood Approves is an entertaining combination of romance, wit, and deft characterization.
Hocking's Alice and the Romance of Self-Sacrifice
My Blood Approves bears some evidence of self-publication; there are grammatical errors here and there, but fewer than one would expect. It is not an amateurish novel; the characterization is consistent and the plot does not attempt to do too much – typical failings of many self-published books.
Due to the presence of numerous parallels, the book will be compared by reviewers to Stephenie Meyer's Twilight, but in some ways, it is better. Alice is a much more entertaining protagonist than Bella; she is sassy and sarcastic, though she shares Bella’s unfortunate disdain for her own well-being and attachment to boys who treat her horribly. In one pivotal scene, Alice begs reformed “bad vampire” Peter, who spends much of the book treating her more abysmally than Edward did Bella in the early chapters of Twilight (Peter adds a physical assault), to kill her, so she won't have to live without him.
In gentlemanly fashion, Peter obliges, and is only stopped by the intervention of Alice’s other vampire suitor, Jack. The romance of self-sacrifice is a somewhat disturbing but undeniably popular trope of the teen paranormal novel, and, for better or for worse, Hocking demonstrates a masterful ability to give her audience exactly what it wants. Her writing is better than Meyer's; the dialogue is realistically teenage, and the narrative voice is witty and perceptive.
A New Bella for a Savvier Generation of Readers
Self-respect aside, My Blood Approves' Alice shows promise as a character, and there are hints that she will eventually grow into something more than a damsel in distress. Her story is undeniably entertaining; wisely, Hocking does not attempt to tack a climax or any sort of conventional narrative arc onto the book, as Stephenie Meyer does, awkwardly, in each of the Twilight novels. Hocking knows that what teenage girls are really interested in is the dynamic between Alice and her two suitors, not another car chase, rush to the airport, or blandly choreographed vampire fight scene. Unfortunately, this results in an ending that falls a little flat, but it leaves enough loose ends hanging to make readers eager to move onto the next book.
While it can be hoped that one day teenagers will be enthralled by vampire novels in which a line like Alice's “Why don’t you just bite me?” isn’t meant literally, books like Hocking’s are surely helping to fuel the popularity of reading among teens. Fortunately, My Blood Approves has enough charm and entertainment value to make up for its shortcomings, and Hocking proves herself to be a talented young writer who is worth watching.
Sources:
- Bannow, Tara. E-Book Author Parlays DIY Success into Major Deal. Associated Press, 24 March 2011.
- Hocking, Amanda. My Blood Approves. Lulu, 2010. ISBN: 9780557364639
Heather Fawcett - Heather Fawcett is a Vancouver-based writer and editor. She holds an M.A. in English Literature and specializes in teen fiction, having ...
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