Night's Edge by Liz Kerin
“I’m hungry and it’s two in the morning. The fridge is empty. And Mom is dead on the couch.” Right from the first paragraph, Liz Kerin yanks you into her world and keeps you there with her juxtaposition of simple phrases - “Fifth grade started last week” - with heart-stopping ones like “The couch is stained purple. It used to be blue.” and all its implications. This style reflects the life of the main character, Mia. She must navigate an outwardly ordinary life while her home is the literal playground of monsters. We learn about Mia through alternating timelines of her in her early twenties growing up with a monstrous mother. Monstrous, not only because she’s a vampire, but how she treats her daughter. Unable to have friends, lovers, or anything of her own, Mia sacrifices everything for her mother, who shows little remorse for taking it. Everything changes when Jade enters Mia’s life. Jade has all the markings of a manic pixie dream girl, but that is exactly what Mia needs to c