Review by Peter Syslo
Elizadeth Hetherington has impressed the hell out of me, yet again. Her sequel to NATURE OF THE DAUGHTERS, SYLVANIAN VAMPIRE (Available Nov. 8th 2008, www.scarycheerleader.com), continues the irresistible tale of Renata Savannah. The novel develops the character of Renata further; just when you thought that her dysfunctional life can't get any more dysfunctional – it does. Renata's self-exploration continues, as does her blood-lust, and she (surprisingly) finds that she has gained acceptance and some degree of popularity.
SYLVANIAN VAMPIRE picks up two years after the first book ended and you instantly get a sense of "evolution' in Renata's world. She does still grieve for her mother (she sees some visions) in her own way, but Renata has become much more powerful. In a high-school-fantasy manner, she has now become a person who is more fully "herself' and others actually want to be a part of her life. She has gone from being a self-imposed outcast to being a leader among her friends/family. She is the captain of the cheerleading squad and she has done it her way, using metal songs to coordinate routines. She has also continued her own music with the band founded by her and Darien , "Slimy Orifice'. Basically, Renata has become sort of an anti-hero, yet she is not quite comfortable with her new-found fame. She has gained power over others through dominance, intelligence, and manipulation, but at the same time she has lost a little power because her "shock' value isn't as intense as it once was. Perhaps that is what causes her to become more daring, erratic, and vicious in the other dimension of her life, as a murderer.
Yes, Renata has continued to hone her skills as a killer, guided by her father Glen's tutelage and her sister Renee's killing experiences. Renata has nearly perfected the skillful art of killing, dismembering, and disposing of a body. She continues to abide by Glen's ground rules of murder, but Renata's emotions do eventually get the better of her as she becomes sloppy and impulsive in a few of her kills. Keep in mind that her whole life has been a slew of lies, cover-ups, abuse, and emotional blackmail (as described in NOTD); now Renata realizes that she can get someone's attention through murder – which is a violation of Glen's laws. She begins her recklessness by targeting an acquaintance of Glen, and it becomes a slippery slope after that. Her desire for her father still plays a great role in her behavior and that is probably he r main source of conflict throughout this novel. That conflict drives her to perform spiteful acts, which cause undesired attention to be drawn to her murderous deeds.
SYLVANIAN VAMPIRE follows a similar format to the first novel and it expands upon the world of Renata. You have the high school vignettes, the creepy but more comfortable Savannah home life, the carnage of a few murders, and the thrill of a metal show. However, Hetherington takes the action beyond the "murkiness' of the Savannah household as Renata spreads her leathery wings and experiences families outside of her own. The surprising thing, to Renata, is that most families have some degree of that crazy dysfunction, which she has been experiencing on a continual basis. It's a revelation which makes her grow even stronger, but yet it makes her less of an exotic/self-justified creature. Like the manner in whi ch serial killers want to shock and awe, Renata continues to put her skills "on display', with her new, vampiric addiction and her eccentric behavior. However, it does sound strange, but SYLVANIAN VAMPIRE had a pretty comforting ending, which gave me a sigh of relief. For all intensive purposes, it is a happy ending, but it almost seemed like a dream or a fantasy. There may be new instances of normalcy creeping into the Savannah family, in the next novel, but I know that Renata can't fight the craving and the killer instinct for long.
Cutting to the chase: SYLVANIAN VAMPIRE was even better than NOTD; Elizadeth continues to grow as a writer. She writes dialogue that flows so naturally that you think she rehearses these scenes in her spare time. The accounts of Renata's everyday happenings are very entertaining and it is nice to see her go from an abused young girl, to a powerful (yet out-of-control) icon, who others admire. This time around, the focus was more on Renata and her experiences, rather than on the sibling/parental conflict of the first book and in a way it showed that Renata was "beyond that' now (except for the love/lust for her father). The descriptions of murder were a real treat in this novel; I read on with devilish glee as Renata recanted her stories of killing her prey. My favorite was a description of how Glen, Renata, and Renee murdered a grou p of people in a house – it was one of Glen's "murder lessons' and it was just perfectly written by Hetherington. These accounts were horrific, detailed and shocking, but were accepted as being "okay' from the standpoint of several characters in the story. That is what I meant about the anti-hero aspect of Renata (much like in the show, "Dexter'); I was pleased when I learned how things were going to end – in a strange way, you are rooting for Renata. My only criticism of the book is that I wished there was a little more content regarding the murders and Glen's training – it's that "goodness' that you can't get enough of. Also, a few details were left unresolved, such as a matter with the aunt (the mother's sister) and a therapist, but those details may be resolved in the next book. In conclusion, Elizadeth has produced another compelling novel and (along with one other author) she has gotten me excited about reading, again – which is a good thing. Screw anyone who may think I am n ot giving an honest, objective review – buy her books, read them, curb your self-righteous attitude, and then talk to me. Elizadeth has earned the accolades and I give SYLVANIAN VAMPIRE a 10/10.