Insatiable

By Meg Cabot

From the best-selling author of PRINCESS DIARIES comes this supernatural romance with real bite…

Sick of hearing about vampires? So is Meena Harper.

Meena Harper is familiar with the supernatural. After all, she knows how you're going to die (Not that you're going to believe her. No one ever does.)

But not even Meena's precognition can prepare her for Lucien Antonescu—who she meets and then makes the mistake of falling in love with—a modern-day prince with a bit of a dark side for which an ancient society of vampire hunters would prefer to see him dead.

The problem is Lucien's already dead. Maybe that's why he's the first guy Meena's ever met with whom she could imagine herself having a future. See, while Meena's always been able to see everyone else's destiny, she's never been able look into her own. Lucien seems to be everything Meena has ever dreamed of in a boyfriend, though he might turn out to be more of a nightmare.

So now would be a good time for Meena to start learning to predict her own future . . . if she has one.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK
• Release date: Jun 21, 2012
• ISBN: 9780007462131

Meg Cabot

Meg Cabot is the author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers All-American Girl and The Princess Diaries books, two of which have been made into major motion pictures by Disney. She is also the author of The Mediator series, the Airhead series, and many books for adults. She currently divides her time between Key West and New York City with her husband and multiple rescue cats. Find out more at MegCabot.com. 

Reviews for Insatiable

[thelittlebookworm · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Little BookwormAs much as I love Meg Cabot's young adult books, I really love her adult books. The characters are much more rounded and usually don't make me feel like shaking anyone. Meena is pretty well just awesome. She has the power to see when a person is going to die and so that makes her much more sympathetic to others. She is very relatable, with her frustrations with her job and her relationships. I really liked her and her brother and her neighbors. I was less than infatuated with Lucien and the vampire slayer, Alaric. Alaric, in particular, was my least favorite character.I thought the story was fun and fresh and enjoyed all the digs at the current vampire trend. I like that the vampires were real vampires, teeth and seduction and blood drinking, and were unapologetic about it. Meena's gift adds another great element to the story and I hope that this is the beginning of a series. If it's not, then the story stands very well on its own. But I'd like to hear more about Meena and her new adventures.

[starknits_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

So I give it a 3.5 really. It wasn't the best but also not the worst! Defiantly funny parts and cheesy parts so good for reading.

[steph1203-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book!

[emma_manolis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have never really understood the appeal of vampires. Why on earth would you enjoy some dude not only biting you but also drinking your blood? Can you imagine kissing that? I thought kissing a smoker was unappealing, but the aftertaste of iron takes the cake! That's why I was so relieved to discover that Meg Cabot had created a character who could actually agree and understand my disdain for the vampire species.

My favorite thing about Cabot is that she has a wicked sense of humor. This novel had some fairly intense moments but Cabot kept it light by making it very clear that this is a parody of sorts. If you have read Insatiable and didn't laugh at least once, I'm sorry.

At first I was a tad irritated when Meena started falling for the vampire, but then I realized that she thinks he is a prince and she may just be more in love with the idea that she could be a princess. You point me in the direction of four heterosexual women who would not feel the same. Therefore, I decided to not be annoyed by her feelings. What ended up really irritating me was actually how unbelievably quickly everything progresses. One minute Meena loves Lucien and hates Alaric and then in a hot minute everything changes.

The book seemed to start off really well and then morphed into, daresay, lazy writing. It stopped being quite as funny and just kind of irritated me. With that said, up until the last hundred pages I was enjoying the ride and looking forward to more which is why I gave it the rating I did. I doubt I will read the next book because I'm just not really interested.

As a random side note. If you have read this book, did/could you picture Meena as Tina Fey?

[randomarbitrary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I saw Meg Cabot's name on the Early Reviewers and requested it, without bothering to read the synopsis. I forgot all about it, and was really happy to discover it in my mailbox a couple weeks later...Then I read the flap. It is a vampire book. Ugh. I am not a fan of vampires...but this is not a typical vampire book, and I really enjoyed this one. I gotta say, I haven't read other vampire series, because like I said, I am not a fan of the vampire genre...But I found Insatiable to be fun to read, quirky and amusing.

[jonimfisher · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fabulous characters and dialog! Cabot rocks!

[treehorse-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I finished it, but that's about all I can say. Cabot makes a statement early on about how unsexy vampires are, but then proceeds to try and make them sexy. She also introduces another love interest well after he would be able to capture the reader's (and protagonist's) interest, IMO.

Sloppy.

[kelly_mills-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm a sucker for vampire stories, so I had a feeling I would enjoy Insatiable. Glad to say I did! This was my first Meg Cabot book. I enjoyed her characterizations and writing style very much. I was pleased to see the many references made to Bram Stoker's Dracula throughout the book. Not just when Meena takes out her copy, but the many hidden references that a reader who is unfamiliar with the Bram Stoker novel may be unaware of. If you're a fan of Meg Cabot, or a fan of vampires, definitely check this one out!

[drhapgood · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is NOT a 3 star book. This is a 1 or 2 star book with a couple moments of truly nice characterization that I loved so much I gave a 3 star rating. Given that the protagonist of the story is a soap opera dialogue writer ENCOURAGED(forced) to develop a vampire plotline for her show, I have to wonder if Meg Cabot was ENCOURAGED to write this book. Without the too few moments of truly delicious internal dialogue that made the pricess diaries for me, this is just a poor attempt to cash in on vampire mania.

[sarah.hansrote · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book.Meena Harper is a special woman that just by watching you she knows how you're going to die. She writes for a soap opera and now her bosses want to put vampires in the story! Vampires! She can't stand them, especially when they're going to destroy a soap that goes on for 30 years. So when her strange neighbor Mary Lou invites her for dinner to meet her relative that is also a "Prince", she decides to accept to get some ideas to remedy the mess her bosses want to make by putting vampires in the show. What she does not know is that she will fall in love for the prince and she will discover to be not only in a "vampire war" on the network, but in a REAL vampire war, and that she is at the center of it all.Very amusing.

[goldengrove_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I bought this for my school library, and would expect the older students who enjoyed Meg Cabot's teen books to be really pleased with it.Meena Harper (see what she did there?) is a TV writer who doesn't believe in nonsense like vampires - even though she has supernatural powers herself - and is horrified when she is required to write sensational vampire plotlines for the soap opera she works on.But life has a big surprise for Meena - I don't need to spell it out do I? The plot is fairly predictable and unsurprising, but Cabot can write engaging characters, and the action scenes are exciting. I liked the ending, it sets things up for the sequel, but in a way that works with Meena's character.This is in no way an exacting read, but it is quite fun and I know that some of my year 10 and 11 students are going to love it.

[bookspot · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Meena Harper is a dialogue writer for Insatiable, TV's number two daytime soap--the she hopes to become head writer for the show she's loved for years (even before she worked on it). There's something else Meena Harper does, something she doesn't let everyone know about . . . she knows when people are going to die just by meeting them.

She knows from experience that people aren't quite open to receiving her news, so she's found ways to warn them without quite telling them why they need to keep her number around or avoid elevators or chicken wings.

Meena's life is about to get a whole lot more interesting because not only is Insatiable about to introduce a vampire storyline to compete with Lust the number one soap (which Meena hates because vampires are misogynistic monsters), but her talkative neighbor sends out an e-vite for a dinner party with her husband's cousin, a Romanian prince who's in town.

Lucien Antonescu, a history professor in Budapest is in town to catch a serial killer leaving exsanguinated girls in NYC parks--and, apparently, attend a dinner party.

Soon, his nemesis Alaric Wulf of the Palatine Guard-a group of vampire hunters headed by the Vatican--is also in Meena's life and a vampire war is under way. Not to mention her pregnant best friend or her laid off brother living with her trying to convince her best friend's also laid off husband to become a cop.


While it's true the summary makes it sound like there are about ten million things going on in Insatiable (and the Amazon one says some things that I'm pretty sure aren't revealed until later a good bit later on--or I missed them!), it's okay because it's 464 pages. And because it all works together.

The characters each have their own things going on and their own reason for being in the story; they're not just there to provide something another character needs. And a soap opera is a perfect backdrop for a vampire story if you think about it--the absurdity that's always in soaps and the suggestion of vampires to normal people being absurd if you're rational.

Meena hating vampires, being so sure they're fictional (and also kind of dumb), and also being so, so against having them on her soap made the story even more enjoyable. Really this is partially an anti-vampire book that is also the best vampire book I've read in ages.

The relationships between the characters are so real and compelling that I wanted more because I really just couldn't get enough of any of them--or this story.I think this is a series and I desperately, desperately hope it is because there are certain characters/relationships/storylines that I really just need more of--and soon.

I'm starting to think I do better with Meg Cabot's adult books than I do with her YA books (and wonder if that's true for anyone else?). I think this was her NaNoWriMo novel, too and that's just insanity to me.

It is above a YA content level--not like Jeaniene Frost's Halfway to the Grave (review on my blog) but a little more than Cabot's own Size 12 Is Not Fat (review on blog, too). If you're good with that content level I very much suggest reading it!

The hugest of thank you's to the publisher for sending this book to me because I might not have read it very soon if I hadn't gotten it in the mail and I massively adored it.




10/10

[rosa.mill · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Okay so it wasn't until I was like a quarter of the way through the book that I realized that this is JUST LIKE TRUE BLOOD. Mind reader meets vampire and they fall in love. Well Meena can't read minds, just tell you when you're going to die. She works for a soap opera as a dialogue writer and she's having a very bad week. She was passed over for a promotion and the prince of darkness is in love with her and she with him, wreaking all kinds of havok in her life.

Short chapters usually mean that pacing will be quick but honestly this book just felt like it dragged a little bit. I may have liked it better if it had been a little bit pared down. It felt like it took way too long for Meena and Lucien to meet and then it took way too long for them to find out each others secrets.

The characters were mostly all likable (except for Meena's brother Jon he was kind of a pain in the butt and I frequently found myself wanting to strangle him.) There were also some minor characters I would have liked to have gotten to know a little bit better.

There was one thing I was a little bit confused about(I'm going to try and be vauge cause I don't want to cause a spoiler). Knowing who Lucien is descended from and due to several brief mentions of a great grandmother named Wilhemina Harker I find myself wondering if all of these characters are supposed to be direct descendents of the characters from Drakula or if the writer was just doing an homage. Meena being a descendent of the original Mina Harker might explain where her powers came from.

[trigstarom · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

*headdesk* *headdesk* *headdesk*
Okay, normally I dont hate on books. I see them as entertainment - a view into another person's mind and/or fantasies. They're fun. I learn something new, its a bonus. I only need a strong main character, a decent plot and an ending that doesnt make me puke or scream.

I did lots of these during Cabot's vampire novel. About the only thing I found interesting was when she punts a bat off the top of the building - but not enough amusement to redeem a book that either is an attempt at cashing in on the vampire hype OR Cabot's way of making fun of the literature.

First off, it starts way too slow. It took 1/3rd of the book for whats-her-face and whats-his-face to meet. Oh right, Lucien and uh..whatever. I cant even remember their names. The characters were meh, the plot was..more meh and the ending? Love triangle? Really? I get it, a sequel, well played madam. Yet..

Lucien is clearly insane. One moment hes thinking "redemption, salvation" and the next hes thinking "con her into letting me bite her" and the next "i want to make my meal into a vampire so we can be together forever!" *headdesk* Do they have mood stabilizing drugs for Vampires? If not, I have a fantastic guinea pig right here! He starts off as decently cultured, intelligent and hoping for redemption and makes a speedy de-evolution into..Im not sure. Creepy stalker? He sounds EXACTLY like Dimitri Belikov from the Vampire Academy series. "One day, my pretty, my stalking will come to fruition and I will eat you!" Oi.


And the weird Palatine guard? Oh lord. At least his character isnt too insane, over the top or stalkerish. We learn most about him, and his character is most fleshed out. He isnt realistic, though. He was treated so badly when a child and now he wants to save everyone from vampires? Sure its possible, but his reasoning in the book? Do we get it? I dont remember, honestly.

The heroine is flaky, has a useless ability that Im nto even sure WHY vampires would need it. Who care how my food is going to die? Damn. She whines about some totebag, and when she finally gets it? Doesnt want it. Kinda like how she wanted Lucien then didnt want him - but wants the guard guy instead once she has the prince(not a theme here? I cant even begin to take this book seriously enough to remember names..cept the one named after the vampire in Underworld.)



Mrs Cabot, is this a spoof novel? If so..it made me hate vampires like you wanted, but unfortunately just yours. I will not be reading book two. Anyone want to light a bonfire of Insatiable?

[wealhtheowwylfing · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Meena Harper can see people's future deaths. She always tries to warn them, but this makes her seem weird. Friendless, she turned to her mother's favorite soap opera for companionship. Nowadays she writes for it, but her new boss insists on adding vampires to the show. And Meena hates vampire fiction conventions. Unfortunately for her, she seems to be trapped in a vampire novel of her own. Because her new boyfriend turns out to be the prince of darkness himself.

The characterization leans a little too heavily on quirky traits, but that meant every character was immediately memorable. The only character that actually grated on me was Meena's brother Jon, who was just too myopic and childish during very dangerous situations for me to believe in him. What I especially liked, however, was Cabot's take on a vampire romance. Lucien comes across as a perfectly romantic hero, but Cabot drops little hints throughout the narrative that he's just a bit too removed from humanity. Although he loves Meena, he thinks about other humans with a disturbing detachment. He even views Meena's blood a little too much like it's his own after she lets him bite her once, and less like it's hers to give or withhold as she chooses. Meena's own feelings for him are suspect, as there's no way for her to tell whether she truly loves him, or whether his vampiric powers are subtly influencing her. And Meena can't think about becoming his cherished vampire bride without remembering that she sees vampires' futures as empty black voids--they are, after all, dead. Cabot has a sprightly but often ham-handed style, so I was pleased with the nuanced romance.

[romsfuulynn · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Good antidote to a lot of the Twilight creepy stuff, and I'm glad Meg Cabot wrote it, but meh. Fair characters, good plot, but just ok. I liked that the heroine ended up making healthy choices, but more than most of Cabot's books I just am not the demographic.

I also have a really hard time with anyone wanting a $5000 purse. Really. I did like the dog. And the HR handbook of the Vatican based vampire hunting group. Actually a lot of the background stuff was more fun than the story and more like Cabot.

Meg Cabot's YA usually works for me, and I read a lot of YA even though I'm in my 50s but this one felt stilted and written as a response as much as an independently developed story. I'll buy more if she writes them, but not in hardcover.

[anieva-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fun and funny and romantic. Sort of perfect for what it is - romantic, comedic, fantasy adventure.

[aoifesheri · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Really enjoyed this book. Thought the sense of humor was brill. The only part I didn't like was the dragon to be honest but the rest was very good.

[abookwormshaven · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I got my copy of Insatiable in the mail from the publisher and when it came it was a hardback cover too so I was really thrilled! I have been a little behind on books since returning from BEA and I was in the middle of another book when this came in the mail, therefore I had to wait to finish one book before I could start this one. When I finally did get to start this book on Tuesday afternoon I kinda blocked everything else out and when I finally got up to go to sleep that night I was already on page 300! The book is 450 pages so I still had a little ways to go, but I literally could not keep my eyes open anymore so I called it a night. When I work up Wednesday the first thing I did (after taking a shower and eating breakfast) was finish this book. I had to know what was going to happen at the end!In the beginning of the book as a reader you are taken into the lives of multiple perspectives: Meena, Lucian, Jon, Mary-Lou and Emil and finally Alaric. I love this style of writing, when you are getting multiple perspectives of the story and then eventually they all intertwine, but I know not everyone does because it can get confusing if you do not pay attention. There is a dinner party that takes place around chapter 22 (I know that sounds like it is really far in, but the chapters move quickly) that brings the plot lines together so you are reading one story that flows really well. I enjoyed watching all the characters lives come together, because by the time they all finally meet you know them well as individuals so they way the react with each other makes sense.Meena, being the main focus of the story, is a vampire hater. Well, she does not really think they exist, but she is tired of seeing them laced throughout society today. To top it off her boss wants her to write about them for the soap opera she works for to try and compete with another show. With her prejudice already in place we get quite a few jabs at modern day vampires, aka Twilight, True Blood and a couple other references thrown in there. Which I found quite humorous and was laughing out loud at a couple of the references. I also found it interesting that many Bram Stroker references were in this book. The most obvious being the names of some of the characters: Dracula, Meena (the original spelling it Mina) and Jon who all played prominent roles in Bram Stoker’s novel. The origins of the novel are also discussed in this book, which I think adds another layer to the story. I love reading books where there is some legend already in place and the author gets play with the details or build on the current knowledge. That is the feeling I get from Insatiable and I liked what Meg Cabot did with the storyline in that respect.I also like Meena as a character and I have to admit Lucian, even if he is “the prince of darkness” can’t help but be drawn to those guys right? One characteristic that distinguishes Meena is that she see how people are going to die once she has met them. This is a secret she has been living with her whole life and one that she does not like to reveal to others. It is also a secret that makes her feel bonded to St. Joan of Arc, who is said to have heard the voice of God guiding her in life. Meena feels like Joan was misunderstood in her time and persecuted for it, much like Meena was harassed relentlessly as a child. The reason I bring this is up is because I think there is more to Meena just admiring Joan, I am not sure what it is yet, but there is something there. Maybe that will come to the forefront in the next book, or maybe I am just way off base, who knows.Anyways, Meg does a lovely job of describing things in the book, for instance ” He’d felt her fear…it had been sharp and as tightly wound as a garrote.” I love when descriptions are used in surprising ways, it makes the story richer in my opinion. This story takes the reader on a journey that was not quite expected and left the ending open ended so the story may continue. I read on Meg’s site that there is a second book scheduled out sometime in 2011, which I am looking forward to. If you want more information on Insatiable Meg has a special page on her site just for this book with lots of fun stuff on it so go check that out on her site.

[akmargie · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I should have read this instead of listening. There were times the heroine's waffling and indecision was drawn out and the dialouge was bogged down with Dracula history so skimming would have helped
But...it was Cabot so it was also fun, clever and breezy. I both liked and was frustrated by Meena, the heroine. I appreciate that Cabot has her make tough choices at the end. It will be interesting to see where she goes with this series.

[princess0starr · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My first reaction to this book: “No. We’re not doing the vampire thing, are we? We are? *defeated sigh*” (This was announced at the height of the vampire craze). And yet, my feelings of foreboding were proven wrong.

I like this book—for starters, Meena’s an enjoyable protagonist. She’s well-meaning, but because of her precognition, you can really tell how reserved she is. Sure, she obsesses over handbags and men, but she doesn’t really get hung up over it, aside from an increasingly frustrating morning. Which I can relate to; I’ve had those days when a little thing like someone getting something that I want drives me over the edge. I like that she’s genuinely torn about her feelings for Lucien, and she actually makes a fantastic argument for not wanting to be with him. Meena feels more natural and realistic, even with her powers and the vampires. Also, I like Lucien and Alaric as love interests, despite the LOVE TRIANGLE aspect. They both have a good, natural chemistry and dialogue with Meena, and I can reasonably see her with either one. If I had to nitpick, I really didn’t like knowing a thousand tiny details about Alaric. There’s an annoying tendency to make main characters quirky, which is okay; but when there’s quirk after quirk, it feels less like characterization and more like a gimmick. I’m kinda waiting on the second book to pass judgment on Alaric’s characterization.

The supporting cast is good, but I wouldn’t say that they’re particularly memorable. I liked Meena’s brother, Jon, if only because his incompetence leads to some pretty good “Nice Job Breaking It” moments. I wasn’t a huge fan of Leisha, if only because all she seemed to do was fulfill the Pregnant/Married/Fat Best Friend role. The only real standout side character was Mary Lou Antonescu, while despite being comic relief (and a very obvious Real Housewives jab), was a fresh breath in the book.

My biggest problem with the plot is that the revelation that the bad vampires are behind everything: the vampire plot line on the soap Meena writes for, the murders, and are basically preparing to take over the world. It feels too coincidental and just seems to act as a way to wrap up the plot for a first book in a neat little bow. It also reeks of comic book villainy, I expected the vamps to start twirling mustaches as they evil laughed. At the same time, though, I read it as a jab toward how prevalent vampires are in the media at the moment (or when it was written—2009).

There are two major nitpicks I’d like to point out—Meena continuously references Stoker’s Dracula (makes sense, as Lucien is supposed to be Vlad Tepes’s son) but she and other characters ultimately fail these references. For example, the vampires bursting into flame in sunlight is brought up as being a staple in any vampire lore across the cultures…except that idea was introduced in 1922. The second is that when Meena recounts the book’s plot to herself, she mentions that Mina Murray falls in love with Dracula. FAIL—Mina was forcibly bitten by Dracula and is actually disgusted by him. (Rape implications!) If Meena had referenced a film version rather than the book, I would have been okay with this comparison, but since it is specifically the Stoker novel, my inner English major is just screaming “Wrong! Do not pass Go! Do not collect $200!”

I think the major reason why I really enjoy this book is that it’s one of the few recent chick lit paranormal novels to point out that there’s a downside to the whole vampire schtick, as well as pointing out how messed up romanticizing death and vampirism is. Meena even says “How is knowing a guy wants to kill you is hot?”—it’s so dead perfect when you look at a lot of the big paranormal series. (And yes, someone does accuse Lucien of sparkling at least once.) I like that Meena doesn’t like the idea of vampires, mostly for that reason. On the other hand, we have Mary Lou, who does like being a vampire and the “life” that comes with it. (In other words, “Vampirism: It’s not for everyone.”) Meena’s argument is that she doesn’t want to die, because it’s not a real life, a point which really comes across when you find out what the bad vampires are actually doing. Plus, it’s an argument that make sense.

Again, there are many things that I do like about this book, but it does have its faults like the majority of novels out there. The dialogue is snappy, I enjoyed the characters; however, there were a few things weighing down in the back of my mind. I’m really interested in reading the sequel and see what improves.

[irishcontessa · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I stuck with this book and really wish I hadn't. Half of the characters are complete morons and the beginning of the book is slow. I was very annoyed to have spent my reading time on this book only to have it end the way it did. I won't read Cabot again.

[scote23 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Sometimes I feel like if you've read one Meg Cabot book, you've read them all. And then I feel slightly blasphemous.

[jess3771 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I normally finish Meg Cabot books it one to two days. I find them to be light and enjoyable reads that are funny and entertaining. So I'm a little confused about why it took me so long to finish this book because I really enjoyed the characters and liked the idea of the plot.

I really liked Meena, the story's protagonist. I love that she can tell how a person is going to die. I love that her dog's name is Jack Bauer. And I especially love that in a book about vampires, Meena doesn't like them. That fact makes her relationship and interactions with Lucien all the more realistic. Despite the fact that Lucien charms her, Meena is wary of him and his motives and nature. This makes the story more relatable and more realistic (because who wouldn't be hesitant around a vampire, even if they are charming and handsome?). I also enjoy the fact that Lucien doesn't sparkle.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. While it isn't my favourite Meg Cabot book I am looking forward to reading the sequel. And if I ever get a dog I am naming it Jack Bauer.

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Meena Harper knows about the supernatural, she sees how people are going to die all the time, little does she know what's going to happen to her life when vampires enter into it. And then an ancient society of vampire hunters follow.It's not a bad read, somewhat predictable occasionally but then Cabot pulls a comment out of her bag of tricks that makes me laugh. There is some gentle fun taken out of some of the Vampire cliches and I enjoyed that part the most. I also really liked how it ended and how Meena makes her own mind up and involves both her head and her heart in her decision.It's not stellar, but it's fun.

[chasingfireflies_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I will admit to being new to Meg Cabot’s work and thus am not able to compare this book to any that came before it. Nor do I usually read books in this genre. However, I found out about this book through a podcast interview and was intrigued by the idea of the heroine of a vampire novel hating vampires. I picked up this book in hopes of a spunky heroine whose entire life didn’t entirely revolve around her new vampire boyfriend and some good old fashioned bashing of the genre’s clichés. Unfortunately, this was not to be. The novel started off with practically every character discussing how annoying and weak girls who fall for vampires are; which is all good until the spunky main character ends up becoming one of them. She did not even put up the slightest fight. Sure there was a little moaning and some “how could he?”s thrown in there for a good measure, but the second he turned up again she completely forgave him without any explanation needed. It was rather irritating to watch how every time Meena saw another girl get abused it was bad, but when her boyfriend hurt her it was only because he loved her so much. I really hoped that by the end it would be revealed that she was being mind-controlled like all of the other girls and ditch the vampire. Cabot also seemed to go off on tangents about things that were really not significant to the plot. A good fifty pages probably could have been lopped off the novel if Meena would just stop obsessing over a stupid purse that has absolutely no significance to the plot. The whole “I want to become a head writer for the television show” also seemed to drop off the face of the planet about halfway through the book and was almost completely forgotten in the light of her new bf’s drama. In the end, I am still not sure if Meg Cabot intended this book to be a sarcastic look at modern vampire romances or if this was an serious attempt to redeem the genre that failed. Based on people’s reviews for her previous works I am hoping for the former and look forward to reading some of her other novels.

[mickyfine · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Meena Harper, a script writer for the soap opera Insatiable, has an almost normal life. She shares her apartment with her laid off brother, Jon, and her small dog, Jack Bauer. If it weren't for her ability to be able to tell when the people around her will die, she would be absolutely normal. But her chances for normality dwindle astronomically when she meets Lucien Antonescu, whose death she can't see. Mostly because he's already dead, a fact for which the vampire hunters in town would like to kill him. Being caught between vampires and vampire hunters turns Meena's life into something almost worthy of an Insatiable script. Except no one would ever believe it.I am inordinately fond of Meg Cabot's heroines. They're quirky, flawed, sweet, and a thorough joy to spend time with. In Insatiable, Cabot adds Meena's adorable brother, Jon, the mysterious Lucien, and the laser-focused Alaric to the mix, which makes for a delightful mix. She plays with the vampire tropes, challenges its mysoginistic tendencies, and brings in a twist on vampire lore I didn't see coming. Meena and the men in her increasingly dramatic life are all interesting to follow and while the novel takes a bit to warm up, once it does, it continues on at a pace that makes the pages fly by. A good piece of fluffy fun that didn't disappoint.

[jacobsbeloved · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I normally try to avoid Meg Cabot, simply because I've found some of her writing too teeny-bopper for me, but this book was written for adults and features an all-adult cast list. Now this is a book that could be made into a movie.
The book starts out as an anti-vampire book, and makes fun of the over-saturation in pop culture through Meena Harper's character. I love Meena's character right away, with her writing skills and passion for a decades-old soap opera, she is someone I can relate to. Her ability to predict others' deaths only makes her more intriguing. I also find it fittingly ironic when more and more of the people around Meena turn out to be vampires, as she eventually acknowledges herself.
Even though the book is written for adults, Meg Cabot still keeps the writing clean, skipping through the intimate bedroom scenes with only the smallest of hints at the sordid details. She also leaves many of the gruesome aspects of the plot up to the imagination of the readers, which I prefer.
Because this book is all about tongue-in-cheek irony, it is only fitting that the state of Meena's mind -- the jumbled mess of a writer -- attracts the prince of all vampires, Lucien, who happens to be a Romanian history professor when he isn't attending to his princely duties. I get the feeling that there is more to Lucien and Meena's attraction to each other than what Meg Cabot is telling the reader, but by the end of the book, this is still a mystery. Plus, a good-looking vampire slayer suffering from too much micromanagement and even less communication skills causes some interesting conflicts and obstacles for Meena and Lucien. His attraction to Meena is like water to a sponge, but Meena is less drawn to Alaric.
I wasn't crazy by how the book ended, but it made sense for Meena's independence. Still, I'm hoping Meena's choices will change in the next book, Overbite.

[fyrefly98 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Summary: Three things about Meena Harper: 1) she knows when everyone she meets is going to die; 2) she hates our culture's current obsession with vampires, which is a problem, since 3) she is a writer for the soap opera Insatiable, and has just been told that they will be adding a vampire character to the show. Her mind is not totally on her troubles at work, however, since she's just met the perfect new guy: Lucien Antonescu, a Romanian prince who's related to her next-door neighbors. One thing that Meena doesn't know, however, is that Lucien is in fact a vampire prince, in New York to investigate a string of killings that might be part of an ancient feud. And neither Meena nor Lucien realize that he is being tracked in turn by an equally ancient order of Vatican vampire hunters. But when these secrets start to be revealed, Meena has to re-think everything she's previously believed about vampires... and she has to do it fast.Review: I love the Mediator series, but I am really starting to wonder if I should just stick to Cabot's YA books, because between Size 12 is Not Fat and Insatiable, her adult novels just seem to make me rage-y. These books are chick-lit, marketed so they appeal to older teen girls as well as adult women, but they are filled with such irresponsible and angry-making attitudes and actions that it makes my blood boil.Meena talks a good talk about how vampires are romanticized misogyny and preying on the helpless buxom women who never fight back, and how she's not falling for it, etc., etc. And then? She promptly falls for the first vampire to waltz along. That's not even my main problem, though. Lucien, on the whole, is not a bad guy, and I can easily believe that Meena would find him attractive (maybe not in-love-with-him-within-24-hours attractive, but still). There's a part about whether or not she gave him permission in the throes of passion to drink her blood that reads as uncomfortably close to date rape, but even that was not worst offense this book committed.My main problem with Meena was that she was so damned weak when it came to fighting back against any kind of attack, whether it was getting passed over for a promotion at work, or when Alaric (the vampire hunter) forces his way into her apartment, physically assaults her, smashes her phone, holds a sword to her throat, and threatens to kill her and anyone she tries to contact for help. Not only are her efforts at fighting back feeble at best, but she stops in the middle of the assault to notice how attractive he is. Seriously. RAGE. Stop thinking about how pretty his eyes are and make with the kneeing him in the groin, girl! Even ignoring all of that, I still had problems with the writing itself. It's a long book, and the beginning's pretty slow to get going, with a lot of meandering. The characterizations are broad and not particularly interesting, or even necessarily self-consistent. (Tip for authors: you can have your characters be "one of those girls" who doesn't care about clothes and shoes, or you can have their primary daydream be owning a $5000 designer purse. Not both.) There were a number of errors scattered throughout that made the whole thing feel careless and rushed. (For example, each chapter began with the date, time, and place that it occurred, but all of the times were given as Eastern Standard Time, despite taking place in mid-April. Also, during one of Meena's inappropriate admirations of Alaric's eyes, "she was struck once again by how piercing and bright blue his pupils were." I'm sure she meant "irises", but it's much funnier if you picture it as written.)I'm not rating it as low as I might based on all of these issues because I was entertained by the first half. It was a fluffy, brainless vampire romance, but I liked the idea of Meena's psychic powers, and was willing to go along for the ride. It was only after Cabot started setting up the horribly off-putting love triangle (with the extremely unpleasant guy who had just physically assaulted Meena, let me remind you) that my blood pressure really started to rise. The book ends with a big climactic battle but no real resolution... but I highly doubt I'll be checking out the sequels. 2.5 out of 5 stars.Recommendation: This is not the worst offender in the "girl falls for guy who is trying to assault/kill her" category that I've read (that "honor" belongs to Hush, Hush), but it's definitely up there. There are other, better, and less angry-making paranormal romances out there.

[talksupe3blogspot · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Although this is essentially a vampire book, MCabot's take on it was done with humor and a tad of sexy. Lucien lives up to the modern allure of romanticized vampires, tall, dark, muscled, polished and everything you want and need your vampire to be. Plus the fact that he is smart and The Prince of Darkness did nothing but add to his magnetic persona. I can't blame Meena for falling madly in love with him but at the same time, I also admire the lass' fortitude and still managed to use her brains instead of her heart in the end. I'd like to see how Lucies will continue to seduce our pixie-haired heroine in Overbite.