Fledgling by Octavia Butler

Rating: 3.5

What it's about:
Fledgling, Octavia Butler's first new novel in seven years, is the story of an apparently young, amnesiac girl whose alarmingly unhuman needs and abilities lead her to a startling conclusion: She is in fact a genetically modified, 53-year-old vampire. Forced to discover what she can about her stolen former life, she must at the same time learn who wanted-and still wants-to destroy her and those she cares for and how she can save herself. Fledgling is a captivating novel that tests the limits of "otherness" and questions what it means to be truly human.

My thoughts:
Fledgling is a somewhat original, modern day vampire story. Octavia Butler takes a vampire and adds in the element of genetic engineering. Her hybrid vampire, Shori, is able to be awake in the daytime and live a more "human" life. Some of the other older vampires see this as a threat and try to destroy Shori and her family. Unfortunately this story sounds better than it actually is. I just couldn't immerse myself in it. I'm not sure if it was the characters or the story itself but I felt it was lacking something. It just didn't grip me. That's not to say that I didn't like the book. It had some compelling aspects, especially the genetically modified vampire, and I enjoyed it overall but it's not my favorite vampire story.