As it turns out, Graf has just entered the Twilight Zone. He can’t leave the small town of Penance Ohio…no one can. He learns from Jessa that he’s the first visitor to show up in Penance in five years, and none of the residents are able to leave. On top of being stuck, the It, as they call the monster that they escaped from at the gas station, has been terrorizing the town with random attacks that started shortly after their entrapment. It also becomes clear that the townies don’t take to newcomers too much.
Although she is one of the local citizens, Jessa isn’t liked much better by them because of her past. Graf needs a place to stay, and Jessa could use a bit of protection. The two form a loose partnership on those terms while trying to figure out what is causing their unnatural residency in Penance. They have no choice but to trust each other as they are pitted against angry townspeople and the It that is still stalking them. Graf’s and Jessa’s forced closeness leads the two of them to explore the feelings that begin cropping up for each other. With the It still stalking them and an angry mob of townspeople ready to throw them to the beast, they’ll have to come up with answers fast if they want to make it out of Penance alive.
This is not your average vampire story. AMERICAN VAMPIRE is a conglomerate of Stephen King type themed scenarios all rolled into one entertaining tale. There is a sexy, but smug, vampire, a snarky female and some fearful residents all stuck in a small waning town that is impossible to leave and they are all being terrorized by a mysterious monster. On the surface it may seem as if a lot is going on, but never fear, author Jennifer Armintrout’s clever writing style pulls everything together in a nifty package. While I enjoyed the detour from the usual vampire storyline, it was the sharp dialogue and Ms. Armintrout’s sense of humor that stood out the most for me. Abrasiveness, a bit of insanity, a hint of romance and a few twists in the plot kept me happily turning the pages.
