When teens hear the name John Green, they usually think of the quirky man who hosts Crash Course, a series of short informational videos on topics such as World History, Psychology, and Chemistry. However, John Green is also an author and a vlogger (video blogger), whose well-known books Looking for Alaska and The Fault In Our Stars have won awards. Recently he published a video where he talks about eighteen books he believes are worth reading, some of which are available at the school library. I decided to read one: Thirsty by M.T. Anderson.

When most people think about vampire stories, they think of Twilight or, less commonly, the House of Night series. So when people hear of the book Thirsty by M.T. Anderson, they immediately think of other vampire novels and cast it aside. But Thirsty, written in 1997 — ten years before the vampire craze even started — stands against the tide of contemporary vampire eroticism. Thirsty is a bloody dose of horror, suspense and reality; if you’re looking for a happily ever after or for romance, this isn’t the book for you.

Thirsty tells the tale of a boy named Christopher, a teenager living in Clayton, Massachusetts, whose world is very different than our own. Creatures that we regard as fantasy are real, breathing, living things in the world of Thirsty — especially vampires, who are feared and hunted by humans. Vampires are killed by violent, bloody lynchings, which almost always take place at a courthouse and involve holy water and a stake.

Christopher is an awkward, shy teenage boy who immerses himself in daydreams and fantasies, gets into trouble with his friends Tom and Michael (nicknamed “Jerk”) and avoids his parents. He seems like an average Joe, who dreams of achieving his greatest fantasies — which lately included scoring a date with the popular girl Rebecca Schwartz. He is normal enough, until he discovers that he’s turning into a vampire, tipped off when he fails to see his own reflection in a body of water. Thus begins a young boy’s quest to rid himself of vampirism, joined by a celestial being named Chet who offers to aid Chris in exchange for the boy’s help in dealing with an ancient vampire lord on the rise.

M.T. Anderson writes with a strong, detailed style that immerses the reader in the world of Thirsty. Each twist and turn in the story left me wanting more, and I felt the same emotions as Chris: anger, fear, and desperation at his lot.

The book also boasts something that not all books of this genre have: a good dose of reality. Nothing will turn out as the reader expects, and even the end of the story has a twist that left me stunned and thinking. Sudden changes of setting can be confusing, however, and the appearance of the characters aren’t explained very in-depth, leaving the reader curious. But the writing is excellent nonetheless, and every other aspect of the story is dripping with detail.

Don’t look for a “happily ever after” ending. It’s dark, gritty, and bloody, and the suspense-filled story left me itching for more. Thirsty is a book that fans of horror and suspense can sink their teeth into.