‘Orchard’: Book on vampires lacks bite readers want

If you wake up with no memory, surrounded by strangers who tell you that you are now a vampire, it's natural to have lots of questions. And that's exactly the case for 20-something-year-old Orchard, who becomes the latest addition to a family of vampires who have been serving as guardians of the world for more than 500 years. Luckily local author Jed Quinn takes the time to carefully answer all of Orchard's queries - and our own - making for a strong start to his charming and suspenseful debut YA novel, 'Orchard.”

After subjecting Orchard to a 12-hour vampire movie marathon, her new family, which includes Violet, a forever 19-year-old with a penchant for extreme fashion and Tortuga, a weathered man with the personality and fashion sense of a grumpy stage technician, carefully disarm all vampire stereotypes, setting up the rules for the world, as well as the thin line between life and death.

And while providing a background that explains why Orchard can walk in the sunshine and never be traced on film is important (and fascinating), having more than 100 of world-building before introducing the main plot is a bit much. And when the main plot does come, it doesn't come smoothly. When the family's vision is hijacked and they are seemingly set up for disaster in a Paris apartment, the situation doesn't last long. Other potential plot lines are introduced (vampire don't have to feed on living victims; the worst part of being a vampire is 'remembering”), but these are not fully explored and do not come into play as the novel moves along, making for a number of disappointing false starts in terms of narrative structure.

So while Quinn does a fantastic job building his world and developing his characters, he is less meticulous when it comes to building a carefully scaffolded plot. There is a sequel to 'Orchard” coming out this winter, though, and hopefully Quinn's narrative techniques have developed to keep up with his strong, empathetic characters.