Cole has been called home to help. He is a heme or a hemovore, someone who feeds solely on the blood. While we would call people like that vampires, Cole and his companions would consider that and all the stereotypes that go along with it to be extremely insulting. They live to a high standard of rules in which they respect omnis, those like the rest of us humans who live off a variety of sources.

Cole has been asked to help train a new heme named Gordon, who is struggling with coming to terms with his new life. He is a teen who has become a bit erratic and has trouble obeying the rules. Cole has past experience with such a vampire, though things did not turn out well. In fact, since that time, Cole has been roaming around on his own.

Part of the trouble for Gordon is that he was turned by accident. Sander, another heme, had chosen him to feed, but did so for too long because he had recently been weakened by a mugger. As a result, Sander didn't immediately take Gordon under his wing. Before he knew it, Gordon had fled to his girlfriend's house and attacked her because of the Thirst, a primal, overpowering need to feed.

Now, the three of them are taking a road trip together with the hopes of teaching Gordon the dos and don't of heme-hood. This includes the basic process of feeding and also how to treat omnis. The consequence if they fail is that Gordon will be turned out into the sunlight, which won't kill him, but will turn his brain to much making him a vegetable.

Jenkins does a great job of defining a whole new view of vampirism. She has also strongly developed the three primary characters, allowing the three of them. I would put the level of writing on the level of Anne Rice because of the strong descriptive nature, deep back stories for the characters, and the high level of philosophical thinking that takes place. In that since, the story is a typical road trip in which the characters get an opportunity to also look inward, finding self growth along the way.

Unlike Rice, Jenkins' hemes find the act of feeding to be highly sexualized, mostly because of the closeness of the act. The whole process is delicately handled, allowing such a perspective to seem appropriate in a book meant primarily for older teens and college-aged kids.

I definitely would be pleased to hear that Jenkins has opted to right more books involving hemes.