Adjusting to life as a vampire hasn't been easy for Cynthia. Her partner murdered, stalked by a demented preacher-turned-vampire hunter, and forced to move across country from North Carolina to Irvine, California, Cynthia tackles undeath one battle at a time. With the help of her devoted grandmother, trusted brother, and Josie, a distracting runaway, Cynthia comes to realize that it is not walking in sunshine that makes a person human, and living in the shadows might shed light on the things most important to her survival-family, love, and controlling her thirst for blood.